Digital Commons Network^™

Church Conflict/Church Growth, Thomas Hammond, Steve Wilkes

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

Sadly, conflict is a common occurrence in congregations of every denomination across America. It happens to traditional, blended, and contemporary churches for a variety of reasons, with the capacity to reach extreme levels of intensity. Its impact on a congregation can be devastating. Relationships are damaged, friendships strained, and many decide to stop attending. The church's ministry and evangelism efforts are usually brought to a standstill, leaving a divided fellowship that has taken its eyes off the harvest and has become distracted from fulfilling the Great Commission.

Development, Evaluation, And Implementation Of An Interfaith Pastors' Peer Coaching Group In The Gentry, Arkansas Area, Raymond C. House

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

During my first ten years of ministry I discovered that I was in a lonely work with little peer-interaction or stimulation. Sporadic attempts to find peer- support and friendship among other pastors left me feeling only slightly encouraged. I was concerned that I was not being challenged by another peer or group of peers or held accountable to any particular goals personally or professionally.

Method

This research presents a model where pastors came together from various churches and denominations in a small town setting, and developed peer-coaching relationships for the purpose of improving their personal and ministry goals. Peer …

Enhancing The Leadership Competency Of Camacop (Christian And Missionary Alliance Churches Of The Philippines) Pastors Through The Course On Leadership In Urban Ministry In Ebenezer Bible College And Seminary, Joel A. Caperig

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The 40 Days Of Purpose Spiritual Growth Campaign In Twelve Churches Of The Alabama-West Florida Conference Of The United Methodist Church, James Nathan Elliott

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Training Ecuadorian Church Of God Disciples To Evangelize On Three Galápagos Islands And In Three Provinces Through The Power Of Pentecost, Michael Séan Mills

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Basic Theological Education Course And Its Impact On The Preaching Skills Of Lay Pastors, Stephen Joseph

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Identifying Gender Worldview Roadblocks To The Ordination Of Women : A Case Study Of The Church Of Christ In Nigeria, Stephen Nalde Yarkum

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Igniting A Parent-Church Movement In The Congregations Of North America, John C. Bangs

Doctor of Ministry

Guided by the misleading church planting metaphor, North America's churches do not establish thriving new congregations in sufficient numbers to evangelize emerging generations effectively. A better metaphor is needed. In order to reach and disciple emerging North American generations effectively, a church parenting culture must be created in North American churches. The purpose of this project is to provide a book designed to motivate potential parent-churches to conceive, birth, and nurture daughter congregations. Section 2 establishes the priority of starting new churches in the evangelistic task. The section also demonstrates that existing churches do not establish a sufficient number of …

An Ethnically Well-Mixed Christian, Peter Kuzmič

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

The Protean Church, Allan Karr

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

This article examines some symptoms of ecclesiological shifts that are being observed and documented in the “church” meta-narrative.

On Inter-Church Dialogue In Serbia - Current Situation, Luka Ilić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Volume 23, Number 1, Department Of Church Relations

Pacific Church News

Edited by Jerry Rushford

Summer 2007

Effective Strategies For Healthy Church Growth In The Hap Dong Jung Tong Presbyterian Denomination In Korea, Manoh Han

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to understand the biblical principles of healthy and highly effective strategies of church growth and to apply them to today’s Hap Dong Jung Tong (Hap-Jung) Presbyterian Denomination (HJPD) in Korea. Based on surveys and interviews, this project also analyzes and evaluates current conditions within 328 HJPD churches, exploring growth factors such as: pastors’ leadership, preaching, professional development, prayer, evangelism, making-disciples, ministry focus, the reasons for HJPD growth, and strategic approaches for future ministry. Finally, this project suggests twelve healthy and effective principles to develop HJPD churches for the next ten years.

Pastoral Leadership Problems In Small, Established Churches Of Under 100 People, Brian Keith Miller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

ABSTRACT PASTORAL LEADERSHIP PROBLEMS IN SMALL, ESTABLISHED CHURCHES OF UNDER 100 PEOPLE Rev. Brian K. Miller Liberty Theological Seminary, 2007 Mentor: Dr. Homer Massey A review of current literature demonstrates that very little material is available regarding small churches and the leadership problems that the pastor will face. The purpose of this project is to shed light on some of these problems, and provide insight and helpful advice to those pastors serving in small churches. Based on the literature available, this project reviews the most common leadership problems faced by small church pastors, and gives advice and suggestions for dealing …

Building An Ethos Of Discipleship For Transition In The Twenty-First Century, Greg J. Boulton

Doctor of Ministry

The tension between old and new tears at the heart and soul of the church in the United States. For example, does the church focus on building new churches and allow old ones to die? Do church leaders develop a more effective ethos that renews the hearts and minds of Christians in old and new churches? This paper deals with how leaders can develop an ethos that sustains discipleship in the life of its members. It is the thesis of this paper that long-term members of the Christian faith can be revivified through a biblical discipleship process. The paper explores …

My Pilgrimage In Church Growth, Waldo J. Werning

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

By the Spirit’s strength, various teachers and mentors shared truths and life applications of God’s Word with me to walk the justification and sanctification path Jesus offers with the light that He gives. My pilgrimage in the ministry of church growth that involved both Christian stewardship and church health has been and is one of reflecting Christ, our Savior and Lord, and learning from teachers, mentors, leadership networks and informative books that provided a healthy diet of God’s Word.

Online Bible Training: New Opportunity For Church Planting In Thailand, Thanu Wongthanathikul

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Church planting is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit. Bible training is necessary in the process of successful church planting. With the growth of the internet, some institutes use an online training program for training other Christians for planting churches. The purpose of this project is to examine church planting on the basis of cultural, theological, online, model practical and historical principles. Based on research and study, the project first reviews seven principles of an online Bible training program for church planting. It then reviews an application of this training which is based on Thailand's context, and …

A Short History Of Winfield C. Arn And The Institute For American Church Growth, Gary L. Mcintosh

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

This article is being reprinted from the Fall 2005 issue of the Journal of the ASCG in tribute to Win Arn. Readers who are not familiar with the early history of church growth, and particularly the role played by Win Arn and the Institute for American Church Growth, will find this article of interest. —Editor

Program Book - 2007 Calvin Symposium On Worship, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship

Symposium on Worship Archive

Program book for the 2007 Calvin Symposium on Worship, including a schedule, presenter bios, and practical information.

Web Schedule With Session Descriptions, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship

Symposium on Worship Archive

A printed copy of the web schedule used for online registration. Includes descriptions of each of the sessions, unlike the printed program book.

Who Takes Responsibility For Missions The Origin Of The Association Of Lutheran Mission Agencies (Alma) And Its Relationship To Missouri Synod Missions, Annette Frank

Master of Art Theology Thesis

The history of the Association of Lutheran Mission Agencies (ALMA) is an important chapter in the mission history of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), as well as in the history of Protestant mission efforts in the United States. ALMA is an organization of independent mission agencies affiliated with The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. This relationship with a specific denomination is unique among independent mission organizations.

The development of ALMA and its relation to LCMS missions reflects important changes in mission activity and attitude both within the Synod and outside. This study will show how the changes of the twentieth century influenced …

64th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectureship -- Hear The Word Of The Lord: Jeremiah's Call To Renewal (2007), Jerry Rushford

Pepperdine Bible Lectures: Programs

Program booklet for the 64th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, May 1-4, 2007. The Pepperdine Bible Lectures is an annual event hosted by Pepperdine University featuring a wide variety of lectures and classes on topics and themes in the Bible and Christianity.

Jerry Rushford, Lectureship Director

Rick Gibson, Tami Williamson, Kym Dildine, and Erin Newton Lectures Team

Czarist Missionary Contact With Central Asia: Models Of Contextualization?, David M. Johnstone

Publications from Student Life & Spiritual Life

Although the Western church knows little of these ventures, Russian Orthodoxy in fact has a rich missionary heritage. There have been instances of great courage, passion, and cultural sensitivity in Orthodox attempts to bring the Gospel to the Muslim peoples. I outline here some of the context and features of these missionary endeavors.

The Stromata Vol. 48, No. 1, Calvin Theological Seminary

Stromata (1956-2020)

Inside This Issue

1- Did Zurich and its Antistes Agree to all this? The Zurich Consensus and Calvin’s First Defense Against Westphal by Agata Omelanczuk

14- Calvin’s Election and Reprobation: Not an iron scepter, but a shepherd’s crook by Jay Knochenhauer

25- The Cross of Christ in Ephesians by Zeke Nelson

36- A Forward-Looking Fall: Eden as Typology in Classic Rabbinic Literature by John Lee

45- The Emerging Kingdom of God: The Emerging Church’s Understanding of the Kingdom of God by Brian McLaughlin

67- Arminianism in England and Richard Baxter’s Doctrine of Justification by Jordan J. Ballor

88- Humble Beginnings: …

Short-Term Missions: A Vital Ingredient Of The Divine Blueprint, Vernon B. Parmenter

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Mission As Service In The Czech Republic [Interview], Cristian Dumitrescu

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Equipping And Mobilizing The Laity In The New York Luso-Brazilian Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Gerson P. Santos

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The New York Luso-Brazilian congregation was organized on October 23, 1971, with approximately ten members. By December 2005, its membership was 329, including two new congregations formed recently. In spite of the growth during the first two or three decades, this church has not experienced much growth in the last ten years. Many members are not committed to the Great Commission. Only ten percent participate in some kind of outreach. Analyzing the profile of this church, it was verified that the growth came mainly through immigration. One of the main challenges, therefore, is to involve the laity in missionary …

Means Of Evangelistic Growth: The First 300 Years, J. D. Payne

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

The purpose of this study is to examine the various means, by which the gospel spread across the word throughout the first three hundred years of the Church’s existence. Though some biblical texts will be referenced, the primary focus of this study is upon the post-Apostolic, pre-Constantinian years. This study is descriptive in nature. Though contemporary secondary source literature will be consulted, I will draw predominantly from the historical documents written circa A.D. 100-300 and Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History.

The Shaping Of Things Now: Questions Of Emerging Churches, Darren Cronshaw

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

The term ‘emerging church’ has been hotly debated. Some mainstream churches say ‘what are you doing that we are not?’ and some emerging churches resent the implication that they are still ‘emerging’ into being a real church. 3 But ‘emerging’ describes something that is changing and evolving rather than fixed in one place. The label recognizes that such churches are emerging from a modern into a postmodern framework, in a post-Christendom era, in a digital age, for a post-colonial era. Interestingly, it is a term that has been used to describe the early church in the first century, since that …

A Curriculum To Prepare Pastors For Tribal Ministry In India, Calvin N. Joshua

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The dissertation project establishes the existence of nearly one hundred million tribal people who are forgotten but continue to live in human isolation from the main stream of Indian society. They have their own culture and history. How can the Adventist Church make a difference in reaching them? There is a need for trained pastors in tribal ministry who are culture sensitive and knowledgeable in missiological perspectives.

Method

Through historical, cultural, religious, and political analysis, tribal peoples and their challenges are identified. The contribution of Christianity to India, particularly, the impact of the Adventist Church among tribals is reviewed. …