Date

10-16-2024

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Paul Esswein

Keywords

Bible-based pastoral counseling, healthy disciples, healthy churches, rural churches, Black church, spiritual formation, strategic Christian ministry

Disciplines

Christianity | Counseling | Practical Theology | Religion

Abstract

Strong and healthy churches are made up of strong and healthy disciples. The ministry context for this qualitative action research project was the Saint Mark Missionary Baptist Church, a predominately Black congregation located in the Pea Ridge community of Brewton, Alabama. The problem was some members at Saint Mark engaged in spiritually immature actions that evoked immature reactions which yielded unhealthy relationships. To address the problem, the researcher developed and implemented the “Strategic Bible-Based Pastoral Counseling Program” (SBPCP), a strategic Christian ministry that provided participants one-on-one pastoral counseling opportunities for the purpose of building up spiritually healthier Christians. SBPCP consisted of 10 participants that voluntarily took part in a seven-week predetermined counseling agenda that was informed by the themes that emerged from the literature review process. Data was collected using a variety of methods. Pseudonyms were used in lieu of participant’s names for confidentiality purposes.

The researcher argued that if certain members of Saint Mark faithfully participated in SBPCP, then they would become spiritually healthier Christians and thereby cultivate a healthier local church. Efficacy was determined in part using various study instruments such as pre-project surveys, post-project surveys, and exit interviews. At the conclusion of the action research project, SBPCP participants self-reported that biblical teaching combined with the personal undivided attention they received while in the program, directly contributed to them being spiritually healthier Christians. The results led this researcher to conclude that Christ-centered, Spirit-led, Bible-saturated, and strategically-designed pastoral counseling is an effective and efficient way to address the problem of spiritual immaturity and build up spiritually healthy disciples in a rural church context.

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