Date of Award

10-1-2017

Document Type

Major Applied Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Department

Practical Theology

First Advisor

Victor Raj

Scripture References in this Resource

Revelation 7:9-10; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11; Acts 15:8-9; Ephesians 3:6; Ephesians 4:3-6; Matthew 28:19-20; Matthew 22:37-40; Acts 2:1-11; Romans 10:9, 14-17; Matthew 6:10; Revelation 3:16; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:9-10; John 17:20-23; Colossians 3:11; John 17:23; Ephesians 2:1; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; John 1:29; John 3:16-17; Titus 2:11; Ezekiel 18:23, 32; Ezekiel 33:11; 1 John 2:1-2; Acts 10:34-35; Matthew 23:37; Acts 7:57; 2 Peter 2:1-2; Mark 16:15-16,; Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 2:12; Acts 1:8; Luke 14:23; Luke 14:21; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Isaiah 56:6-7; Isaiah 49:6; Matthew 18:3; Mark 16:16; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:28; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9

Abstract

Bowditch, Mark “Empowering a Local Church to Reflect Revelation 7:9 Unity Through Multi-Ethnic, Bilingual, Combined Worship.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 347 pages.

The purpose of this MAP was to carry out field research specifically designed to answer the research question: “Can multi-ethnic, bilingual, combined worship services be developed at Mt. Calvary that will foster Christian unity and fellowship among two different cultures?” This effort presupposed that it is God’s will for His people, the Church, to be joined together in unity and fellowship on earth—as they will be in heaven (Rev 7:9). The basic problem in ministry this MAP addressed is the all too common segregation found within the church where ethnic groups are more hyper-segregated than in the world. The context of this MAP study was a medium sized, mono-ethnic, English-speaking, white local church that began doing multi-ethnic ministry in 2016 when she opened her doors to a growing community of Karenni-speaking refugees from war-torn Burma. To bring the two ethnically-diverse communities together, a series of six combined worship services were scheduled over a five-month period in 2017. Field research was conducted both before and after these services. The aim of the pre- and post-research was twofold: to aid in the development of meaningful, bilingual worship services and to measure if Christian unity and fellowship could be fostered as a result of the joint worship services. The MAP includes a theological and biblical foundation that provides a congregation with needed support and motivation for conducting bilingual, combined worship in the context of multiethnic ministry. It also includes a review of various ways other churches conduct multi-ethnic worship. The quantitative and qualitative data drawn from a pool of forty-three research participants (from both ethnic communities) represented 12.5 percent of the average 350 worshippers at Mt. Calvary each weekend. The field research showed that multi-ethnic, bilingual, combined worship services can indeed be developed that foster Christian unity and fellowship between two very different ethnic groups.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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