Discernment

Vaughan R Hayden

Decades of decline have left many churches in the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the UMC struggling. Is there an effective method of intervention that can change the direction of struggling churches? This project designed an intervention utilizing the adaptive challenge approach to help churches discern the next step. After a six- week Bible Study followed by a workshop, their values and beliefs were challenged. They contemplated their place on the life cycle of the church and utilized a process of discernment to compose a letter from the Lord for their congregation similar to the letters for the churches in Revelation.

Leonette Y Lewis

This research project designed a spiritual gifts curriculum for Christian women. The project evaluated the effectiveness of a four-week seminar in educating Christian women on the topic of spiritual gifts. This course assisted the women in the discovery of their spiritual gifts and aided in identifying ministries in which they were gifted to serve. This course of study focused on spiritual gifts and their functions for women who may or may not have known of their spiritual gifts and may or may not have served in ministries or were serving in ministries outside of their spiritual giftedness in the church. By taking thirty Christian women, ages nineteen and older of various church denominations through this course of study, the women gained knowledge of spiritual gifts. A pre-test/post-test was administered to the students to gauge their knowledge of spiritual gifts before and following instruction. This data revealed an increase in knowledge of spiritual gifts. Also, a spiritual gifts assessment was administered to assist in the discovery of their spiritual gifts, and the one-on-one ministry interviews aided in identifying other ministries in which the women were able to serve.

Darrell W Paulk

Christians and churches participate in life-long journeys of faith. However, few participate in a spiritual strategic journey that enables them to better pursue God's calling. The thesis of this project is that strategic planning competencies enable leaders to help churches become the missional agencies God desires. Identifying church core values, mission, and vision are the first steps of strategic planning and are necessary to pursue God's preferred future. The project director conducted extensive research through lending libraries and online. Research resulted in a curriculum used to equip selected church leaders. Project results indicated cognitive and affective gains among participants.

Jeffrey A McDowell

Christians seek God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We believe God has equipped us to do work to this end, through local churches. What is often lacking is awareness of the divine call to specific areas of service. I used individual interviews, asking people about their experience in service and any sense of divine guidance, and followed each interview with an online assessment of spiritual gifts. There clearly is a correlation between service, divine guidance, and spiritual gifts. This project results in a simple, useable model for discernment of effective lay service to God.

Garland B Vance

West Rome Baptist Church ministry leaders frequently identified themselves as "busy" or "exhausted" and expressed the desire to slow their pace of life in order to prevent burnout. The researcher conducted a phenomenological study to determine the effects of a twelve-week training on time management as a practice of discernment. With-God Time Management included training in discernment, time management best practices, as well as utilization of Sabbath and leisure. The researcher discovered seven effects including an increased awareness of God's presence and voice as well as unexpected increase in productivity.

Mike Watson

Those who experience a call to ministry in church leadership over a protracted period of time can experience a sense of isolation and confusion in their calling, deeming it less valid. The praxis director recruited four such individuals to pursue clarity in their callings. He does so by having them utilize a clarified vocabulary, an examination of biblical and historical examples of those called of God, and an assessment of spiritual gifting within the context of a small group. As a result, each of the participants was able to identify future steps for pursuing continued clarity in their calling.

Daniel Isaac Denlinger

The purpose of this project was to measure the impact of a four phase process on selected Eaton Church of the Brethren attendees as they discovered their place to serve in ministry. The most prominent finding of the project showed the desire of participants to be equipped to serve in ministry. Various relational, experiential and intellectual elements engaged the participants in an equipping environment. The discovery of how to serve with purpose and effectiveness came as participants sought to grow as disciples of Christ through learning about themselves and applying various personal attributes in a ministry setting.

David Ralph Chotka

This thesis project concerns the decision-making processes of churches in conversion with biblical material for processes of communal discernment methods developed by Danny Morris and Charles "Chuck" Olsen, a process used by many to sift and obey what God is directing. To weigh its allegiance to Scripture and its effectiveness in current practice, this study overviews what is currently happening in church decision-making, and analyses how decisions were taken "by discernment" in Scripture. It also examines discernment in church history. Case-study interviews and a field study examination of the Morris/Olsen method are included. The thesis ends with a synthesis of biblical/practical research, and contains recommendations for future action to move God's people toward Scriptural processes of decision-making.

Carlos J Sibley

This project aims to develop a plan for how a local church can help a person recognize and confirm their call to vocational ministry. This discernment process for determining a person's call to ministry involves both inward/private and outward/public activity. The plan is developed primarily from information gleaned from interviews with twenty-five vocational ministers. Answers that describe ways outside influence helped them discern their call to ministry is organized into a process labeled Discerning Ministry as a Vocation which includes four specific actions on behalf of influencers in a person's community of faith: intentionality, opportunities, accessibility, and affirmation.

Angela M Harris

This project explores how the practice of discernment in the Christian tradition can be beneficial in making faithful and fruitful decisions. It reflects on the theology of discernment in the Christian tradition with particular emphasis on Ignatius of Loyola and the Quaker tradition, as well as in-depth interviews with United Methodist clergy on the practices of discernment that have been helpful to them over the course of their career with an emphasis on how to transition from positive placement settings. It concludes with a guide to assist clergy in matters of spiritual discernment.