Digital Commons Network^™

A Feasibility Study To Develop A Missions Training Center To Recruit African-American Young Adults For Global Missions Through Education And Training, Linda Saunders

Masters Theses

African-Americans have too long been disengaged from global missions; they represent less than one half of one percent of all global missionaries. Re-engaging the African-American church community in global missions can be accomplished by recruiting African-American young adults to participate in global missions by way of a global missions training center focused on education and training. For the African-American church to become engaged in global missions there are a myriad of obstacles to overcome; namely, the lack of global missions education and training within the African-American church community. While obstacles exist, they are not insurmountable. The key components for engaging …

The Challenges Of Missionary Training In The 21st Century: A Manual For Training Of Missionaries, Kola Aiyedogbon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis project is a case study of the Redeemed Christian Church of God that has more than 600 parishes in the United States and mission work in over 130 countries of the world. The study will involve the local mission Board members; trainers in the mission school, missionaries on the mission field in more than 400 parishes, and a sample of two mission churches. It will explore the global reverse mission enterprise and the gap in the training of missionaries from Africa in reaching the nationals of the mission field. This project will be action based and inter-disciplinary. It …

Developing A Contextualized Retreat Manual Based On The `Tres Dias' Movement For The Spiritual Disciplines Of Russian Churches, Sungsoo Hong

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis project is to create a practical retreat manual for the spiritual disciplines contextualized to the Russian context based on the `Tres Dias' movement. It is important to develop the spiritual training program with contextualization as an effective mission strategy. While many of the missionaries in Russia have been trying to apply the spiritual disciplines in their mission field, little contextualized practical research exists on them. Tres Dias is one of the spiritual retreat programs compatible with contextualization. This project analyzes and evaluates the value and compatibility of the Tres Dias movement in Russia based on …

Dando Um Jeito: An Integrated Theological, Historical, Cultural And Strategic Study Of Missio Dei To, In And Through Brazil, Joao Mordomo

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since it’s descobrimento on April 22nd, 1500, Brazil proved to be resistant to Protestant and Evangelical Christianity until the 20th century. However, by the end of the century, Brazil had, in many missiologists’ minds, transitioned from being a missionary field to a missionary force. There is one Brazilian trait in particular that serves well to describe both God as He has orchestrated the evangelization of Brazil, and Brazilians as they increasingly have fulfilled their role in God’s global mission to, in and through Brazil. This trait is summarized in the expression dar um jeito (pronounced “darh oon jhei’-to”). While a …

Educate To Equip: A Model For Educational Short-Term Missions As A Ministry Of The Local Church, Steven Curtis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Recent data show that most short-term mission trips are focused on economic and social development projects coupled with intentional and/or relational evangelism, while reproducible models for in-depth theological education during short-term missions are rare. As a missionary presently ministering in a number of underdeveloped nations, this writer has witnessed the need for, and potential benefit of, such models. To validate these conclusions, research was conducted among missions agencies and church-based missions departments to determine the efficacy of existing models to meet the educational needs in the field, as assessed through personal interviews with pastors from a representative sample of underdeveloped …

Making Disciples Through Evangelism: A Plan For The Evangelist Who Only Has One Chance At A New Convert, Richard Hertless

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Making disciples is an integral part of being a Christian. God has called some to be Evangelists (Ephesians 4:11). The rationale of the project is the need to fulfill the Great Commission's command of "making disciples." The value of this project is the plan that is developed to ensure that new converts will be placed with a disciple to confirm his or her Christian growth. This project will take the reader through a step-by-step plan to prepare, conduct and follow-up on an evangelism event to ensure that the Great Commission is fulfilled for the new convert to successfully walk in …

By This They Will Know: Discipleship Principles To Transform The Church, Mark R. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current research indicates that ninety-five million individuals in America do not attend church. Nearly forty percent, of this group, have a negative impression of Christianity. The purpose of this project is to study the forces that that are transforming the American culture, and the dynamics that are perpetuating a bad image of Christianity. The author will evaluate the current state of spiritual formation in the Christian community, and make recommendations for developing an effective discipleship strategy for the church. The impetus for this paper is the Great commission issued by Jesus as recorded in Matthew 28:19. The paper will incorporate …

Missão Integral [Holistic Mission Or The ‘Whole Gospel’] Applied: Brazilian Evangelical Models Of Holistic Mission In The Arab-Muslim World, Edward L. Smither

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-2015)

In this article, I will first show the historical development of this theological approach within the Brazilian and Latin American evangelical spheres through the work of the Latin American Theological Fraternity – a movement founded in 1970 that maintained historic evangelical values (i.e. a high view of Scripture, the necessity of conversion) whilst also taking Latin America’s great social needs into account. Nurtured by thinkers such as René Padilla (Ecuador), Orlando Costas (Puerto Rico), Samuel Escobar (Peru), and later Valdir Steuernagel (Brazil), the movement has not only responded to the concerns raised by Liberation theologians, but it has also influenced …

Brazilian Evangelical Missions Among Arabs: History, Culture, Practice, And Theology, Edward L. Smither

Faculty Dissertations

The aim of this work is to tell part of the story of the Brazilian evangelical missions movement by focusing on the work and Brazilian evangelical transcultural workers serving in mission in the context of the Arab-Muslim world. These participants are members of a broader movement of more than 5000 Brazilian evangelicals serving around the world—an evangelical labor force large than that of England or Canada—which has grown significantly since 1976.

In order to locate the work of Brazilian evangelicals in an Arab-Muslim context, it was important to first offer a historical narrative showing how Brazil has shifted in the …

Church Growth Through Social Welfare In South Korean Churches: Its Situation And Reformation Plan, Insu Kang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to help church's growth by observing, analyzing and applying the situation of Korean church's social welfare programs. Korean churches are getting interested in social welfare and operating social welfare programs voluntarily to help the neighbors. They are spreading gospel of Jesus and growing through social welfare activities. However, many churches are struggling to find suitable social welfare programs for them. The author will examine the meaning of church social welfare and biblical basis and compare social welfare situation of Korean churches and American churches to research and apply for suitable programs for Korean churches.

Developing A Program For Every Member To Be A Missionary In The Local Church, Joey Todd Anthony

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The program was created by researching the methods of training used by the International Mission Board and the North America Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as well as Wycliffe Bible Translators. Books and articles relating to missions and missionaries were researched. The Scriptures were applied to the theoretical basis for the program. The program, "Every Member a Missionary;' was created to train the local church member to begin to think and act like a missionary. The program equips the church member to learn how to meet the lost people where they are and point them to Jesus.

The Biblical Approach To Church Growth Through Personal Evangelism, Ho Kyung Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The greatest commandment of the Lord is preaching the gospel all over the world. It is the duty of all Christians to preach the gospel to the world. If we are negligent about it, we may lose God's blessings. When we study the way Jesus preached the gospel, we see that He personally met people individually and called them to become His disciples. Those who met Jesus personally became evangelists themselves, proclaimed God's Word, and expanded the church. Jesus built the church so that it would do His work after He left this earth. Therefore, it is the mission of …

Church Growth: State Of The Art, C. Peter Wagner, Win Arn, Elmer L. Towns

Books

No abstract provided.

Theoretical Foundations Of African And Western Worldviews And Their Relationship To Christian Theologizing: An Akamba Case Study, Jones Kaleli

Faculty Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the theoretical foundations of African and western worldviews and their relationship to Christian theologizing. The dissertation seeks to contend two propositions: (1) Christian theology results from the disciplined reflection on God's biblical revelation by the believing hermeneutical community, and (2) a disciplined hermeneutic reflection on God's Word can best be done within the context of a people's worldview. The study adopts both a diachronic and a microcosmic approach to Christian theologizing in contemporary Africa, i.e. a non-generalizing Christian theologizing method that confines itself to a specific people, their culture and worldview. Thus, …