Portfolio: Assessment
DMIN 852 Micro-Project II: Current and Historic Practices
July 2, 2023
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1.What did you learn about the chosen Micro-Project overall?
This class is about current and historical practices in addressing the ministry problem. I
seek to resolve the decline in youth ages 18-25 attendance at Emmanuel True Holiness Church in
Portsmouth, Virginia. I learned that the youth want to work in the church doing various events,
which are held at Emmanuel True Holiness Church. The assignment has helped me look at the
issue from a different viewpoint, all the obstacles that can get in the way of youth attending
church. If no one addresses the decline in church attendance, the numbers may grow higher in
the United States. If I had not completed the Micro-Project, I would not have known why 54
percent of the youth leave churches in the United States.1 I learned why there is a decline in
attendance in youth at churches between 18 and 25 years old. David Kinnaman stated that the
youth are still trying to find out where they belong. 2 They decide to pursue college, contemplate
job opportunities, and wonder what city to live in. The micro-project I chose was book reviews
seeking a resolution to the church attendance decline. I learned I had to start and organize the
assignment before the last minute. Completing the major tasks took anywhere from eight to ten
hours. If I made a mistake, I had to repeat it until I got it right. It could have been better, but I got
a little frustrated. I realized the book reviews were more challenging than the first assignment I
had to complete in DMIN 851 on articles and journals.
2.Looking back, how, if at all, did the Micro-Project help to solve your stated problem?
1 Philip Hughes. Why Young People are Leaving the Church.” Pointers: Bulletin of the Christian Research
Association 25, no. 1 (2015): 2
https://search.Informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.98977461404530
2 Webb, Keith E. The Coach Model for Christian Leaders: Powerful Leadership Skills for Solving
Problems, Reaching Goals, and Developing Others. United States: Morgan James Publishing, 2019. 45
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Before I started the micro-project, I was unaware that the decline in youth attending
church is happening worldwide. I thought it was just at Emmanuel True Holiness Church that the
leaders were doing something wrong to cause the drop in attendance. When I started the micro-
project, I had all these ideas about motivating and engaging youth during a workshop on getting
to know one another. However, only a few youths attended the seminar. It is essential to plan that
consists of engaging, organizing, openness, and being attentive to the needs of the youth. The
leaders in the church should be supportive and mentor the youth as needed. A key component in
this project is to listen to what the other individual has to say before jumping into the
conversation before the individual finishes what they have to say. Making changes suddenly in
the ministry will cause the youth to decline in church attendance. Always encourage youth
despite situations that may arise, whether at home, school, or church. Be aware of the
distractions that try to steal the youth out of the churches through social media and peer pressure.
It is important to be caring for the youth if they want to talk about any situation. After the micro-
project assignment, I learned how to listen to the youth before suggesting what I think the youth
should do. The leaders in the church must never think that the youth age group is too young to
become missionaries. Keith Webb stated he had a sickness called “know-it-all-ism.” He said
being aggressive with the youth is not good, and no one should think they know everything. I
have benefited from the book, which states listening before speaking and waiting until the person
takes a breath. Scripture reads, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and
shame unto him” (Prov. 18:13, KJV). Yes, the problem is not 100 percent resolved, but the
suggestions listed in the book will increase the youth attendance at Emmanuel True Holiness
Church.
3.What effect might the Micro-Project have on your ministry moving forward?
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The leaders must sign up for training on diverse backgrounds. The leaders must always
pay attention to the youth when they suggest what they want to do in church services. There will
always be different nationalities, and one would have to look at it differently because some youth
serve God on a different level. The youth must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
4.What did you not learn by completing this Micro-Project that you hoped to learn?
I read many materials about the youth decline at Emmanuel. I cannot say that I
did not learn by completing the micro-project. There was much work to get accomplished
for the DMIN 852 class. I wanted to try working with YouTube or Podcasting, but I was
still deciding and nervous about following through. The next assignment will be focused
on Podcasting on the decline of youth. Hopefully, the Podcasting will draw in more
youths at Emmanuel. I had hoped I had more time to research the successful cases of
various churches in growing youth attendance.
5.What changes would you make to your project or ministry because of this Micro-Project?
I desire to accomplish a YouTube or Podcast video with the youth interacting and
asking questions about church events. In the video, I would listen to questions the youth
want to discuss or a topic on how to repent and be baptized. Keith Webb stated that the
ministry must show support rather than always controlling changes at church. Another
good point for the ministry is to process any decisions or get the opinions of others before
making a final decision. 3 I suggested the church leaders read the book The Coach Model
for Christian Leaders: Powerful Leadership Skills for Solving Problems, Reaching
Goals, and Developing Others. There is so much eye-opening information in the book
that will help the ministry to help the youth get engaged and excited about being at
3 Webb, Keith E. The Coach Model for Christian Leaders: Powerful Leadership Skills for Solving
Problems, Reaching Goals, and Developing Others. United States: Morgan James Publishing, 2019. 45.
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Emmanuel True Holiness Church. Keeping the youth active in the church is essential to
keeping them engaged. One action plan will be to see if the Bible trivia would interest
them. Most youths like to be challenged and have fun as they learn the Bible on a fun
level and bond with the other youth at the church. It is critical to schedule a Sunday every
month for Youth Day that is consistent with keeping the youth engaged.
6.On a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the most beneficial and 0 being the least, what score
would you give yourself regarding learning about, creating, and implementing your
Micro-Project? Explain why?
On a scale of 0-100, I rate myself in the ninety range. Despite being frustrated and
unsure of the assignments, I pressed on to finish. I have created a loving atmosphere
where the youth feel welcome and want to participate by spinning the wheel for Bible
questions and answers. The Implementation part of the class helped me to motivate the
youth to hand out Spiritual tracks in the neighborhood. The youth also like playing
challenging games concerning the Word of God. I will continue to press on with future
assignments, knowing God is carrying me through it. God is not finished with me yet! I
will share the information I gained from the DMIN 852 class with the Emmanuel True
Holiness Church members. The goal should be to ensure the ministry retains the youth in
the current and future generations in the churches. Scripture reads, “The fruit of the
righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise” (Pro. 11:30, NKJV).
