{"response":{"docs":[{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:27:22Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:27:23Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"3a77ec71-015f-4e2c-b7e2-f50dbe850701","accessControl_ssim":["f24cf494-7683-4e31-97a9-9957b9e2e00d"],"depositor_ssim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"title_tesim":["Once upon an agency: faith led the way"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:27:21Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:27:21Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["91a8e42d-79a8-4919-93ef-6bab1cd15f62"],"hasLease_ssim":["ae66a36e-2449-4e7d-b75d-fbd7c8952b92"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["DMin"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Lancaster Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2021"],"video_embed_tesim":[""],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"creator_tesim":["Prendergast, Patricia Rose"],"subject_tesim":["Social change","Church renewal","Mission of the church"],"abstract_tesim":["This qualitative research project uses a narrative approach to study how seven faith-based organizations in a ten-county area of southern New Jersey have maintained, adapted, expanded or abandoned their original mission since their founding. What is the story of each respective organization from its beginning until the present? What are the challenges and struggles inherent in maintaining a focus on an original organizational mission statement? How do operational pressures such as changes in funding, shifts in cultural expectations, and unforeseen events, for example a natural disaster or a pandemic, affect the living out of the mission? Interviews with participating agencies are analyzed to search for commonalities among the agencies in the study, and to discern lessons to be learned from all of the agencies together. Recommendations are made for faith-based organizations seeking to be faithful to their founding mission in the face of the various changes and challenges they encounter."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"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":["ckarpinski@atla.com","martins02@moravian.edu"],"_version_":1851860340429553664,"timestamp":"2025-12-18T15:27:24.239Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:27:08Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:27:11Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"779618cb-93ed-442c-bed0-bb23520dfbf1","accessControl_ssim":["7b3635ca-9521-4cb9-b2f1-0497b8728fca"],"depositor_ssim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"title_tesim":["Hello, we’re here!: active participation in traditional church congregations by those in the millennial generation"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:27:07Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:27:07Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["4469efed-989c-46fb-88e4-3a5dbaa6fb1f"],"hasLease_ssim":["806a7d35-672a-41ae-8681-7120be1abbee"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["DMin"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Lancaster Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2020"],"video_embed_tesim":[""],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"creator_tesim":["Bettivia, Nicole"],"subject_tesim":["Church renewal","Intergenerational relations","Church work with adults"],"abstract_tesim":["This project seeks to shed light on persons who are of the Millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1996) who are actively engaged in a traditional Christian Congregation. Focusing on congregations of the United Church of Christ in Wisconsin, I used surveys and interviews to study pairs of siblings where one sibling is active in congregation and the other is not. By analyzing the differences between siblings in life situations, personal experiences, and spiritual engagement, the wider church can achieve a better understanding of the Millennial generation and why some of them have chosen to participate in the church while others have not. Differences between siblings found to be significant include the religious level of spouses, self-identity as a person of faith, and LGBTQ+ identity. Surprisingly, my data suggests that Millennial siblings who identify LGBTQ+ are more likely to be actively involved in a church than their straight-identifying sibling. Hearing the voices of these Millennials directly provides perspective and understanding that the church is often missing in the conversations about this generation. Millennials who are participating in congregations are not doing so by accident, happenstance, or outside pressure–they are making active, intentional decisions to participate in church community because they care about the church."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"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":["ckarpinski@atla.com","martins02@moravian.edu"],"_version_":1851860328045871104,"timestamp":"2025-12-18T15:27:12.428Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:46Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:49Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"4c1142db-5204-49ee-83bd-18013e450d68","accessControl_ssim":["58239254-3940-456b-85b2-74445e7f4d0c"],"depositor_ssim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"title_tesim":["Revitalizing churches through Christian practices: communal discernment and social justice"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:45Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:45Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["f2298572-cafd-402f-a3f3-fb7bdfa5cdca"],"hasLease_ssim":["7574b0f2-d470-4ddb-80a7-595daa4aadf9"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["DMin"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Lancaster Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2016"],"video_embed_tesim":[""],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"creator_tesim":["Dawkins-Smith, Monica"],"subject_tesim":["Church growth","Church renewal","Social justice"],"abstract_tesim":["…it is part of my motivation for engaging this doctoral project to explore practices that can lead to the revitalization of more churches where people can find spiritual homes…The reality remains that many new pastors are being called to serve mainline churches that are in decline and at a point in their lifecycle where reversal may be improbable. Oftentimes the pastor and lay leadership are not equipped with the skills sets and gifts needed to effect needed change…For this project, I chose to focus on Christian practices, which are good, life giving and intrinsic to the life of faith…Christian practices contribute to growth and revitalization in churches when engaged as individuals and communally. Practices can help us to develop narratives that shape our identity, sense of purpose and mission. By weaving reflections from the practice of ministry, stories from parishioners, sermons and engaging other authors, I will focus primarily on the practices of Discernment and Social Justice, drawing attention to important overlap with other practices like hospitality and worship (preaching)."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"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":["ckarpinski@atla.com","martins02@moravian.edu"],"_version_":1851860305134485504,"timestamp":"2025-12-18T15:26:50.578Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:46Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:49Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"52f060e3-ae3d-4595-9322-b3d36862760d","accessControl_ssim":["7e0c5d85-4c00-4ab2-98f8-5e0282f70355"],"depositor_ssim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"title_tesim":["The decline in church attendance in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and what can be done to reverse the trend"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:45Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:46Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["3d651550-5e13-448d-8e39-ee1390e36073"],"hasLease_ssim":["ae8da930-d724-4663-aa54-f912b2856eae"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["DMin"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Lancaster Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2015"],"video_embed_tesim":[""],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"creator_tesim":["Butcher, Louis"],"subject_tesim":["Church growth","Church management","Church renewal"],"abstract_tesim":["Over the course of the last thirty years, there has been a steady decline in church worship service attendance in the United States. The decline has affected all church affiliations, including Catholic, Protestant mainline, evangelical, Pentecostal, Anabaptist and independent churches of all sizes and ethnicities. In particular, Millennials, those in the age range of eighteen to twenty-nine years, have left the church in significant numbers or have never affiliated at all. The fastest growing segments of the American population are agnostics and atheists. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with nearly eight hundred churches is considered a Bible belt with a long history of consistent attendance. This project will explore whether there is attendance decline in Lancaster County and, if so, what can be developed to reverse the trend. Reader responses to a series on the subject in the Lancaster Sunday News will be used to help determine the extent, if any. At the same time, pastors of fifty churches of varying sizes, ethnicities and doctrine will be interviewed to examine local patterns. Using research data on church growth and revitalization from around the country, suggestions and recommendations will be made to help reverse the trend in Lancaster County if decline is evident."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"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":["ckarpinski@atla.com","martins02@moravian.edu"],"_version_":1851860305164894208,"timestamp":"2025-12-18T15:26:50.608Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:38Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:42Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"0e44e024-cdb0-4b93-b89a-dcb32297df62","accessControl_ssim":["cb890245-e0e4-423d-9325-0af2e14f2f4c"],"depositor_ssim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["martins02@moravian.edu"],"title_tesim":["Revitalizing the church for a new day: identity, purpose, and theology"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:37Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-12-18T15:26:38Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["6eeb0b07-80b5-4ec3-bf9c-d95248ee3882"],"hasLease_ssim":["47a211f6-6564-47dc-8c7a-03cf10d953f5"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["DMin"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Lancaster Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2014"],"video_embed_tesim":[""],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"creator_tesim":["Rankin, Christopher"],"subject_tesim":["Church growth","Church renewal","Church management"],"abstract_tesim":["Since the early 1960s, the mainline church has experienced a decline in membership and financial resources, which have forced churches to make significant decisions concerning their future. Some congregations want to maintain the status quo and dwell in survival mode, while other churches are imagining new possibilities for their ministry. Denominations are faced with these same issues and now must make some decisions regarding their future. Revitalizing the Church for a New Day: Identity, Purpose, and Theology provides hope for the local church and denominations as we discern the new thing that God is doing in our midst. After reading books and visiting churches during a three-month sabbatical, a survey was designed for churches to use as they wrestle with these issues. I administered this survey with about a dozen congregations and then met with them in a follow-up discussion. Following my interviews with these congregations and going through my own transition in ministry, I discovered that denominations and local churches must focus on three aspects of vitality. Mainline denominations do not have a clear identity, which has trickled down to the local church. Furthermore, we have traded theology for marketing and advertising. The research revealed that our denominations are in decline because congregational leaders are not equipped to discern their identity, purpose, and theology of ministry. The survey used in this research will help the basic unit of witness, the local church, revitalize and prepare for the congregation’s bright and hopeful future."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"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":["ckarpinski@atla.com","martins02@moravian.edu"],"_version_":1851860297365585920,"timestamp":"2025-12-18T15:26:43.170Z","score":1.0}],"facets":[{"name":"resource_type_sim","items":[{"value":"D.Min. Project","hits":5,"label":"D.Min. Project"}],"label":"Resource Type"},{"name":"creator_sim","items":[{"value":"Bettivia, Nicole","hits":1,"label":"Bettivia, Nicole"},{"value":"Butcher, Louis","hits":1,"label":"Butcher, Louis"},{"value":"Dawkins-Smith, Monica","hits":1,"label":"Dawkins-Smith, Monica"},{"value":"Prendergast, Patricia Rose","hits":1,"label":"Prendergast, Patricia Rose"},{"value":"Rankin, Christopher","hits":1,"label":"Rankin, Christopher"}],"label":"Creator Sim"},{"name":"contributor_sim","items":[],"label":"Contributor"},{"name":"keyword_sim","items":[],"label":"Keyword"},{"name":"subject_sim","items":[{"value":"Church renewal","hits":5,"label":"Church renewal"},{"value":"Church growth","hits":3,"label":"Church growth"},{"value":"Church management","hits":2,"label":"Church management"},{"value":"Church work with adults","hits":1,"label":"Church work with adults"},{"value":"Intergenerational relations","hits":1,"label":"Intergenerational relations"},{"value":"Mission of the church","hits":1,"label":"Mission of the church"}],"label":"Subject"},{"name":"location_sim","items":[],"label":"Location"},{"name":"language_sim","items":[],"label":"Language"},{"name":"publisher_sim","items":[],"label":"Publisher"},{"name":"date_created_sim","items":[],"label":"Date Created"},{"name":"types_sim","items":[],"label":"Type"},{"name":"year_sim","items":[{"value":"2014","hits":1,"label":"2014"},{"value":"2015","hits":1,"label":"2015"},{"value":"2016","hits":1,"label":"2016"},{"value":"2020","hits":1,"label":"2020"},{"value":"2021","hits":1,"label":"2021"}],"label":"Year"},{"name":"format_sim","items":[],"label":"Format"},{"name":"member_of_collections_ssim","items":[],"label":"Collections"},{"name":"degree_sim","items":[{"value":"DMin","hits":5,"label":"DMin"}],"label":"Degree"},{"name":"discipline_sim","items":[],"label":"Discipline"},{"name":"degree_granting_institution_sim","items":[{"value":"Lancaster Theological Seminary","hits":5,"label":"Lancaster Theological Seminary"}],"label":"Degree Granting Institution"},{"name":"department_sim","items":[],"label":"Department"},{"name":"funder_name_sim","items":[],"label":"Funder Name"},{"name":"event_title_sim","items":[],"label":"Event Title"},{"name":"event_date_sim","items":[],"label":"Event Date"},{"name":"institution_sim","items":[{"value":"Atla RIM","hits":5,"label":"Atla RIM"}],"label":"Host Institution"}],"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":null,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":1,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":5,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":true}}}