RSS 1.0Western Theological Seminary Theses
Recent Submissions
-
Unplugging to connect : reimagining Christian identity formation in the digital age
(2021)Screens are here to stay. With their myriad uses, screens have found a permanent place in our lives. We reap many benefits from our screens, but thoughtful observers cannot help but wonder, “Are screens delivering on their ... -
Jordan River Ministries : equipping churches with a recovery ministry model to change hearts and transform lives
(2020)Churches are described to be a place of refuge, a lifeline for those who are in need. They often reach out to provide special services. However, when it comes to addiction and severe hardship, additional specialized services ... -
Pastoral theology, imagination, and formation in preaching seminarians at Church on the Hill
(2020)From a broad vantage point, this paper is about pastoral theology and pastoral formation. However, the intricate details and the winding journey reveal that it is about so much more. Animated by the life and ministry ...
-
God’s story, our story : a narrative approach for discovery of congregational identity and purpose
(2020)Many North American Mennonite churches live in a climate of confusion and anxiety struggling to understand who they are and why they exist. This project explores how a congregation’s self-understanding is shaped by stories ... -
Pacing presence : impact of relational ministry course for graduates of Kuyper College working with adolescents
(2019)Using the Success Case Method developed by Robert Brinkerhoff, the survey and interviews revealed a direct correlation between the amount of time spent in an adolescent’s environment and the quality of the conversations ...
-
Ecclesiology and discipleship : rediscovering an effective communal approach
(2019)I love what the Reformed Church in America adopted in 2013 as its 15-year vision for ministry (condensed to this phrase), “Transformed and Transforming.” It is both “life change” and “life changing.” There’s a considerable ...
-
Hispanic Pentecostal ministry in greater Grand Rapids : balancing calling and training toward a sustainable and healthy ministry
(2020)Leadership styles, worship, and liturgy of the Hispanic Pentecostal congregations are shaped by their rich, diverse cultural background. While they offer a welcoming and familiar community to migrating families, there ...
-
Post-Christian narratives for liturgical formation: formation, worship, and mission at Alger Park Church
(2018)After some unexpected shifts in my own faith journey, and in the faith journeys of some people I deeply love, I found myself wondering how I, and my friends and neighbors who have left or never known the church, might ...
-
Humility : a retreat of ritual and pathways
(2019)This project contains an action research impact study that developed a retreat for first-call, rural, Midwestern, male pastors in their first five years of ministry. The retreat intended for these pastors to have a ... -
Walking in water : nurturing baptismal identity through congregational worship
(2019)How can congregations prepare our young people for the challenges of an unknown future? I came into this project with three assumptions: the key to preparing our young people for the future lies in identity formation; the ... -
Mindfulness for healthcare staff with direct patient care
(2019)As a chaplain, I work in the context of healthcare with staff who provides direct patient care in the midst of burnout and compassion fatigue. I experience firsthand their stress and anxiousness which results in high ...
-
Asking, giving, and receiving : a practical spirituality of Christian fundraising in Young Life
(2019)This thesis will recast fundraising from a mostly secularized approach to one that views fundraising as a spiritual practice. Young Life staff members are trained in how to proclaim the gospel and program activities in ...
-
Preaching and missional engagement : indwelling the Word, performing the Word, engaging the World
(2018)This project is an appreciative inquiry of a homiletical method that involves interiorizing Scripture for performance as it’s offered at Pillar Church leading to increased missional engagement within the congregation. ...
