Assim nasce uma Igreja : A multiplicação das Comunidades Cristãs Independentes no Município da Serra, Estado do Espírito Santo é um trabalho que visa identificar os fatores que têm desencadeado o nascimento de novas Igrejas Cristãs, sem vínculo com comunidades históricas, no município da Serra, bem como a repercussão deste fenômeno nas Igrejas Protestantes Históricas, notadamente nas Igrejas Batistas, tanto em seus benefícios como nos prejuízos. No primeiro capítulo, situa-se a pesquisa geográfica e teoricamente, através de um mapeamento religioso do município da Serra e uma apresentação da tipologia utilizada no trabalho. O segundo capítulo traz uma síntese histórica, mostrando como as Igrejas Cristãs nasceram, desde o período do Novo Testamento até os dias atuais, com ênfase nas Igrejas do Cristianismo Primitivo, Grande Cisma, Movimento Reformador do Século XVI e Movimento Pentecostal. No terceiro capítulo são identificados os fatores externos e internos que tem desencadeado o nascimento de novas igrejas. O quarto capítulo apresenta os benefícios e os prejuízos que a fragmentação do Cristianismo produz para as Igrejas Cristãs Históricas e para o Reino de Deus. / Thus was born a church: the rise of the Christian Independent communities in the city of Serra, Espírito Santo is a work that aims to identify the factors that has triggered the birth of new Christian churches, not related to historical communities in the municipality of Serra, as well as the impact of this phenomenon in Historical Protestant Churches, especially in Baptist Churches, in both its benefits and the losses. In the first chapter, the geographical search is located and theoretically, through a mapping of the religious city of Serra and a presentation of the typology used in this work. The second chapter provides a brief history, showing how the Christian churches were born from the New Testament period to the present, with emphasis on early Christianity Churches, Great Schism, the Reform Movement of the XVI century, and in the Pentecostal movement. The third chapter identifies the external and internal factors that have triggered the birth of new churches. The fourth chapter presents the benefits and losses that the fragmentation of Christianity creates to the Historic Christian Churches and the Kingdom of God.

This thesis contends that the pastoral role is significant to the effective functioning and well-being of the church. Therefore, the initial selection of a pastor is a vital component and contributes to those desirable outcomes. The question being considered within this thesis is: What are the factors within a church hiring process which may play a role in successful or unsuccessful pastoral ministry? As there are many variables even within this process, the scope of this thesis is limited to the identification and selection of pastoral leadership from the perspective of the pastoral participants. This perspective is drawn from one denominational association in Ontario —the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptists (FEB hereafter) within the Central region of Canada. In examining this question, an empirical, mixed-methodology is used. The triangulation of a literature review, surveys, personal interviews and a biblical, theological treatment allowed for the most comprehensive perspective and treatment of the research question (Leedy, 2010, p. 99). There is a significant amount of inductive reasoning included, based upon personal interactions within cultural contexts and experiences. This is due to the inadequacy or lack of current theories and available literature relative to the question being studied. This motivates me towards the inclusion of a grounded theory methodology as a component of this study (Leedy, 2010, p. 142). Hiring the right pastor is a challenge at the best of times. As the church struggles to respond to a rapidly changing and diverse culture it presents greater challenges. Rates of pastoral turnover are high and the general duration of pastoral ministry is low. This, in turn, impacts ministry effectiveness. This study of hiring practices and pastoral experiences begins to identify elements as to why some pastors are successful and others are not. It allows for the reflection and consideration of whether the church is, what I have termed, “Equipping the Called, or Calling the Equipped”. There is cause for hope, as there always is within God’s church. This thesis identifies concerns, as well as some positive practices and experiences that can be helpful to inform practice and potential change. As Osmer acknowledges, “observing good practice in other congregations is a powerful source of normative guidance” (Osmer, 2008, p. 152). / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

This thesis contends that the pastoral role is significant to the effective functioning and well-being of the church. Therefore, the initial selection of a pastor is a vital component and contributes to those desirable outcomes. The question being considered within this thesis is: What are the factors within a church hiring process which may play a role in successful or unsuccessful pastoral ministry? As there are many variables even within this process, the scope of this thesis is limited to the identification and selection of pastoral leadership from the perspective of the pastoral participants. This perspective is drawn from one denominational association in Ontario —the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptists (FEB hereafter) within the Central region of Canada. In examining this question, an empirical, mixed-methodology is used. The triangulation of a literature review, surveys, personal interviews and a biblical, theological treatment allowed for the most comprehensive perspective and treatment of the research question (Leedy, 2010, p. 99). There is a significant amount of inductive reasoning included, based upon personal interactions within cultural contexts and experiences. This is due to the inadequacy or lack of current theories and available literature relative to the question being studied. This motivates me towards the inclusion of a grounded theory methodology as a component of this study (Leedy, 2010, p. 142). Hiring the right pastor is a challenge at the best of times. As the church struggles to respond to a rapidly changing and diverse culture it presents greater challenges. Rates of pastoral turnover are high and the general duration of pastoral ministry is low. This, in turn, impacts ministry effectiveness. This study of hiring practices and pastoral experiences begins to identify elements as to why some pastors are successful and others are not. It allows for the reflection and consideration of whether the church is, what I have termed, “Equipping the Called, or Calling the Equipped”. There is cause for hope, as there always is within God’s church. This thesis identifies concerns, as well as some positive practices and experiences that can be helpful to inform practice and potential change. As Osmer acknowledges, “observing good practice in other congregations is a powerful source of normative guidance” (Osmer, 2008, p. 152). / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

Religion is a part of man and his culture. We cannot understand the totality of man if we do not understand his religion. The church structure is the visible expression of man's religion. The purpose of this study is to describe the distribution of churches in Warren County, Kentucky, and to examine the factors that contribute to this areal pattern. In an attempt to further clarify this human-religious expression the following points will be considered: (1) the reasons for denominational change through time; (2) the association of church location and population with corresponding rural -urban shifts; and (3) the style of church architecture as a response to local community need. A familiar pattern of settlement in the United States is the rural to urban migration of population that has been in effect since the beginning of the twentieth century. This migration has brought a change in the rural landscape. The further one goes from an urban center the less dense the population. Homes have been deserted and left to fall down; villages contain vacant stores and buildings. One would expect a corresponding pattern within the rural churches. However, there has not been a reduction of rural churches, while at the same time there has been a dynamic growth in the urban center. The reasons for this phenomena will be examined and discussed.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The division of labor in households is an important topic in marital relationships. Families are not static; they are in a constant state of change. Employment, individual family members’ schedules, and religious beliefs can impact how couples divide household tasks. This particular study draws on in-depth interviews of four married couples from American Baptist churches to explore how couples within this type of church divide household tasks. The interviews focused on the management of second- and third-shift household tasks, as well as childcare. The purpose of obtaining this information was to see if the way American Baptist couples handle second-, third-shift duties, and childcare is more consistent with general population couples or more consistent with Evangelical/Conservative couples. Husbands and wives were interviewed separately to obtain individual thoughts and opinions. The interviews revealed that when it comes to second-shift tasks and child care, American Baptist couples are more in line with general population couples. As far as third-shift duties, Evangelical, general population, and American Baptist couples are all currently handling in very similar ways with the female performing the majority of third-shift tasks.