Thesis (M.Div.)--Acadia University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Temple Baptist Seminary, 2000. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-164).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, 2003. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-124).

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1992. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [225]-235).

Project (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008. / Includes abstract. "April 2008" Description based on Print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-161).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 211-224).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, 2003. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-124).

The need for revitalization in the modern American church is well documented. In the Southern Baptist Convention alone, 1,000 churches close their doors every year. Despite an increase in the overall number of churches in the SBC due to church planting, attendance and membership numbers continue to fall. The number of total baptisms is declining at an even greater pace than attendance and membership. These numbers suggest that church revitalization situations are not the exception in the United States; rather, they are the norm. This reality has led to a steady increase in church revitalization writing since the term was first used in a ministry context in 1976. However, much of the literature remains anecdotal and based on case studies. Furthermore, most revitalization literature is focused on methodologies or factors that lead to church revitalization. These studies consistently show that pastoral leadership is one of, if not the most important factor that leads to church revitalization. While some studies have looked at personality characteristics or leadership styles of church revitalizers, no study to date has generated a complete competency model for church revitalization. The purpose of this study was to create a competency model for church revitalization based on the knowledge, skills, and characteristics found in successful practitioners. This study used an exploratory sequential mixed method design consisting of both a set of qualitative interviews with successful church revitalizers as well as an empirical analysis of a Delphi panel of revitalization experts. The interview portion of the study found organizational awareness, team leadership, initiative, missional focus, gospel orientation, and a willingness to confront and exercise church discipline as frequent competencies demonstrated in critical incidents of church revitalization. The Delphic portion of the study yielded 129 distinct competencies that were rated for importance by a panel of experts.

No abstract available. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Church History and Church Policy / unrestricted

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / This dissertation describes the preaching of John Roach Straton, a Baptist minister of the first three decades of the twentieth century, who played one of the leading roles in the Fundamentalist Controversy of the 1920s. Although he also contributed to the fundamentalist movement in other ways, this study is restricted to his preaching, and its major sources are the hundreds of sermons he has left behind in published books and pamphlets, religious periodicals, typewritten copies, and handwritten outlines. The method of the dissertation is historical and descriptive. One chapter is devoted to a survey of the Fundamentalist Controversy and a sketch of Straton's life. Two chapters deal with his preaching on the Five Points of Fundamentalism: "The Place of the Bible" and "The Centrality of Christ." Another chapter describes his opposition to evolution, one of the prominent issues in the controversy. Thus, the first half of the dissertation shows that Straton deserves to be called a fundamentalist. Two chapters deal with the strong note of social concern in his preaching, an element not usually associated with fundamentalist preaching and yet an integral part of Straton's message. "The Cure of Souls" is the title of a chapter describing his evangelistic, devotional, missionary, and comforting sermons. It also includes an account of a belated emphasis on divine healing, a practice in whicn he became involved during the last three years of his life (1926-1929). The last chapter in which sermons are discussed treats Straton as a churchman. It deals with homiletical matters, his theoretical anti-intellectualism, his attitude toward Baptist principles, Baptist conventions, and the ecumenical movement. Before the concluding chapter with its summary, a brief evaluation of Straton's role in church history is essayed. In this connection the thesis that he provided Sinclair Lewis with the inspiration for Elmer Gantry is challenged, and the suggestion that Straton succeeded William Jennings Bryan as the national leader of the fundamentalist forces is rejected. It is maintained that Straton's role is somewhat analogous to that of the Florentine reformer, Savonarola. The purpose of the dissertation is not to defend any particular thesis with respect to Straton, but rather to describe the most important aspect of his participation in a controversial period of American church history. It is felt that the term, "fundamentalist," arouses in many minds a picture that is not altogether true to fact and that the best way to correct such a stereotype is to examine the careers of the leading men who first bore that designation. It is hoped that this study will provide one more fragment of evidence upon which to build a more objectively valid picture of a group of church leaders who have been too quickly dismissed on the basis of prejudice and preconceived ideas not conforming to the historical facts.