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. Drawing 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. The 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. This 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.

Créateur

• Ogbon (Swann), Oghene'tega Violet

Mot-clé

• 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

Déclaration des droits

• In Copyright

Licence

• Creative Commons BY-NC-ND Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 4.0 International

Abstrait

• 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.

Remarques sur les droits

• 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.

Éditeur

• Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Année

• 2026

Sujet

• Ecclesiology
• Missions
• Theology, Practical
• Qualitative research
• African American churches
• Church development, New

Location

• Pennsylvania
• Western Pennsylvania
• United States
• Aliquippa, Pennsylvania

Langue

• English

Type de ressource

• D.Min. Project

Citation bibliographique

• 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.

Taper

• Text

Format

• PDF

Degré

• Doctor of Ministry

Discipline

• Missional Leadership

Institution délivrant des diplômes

• Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Conseiller

• Dr. Scott Hagley

membre du comité

• Rev. Dr. Edwin Chr. van Driel

Département

• Doctor of Ministry

Établissement d'accueil

• Atla RIM

Dernière modification

• 05/19/2026