Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, May 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-114).

<p> The current picture of the American Church is considerably less gloriously diverse than the end-times church portrayed in Revelation 7:9. Since the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.&rsquo;s observation in 1956 of Sunday morning as the most segregated time in America, much has been written about the subject of diverse churches, by many different authors and from many different perspectives. By distilling the best practices found in these writings into a model curriculum and teaching it to his congregation, the author answers the question &ldquo;What constitutes an effective training model designed to increase awareness of some of the key aspects of multi-ethnic churches for Harmony Vineyard Church in Ashland, Virginia?&rdquo;</p><p> The project&rsquo;s rationale was straightforward and simple. First, a more unified, diverse church blesses God the Father. Second, for pastors who desire a multi-ethnic congregation, this project will hopefully serve as a single resource addressing the specific issues of teaching and training both pastors and congregations in exactly how to go about creating such a congregation. Third, developing more multi-ethnic congregations is desirable, important, and strategic as the U.S.A.&rsquo;s ethnic population continues to grow.</p><p> The intervention project consisted of seven training segments designed to do the following: 1) to portray God&rsquo;s heart for unity; 2) to introduce multi-ethnic church terms and concepts; 3) to introduce cultural awareness and its importance, and; 4) to conduct a &ldquo;sacred conversation&rdquo; about race and racial issues. The training included both sermons and classroom teaching, and was presented during May, 2015.</p><p> Another aspect of the project was a questionnaire-based study of self-described multi-ethnic Vineyard churches to test if the literature&rsquo;s best practices needed to be contextualized for each denomination, and specifically for Vineyard churches. The good news is that apparently they do not. It was also good news to discover that in many cases, monoethnic churches can become multi-ethnic even if their neighborhoods are not particularly diverse.</p><p> At the project&rsquo;s end it was determined that the curriculum put forth was a successful training model as a significant majority of the participants&rsquo; feedback pointed to an increased awareness of the training&rsquo;s four focus areas mentioned above.</p>

<p> Global education for global competency in Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is neither defined nor aligned as a priority for its 21st-century learners. Various schools within the Department of Catholic Schools address global competency through world languages, dual-language immersion, activities, or programs, but no specific global education focus permeates the entire district. The relevance of global competency for nearly 80,000 students from Early Childhood (EC) programs/PreK&ndash;12th grade (high school) Catholic schools in Los Angeles is not just a curricular necessity or spiritual aspiration, it is, at its core, a question of social justice, particularly for students of color and first-generation immigrants who live mostly in underserved communities. </p><p> This study analyzes whether PreK&ndash;12th-grade Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles have unique assets, as well as what challenges the district would face if it were to adapt a more formalized approach to global education. The study researches whether diverse community cultural wealth, demographics, mission, innovation, and Catholic social teachings align or hinder the development of a global education curriculum that addresses the universally adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030. The study investigates urgency, opportunity, scalability, and sustainability for this social justice priority. This inquiry also attempts to answer why a globally connected organization, such as the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles and its school system, is not virtually connected in its own worldwide network in order to promote global competency for its 21st-century learners. </p><p>

<p> This project examines the dynamics of discipleship and missional community. The concept and perceptions around both topics are relational. As all relationships are, by definition Discipleship is multilayered and multifaceted. Christian Discipleship is revealed through Christ&rsquo;s example, as evident in His teachings and His ministry within the community. This project begins with a specific definition of Christian Discipleship followed by a demonstration of how that definition can be executed within a particular church. The paper will not limit Discipleship solely within the church but will articulate discipleship through community outreach and conclude with an evaluation of the project and its methodologies. </p><p> The goal of the project is to define and effectively utilize Christian Discipleship principles as revealed through the life of Christ. This paper seeks to explore the making of Christian Discipleship within a church in transition, as we seek to be engaged with the larger neighborhood context. This project will address two major social challenges in East New York: Mental illness and homelessness. It will examine discipleship as a model for effective ministry among and within those realities.</p><p>

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STATEMENT OF THESIS: The purpose of this Thesis is to present a study of the organizations that have been developed in the denominations to meet th© needs for elementary religious education of the children of the churches. That they have not been adequate to meet these needs in a large measure has been brot to the attention of many of the leaders of church and nation. Some remedy must be found in the next few years to change, the program of the churches to teach the youth of the land religion. As a means to this end a questionaire was sent to the Boards of the denominations in order to learn the real strength and weakness of these organizations to deal with problem and thus to be able to build a new type that would be fitted to do the task efficiently. In our study we shall present the results as far as the data could be secured and discuss them.

This study examines how colonial-era Christian missionary education shaped apartheid-era religious schooling and post-apartheid state religion education. The author argues that post-apartheid state religion classrooms simultaneously combat and continue the religious inequalities promoted during apartheid. In attempting to combat old religious inequalities, religion education creates new religious inequalities. During apartheid, religious education wove racialized Christian nationalism into daily life, promoting the separation of peoples of different ethnic and religious groups in order to maintain a system of racial segregation. In an attempt to mend the racial and religious inequalities of apartheid, the post-apartheid state introduced multi-religion education into the school curriculum through the 2003 National Policy on Religion and Education. The Policy presents religion education as a means of teaching students to respect diversity. Although the new model developed as a direct response to apartheid, few measures ensure that the goals of religion education achieve their stated ends in classroom practice or that schools fully protect the religious rights of students. Moreover, religion receives a small share of curriculum time, raising questions as to whether or not it is taught in all post-apartheid schools. Even in schools where religion is taught, little accountability exists to ensure that the subject is taught well. This thesis problematizes the insufficient religion training provided to educators as well as the Policy's possible promotion of a civil religion of positive tolerance centered on pluralism and secularism. These concerns are further compounded by some teachers' rejection of the Policy, the intertwined histories of Christianity and education in South Africa, and longstanding perceptions of "world religions" that problematically marginalize indigenous traditions and structurally reflect Christianity. Because the break between religious education as conceived during apartheid and religion education in post-apartheid South Africa is primarily one of policy over practice, religious inequalities continue to pervade schools. Finally, this study outlines a few possible proposals for changes in religion education and explores trends in religion and education across Southern Africa. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Spring Semester 2017. / April 7, 2017. / religion, religion education, religious education, South Africa / Includes bibliographical references. / Joseph Hellweg, Professor Directing Thesis; Amanda Porterfield, Committee Member; Ayesha Khurshid, Committee Member.

Adolescent spiritual formation continues to decline despite the intentional efforts of religious organizations, including Christian schools. Christian schools remain tasked with fostering spiritual development in the lives of students with spiritual formation strategies (SFS), despite generational changes. The following qualitative single-case study examined how 20 Generation Z students perceived their personal spiritual formation and the influence of SFS within a single Christian school in the southwestern United States. Fowler’s stages of faith theory and Westerhoff’s spiritual development theory served as the frameworks in this study to examine the spiritual development of adolescents. Through purposeful sampling, the case unit of analysis for this study included Grade 10 and 11 Generation Z students. Three sources of data included school documents, questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. Clarke and Braun’s thematic data analysis strategy was used to develop codes and themes. Nine themes that emerged as findings from the data: faith community, relationships, Bible relevancy, owned faith, personal awareness, faith matters, faith requires action, faith must be owned, and faith involves trust. Results indicated that the SFS of Christian schools could reach all stages of faith development. However, SFS that included mentoring relationships with teachers, relevant Bible teaching and application, support during spiritual struggles, and authenticity served as the greatest spiritual catalysts in the lives of Generation Z students. These results implicate that Christian schools do not need to adopt new SFS for Generation Z, but rather they need to modify and change the approach of these SFS. Keywords: Generation Z spiritual formation, adolescent spiritual development, Christian education, spiritual formation strategies, spirituality, Bible classes

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