The Sabbath & the Salvationist - research methodology plan

The following is the plan that I have submitted to Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary regarding the plan for my research methodology.  As you can see its pretty simple and straightforward.  I will await feedback, corrections and eventual approval before I will be embarking on the formal survey.

Please note my survey will not be internationally focused.  I will be primarily focusing on how sabbath plays out in the lives of officers in the Western Territory per say.  I will however be posting the link to the survey monkey on the Facebook group page:  The Sabbath & the Salvationist.  I will entertain comments and responses from those outside the Western Territory and will treat it in a separate index.

I am hoping to launch the survey August 1 and will run it for 30 days.

Its fair to say as I progress on this project that I am receiving lots of comments, questions and suggestions from both officer, solider, employee and just friends who are curious.  A nerve has been indeed touched.  I appreciate your prayers for me as I attempt to balance a full time ministry position as Training Principal, a busy travel and speaking schedule and attempting to finding my own sabbath and furlough time.   I welcome any and all comments on this subject matter.

I am not here to debate any legalist approach to this subject.  I am simply out to define the problem and help to implement a plan that may assist others to keep sabbath rest a priority.  If this all will be come a habit in my life then I feel I will have completed what I feel that God has set out for me to explore here.

Research Methodology Models

by

Tim Foley 

  June 24, 2014

Spiritual Formation for Ministry Leaders 

Mentor: Dr. Stephen Macchia

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

 Format

My thesis project will attempt to explore an existing problem within my denomination regarding the Sabbath.  While “doing the most good” is a terrific mantra to capture the essence of 21^st century ministry within The Salvation Army, there are many officers in its ranks, in particular in the western region of the United States, that seem to not take time for regular sabbath keeping.  I hope to discover through my research what are some of the current trends, traits, statistics, causes and possible cures through my efforts.

The particular areas in my research methodology that I want to use would be related to the collection, deciphering, tabulating and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data would be that of a personal survey.  The means and manner in which this will be conducted is through a survey monkey online format. I plan to purchase a premium version of surveymonkey.com to use in my research.

 As presented in the material in module 2, I will be using basic descriptive statistical methods to analyze the questionnaire type information that is collected through these personal surveys.  I will use various illustrations such pie chart or linear bar graphs to highlight some of the findings.  I will also be drawing out information from the various sub groups that are identified in my research as will be explained further in this paper.  The survey it self will have some simple yes or no type questions.  There will be questions that will allow for written responses and the sharing of opinions and ideas from the person surveyed. 

I have toyed with the idea of doing individual case studies and have considered that for the sake of brevity I would solicit one volunteer from each of the sub groups for further interviews.  This may prove challenging due to time and distance constraints.  I will make sure proper waivers and permissions are secured from these individuals before I publish the results. 

I also have developed a Facebook group page dedicated to this project where I will post a link to the survey.  This will allow me to collect data from various other parts of the world in which the Salvation Army officers work and are interested in sharing their opinions.  I will treat the data collected from here as appendixes information.  I have had a lot of inquiries from all over the world in regards to this subject so I thought this might be the best way to allow people to share and keep the entire survey under control.

Processes

In my dissertation I will explore the problem that faces the individual officer in regards to Sabbath knowledge and the lack of application to one's personal life. I plan to explore the challenge of a Christian institution that respects the corporation ideals of Sabbath but the individuals have a difficult time making it a living reality in their lives.   I plan to conduct research in the form of personal surveys and case studies that will need to be developed. Here is a brief outline of my plan:

1. The plan will focus on selecting and conducting a survey of both active and retired officers assigned specifically to the Western Territory region in regards to personal Sabbath keeping.  (This is the geographic area that I am currently assigned to.)   
2. Data will be collected from field officers in Corps ministry (church), administrative headquarters (denominational district leadership and resource positions), ARC and Social Services officers (drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and officers assigned to social service ministries) and education officers (CFOT – College for Officer Training). 
3. The scope of the plan is to limit the number of this group to get an over all sampling to over 650 active officers assigned to the Western Territory of The Salvation Army, USA. 
4. The data to be collected represents a wide range of ages, cultural backgrounds, years of ministry experience and educational backgrounds. 
5. Data will be collected primarily using the digital tools of survey monkey and responses from the Facebook group page: The Sabbath and the Salvationist.  
6. The data will be analyzed using basic quantitative and qualitative means of explanation.  Pie charts, bar graphs and narrative descriptions will be used in the finding of the statistical information.

There will be no doubt some additional thoughts that will come to my research methodology as I consider more opportunities in the development of this plan.  I reserve the right here to allow for additional or considerations for modifications here but certainly this will be keep in reason due to time constraints.  I do not plan to bite off more than I can chew.

Sample Questions

The following is a listing of the questions I will be using.  I plan to keep this line of questioning very succinic and short, attempting not to ask more than 12 to 15 questions.

Please note: I have not at the time of this writing formatted all the types of questions that I would use in the survey.  I would like to consider formatting some yes & no format questions; multiple choice and allowing open-ended short answer type responses. The following is a simple example of the types of things I might ask:

1. How would you define Sabbath?
2. Do you practice Sabbath in your life?
3. If so how is it practiced in your life?
4. What are some of the challenges or hindrances that prevent you from taking a regular Sabbath?
5. What have been some of the benefits in your life of taking a regular Sabbath?
6. Do you use all your furlough (vacation) time each year?  If not, why not?
7. In your ministry setting what are some of the challenges that you face that may prevent you from taking a regular Sabbath?
8. What do you think what is the value of Sabbath keeping?
9. In what ways has Sabbath keeping played into your longevity in ministry? (This would be asked for officers service 15 years up plus retired officers.)
10. What are some of the ways you have practiced Sabbath over the years?
11. What does the practice of regular Sabbath look like for you?
12. If you do not practice Sabbath on a regular basis do you feel you are violating a commandment of God?  If so, why?  If no, why not?

Note: again this is by no means a complete or final list of questions but will act as a basic guideline as I work on fine-tuning this before the questions are sent out in the survey.

Summation

As far as I have been able at this point to discover no one in the history of my denomination has every fully researched and written on the topic of sabbath keeping.  I feel that the work I am engaged in will be truly beneficial to many officers.  After I have been able to identify the problem my plan is to give some very practical and succinct answers going forward as to how Sabbath keeping can become a regular part of one’s life.  My attempt here is to create a dialogue within the confines of my denomination primarily in the Western Territory.  But already this is proving to be a nerve that I have touched in which this work will have some broader ramifications throughout the world wide of the officer force of The Salvation Army.

Draft - Thesis Project Proposal - The Salvationist & the Sabbath - GCTS Dmin - Tim Foley - May 2014

Spiritual Formation for Ministry Leaders

Post Residency Project Proposal

Submitted by

Tim Foley

May 28, 2014

Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary

Mentor: Dr. Stephen A. Macchia

Reader: Dr. David Currie 

Approved Thesis:

My thesis is entitled "The Salvationist and The Sabbath".  I will be exploring the issue of the Sabbath as it relates to the life and ministry of a Salvation Army officer.

Challenges:

 As I have progressed over the years in my own spiritual journey, I have struggled with the concept of experiencing personal Sabbath.  Quite frankly, I am lousy at it.  I certainly bare most of the blame here with my lack of attention to this discipline.  I was immediately drawn to this topic as I began an earnest study of spiritual formation.  The topic deeply resonates with me.  In discussions that I have had with fellow Salvation Army officer colleagues about this topic I have had a variety of responses of both good and bad experiences with Sabbath taking.  Many officers I have met with have expressed a great interest in learning how to become better at Sabbath keeping.  Hopefully this project will aid others in adapting and incorporating Sabbath into their own personal lives.

I have now devoted over three decades of my life in ministry for one of the worlds favourite, yet least known charities:  The Salvation Army.  I work within an organization that is committed to 'doing the most good' which none can argue the validity of that. But in a sense the work inside the organization can become very machine like. If an individual officer (minister) is not careful it can simply do in ones body, mind and spirit.  The organization cannot be blamed, as there is plenty of opportunities afforded to an officer to rest and to physically and mentally recoup.  The problem lays solely at the feet of the individual in what they do with those said opportunities.

I am more aware now than ever that the organization, though at times does its best to create boundaries, taking Sabbath rest is not within the vocabulary of the culture of The Salvation Army. To experience this commandment it must come from within the discipline of heart of the individual officer. 

I will be attempting to do a very critical exploration of the biblical texts regarding Sabbath, explore various authors who have covered this topic at length and look at some pragmatic steps of how Sabbath can become a living reality for Salvation Army.  My hope is that the term Sabbath will become commonplace and I am passionate to see how that it can work within the confines the officers of this organization.

Methods:

I begin this study with my own personal spiritual formation statement in mind:

Spiritual formation is a deepening of our/my faith, rooted in the strength of God’s word, developed in the depth of prayer and reflection, cultivated and acted upon holistically, as we/I become more like Christ each moment of our/my journey of life and love.

Chapter One

In the first chapter I will explore the problem that faces the individual officer in regards to Sabbath knowledge and the lack of application to one's personal life. I plan to explore the challenge of a Christian institution that respects the corporation ideals of Sabbath but the individuals have a difficult time making it a living reality in their lives. I will lay out what constitutes a theology of Sabbath in the first portion of this chapter. In the latter portion of the first chapter will deal specifically with the problem I plan to explore.  I plan to conduct research in the form of personal surveys and case studies that will need to be developed. Here is a brief outline of my plan:

1. The plan will focus on selecting and conducting a survey of both active and retired officers assigned specifically to the Western Territory region in regards to personal Sabbath keeping.  (This is the geographic area that I am currently assigned to.)    
2. Data will be collected from field officers in Corps ministry (church), administrative headquarters (denominational district leadership and resource positions), ARC (drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers) education (training colleges) and retired officers. 
3. The scope of the plan is to limit the number of this group to get an over all sampling to over 650 active and 100 retired officers living in the Western Territory of The Salvation Army, USA. 
4. The data to be collected represents a wide range of ages, cultural backgrounds, years of ministry experience and educational backgrounds. 
5. Data will be collected primarily using the digital tools survey monkey. The plan also will call for the use personal interview format either over the phone, Skype or face to face. No more than 25 participants will be selected for this portion of the survey.
6. Next steps include working with the GCTS research specialist as well as a local specialist in research methodology to make sure that the questions are geared in such a way that able to garner the right information that will be needed for the overall thesis conclusions. 

There will be no doubt some additional thoughts that will come to my research methodology as I consider more opportunities in the development of this plan.  I reserve the right here to allow for additional or considerations for modifications here.

Sample Questions

To conclude the first chapter will give a listing of questions that I will be using.  I plan to keep this line of questioning very succinic and short, attempting not to ask more than 12 to 15 questions.

Please note: I have not at the time of this writing formatted all the types of questions that I would use in the survey.  I would like to consider formatting some yes & no format questions; multiple choice and allowing open-ended short answer type responses. The following is a simple example of the types of things I might ask:

1. How would you define Sabbath?
2. Do you practice Sabbath in your life?
3. If so how is it practiced in your life?
4. What are some of the challenges that prevent you from taking a regular Sabbath?
5. What have been some of the benefits in your life of taking a regular Sabbath?
6. Do you use all your furlough time each year?  If not, why not?
7. In your ministry setting what are some of the challenges that you face that prevent you from taking a regular Sabbath?
8. What do you think what is the value of Sabbath keeping?
9. In what ways has Sabbath keeping played into your longevity in ministry? (This would be asked for officers service 15 years up plus retired officers.)
10. What are some of the ways you have practiced Sabbath over the years?
11. What does the practice of regular Sabbath look like for you?
12. If you do not practice Sabbath on a regular basis do you feel you are violating a commandment of God?  If so, why?  If no, why not?

Note: again this is by no means a complete or final list of questions but will act as a basic guideline as I work on fine-tuning this before the questions are sent out in the survey.

Additional Methodology

Some of my face to face interviews would be with selected Salvation Army officers that would fit a certain demographic based on age, ethnicity, years of service, environment of ministry (Urban, rural, suburban, etc.) budget, programs offered to the community, etc. I am proposing that this particular research would be limited to a maximum of 20 individual interviews.  I would integrate some of these feedback into my project as quotes and comments from said individuals.

Spiritual Formation

The second chapter has been completed which is the basis of my own spiritual formation, with the word, prayer and reflection as the primary foundational focus.  I will expand this chapter with an explanation of the concept of Sabbath as laid out in the biblical text.  I will also add an brief appendix explaining Salvation Army terminology. 

Literature Review

The third chapter I will engage in literature review that focuses on spiritual formation matters in particular the subject of Sabbath.  The following is just a short sample of books and no way a complete list.  Most of these books listed here have already been used in my first chapter Sabbath theology. I plan on reviewing and exploring the author’s concepts regarding Sabbath keeping.  I am particularly interested in giving comment to the writings of Mark Buchanan, Marva Dawn, Tilden Edwards and Abraham Heschel. I will be adding more books to this list to provide a very comprehensive bibliography as I work further into this project.

Sample Literature Review

The following is a very brief bibliography of books that I have used in writing a Sabbath theology presented in the first chapter of this project.

Buchanan, Mark. The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath. Nashville, Tenn.: W Pub. Group, 2006.

Cowan, Horace G. The Sabbath in Scripture and History. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1948.

Cox, Harvey Gallagher. Turning East: The Promise and Peril of the New Orientalism. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1977.

Dawn, Marva J. Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1989.

———. The Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life for Those Who Serve God, the Church, and the World. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 2006.

Edwards, Tilden. Sabbath Time: Understanding and Practice for Contemporary Christians. New York: Seabury Press, 1982.

Heschel, Abraham Joshua. The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.

Muller, Wayne. Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives. Bantam trade pbk. ed. New York: Bantam Books, 2000.

Postema, Don. Catch Your Breath: God's Invitation to Sabbath Rest. Grand Rapids, Mich.: CRC Publications, 1997.

Ringwald, Christopher D. A Day Apart: How Jews, Christians, and Muslims Find Faith, Freedom, and Joy on the Sabbath. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Schaper, Donna. Sabbath Keeping. Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley Publications, 1999.

Research Methodology Review

My fourth chapter will deal the overall project problem and expand on my hypothesis. I will analyse and discuss the data that I have been able to obtain with research methodologies that I will have used.  I plan to have statistical data divided into various categories that have yet to be determined.  This will be forged more as I work on my fine-tuning research questions.

So What?

In chapter five I plan to explore the 'so what' of what I have learned as the result of my research and study.  The summation will conclude with some pragmatic steps that a Salvation Army officer can take to make Sabbath a regular part of their own spiritual journey.

My over all goal of this thesis is not to point out the 'errors' that lie within the lives of the officers that word very diligently within this fine ministry organization.   I would like to take an honest look at how personal Sabbath keeping must once again rise to the top in the thinking of a Salvationist.  I hope to provide helpful suggestions on how to do Sabbath that I will glean from other sources and from my own experiences. 

In closing I would like to point out that this thesis is written for me:  I pray that I can become more of a person of Sabbath that in turn will infuse me for spiritual vitality and physical strength for the work God has called me to do.  My hope is that my work here will enable those who read this to be mindful of the need to stop, rest, regroup, reflect and be recharged for the work God has called us to do.

copyright 2014   Tim Foley  
Rancho Palos Verdes
lttlmac publishing

Revised May 2014