Thesis (D. Min.)--Logos Evangelical Seminary, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-190).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / This dissertation describes the historical development of Methodism in Southern California and Arizona from its foundation to 1939. It considers major developments, activities, and leadership, and it evaluates these, especially as they have had influence upon the Church; and it evaluates the relative strength and activity of the two branches of Methodism which were present in Southern California and Arizona previous to unification. The history is unfolded in six main divisions: The Methodist Episcopal Church in Southern California Through 1876; The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Southern California through 1870; Tihe Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1870-1939; The Methodist Episcopal Church, 1876-1939; Methodism in Arizona; Unification. While both denominations labored in Southern California before the Civil War--the Methodist Episcopal Church beginning in 1853 and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, beginning in 1854--the work was spasmodic and was totally reorganized after the war. The Los Angeles Conference of the Southern Church was organized in 1870, and the Southern California Conference of the Northern Church was organized in 1876. Southern Methodism was numerically much weaker than Northern Methodism in Southern California, but its lay organization was considerably more developed. The major project of the Southern Cburch was Trinity Church in Los Angeles. This church was a pioneer in the development of the Epworth League, and two of its pastors became bishops of Southern Methodism. Lack of finances hindered the Southern Church in many fields of endeavor. The Homer Toberman Deaconess Home was its major institutional achievement. Only on the issue of modernism did Southern Methodism here find itself involved in disruptive controversy. Among the leaders of Southern Methodism from Southern California were Grover Emmons, founder of "The Upper Room," and Robert Shuler, one of Methodism's most controversial figures. Northern Methodism grew rapidly and expanded widely after its organization in Southern Galifornia in 1876. Six bishops and numerous educational leaders came from the Southern California conference. Its educational requirements for membership were early among the highest in all Methodism. It was a leader in finding a solution to the entangled pension problem, and it was a pioneer in the matter of minimum salary for the ministry. The founding and developing of the University of Southern California was another notable achievement of the Conference. The outreach of the Conference to other races and nationalities was outstanding. Especially significant were the Church of All Nations, Spanish American Institute, and Plaza Community Center. Nine other institutions, ministering to the sick, the retired, students, and orphans, were established. The Conference did not escape divisive controversies. The most notable of these were: (1) the war issue, leading to the dismissal of a District Superintendent; (2) sanctification, leading to the founding of the Church of the Nazarene. Both denominations entered Arizona in 1870, but work there never assumed the proportions that it did in Sou1thern California. Northern Methodism was the stronger of the two. Hospitals in Phoenix and Tucson were probably the best achievements of both denominations. Unification passed by majority vote in Southern California and Arizona in 1925, but some Southern Methodist opposition was quite noticeable. It passed again in 1938 with several Northern Methodists opposing it because of the proposed inclusion of the Central Jurisdiction. In conclusion, it is evident that the individual 272 Conferences, especially in Southern California,, made important contributions to their respective denominations. It is also apparent that Northern Methodism was considerably stronger than Southern Methodism, expanded further and more rapidly, furnished more leaders to the Church as a whole, and was able to undertake a wider institutional ministry.

With thousands of churches dying every year in North America, many pastors have started exploring the concept of church revitalization. Methodology books are beginning to fill the shelves of Christian bookstores, and as many pastors find themselves at churches in need of revitalization, these resources are valuable tools. Nonetheless, merely reacting to finding oneself in a dying church will not help stem the tide overall. A movement of revitalization is required if the large number of churches dying each year is going to subside. In order for a biblical movement to be cultivated and begin to flourish, the problem must be identified clearly in a biblical and theological argument, and motivation and zeal must flow from this biblical source. This dissertation seeks to provide a biblical and theological vision for the revitalization of churches for the sake of feeding a movement of church revitalization. The primary basis for the vision is the nature of churches as worshipers of God, family with one another, and missionaries to the world. Chapter 1 provides the purpose of this dissertation, the research questions, a definition of church revitalization. Chapter 2 establishes reasons for revitalization through an exploration of the nature of churches as worshipers of God. Chapter 3 argues for revitalization based upon the nature of churches as family with one another. Chapter 4 demonstrates a vision for revitalization due to the nature of churches as missionaries to the world. Chapter 5 exhibits the biblical evidence for the ongoing necessity of revitalization through an overview of renewal in the Old Testament, Paul’s ministry, and Revelation. Finally, chapter 6 provides implications of this vision concerning legitimate and illegitimate reasons to stop pursuing revitalization and concerning the proper means and models to pursue the revitalization of churches.

[The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the debates on church government at the Westminster Assembly of Divines, 1643-1646. The major primary sources are the official minutes of the assembly and the personal memoirs of three participants: John Lightfoot, George Gillespie, and Robert Baillie. This is a historical, descriptive, and critical study. The Westminster Assembly was summoned to advise the Long Parliament on reforming the doctrine, liturgy, and government of the Church of England. For more than a year the ministers struggled to devise the best form of church government--one that would conform both to the Bible and to the practice of other Reformed churches. Their recommendations were supposed to provide the basis for parliamentary legislation on the church.]

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1995. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-118).

Thesis (M.A.)--Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1988. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-103).

Thesis (D.Min.)--Liberty Theological Seminary and Graduate School, 2007.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-165).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of History, June 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (D.Min.)--Asbury Theological Seminary, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-184).