Reference no: EM133814459
Literature Review Analysis
Overview
This week, students began to review and assess dissertations in order to gain a practical understanding of how to create literature reviews. This activity was very insightful, as many universities use different formats for their literature reviews. For the dissertation reading, this researcher chose three dissertations related to the current research topic. Frejosky's (2023) dissertation was based on leadership development in small groups within a church ministry. Voorhees's (2023) research study was on the importance of training to manage a church in an effort to prevent emotional exhaustion while cultivating ministry satisfaction. Lastly, the dissertation this researcher focused on for this discussion was Cluck's (2023) dissertation, which sought to provide stable pastor-independent leadership to small churches through lay elder training. Place Your Order Now!
Literature Analysis
When analyzing this dissertation, the author, Cluck (2023), addresses the most pertinent issue from a theological standpoint. The formatting of the literature review does delineate the different sections of theoretical, theological, and biblical insight, but, overall, the issue was addressed. This researcher found the review to be very strong, with biblical and literary references that dig deep into the topic and also counterviews regarding the role of lay elders and pastoral independence. Cluck (2023) has addressed the major variables of the study in the literature review, with the exception of capturing what the existing training programs look like (and should be) for the small church pastor.
This researcher found this dissertation to be engaging and exciting from both a personal and professional standpoint. It is clear to this researcher how the literature has shaped this study and shows how there is value in conducting the study. For example, Cluck (2023) notes that the role of an elder has evolved from a theological standpoint with very little biblical detail on exactly how to carry out their responsibilities (as compared to the pastor). There were many references included in the review that paved the way for a clear theory base. Cluck (2023) mentions when Apostle Paul uses the three terms of elders, bishops, and pastors interchangeably, citing this text to show that many in the early church used the term with a similar vocation as that of a pastor (King James Bible, 1769/2024, Acts 20:28). "Remember, a theory is a general explanation of why variables work together, how they are related to each other, and especially how they influence each other" (Galvan & Galvan, 2017, p. 6).
The role of an elder was identified throughout the text and how it should be studied in this dissertation. Eldership is defined and extrapolated in the literature review so that the impact of eldership in a church can be considered and identified for future studies (Cluck, 2023). Since there are notable gaps in the literature, there are also notable arguments that show how diverse this topic is and how beneficial this type of study could be. Cluck asserts, even up to the concluding paragraph in chapter two, that this study will avoid the biggest problems in churches regarding elders: treating elders as simple counselors "without biblical qualifications or ministerial value" and those without character but, instead, chosen for their "business acumen" (p. 48).