Thesis (M. Div.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tennessee, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-100).

Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Bible College & Seminary, 2002. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 241-253).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Abilene Christian University, 1993. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 227-229).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Abilene Christian University, 1993. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-147).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Abilene Christian University, 1993. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 214-220).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Abilene Christian University, 1990. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-167).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Abilene Christian University, 1992. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 244-251).

This dissertation examines the influence of youth ministry internships as a component of education for full time youth ministry. The need for evaluation of ministry internships is elucidated within a discussion of the current state of theological field education. The precedent literature relevant to theological field education is then discussed. This includes biblical discipleship, experiential learning theory, internships in higher education, and internships in youth ministry. The literature points to five basic objectives of internships that are used to guide the evaluation of learning from field experience. These are the expansion and assimilation of knowledge, the acquisition of skills, the formation of character, the development of mentor relationships, and the opportunity to test vocational interests in order to make a vocational decision. Purposive sampling was employed in this descriptive, quantitative research to reach the largest segment of the research population. The population consisted of junior and senior youth ministry majors in the seven largest universities associated with Churches of Christ who offer a bachelor's degree in youth ministry. Information was collected from these students concerning their internships through a survey instrument. Results indicated students perceive internships to be a vital component of their education for ministry. Interns ranked learning new skills in ministry, followed by growing in Christian character, and learning new knowledge about ministry as the most important contributions of their internships. Although interns ranked the influence of the supervisor relationship as fourth among significant contributions of internships, the supervisor relationship permeated every other aspect of internships. When supervisors were intentional about offering training and support in ministry, and when they practiced the spiritual disciplines with interns, their interns were more likely to say they experienced both educational and spiritual growth. The practice of journaling and theological reflection also emerged as influential disciplines of interns. The influence of internships on the vocational decisions of students to enter or avoid ministry was minimal. Applications for ministry education are proposed as they apply to professors, supervisors, and interns. These are followed by suggestions for future research in the area of theological field experience. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

This thesis is an exploration of the ways in which past and present Churches of Christ worshippers from northern Vanuatu reflect on politik (Bislama: politics, political action but also much more). To comprehend what this term means to local people in Vanuatu, we must be aware of the contexts in which it is used, the events and relationships that are its exemplars and the local political economies of historical knowledge that inflect its meanings. To this end, this thesis explores the origins of politik as described by my interlocutors through oral histories about the interplay between their church, state institutions and Nagriamel, a traditionalist movement which emerged on Santo in 1967 and spread quickly throughout the northern New Hebrides. Through an examination of the content of these spoken histories, this thesis suggests that politik is seen to have corroded the unity of pre-existing social groups, such as the church, which is considered by its adherents to be indigenous. As a contingent state of democracy, politik describes the unwanted aspects of modernity and nationhood based on the perceived emergence of hierarchies between indigenous people in the post-colonial state of Vanuatu. Given that the rise of Nagriamel is considered to have inspired the resurgence of kastom where previously it was proscribed, kastom is often seen by conventional worshippers to be something to endure rather than celebrate. Among Churches of Christ worshippers, the conflict between kastom and church doctrine is considered to constitute part of the conflict inherent in politik.¶ Given that much of the knowledge on which this thesis was based was collected during interpersonal and group interviews, this thesis also explores the creation of political economies of historical knowledge about politik. Through a review of oral historical methodologies and appropriate anthropological theory, it examines the nature of information collected during participant-observation. As this thesis compares different genres of historical information (local, oral histories, national public histories and colonial archival records) it is also concerned with historical methodology.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Abilene Christian University, 2006. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-141).