Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Ghanian Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches In Fighting Sexual Violence Against Women, Christian Tsekpoe

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Christianity In North America (Edinburgh Companions To Global Christianity) Edited By Kenneth R. Ross, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, And Todd M. Johnson, John Cheong

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Missional Leadership: An Instructional Program To Cultivate Leaders Of A Missional Church, Conner Mathias Brew

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this action research project is to design, execute, and evaluate a small group instructional framework that cultivates a missional culture focused on communal discipleship at MVMNT Church, a local church in the Association of Related Churches network, while also addressing a gap in scholarship surrounding the interrelation of discipleship and the missional church. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study leveraged inductive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with survey data to validate the lack of discipleship activity at MVMNT Church and moderate-to-low comprehension of topics related to mission, discipleship, and leadership in the church. This project recommended and …

Neither Jew Nor Greek: Ethnocentrism Vs. Interculturalism And The Future Of The Adventist Church, Lyle Notice

Journal of Adventist Youth and Young Adult Ministries

The Adventist Church is one of the most ethnically diverse churches within North America, but with its continued diversity explosion, many churches are segregated by racial lines and ethnicity. With the rise of immigration, what will the future of the Adventist church in North America look like? Will new ethnic immigrants assimilate into white churches? Will Seventh-day Adventist churches eventually become ethnic enclaves that continue to create racialized silos? Is the Adventist church becoming more ethnocentric? How do we foster more intercultural churches?

Seminario Sobre Conceptos Básicos De Capellanía Policial Para Pastores Adventistas En Fresno, California, José Antonio Pagán

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

There is a high demand for chaplains in the Fresno Police Department who can support police officers in addressing city crises. Most Adventist pastors in Fresno do not have the basic knowledge of police chaplaincy nor do they have the certification to practice in this specialized ministry. The latest study published by the California Department of Justice (2023) on the wave of violence in California shows that in 2022, 2,206 homicides were reported, of which 60 were reported by the Fresno Police Department (2023) which required the intervention of trained chaplains to care for the survivors of each victim. …

Book Review: New Funding Models In Global Mission: Learning From The Majority World By Tim Welch, John Cheong

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Evangelical Ressourcement: How Retrieving Our Sacred Roots Can Renew And Refocus The Global Evangelical Movement, Don Davis

Essays

No abstract provided.

Dr. Don L. Davis And Urban Ministry: Establishing The Urban Ministry Institute (Tumi), Simeon Ploeger, Hank Voss

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Mission Leadership Development In The Chinese Adventist Church: Reflections In The Light Of Traditional Chinese Philosophies Of Leadership, E P

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

Different schools of thought have emphasized multiples aspects of leadership, preeminently in the western hemisphere for the last decades (Bennis 1959; Greenleaf 1977; Malphus 2003). As China more decisively steps into the global arena through internationalization of its economy and political influence, scholars are only scratching the surface in exploring the pluralistic styles of Chinese indigenous leadership in both national and international organizations where the Chinese play significant leadership roles (Chen and Lee 2008: xv; Zhang, Chen, and Chen, and Ang 2014).

Contextual leadership is essential for the healthy development of any organization and that is equally true when it …

Relevant Methods And Strategies For Successful Church Planting In Hyderabad, India, Patrick Dommati

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Leaving A Legacy, Gary L. Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

As the Church Growth Movement continued to develop, it gained strength and respect. The establishing of the McGavran Chair of Church Growth was a red-letter day, which established the CGM as an academic discipline. Donald and Mary McGavran slowly backed away from direct ministry, but continued to follow the movement’s impact. This except reports the final years of McGavran’s life and ministry

Mission In The Margins: An Emplaced Missional Ecclesiology For The Brazilian Church In Urban Environments, Samuel Fuhrmann

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Fuhrmann, Samuel Reduss. “Mission in the Margins: An Emplaced Missional Ecclesiology for the Brazilian Church in Urban Environments.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2019. 217 pp.

As the church tries to engage in God’s mission in Brazilian metropolises, it needs to account for the reality of the favelas. Favela is a housing category that refers to an urban built environment where one encounters a rich social, cultural, and spatial diversity, and often the problems of violence and poverty, all of which configure a challenge to the church. How does the church understand this reality? How does urban missional ecclesiology account for …

Complete Issue

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Research, Monte Sahlin, Erich Baumgartner

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Toward An Adventist Theology Of Urban Mission, Gary Krause

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"As the Adventist Church looks at modern cities, the vista can be overwhelming. The city is an enigmatic phenomenon, a conglomeration of hundreds of disparate cultures, languages, and people groups. It is a complex and complicated place, resistant to easy categorization or description. Just as soon as one feels one is getting a grip on the nature of a city, a street corner is turned and another unfamiliar world opens up. The way the church views the city is of fundamental importance to the way it conducts its urban mission; therefore, in this chapter I will propose a theological window …

From Rural To Urban: Critical Differentiations In Ministry Contexts Within Rural And Urban Environments, Conrad A. R. Vine

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"This article seeks to delineate three critical dimensions of ministry that impact ministry strategies in predominantly rural and in predominantly urban contexts for AFM Front Line Workers (FLWs). First, the community contexts within rural and urban environments. Second, the ministry strategy considerations for FLWs in rural and urban environments. Third, personal factors impacting FLWs in rural and in urban environments. The article provides in summary form the three key critical dimensions of ministry that are shared with AFM FLWs during initial training and that are utilized post-launch by AFM FLWs with their supervisors when prayerfully demonstrating urban ministry strategies within …

The Rise Of The Digital Neighbor: A Theoretical Concept For Mission Renewal In The Digital Age, Paulo C. Oliveira

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"This paper deals with shifts in the concept of neighborhoods and communities. I propose that the field of social network studies is useful to aid missiological considerations in contemporary global societies. Furthermore, I argue for the thesis that current social shifts require mission studies to move from notions of homogeneous or quasi-homogenous geographically bounded groups, neighborhoods, and communities towards giving attention to the networks of networked individuals—the digital neighbor. The underlying question addressed is, How does this redefinition of community foster mission renewal in the digital age? Answering this question supplies rudimentary material to build a theoretical concept of mission …

Urban Church Planting: Three Functional Shifts From The New Testament, Anthony Wagenersmith

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Indeed, the very pulse of Adventist ministry beats strongest through apostolic mission. A basic consideration of the practical and exegetical link between the second advent of Christ and the apostolic witness for Christ must generate significant shifts in thinking and practice. Describing these as functional shifts rather than paradigm shifts—to emphasize the connection between theology and practice—what better framework to reflect upon urban church planting than that of the New Testament Church. Looking through a disciple-making and church planting lens, one can be challenged by three functional shifts for urban mission today: from places to people, from performers to equippers, …

Toward A Post-Religious Urban Theology: The Missionary Movement Ethos In Secularized Contexts, Marcelo E. C. Dias

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"An urban theology should be the center of conversation with the current post-religious context that takes into serious consideration people’s search for meaning and the new spirituality in this age. Perhaps popular culture can give clues about contemporary meaning-making as well (Shannahan 2014:207-217). On the one side, history assures that an urban setting does not need to feel like a threat to the Christian faith. “Early Christianity was primarily an urban movement. The original meaning of the word pagan (paganus) was ‘rural person,’ or more colloquially ‘country hick.’ It came to have religious meaning because after Christianity had triumphed in …

A Theological Framework For Adventist Urban Ministry, Kelvin Okey Onongha

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Early Adventism typically advocated the need to flee the cities for simple rural living because cities were regarded as Babylon (Jer 50:1-3; Rev 18:2-3). Consequently, in those regions of the world where the church’s presence has the longest history with sometimes larger congregations, many church properties are located in the countryside or rural areas. A major reason why the Adventist Church is only so lately coming to terms with the exigency of urban ministries is the deficiency of a theological framework for engagement in missions to the cities. Stone (2015) agrees that the failure to develop a theology for the …

Missional Apologetics: Keys To The Hearts And Minds Of Urban Young Professionals?, Sven Östring

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"research study in Australia indicated that one of the top spiritual repellents for non-Christian people is a focus on philosophical discussions and debating ideas. In spite of this, a significant percentage of Australian young professionals are still willing to consider changing their worldview if presented with the right circumstances and evidence. This article explores how apologetic material can missionally connect with the hearts and minds of urban young professionals. The Greater Sydney Conference and the South Pacific Division Adventist Media Center developed this approach based on a preliminary qualitative research study of an evangelistic series."

Country Versus City Tension: Historical And Socio-Religious Context Of The Development Of Adventist Understanding Of Urban Mission, Allan Novaes, Wendel Lima

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The Adventist engagement in the evangelization of cities has been timid and, for many decades, even discouraged by an anti-urban attitude. This mentality of criticism and resistance to the cities was largely sustained through an incomplete and/or misreading of Ellen White’s writings (Jones 2013:716). This article seeks to describe Adventist rural/urban tension, the historical and social context of its origin, and how it has been softened by a contrasting broader view of Adventist urban mission."

In These Cities Are Jewels: Lessons From Adventist City Missions—1880–1915, David J. B. Trim

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"As Ellen White’s words of 1909 imply, urban-focused mission has a long history in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It goes beyond the work of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in Chicago, the one exemplar which is reasonably well known but which comes with proverbial baggage, given what happened with Kellogg. I will touch on the Chicago mission, but it was not unique; in fact, our pioneers established many city missions. And while they stressed practical experience they also valued analytical approaches. For example, in 1910, the first two days of the annual council were given over to what was essentially a …

"The Challenge Of Urban Mission", Bruce L. Bauer

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Many Adventists struggle with an anti-city bias for a number of reasons. High on the list of reasons is the book, Country Living, published in 1946 in which a very unbalance a view of what Ellen White had to say about cities was presented as the ideal. In the article “Country Versus City Tension: Historical and Socio-religious Context of the Development of Adventist Understanding of Urban Mission” Allan Novaes and Wendel Lima provide excellent background material that should help Adventists better understand the basis of that anti-city bias."

A Cosmopolitan Theology For Creating An Urban Missional Small Group To Reach Postmodern Generations In The City Of Lacombe, Alberta, Lyle Milton Notice

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Many youths within the Canadian city of Lacombe, Alberta, are having difficulty finding traditional church attractive, engaging, relevant, and meaningful. Because of the prevalent postmodern mindset of youth in the community, thoughts toward church, religious gatherings, and organized religion are pessimistic and skeptical. Research has pointed out that faith-based community initiatives have been either lacking or ineffective in addressing the disengagement and disillusionment being demonstrated by postmodern millennials.

Method

The purpose of this study was to see if an urban missional small group made up of 10 to 15 youth would have a positive social spiritual impact on their …

Equipping Adventist Community Services Directors As Leaders For The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Sung Kun Kwon

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Adventist Community Services (ACS) broad scope of services increasingly demanded competent leadership that was not always readily found in local churches. For this reason, ACS leadership began to plan an advanced leadership development program for the ACS personnel, pastors, and church members at the union, conference, local levels, and worldwide. Up to that time leadership development programs within ACS tended to be haphazard and inconsistent. While there were several conferences that provided local leadership development for ACS leaders, there was no centralized leadership development program. To effectively lead the organizations that served the various communities, it was necessary …

Book Reviews, Spiritus Editorial Board

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

R E V I E W S

• Graham Twelftree, ed. The Nature Miracles of Jesus: Problems, Perspectives, and Prospects. Jeffrey Lamp.
• David K. Bernard. The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ: Deification of Jesus in Early Christian Discourse. Joseph H. Howell.
• Vinson Synan, ed. The Truth About Grace: Spirit-empowered Perspectives. Daniel Thimell
• Margaret English de Alminana and Lois E. Olena, (eds). Women in Pentecostal and Charismatic Ministry: Informing a Dialogue on Gender, Church, and Ministry. Lisa M. Millen.
• Nimi Wariboko, The Split God: Pentecostalism and Critical Theory. David Bradnick.
• Jon Bialecki. A Diagram of Fire: Miracles …

Lcms Identity And Mission In The American Urban Context: Engaging Conian Black Theology Through Strategic Lutheran Missiology, Gregory Seltz

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Seltz, Gregory P., “LCMS Identity and Mission in the American Urban Context: Engaging Conian Black Theology through Strategic Lutheran Missiology.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 304 pp.

This dissertation addresses the challenges of the American urban context by dialoging with James Cone’s Black Theology in order to construct an LCMS urban missiology. This LCMS urban missiology is a dynamic, Two-Kingdom, sacramental engagement strategy that addresses the issues endemic to the urban community for the sake of the community and for the sake of the Gospel. The American urban setting is fraught with challenges: identity politics, ethnic-sociological fragmentation, and the delegitimation-politicization …

Christward Movement Among Urban Dwellers In North India : A Study On Delhi, Jaison George P. V.

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Entrepreneurial Church Planting (Ecp) As A Model Of Fresh Expressions In The South Korean Context : Case Studies Exploring Relationships Between Church Planting And Social Capital, Sang Rak Joo

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.