This thesis project offers a reflective practice-based learning tool to engage preaching experience--from the hearing side of the event--early in diaconal formation to build connoisseurship of effective preaching as the logical prerequisite to engaging the event as preacher. Chapter One proposes connoisseurship as a fruitful metaphor for building…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how experiences with mentoring lived, professional turning points, and crises of faith influenced post-seminary professional development for Christian church leaders in Southern Michigan. The theoretical foundation that guided the development of the study was based on Mezirow's…

This paper sets forth a proposal for an ecological pedagogy of embeddedness informed by place-based, challenge-based, and competency-based methodologies. While some theological institutions have begun implementing principles from competency-based models, theological educators have not adequately explored the resources within place-based and…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how seminary and institute students describe their spiritual and learning experiences when studying scripture in a digital format in Alberta, Canada. Cognitive flexibility theory provided the theoretical framework and lens whereby the researcher explored the phenomenon and was used…

Theological Education by Extension (TEE) programs seek to equip believers for a godly life and ministry through studying materials at home, discussing content with other students in regular meetings, and applying the knowledge to their lives and ministries. It is possible for TEE programs to impact students behaviorally, affectively, and…

Pastors in the Assembly of God fellowship have several options regarding types of pastoral training. Conducting a multiple case study qualitative study, the researcher interviewed 12 pastors with 2-6 years of ministry experience who had primary training in a specific category: higher education, on-the-job training, hands-on internships, or…

The purpose of this basic descriptive study was to understand how Chinese seminarians described online education as a means of spiritual formation based on their learning experiences at seminaries in the United States and Canada. Employing a qualitative research design, this study utilized a constructivist philosophical orientation to construct…

The purpose of this research study was to examine differences in perceptions of spirituality outcomes between online and in-person students taking theology courses at a Christian liberal arts college in the Midwestern United States. Using a validated instrument, the Religious Education Survey (RES), 71 students were surveyed. A one sample t test…

Seminaries in the United States have for more than two centuries sought to equip ministerial leaders for service within the community of faith. And yet these institutions have traditionally been the focus of very little quantitative research. This lack of data is particularly noteworthy given the existential crises many seminaries currently face,…

While the majority of students at Baptist colleges, universities, and seminaries are female, women continue to be underrepresented in senior administration roles and the faculty positions that act as precursors to leadership positions. The purpose of this study was to explore the career pathways of women who have attained senior leadership…

The purpose of this project was to discover the degree to which a select group of counseling graduates from Ashland Theological Seminary -- Detroit have integrated the self-care practices taught in the mandatory Dimensions of Healing course into their personal lives. The design of the project included a quantitative and qualitative survey, that…

The challenge of integrating best practice for teaching and learning is perennial. Within an Australian context, despite increases in student satisfaction over the decades, challenges remain concerning student classroom engagement, peer collaboration and the value and use of technology. Within my own religious and theological university…

Environmental justice, a phrase first used in reference to the activism of a community in Warren County, NC in the late 1970s, is a broad category of work at the intersection of caring for nature and caring for people. Residents of the majority black county sought relief from the impending designation of a landfill site in the county as a dumping…

A "charism-centered" institutional mission is a mission that is believed to be instantiated and guided by the working of the Holy Spirit. Countless Catholic higher education institutions claim to have missions rooted in one or more charisms. However, institutional assessment processes tailored to charism-centered missions have remained…

This chapter provides insight into the challenges facing higher education and provides a rationale for redesign along with effective strategies and management approaches, based upon the case study experience of Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay, Ohio.