invited to apply

My name is Ty VanHorn (Pastor Ty to most of you), and I am collecting research as part of my Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary. I invite you to apply to participate in the research project described on this page. I will explain the details and answer most of your questions below. Feel free to reach out to me at any time to discuss your potential participation. This research project will select 12-16 participants representing the broadest spectrum of BHC to participate in a 12-week Small House Church experience designed to collect research.

Description of the project: This research study evaluates a developing Small House Church curriculum for Big House Church. You are an essential part of BHC; your input is valuable and needed to provide guidance and feedback on developing this Small House Church experience. The curriculum being developed is designed to be used in a Small House Church as a leadership pathway to encourage ministry participation in areas of service within “Your House” and “Their House.”     

“My philosophy is, basically this. And this is something that I live by. And I always have. And I always will. Don’t, ever, for any reason, do anything, to anyone, for any reason, ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who you are with, or, or where you are going, or, or where you’ve been. Ever. For any reason. Whatsoever.”
— Michael Scott | The Office

WHAT YOU COMMIT TO

If you decide to apply and take part in this study, it would include the following:

  • Participation in a Small House Church (SHC) experience with other BHC persons

  • The SHC will meet in our home for a two-hour session once a week for approximately 12 weeks

  • Start Date: Sunday, September 24th

  • Time: 6:30 PM-8:30 PM

  • Days: TBD From Results of Survey in Application (Will be Sunday Only | Monday Only | or Alt Sun & Mon)

  • Location: VanHorn Home (8611 Ashridge Park Dr, Spring, Texas 77379)

  • Finish Date: TBD, likely December 3rd

  • The curriculum is designed for twenty-four sessions. You commit to participating in an accelerated experience using some of the created content and prioritizing your attendance in your schedule.

  • The SHC experience includes taking a personality test, a spiritual gift test, and a willingness to do a pre- and post-self-evaluation regarding eight important Christian disciplines as part of the curriculum design.

  • After the SHC experience, your input will be captured by filling out an evaluation of your overall experience with your suggestions for improvement(s) and comments.

  • MORE FINE PRINT DETAILS BELOW APPLICATION

APPLICATION

 

FINE PRINT DETAILS

Risks or discomfort: Participants are encouraged to be involved in the discovery of their personality, spiritual gifts, and self-evaluation. I do not anticipate excessive risks or moments of discomfort in this research experience other than what is inherent in small group sharing.

Benefits of this study: Although there will be no direct benefit to you for participating in this study other than what is gleaned from the curriculum for your spiritual growth, the researcher may learn more about best practices in helping others learn about themselves and their spiritual gifts.

Confidentiality: Your participation in this study is confidential. None of the information will identify you by name, and all post-evaluations collected will be anonymous to the researcher. All records will be kept in a password-protected file on a local server.

Voluntary participation and withdrawal: Participation in research is voluntary. You have the right to refuse to be in this study. If you decide to be in the research and change your mind, you can drop out anytime. You may skip questions in the post-evaluation and fill out only what you deem necessary.

Questions, Rights, and Complaints: If you have any questions about this research project, please call Ty VanHorn at (310) 750-7049 or email at ty@bighouse.church. If you have any questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant in this study, please direct them to Dr. Cindy Lee, Doctoral Projects Administrator in Professional Doctoral Programs (626) 584-5653 or email: dmin-fpcoord@fuller.edu.