Digital Commons Network^™

Book Review: Graceful Evangelism: Christian Witness In A Complex World By Frances S. Adeney, Laurie Fortunak Nichols

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Mother Of All Challenges: Constant Change, Enormous Needs, But-For-God Impossible Difficulties, John Thompson

Great Commission Research Journal

Half of the population of the world lives in cities of one million or more. If we don’t reach and disciple from these masses, our future missionary and pastoral force will be diminished. The book Urban Impact is a trumpet call to muster our forces but also deals with the philosophy and practical principles that make any ministry in the city successful. Brandishing a practical writing style coupled with real life experiences, the author helps the reader understand the problems, burdens, joys, and powerful impact cities have on the rest of society.

Church Planting: Looking Back, Looking Forward, Looking Up, Looking Out, David Stein

Great Commission Research Journal

Church planting is one of the most exciting endeavors one can be blessed with the opportunity in which to participate. C. Peter Wagner once called church planting the single most effective evangelistic strategy under heaven. After one studies, prepares, and gets out into the real world, however, one can find that not everything always goes as planned or as desired. This article will reflect on church planting from an experiential and biographical perspective as well as through interaction with other experts in the field via literature. The writer hopes the reader will find insight, value, and encouragement to apply to …

Introduction, Alan Mcmahan

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Pauline Spiritual Warfare: How A Warfare Mentality Shaped Paul’S Approach To Missions, Will Brooks

Great Commission Research Journal

Paul’s understanding of the condition of nonbelievers and his understanding of how Satan attacks believers is explained in this article. In support of this effort the biblical data is examined and lessons arising from the Pauline corpus in relation to these two issues are noted. Paul’s perspective on these two issues is explored as it relates to his missiological practice. The article, then, concludes with some contemporary applications of this study as they affect current missiological practices.

The Urban Legacy Of Twentieth Century Missiology, Jeff K. Walters

Great Commission Research Journal

In this “urban century,” it is sometimes easy to forget that urban work is not new to global missions. The purpose of this article is to review the work of four key twentieth century missiologists—Donald A. McGavran, Francis DuBose, Harvie Conn, and Roger Greenway— and consider their impact on the evangelism and missions in urban contexts. The article concludes with a brief analysis of their missiology and its application to twenty-first century missions strategy.

Book Review: Spiritual Leadership In A Secular Age: Building Bridges Instead Of Barriers By Edward H. Hammett, Lloyd W. Rodgers

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Facilitator Era: Beyond Pioneer Church Multiplication By Tom Steffen, Matthew L. Pierce

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Judicatory Leadership And The Urban Challenge: A Wesleyan District Makes The Move, Richard E. Meeks

Great Commission Research Journal

Detroit, Michigan, finds itself listed in the “top ten” of our nation’s dead or dying cities. After a forty year absence, God is calling the Wesleyan Church back into this great city. This denomination’s East Michigan District is leading the way. The thrust of urban ministry is gaining momentum as church leaders commit to reaching the cities. Judicatory leaders must understand the challenges that come with the opportunities. Richard chronicles the East Michigan District’s journey and shares their experience and learning to assist others in making the move into church planting in a major city’s urban environment.

About The Great Commission Research Network, Alan Mcmahan

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

A Seed On Good Soil, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

When Gardner-Webb’s current Missionary in Residence, Mike Boone, first sensed a call to ministry, it never occurred to him that he could be something other than a preacher. “I wish someone had told me to sit down and ask myself, ‘What do I like to do?’,” Boone says. ” I’ve always loved working outside, working with plants. I love to see things grow. But I didn’t know I could use that for ministry.” God knew better.

06/17/2011 Obituary Records, Hawaii Obituaries

Obituaries

List of Obituaries for individuals who passed away on 06/17/2011. Scroll down to see the names and obituary description.

Concordia Seminary Magazine | Spring/Summer 2011, Paul Devantier

Concordia Seminary Magazine

International influence

The Banner - V. 146, No. 6 - (June 2011), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

6 - Editorial: Denominational Governance: Time to Get Back to Reformed Basics by Bob De Moor and Gayla Postma / 11 - Catch Your Breath: Loss and a Lavender Orchid by Kristin Ellens / 12 - IMHO: Loving Muslims into the Kingdom by Henry Persenaire-Hogeterp / 12 - Letters to the Editor / 14 - News: Director of denominational ministries resigns. / 18 - A Call from the CRC’s Young Adults by Chelsey Munneke / 21 - Frequently Asked Questions / 22 - House Churches Multiply in Mexico by Sarah Van Stempvoort / 26 - Dear Reader: Thank God for …

The Echo: May 13, 2011, Taylor University

2010-2011 (Volume 98)

2015 class sets standards – Next stop Korea – Osama Bin Laden killed in secret raid – In Briefs – Deadly storms slam south – The Bubble – Terrorist’s death sparks diverse reactions – World Voices – Panel highlights recent revolutions in the Middle East – On This Day in History – Around the World in 30 Seconds – Breaching the Bubble – ‘Heart Strings and Soul Surgery’ – Mr. TU entertains Taylor community – How to be a cheap philanthropist – Stream of consciousness: An essay tee or an a see tee – Student directors take the stage – …

Beyond Change- Overcoming The Barriers To Small Rural Church Revitalization, Allen F. Wachter

Seminary Masters Theses

Many of the rural churches of the Free Methodist Denomination in the Northeast region of the United States have experienced substantial stagnation and/or decline of their attendance rates over the past five years. This begs the questions, "What is preventing these churches from being revitalized so they too can be used as vessels to grow the Kingdom of God?" Though many obstructions to kingdom growth1 exist, this study focuses on the following five barriers: resistance to change, under-utilization of spiritual gifts, relational dysfunction, apathy, and lack of love. The source of these barriers was discovered through personal observation and experience …

The Banner - V. 146, No. 5 - (May 2011), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

6 - Editorial: True Dialogue by Bob De Moor / 7 - Catch Your Breath: Return to Wonder by Simon Cunningham / 8 - IMHO: U.S. Budget Cuts Could Harm Poor by Gary Mulder / 8 - Letters to the Editor / 10 - News: CRC executive director resigns / 18 - Jihad: What Does the Qur'an Really Say? by Tom Oosterhuis / 22 - Scholarship, Strings, and Stars by Matt Kucinski / 26 - Dear Reader: We Need to Talk by Jerry Dykstra / 30 - Just for Kids: Stormy Weather by Sandy Swartzentruber / 32 - Our Fundamental …

Beyond Change-Overcoming The Barriers To Small Rural Church Revitalization, Allen F. Wachter

Doctor of Ministry

Many of the rural churches of the Free Methodist Denomination in the Northeast region of the United States have experienced substantial stagnation and/or decline of their attendance rates over the past five years. This begs the questions, "What is preventing these churches from being revitalized so they too can be used as vessels to grow the Kingdom of God?" Though many obstructions to kingdom growth1 exist, this study focuses on the following five barriers: resistance to change, under-utilization of spiritual gifts, relational dysfunction, apathy, and lack of love. The source of these barriers was discovered through personal observation and experience …

Online Church: A Biblical Community, Jefferson Todd Mullins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Faith and spirituality widely exist in the virtual world of the Internet, spanning the continuum of expression from the traditional to the abstract. This religious presence online includes every religion, and included Christianity. Whether one believes the Christian church is capable of existing online has much to do with one's perspective of the Internet and one's definition of church. The author will address the use of the Internet to build Christian community and establish the church in a virtual environment. Arguments for and against the church online will answer the question, "Is church online truly the church?"

Illuminating Exclusion: Constructions Of National Identity In The Washington National Cathedral's Stained Glass Windows, Maggie T. Gleason

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. offers itself as a national monument and spiritual center for the American people. Thousands of tourists and worshipers visit the Cathedral every year to admire its Neo-Gothic style architecture, stained glass windows, hand-carved sculpture and the general splendor of the massive medieval-inspired structure. I argue that the imagery and iconography of this ornamentation presents American national identity as white and Christian, an ideal that is cultivated through the exclusion and domination of minority racial groups and alternative belief systems in the Cathedral’s decorative program, through the stained glass windows.

In order to shed …

A Global Approach For The Local Church As Mission Agent And Agency, Jonathan Edward Stairs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to reclaim the local church's mandate to mobilize disciples to complete the Great Commission. It appears that the evangelical church has abdicated its responsibility of reproducing disciples to other ministries and needs to re-establish disciple-making as its primary focus. Therefore, the project will outline how one church, Calvary Baptist Church in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, intends to realign itself with the New Testament paradigm of the church as both a mission agent and agency. The potential value will be the development of a clear and effective discipleship pathway leading churches toward a Biblically-balanced "commissional" movement.

The Fort Wayne Vine, Fort Wayne Alumni Center Heritage Association

TUFW Alumni Publications (All)

The Spring 2011 edition of The Fort Wayne Alumnus, published by Taylor University Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Autonomy Or Multi-Site? A Policy Capturing Study Of Two Models Of Church Planting For The Guidance Of Future Site Planting At Ascension Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kansas, Michael Bingenheimer

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The purpose of this study was to produce a set of reasoned recommendations for future site planting for Ascension Lutheran Church, Wichita, KS. Ascension unintentionally became a multi-site congregation in 2002. This study looks at thirteen Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod congregations. Six congregations planted independent congregations (daughter sites). Six congregations planted multi-site venues (sister sites). One congregation has used both models of church planting. The primary component for information gathering was a survey seeking information from each of these churches on how they decided which model to follow. Understanding the reasoning and assumptions made by these churches, I developed …

The Banner - V. 146, No. 4 - (April 2011), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

6 - Editorial: Christ Has Risen Indeed! by Bob De Moor / 7 - Catch Your Breath: Hitting the Wall by Trevor Payton / 8 - IMHO: Get Off the Global Warming Bandwagon by Paul Rhoda / 8 - Letters to the Editor / 10 - News: CRC Board of Trustees adopts diversity report / 19 - Frequently Asked Questions / 20 - The Kingdom on Earth or in Heaven? by Sylvia Keesmaat / 22 - Gospel-centered Renewal: The Philadelphia Story by Natalie Hart / 26 - Dear Reader: Rendering to Caesar—and Thanking God by Jerry Dykstra / 30 - …

Faith Communities Today 2010 Study For The North American Division, Petr Cincala, Raquel Rodriguez, Roger Dudley

Human Subject Research Archive

Since the year 2000, the Faith Communities Today study conducted every five years has extensively examined the practices, weakness, strengths and challenges facing the North American Division. This paper examines the results of a 2010 replication of the original study.

The Nature Of Evangelism In Missional Churches, Russell York

Doctor of Ministry

Evangelism has long been at the heart of God's mission for the church. The arrival of the twenty-first century brought with it renewed interest in both the mission of the church and evangelism, a practice central to the church's mission. A leading factor in this resurgence is the decline in church attendance over the past several decades. The most influential factors leading to the decline in attendance are culture changes from modernism to postmodemism and from a Christendom society to a post-Christian pluralistic society. These culture shifts resulted in the diminishing influence of the church and non-Christians' often harboring hostile …

The Banner - V. 146, No. 3 - (March 2011), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

6 - Editorial: Go Calvin! by Bob De Moor / 7 - Catch Your Breath: Parque Central by Joel Van Dyke / 8 - IMHO: The Muslim-Christian Chasm by Paul Hansen / 8 - Letters to the Editor / 10 - News: Canadian government cuts CRWRC funding / 17 - Frequently Asked Questions / 18 - Yes and No: Lent and the Reformed Faith Today by John D. Witvliet / 20 - A Sacred Circle by Rebecca Warren with Roy Berkenbosch, Travis Enright, and Maggie Hodgson / 22 - Called to Be Sent by Kristen deRoo VanderBerg / 26 - …

Reformed Worship (Rw) 99 - Ascension / Pentecost (March 2011), Reformed Worship Editors

Reformed Worship Magazine

Features

A Wonderful Hope by Calvin Brondyke....3

Alive to the Spirit by Leonard Kuyvenhoven....6

From the Cross, through the Church, to the World by Steve Van Zanen, Diane Dykgraaf, and Ben Van Houten....10

The Holy Spirit, Our Guide by Lenae Bulthuis....14

Praying with Brothers and Sisters from Guatemala by Julia Esquivel....15

Remembering Those with HIV/AIDS by Jennifer Holmes Curran....16

True Confessions by Scott Hoezee....17

Passing the Peace by Paul Ryan....26

From Rebel to Worshiper by Ron Man....34

The Wilderness Transformed by Rudy W. Ouwehand....38

Reaffirmation of Ordination by MaryAnn McKibben …

Developing A Strategy For Planting Southern Baptist Churches In Northeast North Carolina, Jeffery Clark Russell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to determine a strategy for planting new churches in the northeast North Carolina region. This thesis will also consider if there is a certain type of person who might demonstrate a contextual propensity toward a new church by exploring the cultural distinctives found among the people of this region as well as the history of church planting in geographic and cultural context. The thesis will engage in demographic research, and explore resources adequate for the planting of new churches helpful to other Southern Baptist associations and other denominations.

Effective Discipleship In Central Virginia: Contextualizing The Great Commission In A Changing Southern Culture, Andrew Gregory Moroz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The overall mission of the church is to make disciples of all nations. Gospel Community Church is a church plant that is striving to make disciples in central VA and around the world. The purpose of this thesis is to develop an effective discipleship strategy for GCC. In order to develop this strategy, this thesis first considers the history and culture of central VA, the Biblical mandate and examples of discipleship in the Bible, snapshots of discipleship throughout church history, and current forms of discipleship in central VA churches.