Joey R. Peyton received his A. A. from the University of Alaska; B. S and B. A. from Wayland Baptist University; MTS and M. Div. from Urshan Graduate School of Theology; a Doctorate of Ministry with an emphasis in Pastoral Care from Eden Theological Seminary in May 2013 (dissertation on providing pastoral care at the time of death); and a PhD in Intercultural Studies from the Assembly of God Theological Seminary in May 2022 with an emphasis in Pastoral Care (dissertation on providing pastoral care to migrant populations). He has completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Edcuation, serves on the St. Louis Cluster APCE Board of Directors, and on the Christian Hospital Advisory Board. He has also completed three Pastoral Care Fellowships in 2011, 2012, and 2013. He has been ordained with the UPCI since 1994, he has pastored churches in Illinois, Alaska, and Maine for a total of 20 plus years. He also served four years as a missionary to the Yupik, Eskimos on the Bering Sea of Alaska, five years as Sunday School Director for the Maine District, and several years as an evangelist. He is a disabled Army Veteran after serving over 5 years in the United States Army and 4 years in the Alaska National Guard. He currently an evangelist/teacher and public speaker. His interests are his wife Karen, his five children, 2 SIL, 1 DIL, his 13 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, the Second Commandment, and teaching/mentoring new ministers of the Gospel.
A list of journal articles, magazine articles, conference papers, and books written by Joey R. Pe... more A list of journal articles, magazine articles, conference papers, and books written by Joey R. Peyton, DMin, PhD
Many missiologists and theologians, like politicians, military leaders, and law enforcement offic... more Many missiologists and theologians, like politicians, military leaders, and law enforcement officers, stand at the borders of the world wringing their hands in despair because of the absence of a definitive answer to the masses migrating to unknown places. Christian, political, and legal pundits are often at odds with themselves, and even each other, on how to deal with the greatest sociological issue of our time. This writer does not attempt to offer a magical solution to the crisis but suggests that Christianity, Pentecostals in particular, must separate from the confusion and look to the Holy Spirit who holds out hope to this broken segment of humanity. Unfortunately for the people in such desperate straits and for the church in general, “Christianity does not know what to do with biblical teaching about the Holy Spirit… Many have simply disregarded biblical teaching about the Holy Spirit because they are incongruent with modern understanding.”
At the foundation of all pastoral care and counseling is the art and act of active empathetic lis... more At the foundation of all pastoral care and counseling is the art and act of active empathetic listening. In Western Society, active empathetic listening is increasingly rare in our fast-paced, narcissistic, and individualistic culture. After defining and establishing active empathetic listening as a foundational tool in the ministry of the church, this paper will bring to the forefront the important role of active empathetic listening in intercultural settings, the benefits upon the holistic outcomes (care, counseling, relationships, ministries, etc.), and the potentially unfortunate outcomes when listening is circumvented, assumptions are made, and cultural stereotypes are applied. Ultimately, this paper will make suggestions for improving active empathetic listening in intercultural settings.
Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have bee... more Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have been forced to migrate within their own county. This massive displacement of people provides a great opportunity in the Church's own backyard, where many believers should be-and can beinvolved in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission. The 'going' in the Great Commission does not geographically move the disciples very far in the first months/years of the early Church; however, with the first outpouring of the Spirit, the Church was stretched contextually into places it never expected to go. This research will examine the aorist participle, 'go', in the Great Commission and postulate a contextual understanding of the command to 'go'. This contextual understanding provides an opportunity to be part of the Great Commission in a world whose borders are closed, due to the worldwide Coved-19 pandemic.
There is a hungry world looking for answers. They don’t know what they are hungry for, but they a... more There is a hungry world looking for answers. They don’t know what they are hungry for, but they are craving something to satisfy the hunger. In the words of an old song, Jesus is Still the Answer. We, humanity, is not the answer! However, we who know the Bread of Life are called to be the Bread man/women. To entice… to tempt… to present… to feed the Bread of Life to a world that doesn’t know for what they are hungry.
Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have bee... more Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have been forced to migrate within their own county. This massive displacement of people provides a great opportunity in the Church's own backyard, where many believers should be-and can beinvolved in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission. The 'going' in the Great Commission does not geographically move the disciples very far in the first months/years of the early Church; however, with the first outpouring of the Spirit, the Church was stretched contextually into places it never expected to go. This research will examine the aorist participle, 'go', in the Great Commission and postulate a contextual understanding of the command to 'go'. This contextual understanding provides an opportunity to be part of the Great Commission in a world whose borders are closed, due to the worldwide Coved-19 pandemic.
Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have bee... more Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have been forced to migrate within their own county. This massive displacement of people provides a great opportunity in the Church's own backyard, where many believers should be-and can beinvolved in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission. The 'going' in the Great Commission does not geographically move the disciples very far in the first months/years of the early Church; however, with the first outpouring of the Spirit, the Church was stretched contextually into places it never expected to go. This research will examine the aorist participle, 'go', in the Great Commission and postulate a contextual understanding of the command to 'go'. This contextual understanding provides an opportunity to be part of the Great Commission in a world whose borders are closed, due to the worldwide Coved-19 pandemic.
According to the United Nations, 232 million people worldwide qualify as diaspora/immigrant peopl... more According to the United Nations, 232 million people worldwide qualify as diaspora/immigrant peoples (diaspora peoples being defined as displaced peoples due to economics, politics, health, religion, etc.) (United Nations 2015). The United States is the largest recipient of such displaced peoples with 46 million in 2014 (14% of the United States population of 320 million), this statistic increased 33% (12 million) since the year 2000. The Christian religion classifies the majority of all diaspora peoples in the world (49% or 105 million), but the United States has a far greater number (74% or 32 million). However, this leaves 14 million unevangelized peoples who have arrived from unreached people groups (Pew Research Report 2012; United Nations 2015). This tragic, forced, modern migration of large population groups gives United States Christians a golden opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…” (Matt. 28...
This outlines the East/West argument over communion and whether Christ was the passover lamb. The... more This outlines the East/West argument over communion and whether Christ was the passover lamb. The church today has uncritically embraced many of the West positions on communion. This paper will look again at a very old argument...
In a world that is hungry for super-heroes, the church has been cooped by the world and have made... more In a world that is hungry for super-heroes, the church has been cooped by the world and have made super-heroes out of Bible characters. This paper will demonstrate how not only is this wrong, but those that are typically super-heroes are human (and thus sinners) just like the rest of us.
In this paper, this researcher will argue that it is possible to maintain an imperative understan... more In this paper, this researcher will argue that it is possible to maintain an imperative understanding of the aorist participle, ‘go’, while maintaining a broader contextual understanding of the command to ‘go’: including a ‘going’ from one’s comfort zone, a ‘going’ from one’s traditional bearings, a ‘going’ from one’s historically cultural bearings, a ‘going’ from one’s ethnical/familial foundations, a ‘going’ from one’s economic status, a ‘going’ from one’s language group, and a ‘going’ from anything that is ‘normal’, ‘safe’, and/or ‘recognizable’.
The directive of both the Old and the New Testament is to “Love your neighbor as your self.” When... more The directive of both the Old and the New Testament is to “Love your neighbor as your self.” When the church ignores this poignant opportunity, they miss the potential for expansion, evangelism, influence, extrinsic and intrinsic growth, and social ministry in general. An overwhelmed church existing in isolation is unable to meet needs, while the church that dwells together in biblical community finds a wider field of resources to assist in Christian education, Christian counseling, and social ministry. Ministry founded on the principle of loving one’s neighbor has set historic precedent in the phenomenal expansion of Pentecostalism in South America throughout the 20th century. The call for today’s Church to love their neighbor is, “Go, and do thou likewise.”
How can the second command of Jesus, loving others as one's self, be utilized and interface when ... more How can the second command of Jesus, loving others as one's self, be utilized and interface when considering pastoral theology on the ground in our world?
A consideration of the use of beauty language and a theological consideration and definition of i... more A consideration of the use of beauty language and a theological consideration and definition of its use.
How can the second command of Jesus, loving others as one's self, be utilized in an analysis of M... more How can the second command of Jesus, loving others as one's self, be utilized in an analysis of Modern Pentecostal Movements?
The purpose of the Project/Thesis was to find ways to study the pastoral care of hospice chaplain... more The purpose of the Project/Thesis was to find ways to study the pastoral care of hospice chaplains at the time of death, because I wanted to find out which pastoral care methods were effectively providing a space of beauty at the end of life and were being practiced by hospice chaplains who accompany patients to death’s door. This study provided understanding of the underlying theologies and methods that inform effective pastoral care in such a setting. Practices/behaviors of experienced hospice chaplains were identified that were helping them find a place of beauty at the time of death. Further, it was the goal of this research to define and describe what beauty could/should look/feel like to chaplains, medical staff, families, and the dying.
What can the first church/centuries of the modern era teach us about ministering today to people ... more What can the first church/centuries of the modern era teach us about ministering today to people at the time of death?
A list of journal articles, magazine articles, conference papers, and books written by Joey R. Pe... more A list of journal articles, magazine articles, conference papers, and books written by Joey R. Peyton, DMin, PhD
Many missiologists and theologians, like politicians, military leaders, and law enforcement offic... more Many missiologists and theologians, like politicians, military leaders, and law enforcement officers, stand at the borders of the world wringing their hands in despair because of the absence of a definitive answer to the masses migrating to unknown places. Christian, political, and legal pundits are often at odds with themselves, and even each other, on how to deal with the greatest sociological issue of our time. This writer does not attempt to offer a magical solution to the crisis but suggests that Christianity, Pentecostals in particular, must separate from the confusion and look to the Holy Spirit who holds out hope to this broken segment of humanity. Unfortunately for the people in such desperate straits and for the church in general, “Christianity does not know what to do with biblical teaching about the Holy Spirit… Many have simply disregarded biblical teaching about the Holy Spirit because they are incongruent with modern understanding.”
At the foundation of all pastoral care and counseling is the art and act of active empathetic lis... more At the foundation of all pastoral care and counseling is the art and act of active empathetic listening. In Western Society, active empathetic listening is increasingly rare in our fast-paced, narcissistic, and individualistic culture. After defining and establishing active empathetic listening as a foundational tool in the ministry of the church, this paper will bring to the forefront the important role of active empathetic listening in intercultural settings, the benefits upon the holistic outcomes (care, counseling, relationships, ministries, etc.), and the potentially unfortunate outcomes when listening is circumvented, assumptions are made, and cultural stereotypes are applied. Ultimately, this paper will make suggestions for improving active empathetic listening in intercultural settings.
Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have bee... more Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have been forced to migrate within their own county. This massive displacement of people provides a great opportunity in the Church's own backyard, where many believers should be-and can beinvolved in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission. The 'going' in the Great Commission does not geographically move the disciples very far in the first months/years of the early Church; however, with the first outpouring of the Spirit, the Church was stretched contextually into places it never expected to go. This research will examine the aorist participle, 'go', in the Great Commission and postulate a contextual understanding of the command to 'go'. This contextual understanding provides an opportunity to be part of the Great Commission in a world whose borders are closed, due to the worldwide Coved-19 pandemic.
There is a hungry world looking for answers. They don’t know what they are hungry for, but they a... more There is a hungry world looking for answers. They don’t know what they are hungry for, but they are craving something to satisfy the hunger. In the words of an old song, Jesus is Still the Answer. We, humanity, is not the answer! However, we who know the Bread of Life are called to be the Bread man/women. To entice… to tempt… to present… to feed the Bread of Life to a world that doesn’t know for what they are hungry.
Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have bee... more Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have been forced to migrate within their own county. This massive displacement of people provides a great opportunity in the Church's own backyard, where many believers should be-and can beinvolved in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission. The 'going' in the Great Commission does not geographically move the disciples very far in the first months/years of the early Church; however, with the first outpouring of the Spirit, the Church was stretched contextually into places it never expected to go. This research will examine the aorist participle, 'go', in the Great Commission and postulate a contextual understanding of the command to 'go'. This contextual understanding provides an opportunity to be part of the Great Commission in a world whose borders are closed, due to the worldwide Coved-19 pandemic.
Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have bee... more Worldwide, 272 million people live outside of their home country and another 800 million have been forced to migrate within their own county. This massive displacement of people provides a great opportunity in the Church's own backyard, where many believers should be-and can beinvolved in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission. The 'going' in the Great Commission does not geographically move the disciples very far in the first months/years of the early Church; however, with the first outpouring of the Spirit, the Church was stretched contextually into places it never expected to go. This research will examine the aorist participle, 'go', in the Great Commission and postulate a contextual understanding of the command to 'go'. This contextual understanding provides an opportunity to be part of the Great Commission in a world whose borders are closed, due to the worldwide Coved-19 pandemic.
According to the United Nations, 232 million people worldwide qualify as diaspora/immigrant peopl... more According to the United Nations, 232 million people worldwide qualify as diaspora/immigrant peoples (diaspora peoples being defined as displaced peoples due to economics, politics, health, religion, etc.) (United Nations 2015). The United States is the largest recipient of such displaced peoples with 46 million in 2014 (14% of the United States population of 320 million), this statistic increased 33% (12 million) since the year 2000. The Christian religion classifies the majority of all diaspora peoples in the world (49% or 105 million), but the United States has a far greater number (74% or 32 million). However, this leaves 14 million unevangelized peoples who have arrived from unreached people groups (Pew Research Report 2012; United Nations 2015). This tragic, forced, modern migration of large population groups gives United States Christians a golden opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…” (Matt. 28...
This outlines the East/West argument over communion and whether Christ was the passover lamb. The... more This outlines the East/West argument over communion and whether Christ was the passover lamb. The church today has uncritically embraced many of the West positions on communion. This paper will look again at a very old argument...
In a world that is hungry for super-heroes, the church has been cooped by the world and have made... more In a world that is hungry for super-heroes, the church has been cooped by the world and have made super-heroes out of Bible characters. This paper will demonstrate how not only is this wrong, but those that are typically super-heroes are human (and thus sinners) just like the rest of us.
In this paper, this researcher will argue that it is possible to maintain an imperative understan... more In this paper, this researcher will argue that it is possible to maintain an imperative understanding of the aorist participle, ‘go’, while maintaining a broader contextual understanding of the command to ‘go’: including a ‘going’ from one’s comfort zone, a ‘going’ from one’s traditional bearings, a ‘going’ from one’s historically cultural bearings, a ‘going’ from one’s ethnical/familial foundations, a ‘going’ from one’s economic status, a ‘going’ from one’s language group, and a ‘going’ from anything that is ‘normal’, ‘safe’, and/or ‘recognizable’.
The directive of both the Old and the New Testament is to “Love your neighbor as your self.” When... more The directive of both the Old and the New Testament is to “Love your neighbor as your self.” When the church ignores this poignant opportunity, they miss the potential for expansion, evangelism, influence, extrinsic and intrinsic growth, and social ministry in general. An overwhelmed church existing in isolation is unable to meet needs, while the church that dwells together in biblical community finds a wider field of resources to assist in Christian education, Christian counseling, and social ministry. Ministry founded on the principle of loving one’s neighbor has set historic precedent in the phenomenal expansion of Pentecostalism in South America throughout the 20th century. The call for today’s Church to love their neighbor is, “Go, and do thou likewise.”
How can the second command of Jesus, loving others as one's self, be utilized and interface when ... more How can the second command of Jesus, loving others as one's self, be utilized and interface when considering pastoral theology on the ground in our world?
A consideration of the use of beauty language and a theological consideration and definition of i... more A consideration of the use of beauty language and a theological consideration and definition of its use.
How can the second command of Jesus, loving others as one's self, be utilized in an analysis of M... more How can the second command of Jesus, loving others as one's self, be utilized in an analysis of Modern Pentecostal Movements?
The purpose of the Project/Thesis was to find ways to study the pastoral care of hospice chaplain... more The purpose of the Project/Thesis was to find ways to study the pastoral care of hospice chaplains at the time of death, because I wanted to find out which pastoral care methods were effectively providing a space of beauty at the end of life and were being practiced by hospice chaplains who accompany patients to death’s door. This study provided understanding of the underlying theologies and methods that inform effective pastoral care in such a setting. Practices/behaviors of experienced hospice chaplains were identified that were helping them find a place of beauty at the time of death. Further, it was the goal of this research to define and describe what beauty could/should look/feel like to chaplains, medical staff, families, and the dying.
What can the first church/centuries of the modern era teach us about ministering today to people ... more What can the first church/centuries of the modern era teach us about ministering today to people at the time of death?
In an increasingly broken world filled with hate and violence, God’s plan from the beginning was ... more In an increasingly broken world filled with hate and violence, God’s plan from the beginning was to save and restore the world to the glory for which he had created it. This simple plan has not changed with the evolution of sin, time, or man’s rejection of his creator. Rather, God’s simple two-fold plan of redemption included both a commandment to love the creator with all one’s heart, mind, soul, and strength, and a commandment to love one’s neighbor as one’s self. Neither commandment stands in isolation, for one cannot fully love others without a consuming love for God, and neither can one completely love God without a love for the neighbor created by God. The answer to hate is love; the answer to war is love; the answer to violence is love; and the answer to all of societal disfunction is love. The answer is not a commandment to like God and others, because one only likes others because of likeness. Rather love is a choice. A choice to love what you don’t like. A choice to love what you don’t understand. A choice to love until the God you love sets everything right in eternity.
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Papers by Joey R . Peyton