Practical Theology Commons^™

Book Review: Being The Church In A Multi-Ethnic Community: Why It Matters And How It Works By Gary L. Mcintosh And Alan Mcmahan, Jeffrey Medina

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Developing A Congregational Care Model: Mount Olive Baptist Church, Donna Robinson Mack-Tatum

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a layperson based Congregational Care Ministry Model to assist the pastor of large congregations. The topic was chosen as a means of addressing the need for the pastor of the Mount Olive Baptist Church to have assistance with meeting the needs of the congregation. As the congregation increases in size, it has become increasingly more difficult for him to visit the sick, counsel, minister to the bereaved, preach, and teach. While there are other ministries that assist in various ways with these tasks, this ministry will enhance the efforts that are already …

Conservative Holiness Pastors' Ability To Assess Depression And Their Willingness To Refer To Mental Health Professionals, Andrew Graham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the willingness and ability of Conservative Holiness pastors to assess depression and their willingness to refer to mental health professionals. Eighty-six pastors completed a four-part survey that measured diagnostic accuracy, willingness to refer, attitudes toward mental health, perceived competency to assist, recognition of need for help and confidence in mental health professionals. Demographic characteristics and case study responses were investigated through analysis of frequency data; relationships with demographic variables were analyzed using Spearman's rho and independent t-tests; relationships with variables derived from the scales were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation. Analyses found …

Exploring The Spiritually Formative Experiences Of Female Seminary Spouses: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Benjamin Forrest

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a qualitative research study exploring the spiritually formative experiences of nonstudent, female, seminary spouses whose student spouses are beyond the halfway point in their pursuit of an M.Div. at a large evangelical seminary in the eastern United States. Fifteen participants (twelve online nonstudent spouses and three residential nonstudent spouses) were purposefully sampled. The data, which was collected through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and discussion forums, was analyzed using transcendental phenomenological analysis. Through this analysis it became apparent that seminary spouses did in fact experience spiritual formation through their husband's education. …

Lay-Leadership: How To Develop Lay Leaders In A Local Church With Special Reference To The Hyesung Presbyterian Church In South Korea, Kang Eun Bae

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis is designed to help church leaders establish a lay leadership development process in a local church, especially in a Korean church with a size between 300 and 1,000 church members. In the first part, the fundamental knowledge of leadership is described, including the characteristics of leadership concerning lay leadership development, the reasons why a local church should develop lay leaders, and what the leaders should develop through the process. In the second part, a lay leadership development process and how to establish it in a local church is described. In the third part, Hyesung Church's leadership development process …

Reaching Secular Peoples: A Review Of The Books Of George G. Hunter, Iii, Gary L. Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

“Reaching Secular Peoples: A Review of the Books of George G. Hunter III” traces the development of the author’s thought through his eighteen books (as of June 2011). The review demonstrates that Hunter is the primary interpreter of classic church growth thought to those in the Wesleyan tradition, but he also ably speaks to members of the larger Christian family across all theological spectrums with a spirit of grace, cooperation, and collegiality. While his early books, written between 1971 and 1980, communicated insights from the emerging Church Growth movement to Wesleyans (particularly the people called Methodists), his later books demonstrate …

The North American Church Journey: Lessons We Are Learning, Daryl K. Thompson

Great Commission Research Journal

The North American church is on a journey. It is a journey compelled by the church’s decline in the past half century. The primary lesson that is being learned on this journey is that mission catalyzes Christianity in a way that nothing else does. Western European Christendom has significantly influenced the North American church. This expression of Christianity drifted radically from the early churches missional clarity. The result was an anemic Christianity that saw little personal and societal transformation. Missionally-minded and outwardly-focused pastors are essential to helping the North American church recover its missional orientation.

A Holistic Good News: Missional, Effective Evangelism And Lessons Learned While Traveling In The Hoof Prints Of Wesley, Bob Whitesel

Great Commission Research Journal

The Good News can be understood as the message of the missio Dei to which varying methods can be attached. Churches, however, often specialize in a specific part or method of that mission, e.g., helping the needy, emphasizing conversion, or promoting discipleship. This article suggests the Good News has yielded significant historical impact when churches embrace a comprehensive or holistic understanding of the Good News that includes three methodological components: establishing legitimacy by meeting the needs of non-believers, effectively facilitating conversion, and spiritual formation in small communal groups. Missional and effective evangelism nomenclature will be discussed in relation to this …

The Profile Of Asian-American Pastors, Jonathan H. Kim

Great Commission Research Journal

This case study surveyed 277 and interviewed 47 Asian-American pastors to gather information regarding their demographic characteristics, ministry context, sense of call, spiritual formation, employment status, length of tenure, conflict in ministry, and reasons for ministry or career changes. The purpose of this study was to understand personal and institutional issues affecting Asian-American pastors’ ministry tenure.

Behaving Beyond Your Barriers, Melissa Pratt

Great Commission Research Journal

Pastoral leaders must embrace the attitude that God expects His church to grow. Effective pastors must be future-focused rather than problem-focused. They must see and personally live beyond where a church is, beyond where the barriers to growth are, and into the place God wants to take His people. Pastors must identify the behaviors of “next-level” churches to evaluate what kinds of behaviors current church leaders and members should adopt. After casting a “next-level” vision, Pastors should equip their members to behave not as they are, but as they desire to become in order to push through barriers to growth.

Book Review: The Celtic Way Of Evangelism: How Christianity Won The West Again By George G. Hunter, Iii, Allan Karr

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Unchristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity . . . And Why It Matters By David Kinnaman, Matthew Costner

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Resurrecting The Celtic Model Of Evangelism For The 21st Century: George G. Hunter, Iii, James R. Farrer

Great Commission Research Journal

Dr. George G. Hunter III has been the premier author in alerting Christians in our current era to the ancient Celtic Christian style of evangelism and mission. This model, pioneered by St. Patrick, became the “greatest sustained Christian mission in Christianity’s history.” The contagious power of these Christians and their communities ushered in almost 1,000 years of Christian culture to Europe. Hunter identifies the Celtic Christians’ main strategies which can be fruitful in reaching today’s prodigals, “nones,” and modern “barbarians.” This model is urgently needed today since the United States has become the third largest mission field of non-Christians in …

Genesis 1-11 And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Andrew Schmutzer, Alice Matthews

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction to Genesis 1-11
2. God Creates the World (Genesis 1:1-2:3)
   • God works to create the world (Genesis 1:1-25)
     • God brings the material world into being (Genesis 1:1-2)
     • God’s creation takes work (Genesis 1:3-25; 2:7)
     • Creation is of God, but is not identical with God (Genesis 1:11)
     • God sees that his work is good (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)
   • God works relationally (Genesis 1:26a)
   • God limits his work (Genesis 2:1-3)
3. God Creates and Equips People to Work (Genesis 1:26-2:25)
   • People are created in God's image (Genesis 1:26, 27; 5:1)
   • Dominion (Genesis 1:26; 2:5)
   • Relationships (Genesis 1:27; 2:18, 21-25) …

Concordia Seminary Magazine | Summer 2013, Paul Devantier

Concordia Seminary Magazine

Called according to his purpose

Dealing With Doctrinal Issues In The Church: Part 3, Richard M. Davidson, Paul S. Ratsara

Faculty Publications

The 1888 Minneapolis Bible conference exemplifies using wrong attitudes to deal with doctrinal controversy. In contrast to the 1888 debacle, the 1848 and the 1855 conferences exemplify right approaches toward dealing with controversial issues in the church. These illustrate the principle that the key toward dealing with controversial subjects in the church is a personal relationship with God.

Warmth Drive Benefits Benton Harbor Neighbors, Emily Ferguson

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Unaffiliated Parents And The Religious Training Of Their Children, Christel Manning

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This article examines how parents who are religiously unaffiliated make decisions about the religious upbringing of their children. Drawing on qualitative data, this study explores the diverse worldviews that are included within the term "None” and how those beliefs are reflected or not reflected in the way parents raise their children. The article identifies four distinct worldviews among unaffiliated parents and identifies five different strategies that parents use to incorporate religion in the lives of their children. The article then analyzes the relationship between parent worldviews and actions, with particular attention to secular unaffiliated parents who incorporate religion in the …

Trends Facing Sda Spiritual Leaders, Stan Patterson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Leviticus And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Bob Stallman

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction— does Leviticus have anything to tell us about our work?
2. The Foundational Concept of Holiness in Leviticus
3. Israel’s Sacrificial System (Leviticus 1–10)
   • The Dwelling of God in the Community (Leviticus 1-10)
   • The Whole People of God at Work (Leviticus 1-10)
   • The Workplace Significance of the Guilt Offering (Leviticus 6:1-7)
4. The Unclean and the Clean (Leviticus 11–16)
   • The Permissibility of Eating Particular Animals (Leviticus 11)
   • Dealing with Skin Diseases and Mold Infections (Leviticus 13–14)
5. Holiness (Leviticus 17–27)
   • Gleaning (Leviticus 19:9–10)
   • Behaving honestly (Leviticus 19:11–12)
   • Treating workers fairly (Leviticus 19:13)
   • Rights of People with Disabilities (Leviticus 19:14)
   • Doing Justice (Leviticus 19:15–16) …