Project/Dissertation (D. Min.)--Southern Christian University, Montgomery, Ala., 2000. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-91, 26-27).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Theological Seminary, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed April 19, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 302-325).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Given the critical need to nudge congregants toward sustainable service, surprisingly few studies have explored the possibility of internalizing Christian beliefs and practices through intrinsically motivating ministry activities. According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), an emerging meta-theory of adult motivation, such activities consistently move individuals from external to internal regulation of behavior. Perceiving undeveloped believers as marginalized members of Christ's body, this emancipatory study sought to build awareness of the need to empower all believers to make kingdom contributions through intrinsically-motivated service that internalizes orthodox faith. Following protocols of a qualitative single case study, the researcher explored the rich perceptions and divergent meanings associated with church-sponsored service among a critical array of stakeholders in a thriving evangelical church. In a vivid portrait gleaned from observations, interviews and documents, SDT's theoretical lens shaped the questions, informed the data, and inspired the cause. In the process, traditional assumptions about servant leadership, Christian formation, and spiritual giftedness were challenged. The study's ultimate aim was to stimulate meaningful dialogue on the need to reform church structures that foster Christian formation through inherently satisfying, Spirit-empowered ministry. Organizing the data under the SERVE acronym, the researcher concludes with a motivational model of Christian service.

There is a sad and consistent narrative that permeates the story of so many pastors. After dedicating their lives to advance the gospel and to serve the Bride of Christ, His church, so often the story ends in the tragedy of burnout and its debilitating effects and far reaching impacts on family, congregation, and community. Yet, there is a small group of resilient and enduring pastors who have somehow learned to grow from the difficulties and stress of ministry. How are they able to avert the negative and often detrimental effects of ministerial stress to experience such success and longevity in ministry? What are their stories? How do they perceive their roles and the stress of those roles? How have they learned to not only survive, but somehow, thrive? This study seeks to give a voice to their stories and to understand their self-perceptions. Several researchers have concluded that the occupation of pastor is especially prone to burnout. These same researchers cite varying contributors to this condition, such as time demands, unrealistic expectations, isolation, and loneliness. Even though debate exists surrounding the specific contributing factors and the level of their contribution, the results are clear in the research. Pastors’ lives become imbalanced and their spiritual growth stagnates. However, some pastors have demonstrated growth and longevity in a constant ministry context. Hence, they have seemingly developed and matured through the difficult experiences and occupational stressors that have left many of their colleagues defeated. This study sought to discover why some pastors are able not only to overcome these adverse and detrimental factors of stress and burnout, but also achieve both personal and professional growth in spite of them. This phenomenological qualitative study describes the experiences of twenty pastors who have experienced the phenomenon of growth and longevity in ministry despite occupational and personal stressors, and identifies commonalities of their perceptions of how they have dealt with stress and achieve success over an extended period of time in a constant ministry context. The pastors have ministered at one church for at least fifteen years. Each church has exhibited measurable growth under the leadership of each respective pastor during their tenure. The results of this study identified four common themes: Source of stressors, how these pastors identify and deal with their occupational stress, the impacts of stress on their personal lives, and their advice for young pastors from what they have learned over their long tenures in ministry. A common pattern among these veteran pastors is that over time they gained a new perspective and became more effective at coping with stress. They modified and adapted their behaviors, adopting several practices that are recommended in the broader literature on stress and burnout and the specific literature on religious clergy. These include: delegating and prioritizing responsibilities, seeking social support, taking time off, engaging in regular physical exercise, guarding family time and family vacations as well as recreational activities, and discipline in spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, and worship.

No description available.

M.A. (Psychology) / Professional counsellors are overloaded with many cases and are in dire need of lay assistance. Specifically, pastors are overburdened with the number of counselees seeking their help, and they require lay members of the church to be equipped to counsel on a paraprofessional level. If executed effectively, this lay counselling will act as a filter by letting only those cases needing professional intervention to pass through to the pastor or mental health practitioner. The benefits to be obtained from the Biblical ministry of lay counselling are numerous, the most notable being that chances of burnout are lessened in professionals who now need only focus their attention and energies on. cases specifically requiring their expertise. However, as is the case with all ministries, there are potential dangers and pitfalls. These can be minimised by proper equipping. It is the knowledgeable, Spirit-filled and welltrained lay counsellor thatis at least risk. Acquiring the practical skills of effective counselling initially involves being formally taught and practising these within a learning environment. This dissertation proposes such a curriculum for the equipping of lay Christian counsellors on both the theoretical and practical levels. Though it is not the first of its kind in the United States, it does reflect a relatively new field in this country and much research must go into developing and modifying curricula for the South African context with its cultures and specific needs. This poses an exciting challenge to the pastors and mental health professionals of this country, who In addition to the actual clientele, will be the onesto benefit. In this dissertation, the domain of the research is introduced by discussions on Christian and lay Christian counselling. Definitions, general assumptions, Biblical basis and uniqueness are presented as well as why lay Christian counselling is a vital aspect of a caring church Some of the common goals that this field shares with secular counselling have been stated, as well as its unique goals. The selection of potential lay Christian counsellors has been discussed, offering some of the desirable therapeutic and ethical qualities of such counsellors...

I present the development and initial validation a new measure designed to assess specific personal prayer content I used feedback from men and women, along with a review of the relevant literature, to identify specific prayer content for inclusion in the Personal Prayer Content Scale (PPCS) (Study 1) I administered the PPCS to a sample of participants from southeast Florida and southeast Michigan allowing for a cross-national investigation of the specific content of the thoughts that individuals privately direct towards a god, gods, or god-like entity (Study 2) I compared men’s and women’s responses (Study 3) and responses between Christians and non-Christians (Study 4) on the PPCS The results provide evidence for the reliability and discriminant validity of the PPCS by demonstrating that personal prayer content predicts aspects of religiosity and is equally valid for men and women and Christians and non-Christians A validated PPCS may be of theoretical, empirical, and practical value / Includes bibliography / Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Having gained a particular understanding of religion from his anthropological knowledge and psychological research, Raymond B Cattell claims that morality and ethics could be motivated scientifically. He further postulates that the results of scientific research could be implemented effectively to thwart the modern trend of moral collapse. Consequently Beyondism is presented as a religion from science, working from without inward by starting from the outer reality and moving inward to intention. Beyondism is based on the acceptance of evolution as the prime process in the universe. It differs greatly from other alternatives to revealed religion such as humanism and existentialism. This study explores Cattell’s views on religion, epistemology, cosmology and morality, reflecting his Darwinian approach of evolutionary advance and cooperative competition. The evaluation of the viability of the idea of religion from science is performed by means of Ken Wilber’s systems theory and JS Krüger’s conditionalist criteria for religion. Read in the light of his work on personality, intelligence, heredity and environmental influence, his approach to genetics is considered outside the fashionable opinion by which his views have suffered negation, misrepresentation and rejection. Considering recent scientific and social developments, his authentic research and visionary interpretation could be of value not only in the field of psychology, but also in the study of religion. / Thesis (M. Th. (Religious Studies))