<p> Senior adults face a quandary through the process of aging. While enjoying the benefits of retirement, the senior adult also struggles with issues of health, independence, loneliness, and society&rsquo;s stereotypes concerning their relevance and usefulness. With the aging of the population and graying of the church membership, the necessity to mobilize and equip senior adults becomes critical in maintaining a healthy church. As senior adults face an ever-changing society filled with technological, organizational, and social transitions, they need assistance in coping with and managing these age-related issues.</p><p> The project includes training materials to mobilize and equip the senior adults attending Crowley Assembly for effective ministry within the church and to the local community, thus validating the significance and relevance of senior adults in the local church. The project focuses on four ministry interventions: a four-part sermon series for the congregation, a ministry opportunities seminar for senior adults, an age-related issues management seminar for senior adult leaders, and the development of a senior adult ministries manual. Post-sermon, pre-seminar, and post-seminar surveys identify the understanding of and attitude toward material presented in the respective sermons and seminars. The project promotes a biblical awareness of the importance and value of senior adults in the congregation at Crowley Assembly and encourages acceptance of intergenerational ministries. A closer evaluation reveals the keys to the project&rsquo;s effectiveness and identifies improvements for future projects. </p>

Research paper (M.A.) -- Cardinal Stritch College -- Milwaukee, 1971. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (Education of Mentally Handicapped). Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-33).

Research paper (M.A.) -- Cardinal Stritch College -- Milwaukee, 1979. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Special Religious Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-71).

Inaug.-diss.--Erlangen. / Lebenslauf. Litteratur: p. 7-8.

<p> The purpose of this study is to look at the school choices of Muslim parents in New Jersey and the social and academic experiences of Muslim students and young adults. The participants included 90 Muslim parents, 126 Muslim young adults, and 52 Muslim students currently attending a public, private, or Islamic school. Participants completed surveys, and a few were administered interviews that included questions pertaining to the purpose of this study. Findings showed that Muslim parents who choose Islamic schools do so to teach their child (children) about Islam and to surround them with other Muslims; whereas, Muslim parents who chose public schools do so for the quality of education. Overall, this study demonstrated that most Muslim students in either Islamic or public schools didn&rsquo;t encounter social challenges any different than other students; in addition, an overload of schoolwork was reported as an academic challenge.</p><p>

<p> Teacher retention is a concern in all educational sectors in America. It is of special importance to Islamic schools, which tend to lack the resources necessary in recruiting and training new teachers. This dissertation addressed this problem in full-time Islamic schools in New York State by conducting a discrete choice experiment, which reflects an innovative, interdisciplinary, new methodological approach borrowed primarily from the fields of economics, social psychology, and decision theory. This approach re-conceptualized teacher retention as a series of decisions or discrete choices made throughout a teacher's career (as suggested by human capital theory) and has not been employed in this manner previously in educational research on teacher retention. This new approach offered additional insights in this important area of educational research, theory, and practice. This study examined the effects of six position-related characteristics in the discrete choice experiment: (a) opportunities to practice Islam, (b) work environment, (c) amount of work, (d) salary, (e) prestige, and (f) health benefits on the decisions of teachers in Islamic schools to continue teaching in those schools. The study also determined how the subjects&rsquo; characteristics (case-specific attributes) interacted with these position-related characteristics (alternative-specific attributes). All six alternative-specific attributes were found to be important to a certain extent, but their levels of influence varied across three preference profiles. Generally, the single most important factor affecting teacher retention in Islamic schools is the work environment of the school followed by the presence of opportunities to practice the Islamic faith. Contrary to the common belief, salary (and prestige) had the least impact on retaining Islamic school teachers. </p>

<p> The transition from a usually autocratic to generally participative style of leadership has been a process full of frustration, anxiety, and concerns for Nigerian immigrant pastors in The Apostolic Church (TAC) North America. These pastors have brought the values, concepts, practices, and behavior which they learned in Nigeria to lead the American church, but their inability to identify differences between the two cultures and make the necessary changes for easy adaptation has often led to conflict and power struggle between church authorities, pastors, and members in TAC North America. Thus, this study examined how Nigerian pastors in TAC North America are adapting the leadership style they learned in Nigeria to the North American context. </p><p> The study used the mixed method approach and data was gathered through self-reported questionnaires and semi-structured in-depth interviews. A purposeful sampling method was used in conjunction with snowball sampling. Ten churches with congregations of 100 and above were purposefully selected. The participants included the pastor, an elder, and a member. A total of three participants from each church representing an overall total of thirty participants contributed to the study. The self-report questionnaires provided information on the demographic characteristics of the respondents as well as their cultural dimension and perception of leadership style. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were also used to provide a more thorough understanding of the pastor&rsquo;s life history, experiences, and leadership styles. </p><p> The results obtained showed that most of the participants scored low on power distance, but scored high on uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity, and long-term orientation. On the perceived leadership behavior scale, a greater number of the elders and members perceived their pastor&rsquo;s behavior as being high on Instrumental Leadership (IL), supportive leadership (SL), and participative leadership (PL). The pastors interviewed expressed some of their frustrations which includes their accents preventing them from reaching out to people who are not Africans, lack of funds to finance church projects, seemingly lack of respect for pastors as well as the congregation&rsquo;s lack of commitment, and poor attendance to church services. Some doctrinal challenges include men and women sitting together in church, women not covering their hair and wearing pants/trousers to church, allowing unmarried couples to partake in holy communion and even be ordained as church officers, and tithes and offering were concerns for the pastors. </p><p> Despite all the hindrances and challenges, the pastors expressed their determination to fulfill their calling and in their efforts to adapt and accept the democratic and participatory style of leadership, as opposed to the generally hierarchical and autocratic approach used in TAC Nigeria. Nigerian pastors in TAC North America and the executives in Nigeria need to examine these challenges and formulate better policies for sending and supporting missionary pastors in TAC North America.</p>

Thesis--Johns Hopkins University. / Vita. Bibliography: p. 84-86.

Thesis--Johns Hopkins University. / Vita. Bibliography: p. 84-86.

Thesis (B.D.)--Western Evangelical Seminary, 1959. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [172-173]).