Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Project Portfolio

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Darcy Hansen, DMin

Second Advisor

Robin Pyles, DMin

Third Advisor

MaryKate Morse, PhD

Abstract

This Doctoral Project addresses the following Need, Problem, or Opportunity (NPO): Redeemer Lutheran Church has limited intentionally cultivated spaces for informal, intergenerational connection, leading to reliance on programs to foster relationships, formation, and a sense of belonging. This condition challenges the congregation’s stated commitment to being intentionally intergenerational and affects relational continuity spanning generations.

Research conducted through stakeholder interviews, design workshops, surveys, and prototyping revealed that belonging and spiritual formation are formed not only by ministry programming but by the physical and social environments in which people gather repeatedly over time. Key insights indicated that churches often underestimate the influence of space on behavior, relationship patterns, and formation practices. The findings further demonstrated that programmatic approaches alone are insufficient to sustain community, particularly in post-pandemic, highly mobile congregational contexts.

The Project is situated within Redeemer Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod located between Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado. Redeemer functions as a regional church, drawing attenders from a wide geographic area with limited neighborhood-based proximity, making shared church spaces a primary context for relational connection and belonging.

The Doctoral Project consists of a formation-centered, place-based framework intended to help church leaders discern how space shapes belonging, intergenerational relationships, and spiritual formation. The Project includes a six-movement framework, diagnostic questions, design and cultivation principles, and a contextual case study. Rather than prescribing specific architectural solutions, the framework equips congregations to evaluate existing spaces, identify barriers to belonging, and develop environments that support belonging, community, and spiritual formation. The Project is designed for transferability and may be adapted by other churches seeking to engage in place-based formation within their own contexts.

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