Date

10-2020

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Adam McClendon

Keywords

Disciple, Liturgical Dance, Worship, Spiritual Formation, Small Group, Discipleship

Disciplines

Christianity | Liturgy and Worship | Religion

Abstract

Liturgical dance, when combined with other biblical elements in addition to worship, can revolutionize the life of a disciple. This mixed-method study explores the infusion of liturgical dance and discipleship as another method that can be used to help disciples better understand the scriptures used in the pastor’s message on fulfilling the Great Commission. While discipleship was previously the church’s primary focus, it has slowly fallen to the wayside, whereas disciples are not being made or taught how to make disciples of all nations. This research uses a focus group with the members of a local ministry to demonstrate whether or not liturgical dance provides more than a beautiful presentation, but can assist the church in making disciples who make disciples of all nations. A relationship between ceremonial dance and discipleship was discovered within five general areas, which include the understanding of liturgical dance and discipleship, the life cycle of a disciple, word study, culture, and spiritual formation. Identifying how these themes, along with other areas of liturgical dance add to the understanding of the scriptures used in the pastor’s message on fulfilling the Great Commission, is the first step in seeing how the infusion of liturgical dance and discipleship can nourish the entire spirit, body, and soul.

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