Dissertation
Dissertation
INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL
The only material here, quite frankly, that researchers may
find useful
is the title page and the dissertation's abstract. However, I
could
not make the dissertation public without including the dedication to my
wife, my children, my parents, and my wife's parents and without an
acknowledgement of the work others have done to make this dissertation
and my education possible.
CHAPTER ONE
This chapter provides an
introduction to the entire project. Included in this chapter is a
statement of the problem, the hypotheses, the need for the study, the
purpose of the study, the limitations and assumptions of the study, and
the definition of terms used throughout the project.
CHAPTER TWO
Chapter Two examines the relevant literature and the implications
thereof to the current project. The chapter first examines the
biblical imperatives placed on elders to shepherd the flock in their
charge; the chapter also briefly examines the dangers elders face when
working with inactive Christians as evidenced by Guinn v. Church of
Christ of Collinsville. The chapter then provides reasons
Christians become inactive by first looking at the Parable of the Sower
and then looking at causes prior to and following conversion.
Chapter Two also examines the reasons wayward members return to
church. The chapter concludes with a review of the literature as
to the best practical steps active members can utilize to restore their
inactive brethren.
CHAPTER THREE
The third chapter provides an overview of the research
methodology,
including a discussion of the participants, the instrument used to
collect data, and the procedure to collect and analyze the data.
CHAPTER FOUR
Chapter Four presents the findings from the research.
The first part
of the chapter provides a brief case study of each elders, and the
second section of the chapter organizes the data according to the
interview guide.
CHAPTER FIVE
This chapter provides a summary of the entire project.
An examination
of the hypotheses--which were confirmed and which were denied--is
provided. The chapter also includes findings which were quite
surprising and findings which confirm to the literature review in
Chapter Two. The chapter, as is common in qualitative research,
includes personal reflections. The chapter concludes with
recommendtions for further research.
APPENDICES
The appendicies for the project include a letter sent to
elders, the
informed consent used, and the interview guide I utilized to collect
the data.
REFERENCES
The references for the project are provided here so that
those who wish
to do further research in the area of inactive Christians may do so.
Shepherding Wandering Sheep
As part of my Doctor of Ministry project, I, of course, was required to write a dissertation. Partly because I was privileged to attend Heritage Christian University & partly because I worked with a small & struggling congregation several years ago, I have a keen interest in personal evangelism. I desperately wanted to conduct a project on personal evangelism. Furthermore, one of the problems I have encountered in evangelism--as many others have, as well--is new converts quickly going back into the world. In such cases, those "wandering sheep" need evangelism all over again. I, therefore began researching evangelism to unfaithful Christians. When I began the research, it was apparent that many, even in the churches of Christ, had already written dissertations on the evangelism of unfaithful Christians. Therefore, the project was going to need to provide new research in the evangelism of inactive Christians.
My Master of Divinity from Amridge University was in the area of organizational leadership, thus examining how the leadership of the local church seemed quite natural. Furthermore, it is the leadership of the local church--viz., the elders--who have the highest responsibility to evangelize wayward Christians. Thus, I examined the attitudes of elders in churches of Christ regarding inactive Christians.
The dissertation is provided here in hopes that this work may help the leadership in other congregations to be actively involved in the evangelism of their "wandering sheep."
The entire dissertation can be downloaded in pdf format by clicking here.