This dissertation describes a Contextualized Appreciative Instructional Design process for equipping Ethiopian churches' intercultural workers to advance God's mission more effectively--"missio" Dei in Ethiopia and beyond. The CAID model can contextually equip intercultural workers to deal with the many challenges of the mission field…

This dissertation consists of three essays in development economics. The first chapter studies the effects of migrant remittances on economic development and education investments. The second chapter examines the drivers of charitable donations on an online charity platform. The third chapter studies the political economy of education in…

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to assess the effects of adult learning principles (ALP) in sermons on parishioners' spiritual growth. Sermons have been central to the spread of Christianity. Given the significant role sermons play in parishioners' spiritual formation and growth, examining sermons' effectiveness is…

It is not known if there is a statistically-significant difference in Christian worldview scores between mature adult participants who have completed the Fellows theological training program and adult participants who have not. The Fellows program is an andragogy-based, 33-week long theological training program developed by church leadership. The…

Counselor educators need to effectively address intersecting identities within counselor education programs, including religion and spirituality (RS). Polls have shown that the majority of United States citizens ascribe to religious or spiritual beliefs (Gallup, 2017; Pew Research Center, 2014) and counseling research has expanded to address these…

To equip students for effective, long-term cross-cultural ministry during their undergraduate training in institutions of biblical higher education, missions educators should consider whether their training approaches are holistically integrated, relationally oriented, and fundamentally caring. Although such characteristics are suggested in the…

Spiritual development plays a vital role in young people's psychological health and wellness, and spiritual awareness is beneficial in developing morals and coping strategies when dealing with real-life situations (Lee et al., 2020). A lack of scholarly literature addressing the spiritual growth of Egyptian youth involved in evangelical camps and…

Due to the California gold rush in the 1800s, White Southerners seeking quick wealth flocked to the "free-state" of California. These new settlers included enslaved Africans, religion, and Southern attitudes that set the foundation for California to be a Southern-attitude state, which eventually attracted generations of free African…

This dissertation examines the Community of Faith-Enculturation Paradigm of John Westerhoff through an early childhood weekday's educational pedagogy that occurs in a conservative evangelical church setting. Chapter 1 introduces the research problem, question, thesis statement, and the purpose of the study including the definition of the terms.…

Throughout history religion has influenced the behavior of adherents, however, little research has been completed determining how these religious beliefs result in changes in academic achievement. This research study, on the relationship between religious affiliation and academic achievement, is constructed on the theory that religious teachings…

The purpose of this research was to discover the level of intentionality to stimulate Christian formation in the context of fully online undergraduate baccalaureate Bible education at ABHE schools. Since ABHE affirms transformational education as part of its institutional mission, it seemed apparent that this goal should be manifested in the…

The purpose of this research study was to examine how Christian school principals at schools that are members of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) perceive discipleship and gain understanding of the common definitions, implementations, and evaluations used in practice. The researcher chose the qualitative approach to…

Current literature suggests that continued efforts and initiatives are being implemented to include all students with special education needs in Catholic schools. However, there is limited research on Catholic School principals' perceptions of special education and current initiatives, specifically within the Archdiocese of New York. This…

Teachers and parents make considerable sacrifices to affiliate themselves with Islamic schools. As they commit to Islamic education, they acquire certain expectations that they want their school to fulfill. The purpose of this study was to explore the academic, social, and cultural expectations of five teachers and five parents in an Islamic…

Despite Christ's enduring command to make disciples, both researchers and church leaders express the beliefs that churches could be doing a better job of fulfilling this mission and that disciple-making is not a priority for many people who claim to be followers of Jesus. At a time when church leaders are lamenting the state of discipleship in the…