Date

12-11-2024

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

William Townsend

Keywords

Christian dating, Christian courtship, disciple, children

Disciplines

Counseling | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

Currently, in the culture of the church in the West, there is a very weak support system or culture of guidance as it relates to dating and courtship. This primarily is played out on the level of discipleship with primary caregivers with their children. Participants in this research project reported a low degree of feeling prepared and equipped to properly guide their children toward a quality spouse. There is an urgent need to improve the overall ability of primary caregivers in regard to discipling their children on the subject of dating marriage. The purpose of this project is to prepare, equip, and educate primary caregivers on the various subjects that influence the spouse selection process. Caregivers were educated on the potential pitfalls in dating as well as other important factors that children should know long before they begin dating. The goal of this project is to better prepare and equip primary caregivers to disciple their children effectively on these subjects. An aim of this project is to begin to bridge together the various areas of study, which include theology, behavior, and neuroscience, into a single collective source with the goal of more thoroughly equipping primary caregivers and resulting in more engagement with children on the subject. The hope is for this project to influence others in this field to further this research and continue to refine its efficacy. Methods used to determine whether this project is successful include using one-tailed paired t-tests from surveys, interviews, and journal entries.

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