Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Committee Chair
Steven Harmon
Abstract
This Doctor of Ministry capstone examined how guiding congregants through intentional spiritual disciplines can foster grief healing at Reeder Memorial Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC. Many members face grief related to death, illness, relational loss, or communal trauma. The project integrated the biblical narrative of Jesus in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–46) with group practices such as prayer, silence, solitude, lament, and journaling. Quantitative pre- and post-surveys and qualitative data from journals, field notes, and interviews revealed growth in emotional awareness, spiritual endurance, consistent grief practices, deeper faith during mourning, greater awareness of God’s presence in suffering, and stronger community connections. The findings of this capstone indicate that spiritual disciplines can and should be implemented into congregational ministry to care for people in grief, and that this model can be replicated in other churches.
Citation Information
Bonapart, Kathryn A., "Mending the Broken Heart: Applying Selective Spiritual Practices to Navigate the Grief Process at Reeder Memorial Baptist Church Charlotte, North Carolina" (2026). Doctor of Ministry Projects. 77.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/divinity_etd/77
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License