Gardner-Webb University

Matthew Rollins D.Min.

Worship is a central part of the life of the church. There exists an understanding that the church will provide a time and space for regular, meaningful worship to occur, as well as an expectation that the people will attend and engage, open to an encounter with God, alongside their brothers and sisters in Christ. This study investigates the latter responsibility - that of the people to fully participate in worship that gives worth to God, listens to God, and responds to God. In this project, volunteers from First Baptist Church Greenville, SC, engaged with specially designed pre-worship guides to measure the value of intentional preparation for worship. The results of the experiment show that preparing for worship does in general lead to more meaningful worship.

Tyler P. Roach D.Min.

This project was developed for the purpose of lowering the anxiety level of the participants of the First Baptist Church, Morganton, NC. It will be accomplished by providing a baseline awareness of their anxiety level and introducing tools to bring their baseline down. The tools used were Bible stories, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Family Systems Theory, and centering prayer. The tools were presented in the form of a Friday night and Saturday morning retreat. Data was collected in three different ways. The Beck Anxiety Inventory was used during the retreat to track baseline anxiety. An essay questionnaire was given a month after the retreat to gain progress and engagement. Finally, six months out from the retreat, a survey using a Likert scale of 1-10 was submitted by the participants. The conclusion was favorable and with some adjustments could be used, at least in part, with other groups.

Janice Daynette Snead D.Min.

The process of intercultural ministry across human boundaries is modeled throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ. Regardless of culture, the scriptures actively engage understanding of God’s Word for all the people and His love to reach each one. This project sought to encourage a biblical understanding of intercultural discipleship by guiding the worshiping community of First Chin Baptist Church through a four-week ministry project to welcome and worship with non-Chin guests. Through a series of study on John 21:1-17, the community discovered a new biblical and theological foundation for understanding and guiding non-Chin guests before, during, and after worship to develop a framework for intercultural worship practices at First Chin Baptist Church.

John Greene D.Min.

Developing a Tool for Bridging Generation Gaps Via the Study and Execution of Local Mission Projects at Canton First Baptist Church, examined the idea that a church’s local mission efforts can unite people across generations, because focus on a greater goal bridges preconceptions. The researcher assembled groups of varying generational makeup, surveyed them to find preconceptions about missions and generations, and directed them to serve a local ministry. Tracking the groups’ opinions along generational lines throughout showed the effect missions made. The project showed local missions can bridge the generation gap, so long as the participants are open to change.

Yhanco Monet

A qualitative phenomenological research methodology was designed and implemented to answer the question: what is it that chaplains assessed which is perceived as useful for the Roper St. Francis Palliative Care team? Twelve Palliative Care practitioners, representing diverse specialties, were interviewed and surveyed to answer the research question. Evidence suggested that spiritual care and chaplaincy assessments were perceived as relevant to the Roper St. Francis’ Palliative Care praxis. However, the gathered data indicates that chaplains and Palliative Care practitioners would benefit from a more standardized/consistent spiritual assessment practice. A set of “Teaching Guidelines” and educational “Activities” was created with the goal of training chaplains in the art of doing Palliative Care spiritual assessments based on the research findings. A certified ACPE supervisor was interviewed about the viability and appropriateness of these “Teaching Guidelines” and “Activities.” This professional educator enriched the educative proposal and validated its potential to train staff chaplains as Palliative Care practitioners.

Jeffrey C. Hayes

This project introduced the spiritual value of following the Christian year in worship. Through a series of sermons and study lessons that focused on eight major seasons (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time), participants were exposed to the history and spiritual purpose of each, respectively. Two surveys were administered, along with weekly evaluations, and interviews, to measure the project’s effectiveness. The desired outcome was a greater degree of knowledge and interest in worshipping through the Christian year. According to the final analysis, increased understanding, spiritual growth, and desire to worship through the Christian year did occur.

Kimberly Moore

There are times when a church can have the look of success, but the zeal of that ministry is slowly diminishing. The older generation continues to do their best to keep ministry viable and moving, but there is a younger generation who does not see the importance of committing to anything beyond the Sunday morning experience. Through a series of Bible studies, sermons, outreach and moments of fellowship, this project engages the millennial generation and discovers ways to move them toward some level of commitment and participation within the Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, Gastonia, NC. It is becoming more and more evident that we are dealing with a different generation of believers. This millennial generation loves God, but they do not care for tradition or routine. They are more tasks driven than program driven. Therefore, we must provide opportunities for them to serve based upon present need versus long-term desire.

Richard Lee Hamrick

A church-wide emphasis, with preaching and teaching, provided the platform for instilling in members of Polkville Baptist Church a better understanding of the individual's role in the community of faith, the goal being that a greater percentage of members take an active role in the church. The twelve-member research group was tracked individually, and the control group was tracked as a unit. Following the emphasis, care was taken to discover if there were more members involved in the life of the church than before the emphasis. There was a clear growth in understanding and in the number of active members.

Martha Dixon Kearse

In this project, the candidate recorded personal stories from members of two different Baptist congregations: Friendship Missionary Baptist Church (a church made up predominantly of members identifying as African-American) and St. John’s Baptist Church (a church made up predominantly of members identifying as Caucasian). Using those recordings, the candidate created a podcast called “Making Room,” and invited participating group members to listen to each other’s stories. In addition, the candidate invited these same group members to participate in conversations about issues of race, especially as they present themselves in Charlotte, NC. The candidate and group members challenged themselves with the biblical ethic of hospitality and explored conversations about how each individual might help to improve relationships between African-Americans and Caucasian Americans using that Christian ethic.

Gary W. Jordan

“Don’t say God is silent if your Bible is closed.” - Church Sign This project aimed to encourage and enable a small group class at Mount Moriah Baptist Church to adopt meditative and contemplative prayer as a framework for a coping mechanism. In practicing this type of prayer life, participants anticipated to receive the benefit of being better able to cope with stressors of life. Utilizing a small group study, Lectio Divina, biblical examples, breathing techniques and various surveys, participants were enabled to experience a deeper interaction with Scripture, aided by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to hear God speaking to them and transforming their lives to the image of Christ.