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Reaching The Community Through Childcare: A Plan To Use Early Childhood Centers To Assimilate Members Into Resurrection Lutheran Church In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Christopher Ascher

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Ascher, Christopher D. “Reaching the Community Through Childcare: A Plan to use Early Childhood Centers To Assimilate Members into Resurrection Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.” DMin Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary—St. Louis, [2014]. [207] pp.

Churches have for some time operated early childhood programs. Often times the stated reason is to reach out to those in their community, and the unstated reason is to bring members and growth into their congregations. This project is a descriptive study that surveyed congregations operating an early childhood center. Follow up interviews were then conducted with church staff whose congregations saw some growth …

Education Evangelism: Sixteen Best Practices For School Outreach, Paul Steinberg

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students from non-Christian homes are coming in unprecedented numbers to Christian schools in the Milwaukee area due to the unique school voucher program begun in 2001. Each of the Christian schools in the voucher program, including the one where this writer serves, is searching for the best evangelism tactics. This new frontier can learn from the outreach efforts of Milwaukee's Lutheran voucher schools.
Pioneering experience, articles and interviews will reveal the history and practice of ministry in the voucher program and look toward the future. Surveys of ministry leaders will explain the results of different strategies. Surveys and interviews of …

Pastoral Attitudes That Predict Numerical Church Growth, David R. Dunaetz, Kenneth E. Priddy

Selected Faculty Publications

The attitudes of 92 head pastors were measured concerning 20 ministry-relevant ideas and practices, as well as information about their church’s present numerical growth. A statistical analysis found four pastoral attitudes that predict positive or negative numerical church growth. Positive predictors of numerical church growth were strong beliefs that 1) personal and corporate prayer are important and 2) transfer growth is an indicator of congregational health. Negative predictors of numerical church growth were strong beliefs in 1) the importance of preaching and 2) the importance of outreach to the community. The practical implications of these findings are discussed in light …