Thesis (D. Min.)--Covenant Theological Seminary, 2007. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 227-231).

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [45]-49).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 200-201).

Thesis (doctoral)--Vrije Universiteit te Amsterdam, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 361-382) and index.

No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1995.

The aim of this study is to examine the communication models with which the church works and if necessary, to create an alternative model. The criticism of the worship service requires that the church rethinks her activities. The target of the study is the Christian worship service as seen in the main stream of Protestant thinking in South Africa. In particular it looks at the Reformed-, Pentecostal- and Neo-pentecostal churchgroups. Church history shows that the church often gets involved with heresy, and that God ever so often brings His church back through specific reformations. In the light of this, the church should ask the right questions now to be able to give the right answers in the twenty first century. The liturgical crisis requires that ministers should lead worship with honesty and enthusiasm. Ministers will have to be careful not to try and produce or imitate God's work, but through the interaction between the people themselves and between God and his people, to be an instrument in God's hand. Therefore this study suggests principles which governs the communication in the worship service. The importance of this study lies in the fact that it tries to understand the very complex situation of communication in the Christian worship service. These peculiar dynamics is both unique and general. Unique, in the sense that the Lord Jesus Christ is present amongst His children, that God through grace intervenes in the lives of people and by this makes the most ideal communication possible. Generally, in the sense that it is through common everyday communication skills, that the worship service is experienced. The individual who attends the service will come to a specific understanding of the situation, through the normal human communication process. This study also designed a measuring device in the form of questionnaires to identify what people experience during the worship service. It comes to the conclusion that ministers must set up the most ideal situation for effective communication during services. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1990.

The objectives of this research were to investigate ministers' job demands and job resources, to study the relationship between the different job demands and job resources that ministers experience, to investigate the effects of job demands and job resources on minister's burnout and engagement, to investigate the factors impacting on the health and congregational commitment of ministers, to analyse the effects of job demands and job resources on ministers' psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability, to determine whether engagement can mediate the impact that psychological conditions have on levels of congregational commitment and to investigate the effects of religious coping on ministers' psychological conditions. The research method for each of the three articles consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A non-probability purposive voluntary sample of 115 ministers was used. A qualitative design was used in article one to determine the relevant job demands and job resources of ministers. A cross-sectional design, with a survey as the data collection technique was used. The Job Demands-Resources Questionnaire (JD-RQ), 14 items of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), eight items of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the Work Engagement Scale (WES), 26 items of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), the Congregational Commitment Questionnaire (CCQ), the Psychological Conditions Questionnaire (PCQ), the Religious Coping Questionnaire (RCQ) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analyses were carried out with the help of the SPSS program. The statistical methods utilised in the three articles consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, principal factor analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and regression analyses. The results indicated that the job demands experienced by ministers were: pace and amount of work and emotional demands and job resources were: growth opportunities, instrumental support, congregational support, autonomy, social support, and job significance. It was found that pace and amount of work correlated positively with emotional demands while, emotional demands correlated negatively with growth opportunities, autonomy, instrumental support, congregational support and social support. Furthermore, pace and amount of work and a lack of growth opportunities and to a lesser extent emotional demands and a lack of congregational support were indicators of exhaustion. Mental distance was best predicted by emotional demands. Growth opportunities, social support and job significance were predictors of engagement. As for health, somatic symptoms were best predicated by exhaustion while depression was found to be predicted by exhaustion and mental distance. Poor social functioning was found to be predicted by exhaustion, mental distance, and low engagement. Affective commitment was found to be best predicted by engagement and low mental distance. Furthermore, psychological meaningfulness was best predicted by less emotional demands and more growth opportunities whereas psychological availability was best predicted by a lower pace and amount of work and more social support. Engagement was found to mediate the relationship between psychological meaningfulness and affective commitment but not the relationship between psychological availability and affective commitment. It was also found that engagement was best predicted by psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability, but if engagement were not controlled, engagement and psychological meaningfulness predicted affective commitment. Furthermore, religious coping affected perceptions of pace and amount of work, social support and psychological availability. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The objectives of this research were to investigate ministers' job demands and job resources, to study the relationship between the different job demands and job resources that ministers experience, to investigate the effects of job demands and job resources on minister's burnout and engagement, to investigate the factors impacting on the health and congregational commitment of ministers, to analyse the effects of job demands and job resources on ministers' psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability, to determine whether engagement can mediate the impact that psychological conditions have on levels of congregational commitment and to investigate the effects of religious coping on ministers' psychological conditions. The research method for each of the three articles consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A non-probability purposive voluntary sample of 115 ministers was used. A qualitative design was used in article one to determine the relevant job demands and job resources of ministers. A cross-sectional design, with a survey as the data collection technique was used. The Job Demands-Resources Questionnaire (JD-RQ), 14 items of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), eight items of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the Work Engagement Scale (WES), 26 items of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), the Congregational Commitment Questionnaire (CCQ), the Psychological Conditions Questionnaire (PCQ), the Religious Coping Questionnaire (RCQ) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analyses were carried out with the help of the SPSS program. The statistical methods utilised in the three articles consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, principal factor analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and regression analyses. The results indicated that the job demands experienced by ministers were: pace and amount of work and emotional demands and job resources were: growth opportunities, instrumental support, congregational support, autonomy, social support, and job significance. It was found that pace and amount of work correlated positively with emotional demands while, emotional demands correlated negatively with growth opportunities, autonomy, instrumental support, congregational support and social support. Furthermore, pace and amount of work and a lack of growth opportunities and to a lesser extent emotional demands and a lack of congregational support were indicators of exhaustion. Mental distance was best predicted by emotional demands. Growth opportunities, social support and job significance were predictors of engagement. As for health, somatic symptoms were best predicated by exhaustion while depression was found to be predicted by exhaustion and mental distance. Poor social functioning was found to be predicted by exhaustion, mental distance, and low engagement. Affective commitment was found to be best predicted by engagement and low mental distance. Furthermore, psychological meaningfulness was best predicted by less emotional demands and more growth opportunities whereas psychological availability was best predicted by a lower pace and amount of work and more social support. Engagement was found to mediate the relationship between psychological meaningfulness and affective commitment but not the relationship between psychological availability and affective commitment. It was also found that engagement was best predicted by psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability, but if engagement were not controlled, engagement and psychological meaningfulness predicted affective commitment. Furthermore, religious coping affected perceptions of pace and amount of work, social support and psychological availability. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The reformation was a very complicated process which coffected all spheres of social and personal life. Its research can be carriet out in many scietific studies and its importance can be reflected upon from different points of view. The trend of the reformation which developed in Switzerland is colled differently in different historical sources: helvetian after the old name of Switzerland (Helvetia); Calvinizm, after the name of a famous religions reformer J.Calvin. The Calvinist church in the Grand Dutchy of Lithuania was colled the Evangelical Reformed Church, in short-the reformed Church. Since its establishment in 1555 the Evangelical reformed Church was independent. The activities and the relationship of the Evangelical reformed Church with Lithuanian state during the period of independence in 1918-1940 is analized in this thesis, the main part of the thesis is devoted to the analysis of the self-govermment of the Evangelical reformed Church, which is the fundamental thing in the reformed Church. The reformed Church has never been governed by a hierarchic structure. Its higest self-governing institution was the Synod. The analysis shovs how the Synod of the Reformed Church independently, without direct interference of the state and without demand for special conditions managed to reorganize its administration and territorial network, retaining self-governing, real property and cult buildings under the changed political circumstances 9after Vilnius, the... [to full text]