Author

Danny Mercer

Campus Location

Abilene Campus (Residential)

Date of Award

8-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Graduate School of Theology

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Jeff W. Childers

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Stephen Johnson

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Douglas A. Foster

Abstract

This thesis addresses practices of hospitality to strangers at the Friendswood Church of Christ. God shares his life with us in diverse and robust ways; therefore, God's practices of hospitality become the model for the church's practices of hospitality. The purpose of the project was to expand the church's perspective of hospitality by identifying and affirming the ways we, as a church and as individuals, are currently practicing hospitality at Friendswood Church of Christ and by exploring new opportunities to expand our practices of hospitality. The information gleaned allows us to deepen and nurture current practices as well as expand new practices. The theological foundations underlying this project are rooted in the soteriological implications of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God shares his life with humanity through Jesus Christ. This act of divine hospitality calls us to share our lives and God's life with others through our acts of hospitality. Moreover, since God also seeks to be welcomed into our lives, we must follow his model and learn to receive hospitality from others. The methodology utilized focused on calling together and leading a group of people into a series of diverse hospitable experiences. Biblical and theological reflection on the nature of hospitality leads to a deeper understanding of how to expand the practices of hospitality and generates ideas for carrying this new knowledge beyond the group into the congregation at Friendswood Church of Christ. The project resulted in expanded practices of hospitality within the group, as well as a deeper awareness and strengthening of the subtle and unrecognized practices of hospitality we already engage in. The final outcome is an expanding scope of hospitality as a way of life rooted in God's life.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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