Digital Commons Network^™

The Emerging Trend Of Comprehensive Church Consultations, Sam S. Rainer Iii

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

Church consultation is a broad discipline that covers many facets of church needs. And the field covers churches of any size, from small, rural churches to large, suburban megachurches. Granted, a larger church typically has more resources that allows for a deeper analysis, but consultants also have much to offer the smaller church as well.

Estrategia Para Plantar Una Iglesia En Puebla, México, Moises Reyna Sanchez

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Church planting is one of the basic tasks to which God has called his disciples. The gospel commission of Matt 28:19, 20 implicitly calls for church planting. This dissertation presents biblical and theological foundations for church planting. In addition, it explores the writings of current authors, looking for appropriate church planting strategies. Success in church planting is achieved by applying certain strategies. These include having a clear vision of what God expects, completing a demographic study of the chosen location, pinpointing the place where the new congregation will begin, form the founding group and training them, having the first meetings, …

A Strategy For Reaching Secular People, Ernan Alpin Norman

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Secularization is a process that has effected and continues to effect massive changes in the cultural, social, and religious experience of many people. It is characterized by a loss of the influence of religion on society’s institutions and peoples. It came about when the scientific method became the principal means of discovering truth, while the biblical and theological perspectives became increasingly sidelined. People have become increasingly secular in their thinking, and many currently view the church as archaic, irrelevant, and boring. This presents a problem for the church and its mission in our contemporary society. Because of the lack …

Spiritual Factors Impacting Church Health And Growth In The 21st Century, Ray W. Ellis

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

The topic of this President’s address at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Church Growth is “Spiritual Factors that Impact Church Health and Growth.” My purpose is to show that church growth is about growth of the Kingdom of God. Numerical growth and spiritual growth are not incompatible. Church growth is about numerical growth. Church growth is about sharpening skills and utilizing technology to carry out the great commission. Church growth is about redemptive growth. Church Growth is more than numbers, it is the supernatural work of God.

Development Of A Program For Intentional Growth In The Antioch Seventh-Day Adventist Congregation, Long Island, New York, Trevor Saint Aubyn Forbes

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Antioch Seventh-day Adventist congregation was started in 1988 and grew steadily; however, for the last four years membership growth has plateaued. This lack of church growth has caused much concern among the church’s administration. The original hope and intention that the congregation would establish a growing church was founded on the premise that in order for the congregation to grow, it must implement intentional church growth programs.

Method

In order to learn how churches grow, I surveyed literature on church growth. I also interviewed six pastors of growing churches — three who are Seventh-day Adventists and three who …

A Strategy To Reach The English-Speaking People Of The Bay Islands Of Honduras, Stavely P. Elwin

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The English-speaking Seventh-day Adventist church in the Bay Islands has experienced slow growth over the last ten years. An evaluation reveals that some of the problems include poor evangelistic methods, few well trained pastors and workers, the churches' lack of support from the local mission and pastors, and no material provisions for the departments of the church. In addition, programs are lacking to help members come in contact with secular-minded people, and the methods used to improve the retention rate of newly- baptized members indicate there is a tremendous need for change in the style of evangelism in the …

Applying Strategic Planning Toward The Development Of An Effective And Joyful Ministry Team In The Local Church, Robert Kasper

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This study chronicles the activities of the ministry team of St. Peter Lutheran Church and School with respect to the implementation of the strategic planning process. The greatest benefit of strategic planning for the congregation and its ministry team is focus. The stage is set to be proactive rather than reactive in an ever changing environment. The future no longer brings fear, but challenges faith. The past becomes arch heritage, marked by God's grace; serving as fertile ground for roots of faith in a faithful God who will also guide and provide in the years to come.

A Training Program For Grief Ministry For Singapore Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors, Chor Kiat Sim

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Many Seventh-day Adventist church pastors in Singapore are not trained in grief ministry. This results in some pastors who are insensitive to the grieving. Consequently, theirs and many church members' grief has been unresolved. This study was undertaken to develop a holistic pastoral perspective regarding grief and to compose a training program in grief ministry that will help pastors understand their own grief dynamics and that of their parishioners.

Method

This project attempts to present the principles of grief ministry through the following dimensions: (1) Singapore's need of grief ministry in the midst of socioeconomic development; (2) the study …

Church Planting In The Korean Nazarene Church: An Evaluation Of The "1991 Thrust To The City Of Seoul" Program, Ki Young Hong

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

The Korean Nazarene Church (KNC) plans to plant 70 new churches in Seoul by 1993 through the "1991 Thrust to the City of Seoul” program. To date, more than fifteen churches have been planted in Seoul through this program. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the KNC’s church planting effort in Seoul and offer some suggestions for how it could be strengthened.

Comparing Audience Perceptions Of Constructs Presented Expositorily With Those Presented Topically When The Same Method Of Bible Study Is Used, Rollin Laverne Shoemaker

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

As the literature shows, every preacher needs to develop his own guidelines for presentation of theological constructs (preaching). The literature also shows the importance of the letter to the Galatians for the church, especially during and since the Reformation. Thus, this study attempts to compare audience perceptions of theological constructs (derived from my study of Galatians) presented expositorily with those presented topically when the same guidelines are used.

Method

This study was undertaken to: (1) develop guidelines for exegesis, that would be useful for preaching, starting with the Greek text, (2) develop guidelines for audience and community analysis, (3) …

The National Mission, Unknown

Landon Saunders Documents

Plan for Heartbeat to put the gospel within the reach of every person in the United States within 10 years. Outlines a model for approaching a city and conducting Heartbeat's style of outreach. Contains a list of 72 projected target cities that Heartbeat will reach out to. A section on "The Boston Plan" uses Boston as a case study for illustrating how the city model would work.

The Introduction Of Management By Objectives Into The Buchanan, Michigan, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Oliver Lawrence Johnston Sr.

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The most urgent concern of the twentieth-century church is building an effective working team composed of pastor and laymen (or lay people) that will be responsive to the commission of carrying the gospel to the world. Methods must be discovered so that intentional pastors can help bring intentional congregations into being. In the context of management by objectives, self-assessment and goal setting may be the means by which intentional congregations are created. If this is true, the pastor needs to know how to apply the concept of management by objectives to his ministry.

To develop guidelines for the introduction of …