Date

10-3-2022

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Jonathan E. Sullivan

Keywords

spirituality, religion, theology, Black spirituality, Black religion, Black church, Black theology, counseling, pastoral counseling, counseling African Americans, cognitive therapy, narrative therapy, storytelling, faith, prayer, Holy Spirit, spiritual transformation, spiritual relationship, African Traditional Religion, Black religious views, Black worship, Christian education, Black coping strategies, intradisciplinary integration, spiritual healing, Black women therapy, Black family therapy, cultural competence, incarnate pastoral counseling, discipleship

Disciplines

Counseling | Religion

Abstract

Spirituality is an essential and deeply embedded part of Black Americans’ psyche. The counseling field has largely overlooked the roles of spirituality and religious beliefs in the development of the consciousness of this demographic. In the treatment of Black Americans, particularly Black churchgoers, this can be a serious oversight. The purpose of this DMin action research thesis is to provide sufficient intradisciplinary integrative spiritual teaching to effect holistic coping strategies for Lake Providence’s Mid-Week Bible Study Service members. The goal is to bring healing through an intradisciplinary integrative teaching approach utilizing psychology, theology, and spirituality. If the members of Lake Providence’s Mid-Week Bible Study Service receive intradisciplinary integrative teaching, then holistic coping strategies could be created. This research was conducted utilizing Participant Response Questionnaires. Ten members of the Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church who attend the Mid-Week Bible Study Service were chosen to form the sample group. Gathered data was reduced to create recurrent themes of spiritual relationship, transformation, faith, the Holy Spirit, and storytelling. Results demonstrated that a pedagogy addressing integrative techniques utilizing cognitive and narrative therapeutic approaches along with an emphasis placed on spirituality provided spiritual and psychological revelation and a behavioral assist for the interviewees. The desired influence of this thesis project is to add to the underrepresented literature on the impact spirituality has on the cognitive behavior of Black American churchgoers relative to affecting holistic life outcomes.

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