Date

1-2017

Department

School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Charlie Davidson

Keywords

African American Church, Church Leadership, Church Missions, Church Operations, Church Vision, Spiritual Formation

Disciplines

Biblical Studies | Christianity | Liturgy and Worship | Other Religion | Practical Theology | Religion

Abstract

Spiritual formation, the practice of intentional spiritual disciplines like fasting, silence, studying, and fellowship, should be the heart of growth in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina small churches. This practice assists congregants in developing closeness with God and relationships with others. Amidst a steady decline in national church attendance since 1992, few of today’s African-American Church ministries address the need for spiritual formation. This thesis explores this critical issue at the local level through interviews with pastors and church leaders, who describe their churches’ current efforts to foster spiritual formation in congregants. The findings are used to propose a model for local church leadership to promote community members’ spiritual formation. This model includes the thesis of applicable biblical passages and encourages attention to the Great Commission and Great Commandment of Christ–which all can assist church leadership in revitalizing missions, operations, and their commitments to developing the local African-American Church.

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