Missions and World Christianity Commons^™

Yet Another Try On Job 42:6, David L. Thompson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

From The Archives: G. Herbert Livingston And The Archaeology Of Ai, Asbury Theological Seminary Archives

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews, Philip Richardson, Shivraj K. Mahendra, Michael Tavey, David Zucker, Logan Patriquin, Philip Richardson, Zachariah S. Motts

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Books Received

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Pokot Cultural Worldview: Missiological Implications For Seventh-Day Adventist Witness Among The Pastoral Nomads Of Kenya, Haron Matwetwe

Dissertations

Seventh-day Adventist witness among the nomadic peoples of the East Africa region is faced with a number of challenges. Although the Church enjoys relative success in reaching most communities, its growth and development appears restricted to locations occupied by the settled communities. Unfamiliarity with nomads’ cultural structures and values is partial explanation for why missionaries have failed to effectively connect with the nomads thereby hampering the establishment of a more vibrant mission work in pastoral nomadic regions.

This qualitative research sought to describe the Pokot cultural worldview as a step toward understanding their socio-cultural context and identify barriers to effective …

Editorial, Bruce L. Bauer

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"One of the original purposes of this journal was to provide a forum for missionary and cross-cultural research and to help build a body of literature dealing with Adventist mission theory and practice. Therefore, this issue is focused on mission research with the hope that as readers around the world read the articles that illustrate the many ways of doing missiological research that they will also be encouraged to conduct research and write for future issues of the journal." [Excerpted from Editorial]

[Introduction]

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Contents

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

On Epistemology Of Missiological Research, Petr Činčala

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"In this article I addressed the nature of missiology and missiological research. Missiology is like a dynamic river that can “flow” with any academic discipline examining human behavior “to expand missiological theory and applications and to extend the mission Dei” (Elliston 2011:112). Theological research as a stand-alone research method may or may not serve missiological purposes; however, missiology and theology are related disciplines. This same rational does not apply to the social sciences and missiology. Missiology can benefit enormously from a social science approach to research but may be paralyzed by utilizing social science research as a whole package."

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Strategy And Structure To The Work Of Starting And Supporting Church Planting Movements, Laurence G. Burn

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"A church that defines itself by movement structures sees the center or activity as taking place in hearts and homes of its members. The mission is living the message, empowering, facilitating, and catalyzing and should define the culture of the organization. It is my conviction that this journey with its focus on creating movements represents a seismic shift in thinking and behavior. There is no doubt that further research is needed that by God’s grace will help create a multitude of disciple-making movements again in many parts of the world."

Proposed Research Instrument For Establishing A Baseline Measurement Of Buddhist Background Believers, Gregory P. Whitsett

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"My plan for this survey is to create a self-administered questionnaire. What makes this a preferred method of research is that it can be conducted quickly using a drop-and-collect technique by national church leaders sending the survey packets to local church leaders to then distribute to willing participants. Self-administered questionnaires are relatively inexpensive and respondents are not influenced by the interviewer or her bias. Another advantage is that this type of survey allows longer batteries of questions than you could ask in person as well as giving the respondent anonymity. The disadvantages include that there is no control over how …

An Aging Church In An Aging Society: Averting A Possible Grim Future For The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Russia, Yuri N. Drumi

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Being an international and highly diverse community of believers, the world-wide Seventh-day Adventists Church has always struggled with maintaining its identity in a fast-changing world. This is natural, and much credit is to be given to several generations of church leaders for success in this regard. Nevertheless, after the seeds of Adventism have been liberally sown all over the world and as the seeds have grown, it is time to let those plants share more responsibility for their own future. Paternalism and top-down strategizing is no longer adequate to facilitate the spiritual rejuvenation of local forms of Adventism. To experience …

Family Resilience In Displacement: Defining Validity And Reliability In A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Inquiry, Regine Rimarzik

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The voices of the poor confirmed a common recommendation among scholars to combine the best of person-focused approaches with the best of variable-focused approaches in resilience studies. This could be especially beneficial for comparative studies in terms of religion and culture adherence. In other words, I am considering to slightly tweak my research topic and widen the scope towards a comparative religious study within the same environment and to specify the impact of comparative faith traditions on the human development context in displacement. Finally, my better understanding of the nature of family resilience awakened my curiosity for discovering the nature …

The Concept Of Social Justice In The Social Sciences, In The Bible, And In Adventism, Michelet William

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Social justice is included in the mission of God to redeem and restore humanity. While in the early years evangelicals viewed social justice with suspicion, considering it subordinate to evangelism, since the second half of the 20th century, social justice has gained momentum among evangelical Christians who have become favorable to a more holistic approach to mission. William Carey had already set the tone in the 19th century as his work in India included missiological responses to social justice concerns. Other more recent and similarly mission-focused social advocacy work followed, such as the Temperance Movement in early Adventism, the ongoing …

Window Shopping And Turf Control, W. Milton Adams

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"In the past there has been much appropriate emphasis on the laity’s posture of respect toward church leadership. But what matters now is an equal and proactive posture of respect toward the laity. As new methods and new plans spring forth from the laity, cooperation and mutual respect must also spring forth. The result will look and function like a peer relationship. In today’s developing culture, the onus will lie on church leadership to rid themselves pf any turf control and instead develop skills of cheering, funding, and quickly embracing God-honoring lay ministries. So, a call to smooth the way, …

The Effects Of Trauma On Adjustment To College For Children Of Missionaries, Melissa J. Winfield

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Missionary Kids (MKs) encounter challenges in adjusting to college due to cross-cultural transitions and unique experiences related to missionary life. Though trauma is more common among missionaries than for the general American population, little is known regarding the impact of past trauma on missionary kids as they adjust to college. This study compared adjustment to college and psychological well-being of missionary kids and students who are not children of missionaries. The extent to which students have experienced trauma was used as a covariate in the study. MK students were recruited through college organizations and missions’ agencies. They were asked to …

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.

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. …

Who Is My Neighbor? The Church's Vocation In An Era Of Shifting Community, Dwight J. Zscheile

Faculty Publications

Dwight Zscheile is an astute scholar of the shifting patterns and contours of American congregational life, and how the changing aspects of American society are impacting them. He argues for local congregations paying renewed attention to the localized communities around them, as well as the new kinds of communities that have arisen in an age of new technological connections.

The Amoy China Mission Of The Reformed Church In America, 1937-1951, Jame E. Bell

Grand Valley Journal of History

This article analyzes how successful the Reformed missionaries operating in Amoy and the surrounding region were in accomplishing their objectives of evangelism and the establishment of an indigenous Chinese Church from 1937 to 1951. Through a combination of evangelism, education, and medical work the missionaries sought to spread their faith to the lay population of Fujian province. The missionaries’ work became much more difficult in the late 1930s with the Japanese invasion, World War II, and the eventual Communist takeover. In spite of this, their efforts, in conjunction with other missions, built a dedicated Chinese Christian community that proved hardy …