Vocational Understandings: An Exploration of the Nature of the Tensions in the Musician-Cleric Relationship
By Alexander C. Graham IV, 2020 -- "Go up to a group of clergy and say, “let’s talk about Church musicians…” and the eyerolls will be ubiquitous and revelatory. Go up to a group of Church musicians and do the reverse, and expect to encounter the same dramatic response. As a priest who was first a musician, I understood both worldviews personally, but needed to explore them on a larger scale.
Through individual interviews, I sought to explore the nature of the unique and unusual relationship between musicians and clerics. What made it work? Where were there problems? How does one group tend to view the other? I then brought the participants together for a plenary session to test what I thought I learned and to discern together in a group what makes for a good relationship, and where the tensions might lie.
One of the significant learnings (for both myself and for those musicians and clerics participating) during this project was that the stories of epically tragic cleric-musician relationships, while perhaps entertaining, are far more widespread than encountered in real life, and do not match the overall experience of the participants or their colleagues. Problems – even daunting ones – do arise, and can be addressed, but they do not escalate to the level of popular expectation."
Graham, Alexander Coulter IV
Virginia Theological Seminary
April 17, 2020
Coyright 2020, the author.
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Project thesis.
‘Evangelistening’ – Listening as Evangelism in Caring Concern for Community
By Nyasha Gumbeze, 2020 -- "Anglican congregations throughout Western countries are struggling with the decline of membership numbers as the societal context becomes more secular. Members at Henderson Anglican Church in Auckland, New Zealand, are faithfully seeking their spiritual growth as they experience God in a Christian context. The members are evangelical in that they are welcoming to the community and hoping for new members that they might experience the blessings of the Christian life. Listening is an evangelism tool that works well in a secular and increasingly multi-cultural society like New Zealand. Church members can share the Christian experience without needing to assert Christianity's preeminence, and it has the added benefit of encouraging the Christian community and personal growth.
My thesis does not intend to redefine evangelism or the call of the church anew; instead, it provides some practical guidelines to help the church fulfill its vocation. My parish benefitted from learning to listen with one another. My goal for this thesis project is to offer a method through which churches might approach evangelism for ministry and mission to their members as well as connecting them to the broader community. The title itself “Evangelistening” is a direct reference to a book by Tim Sumpter Evangelistening: Recovering the Art of Listening in Evangelism."
Gumbeze, Nyasha J.
Virginia Theological Seminary
January 2020
Copyright 2020, the author.
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Project thesis.
Finding God in All Things: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of Praying the Ignatian Examen
By James Pevehouse, 2020 -- "As part of the clergy staff of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Waco, Texas, I have wondered what practices are used to help experience a deep relationship with God, especially when it is affirmed that believing in God is important. The percentage of those affirming belief in God as important is high for adults at St. Paul’s and throughout the state of Texas. However, religious practices, once seen as necessary for deepening one’s relationship with God, are sharply declining.
In a post-Christendom context, when religious practices have declined and belief in God is no longer assumed necessary, it is vital for faith communities to offer tools that will aid in experiencing a life-giving relationship with God. The act of ministry at the center of this thesis project is a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative inquiry of the lived experience of St. Paul’s parishioners praying the Ignatian Examen during Lent 2019.
Using a hermeneutic phenomenological method in a qualitative inquiry means arriving at the essence of the experience of participants. As the researcher, I am also involved in this study. I have my own experience of praying the Examen and being shaped by Ignatian Spirituality. I believe the Ignatian Examen could help one experience a deeper relationship with God. Part of hermeneutic phenomenology is to name my presuppositions and suspend them, as much as possible, in order to hear the experience of participants.
The act of ministry culminates in a composite description of the lived experience of St. Paul’s parishioners praying the Ignatian Examen. The final chapter reflects upon lessons learned and future possibilities of how practicing the Ignatian Examen might have a positive affect upon experiencing a relationship with God in a post-Christendom context"
Pevehouse, James Melvin
Virginia Theological Seminary
February 10, 2020
Copyright 2020, the author.
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Project thesis.
The Black Church and Economic Empowerment: An Ecumenical Collaboration in The Revitalization of West Dayton
By Speare-Hardy, Benjamin E.K. II (2021) -- "This thesis is about an Ecumenical Collaboration of the Black Church to address the disparities in the education of Black students in Dayton (Ohio) Public Schools. These disparities include unjust discipline practices, poor academic performance in reading and mathematics, and low graduation rates. Blacks in West Dayton, Ohio experienced significant gaps in education, economic opportunities, and healthcare services. Education, however, provides a foundation for our growth and is the bedrock upon which much of our economic and social wellbeing is developed. To build the case for collaboration, I conducted several interviews with a cross-section of community stakeholders. Three questions were asked of each interviewee:1) In your opinion, what do you consider to be the disparities in education?2) What should be done to close the education gap between Blacks and Caucasians?3) Which role should the Black Church play in closing the gap? ...<br />My insights gleaned from an analysis of the answers, using qualitative research methods, led to a commitment from three Black Church ministerial organizations. Members of those groups signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that invested in a summer education program for Pre-K through 3rd-grade students in West Dayton....The collaboration of the three Black Church ministerial organizations was a crucial first step in attempting to close the education gap for at-risk Black students in Dayton Public Schools" -- Introduction.
Speare-Hardy II, Benjamin E.K.
Virginia Theological Seminary
Copyright Benjamin Speare-Hardy, 2021.
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Let’s Talk About Money : How Breaking Money Silence In The American Church Unlocks Greater Christian Financial Generosity
By Ateek, Sari Naim (2020) -- The aim of this project thesis is to advance the research in the field of Christian charitable giving to the church in America. Prior studies in the field identify that American Christians have the capacity to give more, but choose to spend the majority of their discretionary income on consumer goods. Virtually absent from the research, however, are measured interventions that address this reality. This project thesis makes a connection between the cultural aversion to discussing money (money taboo) and the continuation of the consumer mindset. To that end, the thesis asks, does the simple act of examining one’s own relationship to money, spending, and generosity, in conversation with others in church, lead to greater intentionality with, and capacity for, charitable giving? The purpose is to provide research based evidence for the theological and practical importance of discussing money in church. Using a Christian Formation approach in which eighteen individuals come together to engage in honest money conversations, this thesis uncovers a positive causal relationship between discussing money in the context of a faith community, and increased financial generosity to the church. The project also shows that discussing money in this way lessens the perceived distance between money and spirituality, decreases personal financial stress, and leads to greater awareness with money and spending. The significance of this study is that it informs our theological and sociological understanding of the importance of human connection to the development of greater financial maturity and generosity.
Ateek, Sari Naim
Virginia Theological Seminary
November 22, 2019
Copyright © 2020, Sari Naim Ateek.
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Project thesis.
Reimagining Women’s Ministry and Leadership in Light of the Eucharist : A Palestinian Anglican Perspective
By Naoum, Hosam Elias (2019) -- This project’s purpose was to highlight gender inequality within Palestinian society in general and the local Anglican Church in particular. In the context of the project, women initiated conversations centering on women’s roles in the church with the potential to open the local Anglican Church to a fuller vision and experience of God. Through the women’s prophetic imagination and re-imagination of their own stories, they move their families and their church community toward gender justice and equality.<br />Women at St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem, engaged in conversation to reflect on the ministry and leadership of women in their own patriarchal and male-dominated context. As an ethnographic study, the project focused on the lived experiences of Palestinian Anglican women within the church and the wider community. The conversation, referred to as “table talk,” was the foundational act of ministry for the theological discussion and reflection of this project thesis. Feminist approaches to anthropology, ecclesiology, spirituality guided my theological reflection on the women's table talk.<br />This unprecedented project at the Cathedral has the power to transform the whole community’s vision and experience of God. In short, this project thesis is a major pastoral step within my context where the church as the body of Christ moves into the fullness and wholeness of God's Kingdom, fully affirming both women and men as made in God’s image.
Naoum, Hosam Elias
Virginia Theological Seminary
June 27, 2019
Copyright © 2019 by Hosam E. Naoum
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Project thesis
Celebrating the Music of Appalachia in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Tradition: Mission, Evangelism, and Renewal
"Traditional music of Christian faithful in Southern Appalachia offers hope and richness, greater community, and life for Episcopal churches throughout the region and beyond. As St. Thomas’ Christmas Eve celebration in 2017 revealed, musicians whose music is drawn from the Christian traditions in Appalachia offer Episcopal/Anglican parishes opportunities for renewal of spirit, faith, and community. The music traditions of Appalachia are many. Broadly, recognizing that diversity, what we might call “Appalachian gospel” offers musical settings, lyrics, instruments, and voices that make sense of Christian faith in the lived experience of the people. This is what is valuable for St. Thomas and other mainline, Protestant congregations to know and celebrate. The formal English of The Book of Common Prayer and the musical texts and settings in English tradition are sometimes experienced as remote, even aloof from language of prayer and religious experience. St. Thomas and other such congregations, importantly, have and need members from across cultures that reflect, understand, and care for the communities of which they are a part, sharing their ideas, experience, spirit, and music."
"The literature and music of Appalachia abound. Great schools, centers of learning, study, and practice of Appalachian old-music (ballads, tunes, and melodies), Bluegrass, and country, are celebrated throughout the region, nationally, and internationally in the twenty-first century. Both the literature and music of Appalachia are honored, respected, and the music especially, cherished and celebrated. Bluegrass itself has become a prominent genre of music worldwide. History, story, a sense of place, honor, joy, and great pride and celebration bless young and old, traditional and not, throughout Appalachia and well beyond. What I have come to call, “Liturgical Bluegrass” is an example of great opportunity and spiritual blessing. Might there be a dawning in St. Thomas’ and the Episcopal Church’s tradition of what at least a few related to this study have followed in calling, “Liturgical Bluegrass?” This thesis describes and proposes just such a thing." -- Thesis Description and Reason , pp. 7-9.
Holder, Timothy Scott
Virginia Theological Seminary
April 2021
Copyright © 2021 by Timothy Scott Holder
All rights reserved
Mutual Blessings : Towards a community centered on the sacredness of creation
By Scott, Matthew R. (2020) -- "An opportunity for dialog between church members and unchurched local environmental activists offers an evangelistic opportunity for a rural Episcopal congregation. The paper argues that by sharing reflections in a small group setting about the experience of the sacredness of nature, churched and unchurched persons will build bridges toward mutual evangelistic community. Evidence in favor of the argument comes from an interpretive phenomenological study of participant’s experience. Important to this research is how an individual’s experiences in nature may offer a unique avenue for evangelism efforts. Themes addressed include ecological theology, post-Christendom evangelism, and the impact of interpersonal relationships on human development." -- Abstract, p. vii.
Scott, Matthew R.
Virginia Theological Seminary
October 22, 202
Copyright ©2020 by Matthew Rhoades Scott
All rights reserved
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Project Thesis
Paradox Unpacked : Jesus as God in the Gospel of John
The Prologue of the Gospel of John previews the theological framework which guides readers through the book. This thesis identifies in the Prologue three paradoxes pertaining to Jesus’ identity, mission, and purpose and traces them through the remainder of GJohn, showing that each paradox is fundamental to Johannine theology. The paradox of identity shows the relationship between Jesus Christ the Word of God and God the Father. The paradox of mission shows how the Word made flesh brings grace and truth in conjunction with the Spirit of truth. The paradox of purpose shows how the Word offers life to the world through his death. In the Book of Signs and the Farewell Discourse, Jesus’ words and actions develop each paradox further, both heightening and lessening the inherent tensions. By the Passion Narrative, the characters in GJohn and the readers themselves are asked to respond with belief to the paradoxical reality of Jesus Christ, through which belief they gain eternal life in him. Through careful exegesis of each relevant passage, this thesis shows how the author of GJohn uses paradox as a tool to present difficult concepts which are not easily explained but are foundational to an understanding of Johannine theology. This lays a foundation for further examination of GJohn through the lens of paradox.
Layton, Molly Jane
May 2022
Copyright ©2022 by Molly Jane Layton
All rights reserved
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Project Thesis
Church Leadership in a Digital Age: Cultivating Community and Spiritual Growth Online
The current season of Christian ministry calls for church leaders to view their social media platforms as online sacred spaces where God is present and believers online can experience the presence of God and each other. Technological advancements of social media platforms enable ministry leaders to leverage digital media as cyber sanctuaries where congregants can digitally come together for true community and have digital experiences that contribute to their faith formation and development. This thesis will show that collaborative leadership (shared power) and social constructivist educational approaches (dialogic processes of learning) align with digital church ministry and promote community and spiritual growth in online sacred spaces. It argues that growth and community online are fostered through bidirectional influence and
reciprocity of education and ideas; and claims that a leadership approach that values and includes the community’s perspective cultivates a connected living environment online.
Johnson, Britni Michelle
2023
Copyright © 2023 by Britni Michelle Johnson
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Project Thesis
Evagrius of Pontus and the Demons in the Desert: A Phenomenology of Transition in the Church
In a congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, a crisis ensued during a clergy leadership transition.
Alexander, Jason
2022
Copyright © 2022 by Jason Alexander All rights reserved
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Project Thesis
Between Generations: Using Narrative for Intergenerational Faith Development
Forty years ago I was on a journey of discovery that would lead me to the life changing waters of baptism and a new chapter in my life. My journey began with a deep yearning to learn more about God and Jesus, but my pursuit for answers was wrought with many challenges.
I did not grow up in a Christian home and had no access to a Bible or other
Christian resources. What I did have were two men who shared their faith stories with me. These stories opened my eyes and helped me address some of the more profound questions of faith that were stirring in my heart.
Padre R.N. Jackson and Bishop Henry Hill were very different people. One was a military chaplain at the military college I attended; the other was a retired bishop of a neighboring diocese. Both men entered my life at times when I was questioning my faith and beliefs. They shared stories of how they came to faith and how their faith made a difference in their lives, especially in times of difficulty.
Listening to their faith narratives changed my life and moved me in a direction that would shape me for ministry. It also provided me with a model of formation which forms the basis for my project.
Leibovitch, Warren Neil
2019
Copyright Warren Neil Leibovitch
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Project Thesis
Learning From Each Other: Toward an Episcopal Understanding of Testimony
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the introduction of the practice of testimony in a congregation that does not readily understand itself as a community that engages in the practice. Testimony is an underutilized practice in the Episcopal Church and this thesis engages the questions of why it matters, what it looks like, and how to help implement it. Testimony was studied by introducing a program called Faith Moments that invited parishioners to share moments of God at work in their lives or in the world. The first two chapters lay out the foundational background material for the study. Chapter One explores the philosophy and theology of testimony. Chapter Two outlines the act of ministry that was implemented and studied, along with the methodologies that were involved. The subsequent chapters tackle the three questions of why, what, and how. Chapter Three looks at why testimony matters, exploring how testimony is critical to the formation of certain types of knowledge, and confirming the value of testimony found by others. Chapter Four analyzes what testimony looks like in the context of a congregation in the Pacific Northwest of the United States in a world marred by pandemic, racial injustice, political division, and wildfire, gaining a deeper understanding of how God works in and among particular people in a particular culture and time. Chapter Five investigates people’s hesitancy to share their testimonies and ways that helped ease those concerns, while also exploring how those hesitations are not just barriers to be overcome, but speak to the real and legitimate dangers of testimony that can deform faith as easily as it can form it. Overall, the thesis opens up questions about Episcopal identity and helps point a way forward for an Episcopal understanding of testimony.
Powell, Robert Bingham
2022
Copyright Robert Bingham Powell
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Project Thesis
Pastoring Evolving Faiths: Faith Deconstruction and Reconstruction in a Post-Evangelical Church
Faith deconstruction and reconstruction have become a religious cultural phenomenon in 21st century America. It is an experience lamented by conservative evangelical and fundamentalist leaders as a step toward apostasy. But deconstruction is also a vital practice of those seeking to retain an authentic spirituality while challenging the authoritative and often regressive doctrines and practices of their traditional church. The
goal of faith reconstruction is a revitalized, more compassionate, progressive, and inclusive belief system; one that rejects ancient perspectives of an angry God and embraces a perspective of a more loving and gracious God.
The act of ministry at the heart of this doctoral thesis project was implementing the “Evolving Faiths Discussion Group” in an inter-denominational church in Norman, Oklahoma. The goal was to provide a “safe space” where Christians from fundamentalist and evangelical backgrounds could openly discuss their questions and doubts about the
faith they inherited, and explore more palatable alternative theologies. The intent was to provide a regular place and time, resources, and fellow deconstructors to explore those concerns. The desired outcome was that the participants would continue faith exploration as a life-long journey, become comfortable with questions as normative of spiritual health, and experience an enhanced connection with God and the world (3Cs).
The project engaged in action research, and employed adapted elements from heuristic phenomenology and ethnography. The thesis examines a recent social history of the “Fall of American evangelicalism,” and the “Rise of the Spiritual But Not Religious.” It constructs a biblical defense of deconstruction, describes the implementation of the Discussion Group, presents an analysis of five core evangelical themes as they affected
the participants with a composite summary of the group experience as a whole, and concludes with some pastoral reflections.
Schmidt, Stephen
2023
Copyright, Stephen Schmidt
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Project Thesis
Companion on the Journey: Peer Influence on Spiritual Development in College Residential Communities
The purpose of this thesis project is to examine a new opportunity for students to explore spiritual development beyond programs offered through the office of university ministry. Central to this project is the idea of how peers influence spiritual development in residence hall environments. This project was selected because of documented declines in spiritual practices (i.e., attending church services, active prayer life, volunteering) by current college students, and relevant research that indicates colleges have significantly shifted their focus to ensure students gain employable skills – this at the unintentional expense of addressing inner-life development. Specifically, at Gonzaga University, two contradictory trends were observed when analyzing campus surveys and data collected during the admission process – there is a clear desire expressed by students to grow in the area of spirituality but a significant drop in religious activities over their four years of being students.
Based upon this information, a joint project between the university ministry,
housing and residence life, and the office of student wellbeing was proposed. The central element of this project was the development of a resident minister (RM) position who would live in community with first- and second-year students. This thesis project describes the process of developing this position and the impacts of peer residential ministers in the communities where they lived. The placement of spiritual peer mentors in residence is unique and significantly different from traditional resident assistants (RAs).
Additionally, the residence hall setting provided an environment for daily interaction and engagement as opposed to singular programming models.
This project was evaluated through ethnographic observational data, regularly scheduled debrief and support meetings with the RMs, and a corresponding pre-test and post-test given to the residents in these communities. The length of this project and evaluation was conducted over an entire academic year. Two communities were selected for residential ministers and one control community was used to compare impact. Communities with resident ministers had approximately 24 students in their immediate charge. RMs also worked with the staff of resident directors and resident assistants to provide programming and support for the entire building. The control community included approximately 36 students. A select sample of this community was included in pre-test and post-test surveying.
Pre-tests were administered in the three communities (resident minister-A,
resident minister-B, and the control community-C) during the first 14 days of the Fall semester (2015). The test consisted of 30 questions to establish a baseline from which to judge any eventual relative change in six pre-determined criteria focused on spiritual and inner life development. These six areas were: (1) decision-making - parental/peer influence, (2) values clarification, (3) behaviors of spirituality, (4) sense of meaning and
purpose, (5) connection to community, and (6) awareness of personal change.
Before the final exams in the spring semester (2016), an identical 30-question post-test was administered to provide data to assess the influence of the residential ministers. In addition to the original questions in the pre-test, 10 questions were added to the post-test to allow respondents to provide feedback on their year and on the RM if respondents were members of community A or B.
Baldwin, Eric T.
2023
Copyright, Eric T. Baldwin
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Project Thesis