Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2024, Doctor of Ministry Program

This project discovered the call/selection process to pastor Black Baptist Churches in Northeast Ohio. Forty (40) pastors completed a Five-point Likert scale questionnaire that was collected and analyzed. The data revealed that the Black Baptist Church is still tethered to the traditional historical selection process and is out of step with contemporary methodology for selection leadership. The data also revealed a need for a more fastidious and standard process in the selection of pastors and also exposed a deficiency in diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially in regard to the inclusion of women as pastoral candidates.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2024, Doctor of Ministry Program

This project discovered why some women do not fully participate in the koinonia at New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio. The collected and analyzed data revealed their reasons for participating or not participating in church fellowship. Noteworthy findings showed that women understood the significance of fellowshipping together for the purpose of unity and spiritual growth. Additionally, the open-ended question revealed areas of opportunity for women to increase the level of engagement within the church community.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

In today's mainline Protestant churches, young women clergy navigate a precarious leadership space. While women's ordination is well-established in American Protestantism (Burnett, 2017), Gen-X/Millennial clergy women find themselves at the crosshairs of conflicting gender narratives and unsustainable expectations of what it means to be both a woman and an ordained pastoral leader. Through the use of feminist constructivist grounded theory methodology, this study explored the lived experiences of Gen-X/Millennial clergy women who have left active ministry or a specific pastoral position due to concerns over their own interpersonal boundaries and psychological safety. Through dimensional analysis of in-depth interviews with 20 clergy women representing eight mainline Protestant denominations, this study identified the co-core dimensions of experiencing feminized servanthood as dehumanizing and experiencing feminized servanthood as abusive. The social processes within these co-core dimensions severely compromised the clergy women's physical and psychological safety and informed their decisions to leave their respective ministry contexts. Extending from these co-core dimensions were five primary dimensions: 1) developing a sense of call; 2) differentiating self from system; 3) exposing vs. protecting toxic leaders and harmful systems; 4) nail in the coffin; and 5) reconstituting self. As a result of these findings, this study presents five theoretical propositions that address 1) the shadow side of servant leadership in the context of feminized servanthood; 2) reclaiming Gen-X/Millennial women's leadership strengths; 3) perceptions of self-differentiated women leaders as a “dissident daughter” and an “emasculating disruptor”; 4) gendered scapegoating and the disappearance of Gen-X/Millennial clergy women; and 5) reconstituting self beyond “reckoning” and “resilience.” This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD cent (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

Faculty are critical players to advance institutional mission in higher education (Clark, 1972). Hiring faculty who have an affinity for mission and who understand and support Catholicism in the spirit of an institution's founding charism can be a significant challenge for academic leaders and for the longevity of institutional mission in Catholic higher education (Heft, 2021). Faculty across disciplines may find it challenging to grasp or apply the mission of their Catholic university because mission-related criteria are not always understood or prioritized in faculty hiring processes (Breslin, 2000; Briele, 2012; Heft, 2021; Steele, 2008). Currently, there is no standard mission focused guide for faculty hiring at the University of Dayton (UD), a Catholic Marianist University. Given that hiring priorities and practical knowledge of Catholic Marianist principles of education differ among faculty across the university, hiring for mission criteria may not be well defined among search committees. This practical action research study used qualitative methods to explore how affinity for the University of Dayton's Catholic Marianist mission is assessed in faculty searches. Results showed that search committee members consider mission principles at least moderately important, but these have not been consistently identified in candidate assessment criteria. Still, participants discussed six mission-based criteria with twenty component elements that have been operative in some way in recent faculty searches. This knowledge, coupled with the principles of Marianist education, informed Hiring Faculty to Engage Catholic Marianist Mission, a practical intervention plan to strengthen hiring for mission practices through articulating the purpose of hiring for mission; developing criteria and assessment rubrics; standardizing the hiring for mission search process; and fostering faculty stakeholder participation. Anticipated results of the action plan and challenges in project lead (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

My thesis discusses the history of gender and sexuality politics in postcolonial Zimbabwe. It utilizes the convening of Christianity and politics to explore how these areas of public life combined to influence different perceptions towards gender and sexuality identities. The background appraises the impact of African Traditional Religion (ATR) during the colonial period and the changes ushered in by Western Christianity. During this time of colonial conquest, ATR was the cornerstone of all the sectors of life including politics. This included the worshiping of God through nature and ancestral spirits. Reincarnation was a very prominent practice of the colonial Zimbabwe ATR, also known as the Mwari cult. The concept of reincarnation was considered an effective way of communicating with the dead through the Masvikiro (spirit mediums) who transmitted information, requests for rains, or prayers for healing and harvest to Mwari or Unkulunkulu (God). Masvikiro gained popularity as the quest for nationalism continuously shaped every aspect of colonial Zimbabwe especially in the anti-colonial protest of 1896-97 Chimurenga (war of independence). Although there was transition in religion since the precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial period where ATR's prominence began to diminish due to the absorption of western doctrines, all the three historic phases elaborate how religion was shaped by the prevailing situations until it became a chief cornerstone of every aspect of the postcolonial economy. As a result of colonialism, a significant number of people converted to Christianity. My thesis, therefore, serves to confirm the existence of a continued influence of religion in politics. It reexamines the various ways in which a combination of religion and politics affected the perceptions of gender and sexuality identities. This pinpoints dimensions in which gender identities were understood and perceived in independent Zimbabwe and most significantly how these changed through (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2024, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

This research sought to define pastoral leaders' leadership characteristics in congregational settings that create collaborative and distributive ministry leadership through team engagement. The purpose of this research was to examine leadership characteristics resulting in collaboration and distributive ministry leadership with team engagement. The research aimed to help pastoral leaders with the responsibilities of 21st-century congregational ministry and lessen the experiences of burnout. Study participants were pastoral leaders and at least two council members from congregations affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in the Southern Ohio Synod (SOS). The mixed methods concurrent QUAN-qual study utilized the Leadership Practices Inventory and the Shared Professional Leadership Inventory to measure various leadership characteristics and team engagement in the quantitative strand. The qualitative strand used three open-ended questions to assess further the presence of team engagement and pastoral leaders' leadership characteristics. The research question encompassed several components, including the leadership characteristics of pastoral leaders and the relationship between specific leadership characteristics of Transformational, Servant, and Shared leadership models and team engagement. The study findings found relationships between several leadership behaviors and team engagement in congregations. The research into leadership characteristics and team engagement assisted in the development of a best practices profile and training outline for congregational pastoral leaders to share and distribute ministry responsibilities with members to reduce feelings of burnout.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2024, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to create and evaluate a manual for the equipping of worship leaders in The Word Church and The Light Church of Northeastern Ohio. The manual was evaluated by a panel of twenty-four experts using a five-point Likert scale survey administered electronically via Google documents and in person. Major findings suggested an overwhelming response by the panel experts who believed the manual is a usable tool that would help church worship leaders be equipped to lead and enhance the worship ministry.

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2024, College of Education

This study describes two Midwest congregations and how their lead pastor budgets and promotes giving according to an ecclesiological understanding of identity, mission, and ministry. Data was collected through an interview with each lead pastor, an interview with two leadership board members, interviews with three congregants, and participant observation at each congregation. The findings show that these two congregations use their congregational finances differently and they develop unique, opposing cultures of money based at least partially on the differing ecclesiologies of their leaders. When a leader's ecclesiology, use of congregational finances, and the congregational culture of money are complementary, congregation members trust their money is being used for good. When there are conflicts within these three areas, it can lead to confusion and congregational finances not being used to their full potential.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2024, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to impact the participants' house church planting skills within a select group of emerging leaders of Bhutanese-Nepalese churches in Columbus, Ohio. The results of the study, measured through a pre-assessment and post assessment, revealed all five project goals were positively impacted. Participants were most impacted in understanding of essential need of planting of house churches and the second most impacted in understanding of an effective missional enhancement to fulfill the Great Commission through the house churches.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2023, Doctor of Ministry Program

This project aimed to discover information related to pastoral leadership succession. The target of this project was the membership of Sweet Hope Free Will Baptist Church, Baltimore, Maryland. The goal was to inform the membership of a pastoral leadership succession process that makes the transition biblical and collegial. This project was designed to discover pastoral leadership succession information through the study of biblical and Christian leadership succession models that are different from Sweet Hope's succession model. The value of this project will be realized when Sweet Hope utilizes the project findings in its next pastoral leadership transition.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2023, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to impact the participants' spiritual formation at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio through the practice of spiritual disciplines. This impact project was comprised of six weekly sessions. The impact of the project was measured by pre- and post-test assessment, and a post-test qualitative questionnaire, along with teaching, introducing, and practicing spiritual disciplines in-session. Also, participants were given assignments to journal and practice spiritual disciplines between sessions. The assessment results showed that the highest growth experienced was the impact on the participants' practice of spiritual disciplines to promote spiritual transformation in their lives.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2023, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to impact the participant's understanding of biblical evangelism with a select group of members at the Church Without Walls Ministries in Flint, MI. The design of the project included sessions of weekly biblical teachings, and the administration of pre- and post-survey questionnaires, with qualitative questions. The study was to encourage discipleship through the practice of spiritual disciplines and cultural history. The participants were challenged to work on changing their daily habits to include spiritual disciplines. The result of the study demonstrated substantial growth in the practice of spiritual disciplines.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

The goal is to shine light theologically on the role of transformational leadership in the missional church. What concepts about pneumatological discipleship, influence, power, authority, and transformational leadership suit a radically missional church? Radical missional challenges demand new notions about servant and transformational leadership. Pneumatological discipleship, as well as transformational leadership, must reflect the identity, calling, life, and order of the church. This autoethnographic action research project, therefore, addresses life in the Trinity and participation in the Missio Dei and outlines the radically missional church as the point of entry to develop transformational leadership insights and pneumatological discipleship practices. It contributes towards creating an appropriate model of pneumatological discipleship and transformational leadership for radically missional churches. Recent developments in the theology of mission seem to address the area of missional ecclesiology comprehensively. However, there is a gap in the development of pneumatological discipleship and transformational leadership models based on the concept of authority in the radically missional church.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

Attracting and retaining volunteers is essential to the success of any non-profit organization, including the church, and is critical to broadening our understanding of volunteer behaviors across all racial groups. Most volunteer activities are affiliated with faith-based organizations (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Blacks account for 9.11% of all volunteers, with 41.2% focusing those efforts on religious organizations (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015; Congressional Digest, 2006). Understanding the behaviors and motivations of different volunteer segments becomes even more important when endeavoring to meet the diverse needs of our communities. Though nearly 63 million Americans volunteer yearly, this number is declining, impeding nonprofit organization's ability to service those in need (Do Good Institute, 2018). The primary purpose of this narrative inquiry was to learn more about the factors driving change in volunteer behaviors to increase outcomes. The perspective of an underrepresented population informed the narrative regarding volunteer behaviors and motivations. The data collection method used was a focused inquiry through semi-structured interviews of a purposive sampling. To analyze the data, a thematic review was completed, identifying recurring themes and patterns. The thirteen interviews provided insight into volunteer behaviors from the perspective of the Black church volunteer. Two emerging themes aligned with the literature review: prosocial motivation and recognition/appreciation. Other emergent themes were dissatisfaction with unclear objectives, lack of provisions and communications, and community outreach and engagement. Several questions were explored, including why people volunteer and cease volunteering, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volunteer engagement, specific barriers to volunteering, and how church culture influences volunteer behavior.

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Media and Communication

Generations of women in the Evangelical Church have embodied narratives passed from mother to daughter, from church leadership, and through their religious communities. These narratives, including those of women's subservience and deserving of suffering endured from spouses, church leaders, and others, have origins in the earliest days of church history. In this thesis I examine how such narratives are embedded in books on pubertal guidance targeted to mothers and daughters in Evangelical Christian communities. Building on Fish's work on interpretive communities, Gramsci's conceptualization of hegemony, Foucault theorizing on power, and an interdisciplinary literature on the interaction between religion, culture, and politics, I interrogate themes of puberty, sexual function, gender roles, consent, and gender-based violence addressed in books on pubertal guidance, and how these books contribute to or reinforce evangelical Christian doctrinal narratives on gender and sexuality. Through a methodological approach using grounded theory, narrative inquiry, autoethnography, and textual analysis, findings indicate Evangelical Christian culture creates an interpretive community which drives only acceptable interpretation of religious texts (primarily the Bible), gender norms, and patriarchal power dynamics. Themes emerging from the texts analyzed, including Complementarianism, submission, purity, modesty, inadequacy, and silencing, have deep consequences not only for women and girls in Evangelical Christian communities, but for society at large as the legislative push for adherence to Evangelical Christian doctrinal ideologies work to remove access to basic human rights for people who do not adhere them. Misinformation, incomplete information, and hegemonic narratives serve to perpetuate gender inequality and have broad effects on women's and girls' mental, emotional, and physical health. In light of the most recent intrusions by Christian Nationalists into the legislative (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Ministry, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, 2023, Practical Studies

This thesis explores the question, "How can an established congregation engage with Bowen Family Systems Theory to reveal hidden emotional processes that impact missional adaptive change?" The research took place in the context of a mid-sized Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation founded in 1851.The project utilized a Participatory Action Research (PAR) model with elders from the congregation serving as a research team along with the congregation's pastor as lead researcher. Four rounds of PAR research identified 1) a missional adaptive challenge for the congregation, 2) features of the congregation's emotional system in times of change, 3) features of the elders' nuclear family emotional systems in times of change, and 4) a systems informed missional experiment called "Laundry Love Day." This experiment incorporated what was learned about the emotional systems of the congregation and elders in order to more successfully address the missional adaptive challenge. Research was adapted midway to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic. The project successfully demonstrated the potential benefits and difficulties of incorporating Bowen Family Systems Theory in missional adaptive change efforts. This research opens the door to further studies exploring the confluence of Bowen theory and missiology.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2023, Doctor of Ministry Program

It was the purpose of this project to discover the characteristics of preaching in constant growth Protestant churches in the United States. The design of the project included the completion of a survey by pastors in growing churches. The results of this project revealed that the most significant characteristics of preaching in constant growth churches were expository preaching that provided specific application steps, afforded an opportunity to respond, and emphasized discipleship.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2014, Doctor of Ministry Program

This project discovered what the missional church meant to sixty-five lay and vocational leaders of six United Church of Canada congregations situated in Quinte West, Ontario. A quantitative and qualitative survey discovered that there was little knowledge of the missional church. The missional church is a worthy option where evangelism is lagging and congregational sustainability is in crisis. These churches offered an ideal study cohort since they shared core similarities in governance, theology and staff. The project suggested that the missional church approach would benefit their immediate ministry context. The questionnaire presented principles for movement in a missional direction.

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

The murder of George Floyd was a pivotal moment in this country's continual fight on racism. As a result, the Black Lives Matter movement initiated a campaign to defund the police. This research project will look at a purposive sample of 10 churches that were selected in Rust Belt cities of Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Transcripts were pulled from YouTube for the sermons from May 31, 2020, through June 21, 2020, for the 10 churches. This project used grounded theory when analyzing the texts in NVivo and the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count softwares to see if the churches selected took a position in any way regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. Results showed that 3 of the 10 churches had sermons that were sympathetic to the Black Lives Matter Movement. The majority of the churches had neutral sermons; however, all churches were similar in usage of keywords (specified below), authenticity, and tone. Future research is necessary to assist law enforcement with community relations and the potential connection between sermon topics and societal issues.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

In this practical action research, I utilized the mixed-method approach to identify ways, approached, and methods of church-based mentoring that improves youth engagement for the good of the church, community, and youth development. Based upon the findings in this study, an action plan was devised wherein the church-based youth mentoring program will utilize consistency, communication, and support (being supportive) as the core of the mentoring program's structure. It is anticipated that this will improve youth engagement in the mentoring program and church. Implications and directions for future research that stem from my study will be to continue researching ways to close the gap in youth participation and attendance within the church.