{"response":{"docs":[{"system_create_dtsi":"2026-05-19T21:08:49Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2026-05-19T21:18:11Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"4e665ddf-c486-4d59-872d-158324c46ae4","accessControl_ssim":["bd471cea-41c8-45e1-9d76-428ac026beb6"],"hasRelatedMediaFragment_ssim":["fb1fd1b5-62ac-43d6-864b-73a7e80c119d"],"hasRelatedImage_ssim":["fb1fd1b5-62ac-43d6-864b-73a7e80c119d"],"depositor_ssim":["oswann@pts.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["oswann@pts.edu"],"title_tesim":["Empowering the Margins: Exploring Church Planting and Sustainability by Socioeconomically Disenfranchised Black Communities in Majority-White Mainline Denominations"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2026-05-19T21:08:48Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2026-05-19T21:18:11Z","isPartOf_ssim":["admin_set/default"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["4ceeb94f-41b8-48a0-8d22-638e958a8a9c"],"hasLease_ssim":["daf7b9e2-67a2-41a1-ac18-b07db53d5fa8"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"format_tesim":["PDF"],"degree_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry"],"discipline_tesim":["Missional Leadership"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Pittsburgh Theological Seminary"],"advisor_tesim":["Dr. Scott Hagley"],"committee_member_tesim":["Rev. Dr. Edwin Chr. van Driel"],"department_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry"],"year_tesim":["2026"],"location_tesim":["Pennsylvania","Western Pennsylvania","United States","Aliquippa, Pennsylvania"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Ogbon (Swann), Oghene'tega Violet"],"keyword_tesim":["Bishop Marvin Moreland","Rev. Marvin Moreland","Black church","Tega Swann","Deliverance Temple (COGIC), Aliquippa PA","Oghene'tega Violet Ogbon (Swann)","Church planting","Rev. Rich Shymoniak","Aliquippa, Pennsylvania","Church planting by marginalized communities","Rev. Vera Shymoniak","Sound the Alarm Ministries, Aliquippa PA","Church sustainability","Congregational vitality"],"publisher_tesim":["Pittsburgh Theological Seminary"],"subject_tesim":["Ecclesiology","Missions","Theology, Practical","Qualitative research","African American churches","Church development, New"],"language_tesim":["English"],"description_tesim":["This dissertation examines how Black congregations in socioeconomically marginalized communities establish, sustain, and embody forms of ecclesial life within broader denominational and institutional contexts that often inadequately recognize or support their ministry realities. Centered on two congregations in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, this qualitative multiple-case study explores how church plants and community-rooted ministries navigate questions of sustainability, leadership, legitimacy, and mission within contexts shaped by economic disenfranchisement, racial marginalization, and uneven institutional support.\r\n\r\nDrawing upon interviews, congregational narratives, theological reflection, and ecclesiological analysis, this study investigates the organizational, relational, and theological patterns that contribute to congregational continuity and resilience. Particular attention is given to the ways ministry within marginalized communities frequently operates through networks of relational trust, communal presence, shared responsibility, adaptability, and spiritual commitment rather than through institutional models typically associated with dominant church-growth paradigms.\r\n\r\nThe findings reveal that congregational sustainability within marginalized contexts cannot be adequately measured solely through traditional institutional metrics such as financial stability, numerical growth, or organizational scale. Instead, participating congregations demonstrated forms of ecclesial vitality rooted in relational ecosystems of care, interdependence, community memory, and grassroots leadership. The study further identifies tensions between dominant ecclesial assumptions and the lived realities of ministries serving marginalized communities, particularly regarding how legitimacy, effectiveness, and sustainability are defined and evaluated.\r\nThis dissertation argues that broader theological and institutional conversations surrounding church planting, sustainability, and leadership formation must become more attentive to the experiences and insights emerging from marginalized congregational contexts. By centering the voices and practices of underrepresented ministry communities, this research contributes to practical theology and ecclesiology through a more relational, contextually grounded understanding of church, mission, and congregational life.\r\n\r\n"],"abstract_tesim":["This qualitative multiple-case study examines how two Black congregations in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania establish and sustain ecclesial life within socioeconomically marginalized contexts shaped by racial inequity, economic disenfranchisement, and uneven institutional support. Drawing on interviews, congregational narratives, theological reflection, and ecclesiological analysis, the study explores patterns of sustainability, leadership, legitimacy, and mission. Findings reveal that congregational vitality in marginalized communities often emerges through relational trust, communal presence, adaptability, grassroots leadership, and spiritual commitment rather than dominant institutional metrics. The study contributes to practical theology and ecclesiology by offering a relational and contextually grounded understanding of church, mission, and sustainability.\r\n"],"license_tesim":["https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"rights_notes_tesim":["Copyright retained by the author. This work is made publicly accessible for academic and educational purposes under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives International 4.0 license. No commercial use or derivative works are permitted without the author’s permission."],"bibliographic_citation_tesim":["Ogbon (Swann), Oghene’tega. \"Empowering the Margins: Exploring Church Planting and Sustainability by Socioeconomically Disenfranchised Black Communities in Majority-White Mainline Denominations.\" Doctor of Ministry Research Project, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 2026."],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/downloads/fb1fd1b5-62ac-43d6-864b-73a7e80c119d?file=thumbnail","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["admin_set/default-default-approving","admin_set/default-default-depositing","admin_set/default-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_ids_ssim":["fb1fd1b5-62ac-43d6-864b-73a7e80c119d","35b2de94-45c1-4d60-947c-ca3a505d8341"],"file_set_ids_ssim":["fb1fd1b5-62ac-43d6-864b-73a7e80c119d","35b2de94-45c1-4d60-947c-ca3a505d8341"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Default Admin Set"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["oswann@pts.edu"],"_version_":1865653151549358080,"timestamp":"2026-05-19T21:18:13.955Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2026-05-14T16:11:42Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2026-05-14T16:11:43Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"f3ca4bcb-800d-4cde-be16-dac2a01c0913","accessControl_ssim":["3ccd1504-444b-4e51-ba08-f0a1cbe89bc2"],"depositor_ssim":["katerascoe@yahoo.com"],"depositor_tesim":["katerascoe@yahoo.com"],"title_tesim":["Towards an Authentic Body of Christ: Encouraging Conversations  with Humility and Curiosity in the Church"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2026-05-14T16:11:41Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2026-05-14T16:11:42Z","isPartOf_ssim":["admin_set/default"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["f75b2673-14e7-48e1-8c3c-0f84912a331c"],"hasLease_ssim":["dfa61cba-2223-438a-85e1-10a39eb5811a"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["DMin"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Pittsburgh Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2026"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Rev. Dr. Kathryn Rascoe"],"keyword_tesim":["body of Christ","humility","listening","forbearance","curiosity"],"subject_tesim":["Humility","Mutual forbearance","Peacebuilding","Listening","Congregations - internal conflict","Curiosity","Interpersonal relations"],"abstract_tesim":["This paper, and the project on which it is based, proposes that the Church, unified as the body of Christ, is called to learn from its differences, requiring authenticity of its parts and conversation between them. Beginning with the assumption that the core issue preventing authentic conversation is a lack of a framework and basic tools that provide purpose and comfort in the interaction, the proposed solution for fostering authenticity in communication is to implement basic \"ground rules\" for small group discussions based on the principles of humility and curiosity, rooted in the theological concepts of forbearance and a scriptural understanding of the body of Christ found in 1 Corinthians 12. The project investigates how setting a common goal (intentionally living into/as the diverse “body of Christ”) and ground rules (forbearance, humility, curiosity) at the outset of group interaction could lead to more authentic individual contributions to conversations in a faith setting. Concepts were presented in a series of four discussion forums and  relevant conversation skills were practiced in pairs or small groups. Data collected from observations of the forums, responses of participant surveys and follow up questions, indicate that participants did increase in their comfort with difficult conversation settings and topics after being introduced to a theological framework and the concepts of humility and curiosity, supporting the hypothesis.  It is hoped that practice of this intentional engagement will build a more authentic representation of the body of Christ within the Church and model respectful disagreement within a diverse community for the wider world. \r\n"],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["admin_set/default-default-approving","admin_set/default-default-depositing","admin_set/default-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Default Admin Set"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["katerascoe@yahoo.com"],"_version_":1865180883840925696,"timestamp":"2026-05-14T16:11:44.370Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2026-05-14T14:31:55Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2026-05-14T14:31:56Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"423f01e8-e437-42cb-b49c-1b176ec038fd","accessControl_ssim":["fb96b446-e608-463b-b3e6-61ee1d43243d"],"depositor_ssim":["bsymonds82@gmail.com"],"depositor_tesim":["bsymonds82@gmail.com"],"title_tesim":["One Congregation's Journey to Discovering it's Gifts, Opportunities, and Limitations"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2026-05-14T14:31:55Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2026-05-14T14:31:55Z","isPartOf_ssim":["admin_set/default"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["803f1fbe-f658-4b88-917b-6a6571b97e91"],"hasLease_ssim":["7672fe30-31b8-4235-ba3c-f90cea51732a"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Pittsburgh Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2026"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"types_tesim":["Collection"],"creator_tesim":["Brian Scott Symonds"],"keyword_tesim":["Mission, vocation, discernment, theology, presence, listening, artifacts"],"subject_tesim":["Missional Vocation"],"abstract_tesim":["This missional vocation project at All Peoples Presbyterian Church is a process of attentive discernment that will lead the congregation through 8 weeks of learning more about their role with neighborhood partners, and begin to identify where God has been and is being revealed in their past and current mission and ministry. Consisting of four stages and a final focus group the process is designed to incorporate practices that will, (1) enable deep and intentional listening and paying more careful attention to their own stories of their limitations and gifts, (2) be hosted by a group where the congregation is not the expert, and (3) partner with a community organization on this particular project to better learn about the congregation’s sense of missional vocation. These will help All Peoples Presbyterian Church discover a mutuality of giftedness, and an appreciation for building partnerships in the neighborhood. "],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["admin_set/default-default-approving","admin_set/default-default-depositing","admin_set/default-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Default Admin Set"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["bsymonds82@gmail.com"],"_version_":1865174605941964800,"timestamp":"2026-05-14T14:31:57.300Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-05-16T21:53:32Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-05-16T21:53:34Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"9e8f7857-c9e9-4b22-a650-2b7a917c7754","accessControl_ssim":["bdc02cd1-34d1-48d4-a961-508776a1602c"],"depositor_ssim":["gnorrislane@gmail.com"],"depositor_tesim":["gnorrislane@gmail.com"],"title_tesim":["Beyond Heaven and Hell: Is There a Pastorally Sensitive Way for Progressive Christian Collegiate Ministries in the UKirk Network to Do Evangelism?"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-05-16T21:53:31Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-05-16T21:53:31Z","isPartOf_ssim":["admin_set/default"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["b0e6b6c3-2897-423c-bb07-3ebbc704865d"],"hasLease_ssim":["ad2351ba-a3e9-4988-a03b-7aab06c146a2"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Pittsburgh Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2025"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Norris-Lane, Virginia"],"keyword_tesim":["Progressive Christian","Campus Ministry","UKirk College Ministry","Evangelism","Religious Trauma"],"subject_tesim":["Evangelistic Work","Faith","Pastoral Counseling","Campus Ministry","Presbyterian Church","Pastoral Theology","Spiritual Healing"],"abstract_tesim":["Most UKirk Network campus ministers and students have a negative response to the word evangelism. They equate it with the heavy-handed or manipulative tactics of evangelical or fundamentalist Christians whose only goal is to convert others to the Christian faith to avoid hell. Given the prevalence of church trauma and spiritual abuse many have personally and vicariously experienced, theologically progressive college ministries struggle to understand how to faithfully do evangelism. This paper explores trauma-informed evangelism as a pastorally sensitive model that can shape the theological and social imagination of UKirk Ministries as they embody the good news of Jesus Christ."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["admin_set/default-default-approving","admin_set/default-default-depositing","admin_set/default-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Default Admin Set"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["gnorrislane@gmail.com"],"_version_":1832315691716313088,"timestamp":"2025-05-16T21:53:34.737Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-05-16T20:41:32Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-05-16T20:41:33Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"3d9d75e3-187b-4e5c-806c-5e4ac4cf7aa3","accessControl_ssim":["8d852c5b-4d27-4d9e-9120-2be0038f3ade"],"depositor_ssim":["smccart@aol.com"],"depositor_tesim":["smccart@aol.com"],"title_tesim":["Journey of the Heart: What I Have Learned from United Methodist Deaconess/Home Missioners in the Philippines"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-05-16T20:41:32Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-05-16T20:41:32Z","isPartOf_ssim":["admin_set/default"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["65639f12-ec1e-4eac-9ca2-d8b73959560c"],"hasLease_ssim":["8fe27043-7f8e-491e-a6fb-26ea0f6ad76d"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"format_tesim":["PDF"],"degree_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry"],"discipline_tesim":["Creative Writing and Public Theology"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Pittsburgh Theological Seminary"],"advisor_tesim":["Liberty Ferda","B. Hunter Farrell"],"year_tesim":["2025"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"types_tesim":["Image","Text"],"creator_tesim":["Sharon McCart"],"keyword_tesim":["Experiencing God","Learning from another culture","Reverse missionary","Relationship-building","Solidarity"],"subject_tesim":["Theology, practical","Church work","Women in church work","Contextualization","Missions Theory","Methodist Church","Spiritual formation"],"language_tesim":["English"],"abstract_tesim":["Where do you find joy? How do you overcome difficulties? The author, a U.S.-based United Methodist deaconess, interviewed 28 deaconess/home missioners in the Philippines to find answers to these and other questions. These committed church workers shared their experiences of serving God and neighbor while addressing a high level of extreme poverty, an oppressive government, the pandemic lockdown, natural disasters, and more. An essay is appended to share some of the ways that Filipino culture and theology have impacted the author.\r\n"],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["admin_set/default-default-approving","admin_set/default-default-depositing","admin_set/default-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Default Admin Set"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["smccart@aol.com"],"_version_":1832311161506234368,"timestamp":"2025-05-16T20:41:34.393Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-05-16T14:42:51Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-05-17T16:03:21Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"cd61803d-4b70-4c11-bd5e-b14c23c5cbda","accessControl_ssim":["aca5a078-b5b7-430e-b5cd-7b54efea0d24"],"hasRelatedMediaFragment_ssim":["c0459594-7495-41c8-94ec-7958d2b5a2fd"],"hasRelatedImage_ssim":["c0459594-7495-41c8-94ec-7958d2b5a2fd"],"depositor_ssim":["jmiller@pts.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["jmiller@pts.edu"],"title_tesim":["Altered Calls: Short Stories and Theological Meditations"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-05-16T14:42:50Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-05-17T16:03:11Z","isPartOf_ssim":["admin_set/default"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["c94a48cc-117c-4104-b23f-6d1381d050bb"],"hasLease_ssim":["8972f0b2-4084-4b7f-8671-29f409d971ae"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["D.Min."],"discipline_tesim":["Creative Writing and Public Theology"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Pittsburgh Theological Seminary"],"advisor_tesim":["Liberty Ferda","Derek Alan Woodard-Lehman"],"year_tesim":["2025"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Miller, Jack"],"keyword_tesim":["Literature","Public theology","Short stories","Faith in art","Fiction","Theology"],"subject_tesim":["Literature","Religious art","Communication--Religious aspects","Faith","Christian life","Christianity and culture","Short stories","Fiction","Theology","Public theology"],"language_tesim":["English"],"abstract_tesim":["A despairing preacher gets a whiff of hope.\r\nAn aspiring journalist notices a strange Christmas ornament that leads her in an unexpected direction.\r\nA coffin maker goes toe to toe with the one adversary who threatens to upend his entire business.\r\nTwo spring breakers take a detour that leads to revelation.\r\nMeet these and other seekers in Altered Calls: Short Stories and Theological Meditations. Through story and reflection, readers are invited to journey alongside characters who long for the divine. 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