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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Book Review: The Benedict Option: A Strategy For Christians In A Post-Christian Nation By Rod Dreher, April Berg
Book Review: The Benedict Option: A Strategy For Christians In A Post-Christian Nation By Rod Dreher, April Berg
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Learn Why Some Churches Are Growing, George G. Hunter Iii
Learn Why Some Churches Are Growing, George G. Hunter Iii
Great Commission Research Journal
Donald McGavran’s pioneering contribution to understanding the growth of churches and Christian movements drew from field research in growing churches and Christian movements, in addition to scripture and history. While field research included analysis from observation and the church or movement’s history and statistics, interview research produced the lion’s share of new insights. This article reports some of what has been learned about field interviewing—who to interview, the kinds of questions to plan to ask, the importance of follow up questions, and how to ask questions, manage the interview process, record insights, and reflect on the insights to inform future …
Higher Education As Mission, Lewis Edwards, Kenneth Nehrbass
Higher Education As Mission, Lewis Edwards, Kenneth Nehrbass
Great Commission Research Journal
While missiologists have been paying attention to business as mission, few have studied the value of securing teaching positions in foreign secular universities as a missionary method. This article bases “Higher Education as Mission” on the Apostle Paul’s four-fold taxonomy for reaching the educated and uneducated at home and abroad. Teaching in universities can be a legitimate platform for gaining an entry point in restricted access countries. More than that, as Christian scholars pursue excellence in their own academic fields, they can model to the future elites of societies what it means to follow Jesus in every aspect of our …
Entrepreneurial Church Planting, Jay Moon
Entrepreneurial Church Planting, Jay Moon
Great Commission Research Journal
Entrepreneurial church planting (ECP) explores innovative approaches for church planting in the marketplace. This article describes how entrepreneurial church plants leverage the networking and value creation provided by business in order to form communities of Christ followers among unchurched people. Biblical, theological, historical, and missiological support is provided to guide ECP planters. Four contemporary examples provide a paradigm of church planters that are typically suited for this approach to include the artist, social scientist, evangelist, and builder. These examples demonstrate the potential of ECP to break out of limited contexts and plant churches in larger networks of relationships in the …
The Case To Redress Evangelism In North America, Gary Comer
The Case To Redress Evangelism In North America, Gary Comer
Great Commission Research Journal
This article is a response to a warning made by George Hunter regarding the church’s adherence to its own “folk wisdom.” It explores the question of how the church could change, particularly in how it currently views evangelism, and how church leaders and members are unprepared to face the mission complexity unique to our time. It offers an alternative perspective with methodology that is theologically formed on the pattern of Christ, and built around the notion of spiritual influence. To that end, the kind of research that is most needed is discussed along with ideas on examining existing presuppositions.
Book Review: Growing God’S Church: How People Are Actually Coming To Faith Today By Gary L. Mcintosh, Garrett R. Eaglin
Book Review: Growing God’S Church: How People Are Actually Coming To Faith Today By Gary L. Mcintosh, Garrett R. Eaglin
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Leading Through Growth: The Role Of The Lead Pastor In The Large Church, Stephen Grusendorf
Leading Through Growth: The Role Of The Lead Pastor In The Large Church, Stephen Grusendorf
Great Commission Research Journal
In order to be an effective leader, the large church lead pastor must recognize and respond to the ever-shifting organizational dynamics of his church. This article highlights the distinctive organizational dynamics of large churches as opposed to churches of other sizes. It will seek to identify the unique responsibilities that leading a large church places on the lead pastor. Finally, this article will describe the particular organizational perils and opportunities present as the lead pastor transitions a church through the various stages of organizational growth.
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Founding A School, Gary L. Mcintosh
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Founding A School, Gary L. Mcintosh
Great Commission Research Journal
With the Institute of Church Growth in Eugene, Oregon, set to close in June 1965, McGavran was thinking of retiring to his small farm in Oregon. However, his plans changed when he was chosen to become the founding dean of Fuller Theological Seminary’s new School of World Mission and Institute of Church Growth in September of that same year. The story of McGavran’s selection, as well as that of getting Alan Tippett back into the USA, demonstrates God’s miraculous work in bringing about the establishment of the new school.
Orthodox Background Believers: Listening And Learning, Cameron D. Armstrong
Orthodox Background Believers: Listening And Learning, Cameron D. Armstrong
Great Commission Research Journal
Evangelical church and organizational leaders in majority-Orthodox Romania often find themselves at a loss in understanding how to conduct outreach to Orthodox people. Often the cultural differences between Orthodox and evangelical Romanian Christians seem impassable. One approach is that of listening and learning from the transformational narratives of evangelical Christians converted out of Orthodoxy. The following article moves in this direction through qualitative analysis of conversion stories by four Romanian Orthodox background believers. Five common themes that arise from the data are discussed. The article concludes by offering an initial “evangelism rubric” to better posture evangelical groups to begin outreach …
Book Review: Race And Theology By Elaine A. Robinson, Aaron Perry
Book Review: Race And Theology By Elaine A. Robinson, Aaron Perry
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Church Planting In The Secular West: Learning From The European Experience By Stefan Paas, John P. Thompson
Book Review: Church Planting In The Secular West: Learning From The European Experience By Stefan Paas, John P. Thompson
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Theological Empathy And John Wesley’S Missional Field Preaching, Lenny Luchetti
Theological Empathy And John Wesley’S Missional Field Preaching, Lenny Luchetti
Great Commission Research Journal
John Wesley cited several external reasons for his submission to field-preaching. These external factors include the persuasive requests of George Whitefield, the effectiveness of open-air preaching, and the closed doors of the Anglican Church. These usual suspects have received much attention among Wesley scholars. However, a closer look at Wesley’s writings, especially his A Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion, reveals that internal motivators were at least as much to blame as external ones for driving Wesley to the fields. What initiated and sustained Wesley’s field-preaching for fifty-one years, despite the many inconveniences and dangers associated with this …
One More Time: Why We Do Research On The Ministry Of Evangelism, George G. Hunter
One More Time: Why We Do Research On The Ministry Of Evangelism, George G. Hunter
Great Commission Research Journal
George Hunter has spent a lifetime studying the ministry of evangelism. Following his teenage conversion, he discovered that the ministry that helps pre-Christian people become new Christians was the most understudied of the Church’s ministries. In this article, he reports on how he studied, from multiple perspectives, the Church’s most essential (but most academically neglected) ministry. Hunter gradually discovered at least a dozen assumptions about evangelism in Protestant folk-wisdom that are typically more counterproductive than productive. He interfaces with these assumptions to suggest alternative views that are more academically warranted and practically effective. He concludes by inviting a generation of …
Eight Steps To Transitioning To One Of Five Models Of A Multicultural Church, Bob Whitesel
Eight Steps To Transitioning To One Of Five Models Of A Multicultural Church, Bob Whitesel
Great Commission Research Journal
Theories of change and theories of changing1 are insufficiently studied, hence often inadequately understood by the ecclesial academy. The few theories that are available are based on an author’s experience with singular process model developed from similar homogeneous contexts. However, the present author, reflecting on case studies over a ten-year window, strengthens the argument for a holistic, eight-step model as first developed by John P. Kotter at Harvard University. Whitesel argues that the eight-step process model is resident and visible in ecclesiological change. He then suggests that the requisite change objective for many churches will be a heterogeneous, multicultural model, …
Rethinking The Term Missionary: Is Every Christian A Missionary?, Cecil Stalnaker
Rethinking The Term Missionary: Is Every Christian A Missionary?, Cecil Stalnaker
Great Commission Research Journal
In order to emphasize the missionary nature of the local church, a new expression has emerged in recent years: “Every Christian a missionary.” Is this valid? Should local churches be instructing and claiming that their church members are all missionaries? Although many mission leaders and writers claim that the Bible never uses the word missionary, an examination of fifty-two different English versions of the Bible shows otherwise. In order to respond to the main question, a number of avenues are explored in this paper—the identity, definitions, and origin of the term missionary, including old and new paradigms and their analyses. …
Conflict In The Small And Medium-Sized Chur, William D. Henard
Conflict In The Small And Medium-Sized Chur, William D. Henard
Great Commission Research Journal
One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with any church is conflict. Because of humanity’s fallen nature and because of the difficulty of initiating and accepting change, conflict is almost always inevitable. Conflict becomes detrimental when it is not handled correctly or when it remains unchecked and finds its source deep within the sinful nature and motives of people. Conflict in the church, though, does not necessarily have to be destructive. Many of those within the church reconciliatory ministry say that conflict is essentially neutral. When handled properly, it can actually result in some positive benefits for the church.
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Becoming A Professor, Gary L. Mcintosh
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Becoming A Professor, Gary L. Mcintosh
Great Commission Research Journal
As McGavran’s missionary career in India came to an end, publication of The Bridges of God opened new doors for research, teaching, and writing. The years 1955–1965 found McGavran moving from a missionary career to that of a professor and founding The Institute of Church Growth. In Eugene, Oregon, he met and befriended Methodist missionary Alan R. Tippett who became a partner in the spread of Church Growth Thought during the 1960s and 70s.
Choosing The Right Consultant, William J. Ingram, Denise D. Quigley
Choosing The Right Consultant, William J. Ingram, Denise D. Quigley
Great Commission Research Journal
The church in North America is in decline. Research indicates that many churches are not growing or even considered “healthy.” More and more churches are addressing their declining attendance through hiring consultants to identify areas of growth and improvement. The key is finding the right consultant or consulting firm for the needs of the local church. This article seeks to help the local church ask the right questions when selecting a consultant or consulting firm.
Preparing To Multiply: Four Steps For Established Churches, Joey Chen
Preparing To Multiply: Four Steps For Established Churches, Joey Chen
Great Commission Research Journal
How should a leader of an established church lead the church to multiply? With the increased attention to church planting, there are more resources available, but little attention is given to the established church. This article seeks to help the leader of an established church prepare to engage in multiplication. While strategy, best practices, and finances are vital components to church multiplication, the crucial starting point for an established church leader is to prepare. There are four places to look while in the preparation stage: inward, upward, outward, and around.