Date of Award

3-13-2025

Document Type

Project Portfolio

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Rebecca Park-Hearn, PhD

Second Advisor

Susan Rose, DMin

Third Advisor

MaryKate Morse, DMin

Abstract

NPO Statement

Many leaving the white American Evangelical Church still long for spiritual connection but lack a “container” for pursuing formation and community.

Key Insights

Most of those caught in the Evangelical Exodus still love Jesus but have been injured by one or more of these particular malformations in the organized church: 1) political entanglement, 2) power mismanagement, 3) flawed theological narratives, 4) cultural exclusion, 5) and social justice neglect. They find themselves spiritually homeless and invisible, retaining vague yearnings for deeper connection yet emotionally exhausted by the trauma of leaving Church. My most compelling insight was that the organized church serves as an effective container for our lives, providing support and definition for vital elements of identity, fellowship, personal growth, education of children, political ideology, crisis care, and community service. When Christians leave the organized church, it leaves a massive void in many of these areas.

Ministry Context

Together with my wife Kellie, I co-lead a small nonprofit called The Vining Center in the mountains of North Carolina. Our sphere of influence is primarily regional with a growing online constituency. Our entire focus shifted over the course of this program to address this particular audience—the post-Evangelical de-churched—and fill some of these gaps.

Project Description

The SOUL Journey consists of four semesters of 10-week gatherings—either in person, online, or a hybrid of the two. Each weekly gathering will last approximately two hours and contain roughly equal parts presentation, small group discussion, and real-time spiritual practice. My content is drawn from the monastic, Celtic, and Christian mystic traditions with the goal of moving participants from a propositionally-based spirituality toward an experientially-based spirituality more likely to produce actual transformation. The engagement of this material will be inherently communal in a cohort of twelve and a small group of four.

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