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Book Review: New Funding Models In Global Mission: Learning From The Majority World By Tim Welch, John Cheong Oct 2023

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.


Need-Oriented Evangelism: Encountering, Embracing, And Experiencing God, Petr Činčala, Allison Sauceda Oct 2023

Need-Oriented Evangelism: Encountering, Embracing, And Experiencing God, Petr Činčala, Allison Sauceda

Great Commission Research Journal

This article provides a fresh perspective on evangelism by reflecting a belief in the Triune God--the source of saving truth and loving community. Mission is part of God’s nature; he is the ultimate Missionary. Mission happens naturally whenever children of God intentionally invite and facilitate God’s presence. Over time, the word “evangelism" has become contaminated by myths, a false understanding of God, and unpleasant religious experiences and practices. Genuine evangelism addresses the most burning issues of people’s lives and should be treated as such. True evangelism involves caring about, praying for, and sharing with people. The practical part of this …


About The Great Commission Research Network, David R. Dunaetz Azusa Pacific University Oct 2023

About The Great Commission Research Network, David R. Dunaetz Azusa Pacific University

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Book Review: No Shortcut To Success: A Manifesto For Modern Missions By Matt Rhodes, Kenneth Nehrbass Oct 2023

Book Review: No Shortcut To Success: A Manifesto For Modern Missions By Matt Rhodes, Kenneth Nehrbass

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Great Commission Research Journal Fall 2023, David R. Dunaetz Azusa Pacific University Oct 2023

Great Commission Research Journal Fall 2023, David R. Dunaetz Azusa Pacific University

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Book Review: Administry: The Nuts And Bolts Of Church Administration By Thomas F. Tumblin, Timothy Clothier Oct 2023

Book Review: Administry: The Nuts And Bolts Of Church Administration By Thomas F. Tumblin, Timothy Clothier

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Trust, Scripture, And The Spirit As Core Values Of Evangelism In A Chinantec Village In Oaxaca, Mexico, Eliseo Arce Hernandez, Ashley Stamper Apr 2023

Trust, Scripture, And The Spirit As Core Values Of Evangelism In A Chinantec Village In Oaxaca, Mexico, Eliseo Arce Hernandez, Ashley Stamper

Great Commission Research Journal

The paper provides both a rationale for an approach to evangelism and a practical, replicable ministry model focusing on three core values (trust, Scripture, and the Spirit) in order for churches and individuals to effectively fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20), particularly in cross-cultural contexts. A case study using this model in an indigenous Chinantec community in Oaxaca, Mexico, is presented. In contrast to modern evangelistic strategies that emphasize speed and numbers, this model and field example offer an alternative approach to church planting, an approach with a long-term focus and a goal of mature disciples and healthy churches.


My Pilgrimage In Church Growth, Gary L. Mcintosh Apr 2023

My Pilgrimage In Church Growth, Gary L. Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

A short autobiography by Gary McIntosh focusing on his role in the Church Growth Movement


Book Review: Missions And Money: Global Realities And Challenges By Jonathan J. Bonk, Michel G. Distefano, J. Nelson Jennings, Jinbong Kim, And Jae Hoon Lee, Gregory C. Cochran Apr 2023

Book Review: Missions And Money: Global Realities And Challenges By Jonathan J. Bonk, Michel G. Distefano, J. Nelson Jennings, Jinbong Kim, And Jae Hoon Lee, Gregory C. Cochran

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


About The Great Commission Research Network (April 2023), David R. Dunaetz Apr 2023

About The Great Commission Research Network (April 2023), David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Growing And Declining Churches Face Different Challenges: A Statistical Analysis Of The Top Ten Challenges Facing Churches Study, David R. Dunaetz Apr 2023

Growing And Declining Churches Face Different Challenges: A Statistical Analysis Of The Top Ten Challenges Facing Churches Study, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

The data behind the study The Top Ten Challenges Facing Churches (Moody, 2023) is presented and analyzed with a focus on differences between growing churches and non-growing churches. Church leaders (N = 129) indicated how difficult they believed it would be for North American churches to overcome 50 potential challenges. For most challenges, no significant difference between the church leaders from growing and non-growing churches was detected. However, church leaders from non-growing churches viewed 1) attractiveness of programs, 2) retaining young adults, 3) youth programs, 4) small group participation, and 5) effective strategy as more difficult challenges to overcome than …


The Great Commission Research Network 2022 Presidential Address, Jay Moon Oct 2022

The Great Commission Research Network 2022 Presidential Address, Jay Moon

Great Commission Research Journal

Presidential message at the 2022 Annual Conference of the Great Commission Research Network held in Orlando, Florida.


Book Review: Advanced Missiology: How To Study Missions In Credible And Useful Ways By Kenneth R. Nehrbass, Keith R. Sellers Oct 2022

Book Review: Advanced Missiology: How To Study Missions In Credible And Useful Ways By Kenneth R. Nehrbass, Keith R. Sellers

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Book Review: Motus Dei: The Movement Of God To Disciple The Nations Edited By Warrick Farah, David H. Campbell Oct 2022

Book Review: Motus Dei: The Movement Of God To Disciple The Nations Edited By Warrick Farah, David H. Campbell

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


About The Great Commission Research Network Fall 2022, David R. Dunaetz Oct 2022

About The Great Commission Research Network Fall 2022, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Church-Based Research: Using Theories, Concepts, And Operationalizations, David R. Dunaetz Oct 2022

Church-Based Research: Using Theories, Concepts, And Operationalizations, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

Church-based research requires working with abstract concepts ranging from sin to sanctification. Theories, concepts, and operationalizations allow us to work with these abstractions. Theories are sets of statements describing how specific concepts relate to each other. Concepts are broad ideas that exist in our thinking that can be used to describe phenomena, both within and exterior to the church. If we measure the concepts in our theories among multiple people, we can determine to what degree the relationships in our theories are true or discover under what conditions they are true. Sometimes concepts can be measured directly; other times they …


Book Review: Turning Points In The Expansion Of Christianity: From Pentecost To The Present By Alice Ott, David Thiessen Oct 2022

Book Review: Turning Points In The Expansion Of Christianity: From Pentecost To The Present By Alice Ott, David Thiessen

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Book Review: Apostolic Imagination: Recovering A Biblical Vision For The Church’S Mission Today By J. D. Payne, H. L. Ward Jr. Oct 2022

Book Review: Apostolic Imagination: Recovering A Biblical Vision For The Church’S Mission Today By J. D. Payne, H. L. Ward Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Great Commission Research Journal Fall 2022, David R. Dunaetz Oct 2022

Great Commission Research Journal Fall 2022, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Writing Literature Reviews In Church-Based Research, David R. Dunaetz Mar 2022

Writing Literature Reviews In Church-Based Research, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

Because of the knowledge explosion taking place, literature reviews in church-based research are needed more than ever. Summaries and syntheses of previous research make this knowledge available to practitioners and help researchers focus on what remains unknown. In contrast to empirical studies, literature reviews rely on previously published studies to make conclusions and advance theory. These studies may include both church-based research and more general research that is not particularly Christian. In contrast to meta-analyses which focus on synthesizing statistical information, literature reviews focus on conceptual synthesis and theory advancement. To write a literature review, authors must first choose a …


Leadership: Essential For A Church To Grow Numerically And Spiritually, Steven L. Estes Mar 2022

Leadership: Essential For A Church To Grow Numerically And Spiritually, Steven L. Estes

Great Commission Research Journal

This article relates the spiritual gift of leadership (Rom. 12:8) to numerical church growth. Scripture presents spiritually gifted leaders as those who received authority from God and had knowledge of his will for his people. Biblical leaders delegated effectively and encouraged those who were given tasks to accomplish. The overall scope of biblical teaching on leadership indicates that pastors/elders should have the gift of leadership. Allowing those who qualify and have the gift of leadership to emerge is crucial for the health of a church.


The Continuity Mindset For Christian Mission, Jack T. Davison Mar 2022

The Continuity Mindset For Christian Mission, Jack T. Davison

Great Commission Research Journal

Missionaries from the Global North regularly serve as trainers for Christians in the Global South. From personal experience, missionaries are regularly seen as being qualified to do this work simply because of their position. Rather than missionaries assuming they are competent purely on the basis of their titles, I believe they should instead practice the Continuity Mindset for Christian Mission, a mindset that emphasizes the continuity of one’s identity and ministry in one’s home culture with one’s identity and ministry in the host culture. This practice includes elements of vulnerable mission, nonresidential mission, tentmaking, cultural intelligence, and authentic leadership. I …


About The Great Commission Research Network Spring 2022, David R. Dunaetz Mar 2022

About The Great Commission Research Network Spring 2022, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


The Sinner’S Prayer: An Inappropriate Ritual For Thai Christian Culture And A Suggested Replacement, Kelly M. Hilderbrand Mar 2022

The Sinner’S Prayer: An Inappropriate Ritual For Thai Christian Culture And A Suggested Replacement, Kelly M. Hilderbrand

Great Commission Research Journal

The practice of encouraging seekers to say the sinner’s prayer has become commonplace in Thailand. However, the practice is relatively recent and has developed out of Western individualistic assumptions. It is not an explicitly biblical practice and has serious practical problems, producing decisions for Christ that often do not result in a long-term commitment to Christianity. The practice also runs counter to many Thai cultural norms and can be harmful to evangelism and discipleship in Thailand. This article suggests a different approach, the prayer challenge.


Great Commission Research Journal Spring 2022, David R. Dunaetz Mar 2022

Great Commission Research Journal Spring 2022, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Quick Responses To Community Needs In Two Churches During The Pandemic, Brad Ransom, Edward E. Moody Sep 2021

Quick Responses To Community Needs In Two Churches During The Pandemic, Brad Ransom, Edward E. Moody

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Announcements, David R. Dunaetz Sep 2021

Announcements, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Identifying Current Gaps In Church Planting Movements Research: Integrating First- And Second-Order Perspectives, Warrick Farah Sep 2021

Identifying Current Gaps In Church Planting Movements Research: Integrating First- And Second-Order Perspectives, Warrick Farah

Great Commission Research Journal

The proliferation of church planting movements in least-reached peoples today provides an opportunity ripe for missiological research. Using the online application form for the Movements Research Symposium 2020 of the Motus Dei Network, this article identifies six gaps of understanding in the missiological discourse on movements: 1) Deepening Theological and Missiological Descriptions of Movements, 2) Identifying Best Practices and Effective Movement Strategies, 3) Clarifying Issues of Ecclesiology – Practical, Theological, and Spiritual, 4) Training Movement Catalysts and Practitioners, 5) Highlighting Contextual, Sociological, and Holistic Features of Movements, and 6) Documenting Movements with Respect to Verification, Metrics, and Administration. However, issues …


Complete Issue Fall 2021: Innovation In Churches, David R. Dunaetz Sep 2021

Complete Issue Fall 2021: Innovation In Churches, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.


The Importance Of Hypotheses In Church-Based Research, David R. Dunaetz Editor Apr 2021

The Importance Of Hypotheses In Church-Based Research, David R. Dunaetz Editor

Great Commission Research Journal

The role of hypotheses is central both in church-related research and in Christian ministry. Hypotheses guide the collection of data to determine what is true in research and provide tentative guidelines for action in ministry, even when they are not yet confirmed. Well-constructed hypotheses are based on previous research and provide clear potential solutions to research problems. They succinctly posit a testable relationship between two or more variables. Such hypotheses can be tested through appropriately designed research. Statistical techniques can indicate to what degree the evidence collected supports the hypotheses. In church-based research, hypotheses to be examined can come from …