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Distinctively Vineyard: An Identity In The Making, Christine K. Eubanks

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

Since the death of the movement's founder John Wimber, many have been wondering about the current state and future of the Vineyard Church movement. This article discusses the identity of the movement.

Congregational Character: From Stories To Story, Tom Steffen

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

The wide influence of television, media, and computer technology has created a story-telling culture in the United States. Dr. Tom Steffen suggests that denominational leaders and church consultants must begin using a story telling model of analysis to be effective in this new millennium. His insightful ideas are fully discussed in “Congregational Character: From Stories to Story.”

Prayer And Church Growth, Marlin Mull

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

This article presents evidence that prayer should play a major role in church growth. His study compares the commitment to prayer in growing and non-growing churches in The Wesleyan Church. His results confirm that prayer will be a core aspect of growing churches in the 21st Century.

A Strategy For Pastors To Mobilize And Equip Lay Members For Evangelism In Tanzania, Herry Mhando

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist church membership in Tanzania is only over 200,000 while the population is more than 32 million. There is a need of a strategy to reach these millions with the gospel. Second, there are about 250 pastors, each taking care of an average of six to ten churches. This heavy pastoral responsibility makes it difficult for them to fulfill their evangelistic responsibilities. The only solution appears to be motivation and equipping of the lay members for evangelism.

Method. With the help of biblical resources and selected literature on the subject, this project focuses on the theology, theories, …

Moving Seventh-Day Adventist Churches Beyond The Two Hundred Barrier, David Ripley

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Seventh-day Adventist churches have found themselves largely unable to grow beyond the 200-in-attendance barrier. Book membership may continue to increase, yet attendance plateaus. Outside of the institutional setting, there are very few Anglo Adventist churches that have grown beyond the barrier.

Method. The pastors of ten churches that were chiefly Anglo, 300-400 in attendance, and not in an institutional setting were surveyed. Ten churches with less than 220 in attendance and having a book membership of at least 350 were also surveyed. These were compared, looking for features that would make a difference.

Results. Differences do occur between the …

Strengthening The Vitality Of New Hope Free Methodist Church Through The Natural Church Development Approach, Linda J. Adams

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Church Planting Programs Of Five Similar-Sized Denominations In The United States, Dennis Duane Powell

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Playing With The Word: The Use Of Participatory Drama Technique In The Sermon, Donald R. Murray Jr.

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Mi 770 Christian Mission And Global Culture, Howard A. Snyder

Syllabi

Berger, Peter, ed. The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999. 135 pp. Friedman, Thomas L. The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization. Rev. ed. New York, NY: Random House, 490 pp. Rifkin, Jeremy. The Age of Access: The New Culture of Hypercapitalism Where All of Life is a Paid- For Experience. New York, NY: Tarcher/Putnam, 2000. 312 pp. Sine, Tom. Mustard Seed versus McWorld: Reinventing Life and Faith for the Future. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1999. 249 pp. Snyder, Howard A. EarthCurrents: The Struggle for the World’s Soul. Nashville, TN: Abingdon …

Shapes Of Ministry In The New Testament, P. Gerard Damsteegt

Faculty Publications

The chapter evaluates an interpretation of the New Testament ministry that argues that there was no specific local church organization spelled out in the Bible. The absence of organizational structure allows for the ordination of women in the local church and presents Junia as the first female apostle and Phoebe as a female minister. The evaluation presents the biblical structure of leadership and shows that through incorrect interpretation of the texts this view distorts the biblical view of local church leadership.

Crossroads United Methodist Church In Recovery: A Study Of The Incorporation And Effectiveness Of Seven Essential Elements Necessary For Revitalization, Mark Linley Alexander

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Building A Firm Foundation: Collaborative Visioning With A Church Plant Core Group, Bruce Lee Emmert

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Map Through The Minefield: Church Merger As A Strategy For Starting New Faith Communities, Kelly D. Mcclendon

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Turner's Model Of Human Sociality And Missionary-Host Relationships: A Case Study In Intercultural Bonding, Jerry Lee Page

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Harding University Graduate School Of Religion 2000-2001 Catalog, Harding University

Harding Academic Catalogs

Academic catalog for the graduate program in Bible and religion.

Growing The Devotional Life Through The Spiritual Disciplines Of Silence And Solitude, Timothy James Clemons

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.