Table Of ContentTHE INCARNATION OF PLANTING A CHURCH:
CHANGING THE PARADIGM
Joseph Charles Chandler, Jr.
BA, Columbia College, 1981
MBA, Webster University, 1987
MDiv, United Theological Seminary, 2013
Mentor
C. Anthony Hunt, DMin., PhD.
A PROJECT PROPOSAL AND APPLICATION
SUBMITTED TO THE DOCTORAL STUDIES COMMITTEE
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY
UNITED THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Dayton, Ohio
January 2020
Copyright © 2020 by Joseph C. Chandler, Jr.
All rights reserved.
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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………….………………………….iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………..……………………………………………………… v
DEDICATION……………………………......…………………………………………… vii
ABBREVIATIONS…………………………………………….………………………… viii
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………….…………………………… 1
CHAPTER
1. MINISTRY FOCUS………………………..……………………………… 4
2. BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS…………….……………………………….. 39
3. HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS……….…………………………………. 72
4. THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS…….………………………………… 92
5. INTERDISCIPLINARY FOUNDATIONS…..…………………………… 122
6. PROJECT ANALYSIS……………………………………………………. 149
APPENDIX
A. APPENDIX A …………………………….……………………………… 172
B. APPENDIX B………………………..…………………………………… 175
C. APPENDIX C…..…..…………..………………………………………… 177
BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………. 181
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ABSTRACT
THE INCARNATION OF PLANTING A CHURCH:
CHANGING THE PARADIGM
by
Joseph Charles Chandler, Jr.
United Theological Seminary, 2019
Mentor
C. Anthony Hunt, DMin., PhD.
Mentoring and leadership development was used in the planting of Family Life African
Methodist Episcopal Church, Hagerstown, MD (AMEC), a five-year missions church,
using codified processes in the areas of administration, politics, finance, marketing, etc.,
while addressing congregational and community needs. With the analysis of collected
data, the hypothesis concluded that a well-trained and structured mentoring program
could be the most important factor of success when planting a church, with a strategic
plan in place to bridge the knowledge and experience gaps within the church after the
appointed missions pastor graduates from seminary and the AMEC Board of Examiners.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This Doctor of Ministry journey has allowed me to labor, struggle, endure
sickness and family losses; but also gain support, spiritual encouragement and
enlightenment. In the culmination of this journey I now understand what it means to labor
in the name of Jesus the Christ. First and foremost, I acknowledge God; without Him I
know that I would never have started let alone completed this journey without Him
guiding my steps and His grace has been evident and sufficient throughout my time in
this program. As He worked through my elders, peers, seminary course work, the church,
family and mentors – God was my stabilizer in my good and bad times. He alone gets the
honor and the glory.
Additional acknowledgements and blessings must be given to the Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., Beloved Community, Doctor of Ministry cohort for their continuous
support. Bishop Harry L. Seawright, you have been a tremendous pillar of support during
my ministry as a missions pastor and mentor during this research project. Special thanks
to Rev Dr. C. A Hunt and Dr. Lisa Hess for your support and believing in the work that I
have put forward and ensuring that I finished strong and could be a catalyst for others to
follow. You both have been more than role models but motivators who continually strive
for excellence in ministry and higher achievement. Thank you for your leadership and
support.
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Much love and blessings to my children Kenneth, Gabriella, Kamani and
Angelica, who watched me work tirelessly on many late hours on this project and made
sure that I ate as well – love you! Christian, wherever you are or doing, be the best at it! I
love you without reservation. A special shout-out to my brothers Michael and Ivan,
words will never be enough, so for now I’ll just say I love you and thank you for helping
me in life; I love you guys. To the officers and members of Family Life Ministry African
Methodist Episcopal Church, mentors, supporters and project facilitators – Thank you
and God Bless!
Lastly, there are not enough words to express the love and gratitude that I have for
my heart-felt role model, my wife the Rev Dr. Sakima Romero-Chandler. I love you to
life for your tireless support, love and admiration, not just through this project but
through our lives together. This woman of God, whose unwavering faith, support and
belief in me led to the success of the completion of this project.
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DEDICATION
To my parents, the late Joseph Charles Chandler, Sr., and Altha Marie Steen-
Chandler, thank you for passing on your belief that there are greater things in life that are
out of my control. That everything happens for a reason, in and out of season and in the
end, we still may never know why. That there are moments of profound greatness we
experience that provide comfort and a sense of self that we can’t explain.
Thank you for being strict with your rules so that I did not go down the wrong
path. Thank you for standing firm when I wanted to go somewhere or do something that,
in hindsight, could have introduced me to things that would have jeopardize my future or
my life. Finally, thank you for telling me that whatever I want to do or be, just be the best
at it. Thank you for reminding me at an early age that I would have an impact on
humanity in some significant way. Thank you for blessing and loving me forever and
always; until we are reunited again, know that I love and miss you every day…
Your Loving Son
Joe
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ABBREVIATIONS
AMEC African Methodist Episcopal Church
BOE Board of Examiners
DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acid
FLAME Family Life African Methodist Episcopal
GPA Grade Point Average
HBCUs Historically Black Colleges and Universities
LDF Legal Defense Fund
LGBTQI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Intersex
MAJ Major
MLK Martin Luther King, Jr.
NAMB North American Mission Board
SCLS Southern Christian Leadership Conference
SNCC Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
U.S.A. United States Army
U.S. United States
WRAP Waste and Resources Action Programme
WCPS Washington County Public School
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INTRODUCTION
This project, The Incarnation of Planting a Church: Changing the Paradigm,
takes into consideration the culmination of teachings from Scriptures, reflections of Black
history and the leadership development process for mission pastors (hereafter referred to
as pastor(s)) within the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) who are planting a
new work. Secondly, there must be a performance evaluation in which the mentor and
pastor can produce a post evaluation of the program and conduct a pastor’s performance
in the areas of administration, politics, marketing and address congregational and
community needs. Thirdly, this project introduces a timeline, processes relative to church
planting and recommendations pastors will need to efficiently and effectively implement
after leaving seminary and the AMEC Board of Examiners (BOE).
Chapter one will briefly touch on the history of Family Life Ministry African
American Episcopal (FLAME) Church and also identify the need for a strategy in
planting a new work and bridging what is perceived to be a gap in leadership
development. The inclusion of a standardized mentor leadership program with a
continuous observation in the mission plant process would further improve this outcome
along with the incorporation of surveys (See Appendix A, B and C); as well as mentor
and pastor evaluations which would provide statistical data to support this project and
offer insight into successful church planting. The methodology to be used in this project
will be qualitative in nature.
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Chapter two will examine mentoring processes for missions’ church pastor in the
AMEC by exploring Scriptural relationship which will include the relationship of Elijah
and Elisha in the book of Kings. The story of Elijah and Elisha is an illustration of
mentorship which allows the reader to visualize the importance of the mentoring
relationship.
Chapter three will allow the reader to understand that all leaders possess
identifiable characteristics that set them apart from their peers because they have been
forged in a continuous developmental process shaped outside of their comfort zone and
conforming frame of understanding.
Chapter four is built upon Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Beloved Community and the
mentoring processes needed by pastors planting a new work and provisioning them with
the essential elements of leadership and knowledge using Elijah and Elisha as an example
in the book of Kings. Leadership development through mentoring is the focus of this
project; being cognizant that without the intentional development of leaders through
mentoring, this particular ministry could lose its effectiveness.
Chapter five provides a mentoring process and vision for persons who desire to
become mission pastors by codifying processes which would serve as a guide in the areas
of administration, political affluence/influence, finance, marketing; and other
functionalities that can assist a pastor in addressing congregational and community needs.
Chapter six reviews conducted with senior clergy members who provided
leadership fundamentals they believed every missions’ pastor will need in the first three
to five years to efficiently and effectively use after graduating from seminary and the
AMEC Board of Examiners (BOE). Prayerfully, this program will cultivate emerging
