Digital Commons Network^™

The Missiological Method Of Jesus According To Luke 10: Do We Follow In His Steps?, Cecil Stalnaker

Great Commission Research Journal

When it comes to evangelism and missiological methods, should we follow in the steps of Jesus? Many missionaries are doing just that. In Luke 10 Jesus instructs his disciples, giving them a method to accomplish their appointed mission. This involves three phases: (1) searching for the “person of peace”; (2) supporting a house fellowship; and (3) securing a missionary base of operations. Such an approach is certainly worth examining but only in light of the biblical authority and context as well as the missionary’s cultural context.

Book Review: Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, And Create Movement By Will Mancini, Elizabeth Montgomery

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping The Face Of The Church By J.D. Payne, Scott Zeller

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Legacy Churches By Stephen Gray And Franklin Dumond, Duane H. Boady

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Alan Mcmahan

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Authority, Autonomy, And Healthy Communication: Embracing The Organizational Complexities Of The Multisite Church, Jamus Edwards

Great Commission Research Journal

A perplexing matrix-style of leadership that reflects numerous leadership teams across multiple locations typically characterizes multisite churches. As a result, the most volatile element in the multisite church is the distribution of decision-making authority. The unique organizational challenge for multisite churches is determining the balance of trust, freedom, and control in the relationship between each campus’s leadership and the primary leadership team of the overall church. Inevitable frustrations among campus pastors can often be decreased when multisite leadership teams are characterized by clarity in roles and authority. Additionally, responsiveness in the areas of authentic communication and the embracing of conflict …

Pastoral Attitudes That Predict Numerical Church Growth, David R. Dunaetz, Kenneth E. Priddy

Great Commission Research Journal

The attitudes of 92 head pastors were measured concerning 20 ministry-relevant ideas and practices, as well as information about their church’s present numerical growth. A statistical analysis found four pastoral attitudes that predict positive or negative numerical church growth. Positive predictors of numerical church growth were strong beliefs that 1) personal and corporate prayer are important and 2) transfer growth is an indicator of congregational health. Negative predictors of numerical church growth were strong beliefs in the importance of 1) preaching and 2) outreach to the community. The practical implications of these findings are discussed in light of evangelical theology.

Book Review: Franchising Mcchurch: Feeding Our Obsession With Easy Christianity By Thomas White And John M. Yeats, Brandon Kiesling

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Planning And Implementing Successful Pastoral Succession, Parnell M. Lovelace Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

The senior pastor serves as the visionary catalyst for the local church congregation. Cultural, ethnic, and theological traditions define the pastor’s role, often determining how the pastor plants a church, leads people, and transitions once the pastoral assignment is completed. None of these responsibilities is easy. However, the matter of pastoral succession brings concerns, sensitivities, and challenges that are unique within any discussion of ministerial success. Center of Praise Ministries in Sacramento, California, provides several examples of paradigms, challenges, and mores that one must address when facilitating healthy transition. This article explores how intentional and strategic pastoral succession planning provides …

Book Review: Making Your Vision A Reality: Proven Steps To Develop And Implement Your Church Vision Plan By Paul Cannings, Kenneth Lewis

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Timeless Growth Principles From The Movement Of Hans Nielsen Hauge: A Case Study In Pietism, David Stein, Frederick Thoni

Great Commission Research Journal

As existing churches continually face the challenge of staying relevant, and new churches face the challenge of establishing traction in the first place, a fresh look at the dynamics of movements will help both. While large, existing churches can often operate from an institutional focus, new and growing churches have to operate from a movement focus. Declining churches need to recapture the dynamism that helped them come into being in the first place. In order to break free from the status quo a new catalyst must be inserted into the equation in order to move forward to the next level. …

Book Review: Size Does Matter: Moving Your Ministry From Micro To Mega By R. A. Vernon, Jeremy Upton

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Strategies For Developing Young Leaders Through Effective Mentoring Relationships Within The Bethel Church Of Liberia, Jacob Meiporkoyah

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Transformational And Strategic Leadership : Its Impact On The Capacity For Organizational Effectiveness, Barbara Angela Dobson

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Developing A Model For Planting Multiethnic Churches In The Diaspora : A Case For Zimbabwean Reverse Missionaries In Britain, Anderson Moyo

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Explicit Gospel By Matt Chandler, Jeremy Mcgarity

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Gathering Of The Saints: Noun Or Verb?, Kenneth E. Priddy

Great Commission Research Journal

This paper examines the question: Who are the saints? In the Old Testament the saints are the people of God, the nation of Israel, specifically those who have genuine faith and are true believers. In the New Testament the saints are the church, those who have been regenerated through the working of the Holy Spirit to be more than members of the visible church, but members of the eternal invisible church as well. In modern times we often speak of the “gathering of the saints.” Both noun and verb uses are included in Scripture and they are essentially distinguished by …

Book Review: The Churching Of America 1776–2005: Winners And Losers In Our Religious Economy By Roger Finke And Rodney Stark, Charles Salmon

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Recovery Of A Contagious Methodist Movement By George G. Hunter, Iii, Randy Willis

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Shaping Of Things To Come: Innovation And Mission For The 21st Century Church By Michael Frost And Alan Hirsch, Jihoon Lee

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

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.

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.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: April 2013, Michael W. Goheen, Calvin P. Van Reken, Kevin Adams, Carl J. Bosma

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Engaging the Church
Articles
3 - The Church: Who and Whose Are We? by Michael W. Goheen
5 - Why Join a Church? by Calvin P. Van Reken
7 - What Attracts People to the Church? (and what puts them off) by Kevin Adams
9 - Church Engagement A Roundtable Discussion
11 - Vision for the Seminary’s Institute for Global Church Planting and Renewal (IGCPR) by Carl J. Bosma

Departments
14 - Distinguished Alumni
15 - New Staf

An Effective Prayer Training Model For Church Growth: Centered On Wangsung Presbyterian Church In South Korea, Geunbae Hwang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to investigate biblical church growth, specifically studying South Korean pastors roles concerning the healthy church and spiritual reinforcement, with a limited focus and application to WangSung Presbyterian Church and other churches in South Korea. This project primarily utilizes the New Testament, as well as literature on church growth and healthy spirituality. In addition, references specifically regarding church growth and statistical information from Korean church ministries will also be used. This project shares a new alternative way for the growth of churches: A prayer-training model as the most effective method for church growth. A healthy …

Lesslie Newbigin's Understanding Of The Holy Spirit And The Church In Mission, Robert Schafer Hughes Iii

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Stromata Vol. 54, No. 1, Calvin Theological Seminary

Stromata (1956-2020)

Inside This Issue

4- Editorial by Joshua C. Smith

5- Autumn by Diana Burns

6- Living the Good Life by Matthew Burns

13- Strangers in a Strange Land by Michael Kornelis

10- So, You are a King? by John C. Medendorp

27- Called to Rejection by Ricardo Tavárez

33- “God was with Joseph”: Genesis 39 by Kwang Il Choi

43- The Book of Exodus: Pedagogy for a Youth Ministry of Freedom by Adrian de Lange

55- The Lives of the Saints: An Education in the Good Life by Mark VanderWerf

76- Shalom-Directed Justice and the Church by Adam Van Gelder …

Cooperation: Churches Working Together Through The Local Baptist Association For Maximum Kingdom Ministry, John Frank

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Cooperation is a concept which many churches hold to as a basic belief, yet few incorporate into their ministry plan. With the exception of giving money toward a denominational budget, many churches operate totally independently of other churches. Believers in Jesus Christ can do more in a community as a unified body rather than as splintered groups with individual, and often self-serving, agendas. This thesis project draws together several years of observations and experiences of churches as they have joined together in unity and cooperation. A survey and interview process is used to gain insight and vision from churches and …

Donald Mcgavran And The City, Jeff K. Walters

Great Commission Research Journal

As the “father of the Church Growth Movement,” Donald A. McGavran’s impact on twentieth century missiology is undisputed. His teaching on missions in urban contexts holds great value for our rapidly urbanizing world, but those contributions have been studied very little. The purpose of this article is to survey McGavran’s urban missiology, especially as presented in his seminal work, Understanding Church Growth.

Hermeneutics And The Methods Of Oral Bible Storytelling For The Evangelization And Discipleship Of Oral Learners, Jennifer Jagerson

Great Commission Research Journal

The methods of oral Bible storytelling are expanding in influence for proclamation of the Gospel, discipleship, and church planting on the mission field. Such strategies are essential to reach those from primarily oral cultures where few have strong skills in literacy. As these methods are implemented, it is of critical importance to insure that they equip nationals with the fundamental skills of biblical interpretation. The author will demonstrate that at the level of proclamation and early discipleship, oral methods are able to effectively empower non- and semi-literates in the practices of robust inductive Bible study of the narrative texts of …

Witnessing The Web: The Rhetoric Of American E-Vangelism And Persuasion Online, Amber M. Stamper

Theses and Dissertations--English

From the distribution of religious tracts at Ellis Island and Billy Sunday’s radio messages to televised recordings of the Billy Graham Crusade and Pat Robertson’s 700 Club, American evangelicals have long made a practice of utilizing mass media to spread the Gospel. Most recently, these Christian evangelists have gone online. As a contribution to scholarship in religious rhetoric and media studies, this dissertation offers evangelistic websites as a case study into the ways persuasion is carried out on the Internet. Through an analysis of digital texts—including several evangelical home pages, a chat room, discussion forums, and a virtual church—I investigate …