by
Shelton Tufts
Lynchburg, Virginia
May, 2021
An Assignment Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Ministry
Department of Biblical Studies
Justification for Micro-Project Assignment
Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity
1)What is your cognate? Describe why you chose it.
5)How does your choice of micro-project align with scripture? Give specific examples.
3)What is the problem in your ministry area you are seeking to resolve? Begin your
answer with this sentence: “The problem I am seeking to resolve is that….”
The ministry problem I am seeking to resolve is the issue of the church engaging with the
world’s culture. I believe there is a blueprint in the New Testament, seen with Christ and the
Apostles, in the Gospels and the early church. A lack of engagement by the church overall in
society has allowed many issues that contributed to the deterioration of our society to intensify.
The church can no longer shy away from standing up and being true witnesses for Jesus Christ.
4)How does your choice of micro-project align with your DMIN cognate?
My cognate is biblical studies. I chose it because I believe that to be effective in the
things that God has for me to do, I need to go deeper into God’s Word. Biblical studies will allow
me to develop the skills to look for solutions to the many problems in the world and how the
Bible can speak to these situations. It is impossible for Christians to advance God’s agenda for
them in the earth apart from His Word. God's instruction for our lives flows from the pages of the
Bible, so we need not go far to find answers to our daily challenges.
2)What is the Micro-Project you have chosen? Describe why you chose it.
The micro-project I have chosen is the Illustrative or Interactive Message. During the first
micro-project, I gathered a lot of information about the ministry problem I am seeking to resolve.
This micro-project will help me develop the skills to present this information in an innovative
way. The goal is to get people to see the issue that I am presenting and to be able to get them on
board for building the solution as a unit.
I believe the purpose of biblical studies is to show and demonstrate what one has studied.
An illustrative or interactive sermon will be a great opportunity to share what I am learning about
resolving the problem I am studying. This micro-project will help build on the ability to organize
thoughts to present in a captivating way. This process will bring understanding. It will clarify
issues and give people an understanding of the role they play in the resolution process.
My micro project lines up with scripture, and there are examples seen in both the Old and
New Testament of illustrative or interactive messages. In the Old Testament in Jeremiah 18, God
delivers his message to Jeremiah using the work of a potter with his clay to make the connection.
In the New Testament, Jesus used several examples of this, but one, in particular, is the one with
the coin of Ceasar in Matthew 22. In this, he masterfully avoided a trap that the Pharisees were
attempting to set for him.
9)What is your greatest reservation or question regarding this selected micro-project?
The question I am pondering is, will the audience I present this message to see the need
for what I am presenting? Or will they see this as just another thing that Pastor is passionate
about? I am concerned about this because we must come together as a unit and engage world for
Christ to effect change on the culture. To do this, we need more Pastor to lead the charge so that
congregations can understand the Christian's true place in the world.
6)How does your choice of micro-project align with your abilities, passions, and
interests?
As a pastor, I am constantly looking for ways to better engage with people about the
Bible. I have a strong passion for helping people grow in their relationship with Christ and come
to know him in a deeper way. I see so much value in this project because it ties in with the gift
and calling that God has given me. It is a great joy to preach the Gospel, and I am glad to help
get the Word out while moving to solve a ministry problem.
7)Summarize in your own words the assignment instructions for all four phases of your
chosen Micro-Project.
In the organization phase, I am to show how I can share my ministry problem and point out five
ways to visually express the message to the audience. In the elaboration phase, I will chart out
the plan and layout for my message and demonstrate where the visual, illustrative elements will
be presented. The implementation phase will be doing the actual message with an audience,
recording it, and posting it to youtube. Lastly, the culmination phase will include the manuscript
of my sermon, a link for the live video, information about the process, and a micro-project
analysis.
8)How have you planned to complete each of the Micro-Project phases on time?
I am the type of person who likes to stay ahead of the game. As soon as I was able to see
the course information, I began working on the project. I am very passionate about the ministry
problem I am seeking to solve. As soon as I decided on the micro-project in the previous class, I
planned what micro-projects I would be doing for my portfolio in what order I was to do them.
This method has helped me to hit the ground running and go forth.
