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My Pilgrimage In The Growth Of The Church, Charles Van Engen
My Pilgrimage In The Growth Of The Church, Charles Van Engen
Great Commission Research Journal
I have lived a life invested in the growth of the church and forming leaders who would mobilize the church toward growth. I have sought to pay forward what others did for me. Born of missionary parents, I was raised in the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. From 1973 to 1985, my wife, Jean, and I served the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico in Chiapas, Mexico, in leadership formation, training evangelists, pastors, and teachers of rapidly growing churches. In 1981, I received a Ph.D. in missiology under Johannes Verkuyl at the Free University of Amsterdam. I taught Mission Theology …
Outside The Church Walls: An Empirical Exploration Of Organizational Culture And Pastoral Leadership In Two Urban Churches, Althea P. Gordon-Scott, Joshua D. Henson, Bethany D. Peters, Katrina Hutchins
Outside The Church Walls: An Empirical Exploration Of Organizational Culture And Pastoral Leadership In Two Urban Churches, Althea P. Gordon-Scott, Joshua D. Henson, Bethany D. Peters, Katrina Hutchins
Great Commission Research Journal
A mini-ethnographic case study explored the interconnections of organizational culture and pastoral leadership with sustainable outreach in two very different churches that focus on ministry to people with life-controlling issues and economic need: a small, primarily Black church in the Great Lakes region and a large, primarily White and Hispanic church in the western United States. Despite their differences, the churches shared similar espoused values and leadership characteristics that facilitated their outreach initiatives. Themes derived from the data include altruistic foundations, the value of relationships, exemplary pastoral leadership, organizational challenges, agile organizational systems, and the centrality of God.
Using Demographics And Psychographics To Advance The Great Commission: Lessons From The National Association Of Free Will Baptists, Edward E. Mooody Jr.
Using Demographics And Psychographics To Advance The Great Commission: Lessons From The National Association Of Free Will Baptists, Edward E. Mooody Jr.
Great Commission Research Journal
For decades, marketers have used demographics and psychographics to engage different segments of the population. Psychographics refers to the study of people’s activities, interests, opinions, values, attitudes, and lifestyles to better understand and predict behavior beyond what can be learned from demographic characteristics alone (Demby, 1974; Wells & Tigert, 1971). This paper examines whether these strategies can be effectively adapted to advance the Great Commission. The practices of the early church, particularly those of the Apostle Paul, reflect principles that are consistent with contemporary demographic and psychographic analysis. In this paper, the process of using an approach to help churches …
Ethnicity And Evangelism: Understanding The Crucial Role Of Ethnic, Social, And Cultural Factors In Proclaiming The Gospel, Bernardo Salcedo
Ethnicity And Evangelism: Understanding The Crucial Role Of Ethnic, Social, And Cultural Factors In Proclaiming The Gospel, Bernardo Salcedo
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This dissertation examines the pivotal role of ethnic and socio-cultural backgrounds in proclaiming and expanding the gospel to the nations during the early church's formative period. Building upon the theological foundation of God's overarching mission plan throughout Scripture, the research examines how these factors influenced the development of early Christian evangelism, particularly concerning the context of Jewish, Samaritan, and Gentile cultures. The study argues that the early church’s approach to spreading the gospel was profoundly influenced by the ethnic and cultural contexts of the people it encountered. Thus, the dissertation proposes that understanding these cultural dynamics is essential for a …
Conversations That Matter : Discerning And Responding To Prevenient Grace In Evangelistic Practice Among Australian Nazarenes, Richard H. Giesken
Conversations That Matter : Discerning And Responding To Prevenient Grace In Evangelistic Practice Among Australian Nazarenes, Richard H. Giesken
ATS Dissertations
No abstract provided.
A New Testament Theology Of Evangelistic Prayer, Preston Gagnon
A New Testament Theology Of Evangelistic Prayer, Preston Gagnon
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Evangelistic prayer is widely assumed to be appropriate, but the biblical basis for the practice has been insufficiently argued. Some evangelistic resources assume evangelistic prayer is necessary. Others overlook the practice, and many discuss evangelistic prayer by making minimal arguments for the practice. Due to the lack of comprehensive arguments for evangelistic prayer, some authors have been able to claim that prayers for the lost are unbiblical. This dissertation enters the conversation by arguing that the New Testament presents evangelistic prayer as a biblically mandated, exemplified, and theologically supported practice. This argument is made by expositing twelve key New Testament …
E-Training: A Model To Reach Next Generations - A Training Program, Alice L. Jeter-Mays
E-Training: A Model To Reach Next Generations - A Training Program, Alice L. Jeter-Mays
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The aim of this dissertation-in-praxis was to assist ONE Church, Atl: (OCA) in creating a strategy (program) which would focus on church growth, spiritual growth, community involvement and reaching lost generations. The program developed drew upon the Authentic Leadership Theory (George, 2003), which speaks on the authenticity of the leader showing genuine love, empathy and concern for followers. The Transformational Leadership Theory was included, which motivates the leader to engage the followers positively (Burns, 1978). The program also addressed the servant leader as introduced by Greenleaf (1977), emphasizing putting others ahead of themselves and always looking to the welfare of …
Unchanging Gospel Message, Changing Context: Contextualization Strategies In The Lukan Paul, Irenaeus, And Athanasius, Joy Axelsson
Unchanging Gospel Message, Changing Context: Contextualization Strategies In The Lukan Paul, Irenaeus, And Athanasius, Joy Axelsson
MA in Religion Theses
This thesis examines how early Christian leaders strategically contextualized the gospel within the diverse sociohistorical contexts of the Roman Empire while maintaining theological consistency. Using a comparative synchronic methodology adapted from Michael Gorman, it analyzes five primary texts spanning the first through fourth centuries: the Lukan Paul’s missionary speeches in Acts (Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, and Athens), Irenaeus’s On the Apostolic Preaching, and Athanasius’s On the Incarnation. Each text is analyzed within its literary, historical, and cultural context to identify patterns of strategic constants and variables in gospel presentation. The analysis shows that central gospel elements, such as Christology, monotheism, …
Cultivating An Evangelistic Culture At Mountain Chapel Methodist Church Through Preaching, Nicholas Channing Hughes
Cultivating An Evangelistic Culture At Mountain Chapel Methodist Church Through Preaching, Nicholas Channing Hughes
Dissertations
The purpose of this project was to examine the effectiveness of an intentional sermon series, Everyday Evangelism, in cultivating an evangelistic culture at Mountain Chapel Methodist Church, a Global Methodist congregation. The study used a program evaluation model and addressed the question, How does preaching cultivate an evangelistic culture in the local church, along with questions concerning growth in prayerfulness for the lost, gospel conversations, acts of compassion, invitations to Christian community, follow-up with seekers, and whether leaders exhibited greater change than the congregation as a whole. The project employed a pre- and post-series survey design using two participant groups, …
The Unashamed Plan: Expository Methods For Reconciling Unchurched Young Adults At The Friendship Baptist Church Of West End, James Daniel Spencer Ii
The Unashamed Plan: Expository Methods For Reconciling Unchurched Young Adults At The Friendship Baptist Church Of West End, James Daniel Spencer Ii
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Young adults are absent from the pews of churches within the urban African American community. Churches within the community face dissolution because a generation no longer seeks to solve its problems by connecting with the household of faith due to shame-based alienation. There is a need to reconcile young adults into the citadel of invincible grace, God’s church, to fulfill the Great Commission and ensure a generation is not lost. Therefore, this action research project teaches church members through expository preaching and teaching The Unashamed Plan to educate them to reach youth for Christ. The Unashamed Plan is a theological …
Engaging The Hindu Community Of Loudoun County, Va With The Gospel Of Jesus Christ: An Evangelism Course For Telugu Christian Fellowship Church, Ravinder Rufus Bhimanpalli
Engaging The Hindu Community Of Loudoun County, Va With The Gospel Of Jesus Christ: An Evangelism Course For Telugu Christian Fellowship Church, Ravinder Rufus Bhimanpalli
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This Doctor of Ministry project addressed the lack of effective evangelism toward the Hindu community by the Telugu Christian Fellowship Church (TCFC) in Ashburn, Virginia. Located 35 miles from Washington, D.C., TCFC serves a suburban congregation of approximately 300 members, with an average weekly attendance of 250. The church is located in Loudoun County, one of America’s most diverse and affluent regions, home to over 44,000 Asian Indians and an estimated 18,000 Hindus. Despite this, the church’s outreach efforts had remained scattered and underdeveloped. Most church members lacked cultural sensitivity, feared offending them, or simply lacked the confidence to engage …
Paul’S Second Missionary Journey In Acts: How Paul Was Adaptable In His Church-Centered Missiology For Fulfilling The Great Commission Among Jews And Gentiles, Terri P. Graham
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This dissertation argues that the Apostle Paul fulfilled the Great Commission by employing a church-centered missiology throughout his second missionary journey, as recorded in Acts 16–18. Through contextualized evangelism and intentional church-planting, Paul established covenant communities marked by baptism, discipleship, pastoral leadership, and theological instruction. His model demonstrates that the local church drives the agent and result of the mission, offering a biblically grounded paradigm for contemporary missions.
An Implementation Of Theological Concepts: Bridging The Gap From Childhood To Adult Christian Education, Lajune A. White
An Implementation Of Theological Concepts: Bridging The Gap From Childhood To Adult Christian Education, Lajune A. White
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
New Jerusalem Church has the pleasure of teaching Bible stories in the children’s church and Sunday school. However, after the children age out of these spaces, they do not transition to the adult classes; they sit in the hallways. Suppose they continue this practice after aging out of the children’s classification and do not engage with fellow believers in the discipleship process. Will they remain connected to their faith-based community? The problem is whether their behavior is due to the absence of theological content in the Bible curriculum used to teach them in children’s church and Sunday school. The purpose …
How Spanish Seventh-Day Adventists Respond To A Discipleship Characteristics Training Program, Victor N. Rodriguez
How Spanish Seventh-Day Adventists Respond To A Discipleship Characteristics Training Program, Victor N. Rodriguez
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The current condition of the local church reflects a problem that concerns many churches in North America: There is a lack of understanding regarding the meaning of discipleship. The local church needs to recover a sense of biblical discipleship to execute the Great Commission and make disciples who make disciples. The purpose of this DMIN action research project was to understand how members of Olympia Spanish Seventh-Day Adventist Church would respond to a discipleship characteristics training program (DCTP). This research project used a mixed method approach to collect and analyze data from 16 participants and 16 members of a control …
Faith Formation: Spiritual Gifts For Evangelism Outreach, Jacquelin Copeland
Faith Formation: Spiritual Gifts For Evangelism Outreach, Jacquelin Copeland
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This thesis project addresses the gap in the literature concerning spiritual gifts for evangelism. This Doctor of Ministry action research project at Prevailing Word Ministries hypothesizes that if Prevailing Word Ministries fulfills the spiritual gifts for evangelism Bible study and training course, the Bible study participants will grow in faith and attendance. This was achieved through eight Bible study teaching and training sessions with questionnaires, journalling, a survey, and a focus group interview; assessments were made from answers given by the fourteen participants upon completing the eight online Zoom Bible study sessions. These assessments measured how successfully the intervention project …
Church Adoption: Three-Pronged Elements That Support The Revitalization Of Coastal Church Battery Park Location In Virginia, Michael Christopher Bard
Church Adoption: Three-Pronged Elements That Support The Revitalization Of Coastal Church Battery Park Location In Virginia, Michael Christopher Bard
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The church is God’s plan for delivering the good news of Jesus Christ’s finished work on the Cross. This finished work is evidenced through the bodily resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15). In the US a steady decline in church attendance has been prevalent over the past three decades and church buildings are either near empty or closing. This research explores the concept of church adoption merger in hopes of one avenue that would promote revitalization of local fellowships. Though multiple elements are supportive in revitalization this research explore three elements that should lead towards centralizing the church on Christ. …
Becoming A Disciple-Making Disciple Through A Written Guided Plan In A Handbook, Benjamin T. Morrell
Becoming A Disciple-Making Disciple Through A Written Guided Plan In A Handbook, Benjamin T. Morrell
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This thesis addresses the lack of disciple-making at Richland Heights Baptist Church by implementing a disciple-making plan through a handbook. Churches needing revitalization often lack a disciple-making plan. Historically, Richland Heights had not implemented any New Testament training to develop disciple-makers. The project utilized triangulated methods consisting of a survey, questionnaire, interview, and observations. The observations took place during the implementation of opportunities before and after the sessions in the handbook. These incorporated the researcher's knowledge of the responses in the survey and questionnaire. By having a plan to make disciples with tools, training, and opportunities to implement the lessons …
God Of The Whole Earth Ministry Church Project: Equipping Church Members To Engage Their Community, Christopher Stevens
God Of The Whole Earth Ministry Church Project: Equipping Church Members To Engage Their Community, Christopher Stevens
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The God of the Whole Earth Ministry (GWEM) Church study investigated how church members can gain confidence to share their faith when properly equipped. Sharing the gospel with others can be a problem for some people. Generally, the lack of skills and knowledge is the biggest problem for some people to share their faith. GWEM Church members were not equipped to share their faith. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to equip participants to share their faith. Skills were taught to help participants develop and use those skills to start meaningful and practical conversations to open up a dialogue …
The Effects Of Testimony In Seminars Through Cinemeducation, Biblical Narratives, Live Personal Testimony, And Journaling At Christ Lincoln Among Young Adults Learning To Share Testimony, Aaron Hutton
Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project
This project explores the impact of various testimonial methods on young adults at Christ Lincoln, focusing on their ability to share personal testimonies. The study employs a multi-faceted approach, incorporating cinemeducation, biblical narratives, live personal testimonies, and journaling. Through a series of seminars and interviews, it was found that all these methods are impactful in building connections, strengthening faith, and deepening vulnerability, which in turn fosters relationships. The intertwining of God's grand narrative with personal stories brought hope and encouragement to participants. The findings suggest that this integrative approach significantly improves participants' confidence and effectiveness in sharing their testimonies, fostering …
The Canonical Significance Of Mindset In Romans 8:5–14 (Φρονέω And Its Cognates): Implications For Biblical Interpretation, Application, And Evangelism, Denise Anne Pass
The Canonical Significance Of Mindset In Romans 8:5–14 (Φρονέω And Its Cognates): Implications For Biblical Interpretation, Application, And Evangelism, Denise Anne Pass
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The term mindset is common in today’s vernacular, but its significance in the canon has scarcely been explored. Cultures throughout time have viewed mindsets as something that human volition alone can affect. Yet the inability to maintain the mindset God requires of his people has prevented them from faithfully keeping the covenant and rightly interpreting Scripture. Mindsets are habitual or innate mental attitudes that determine how one will interpret life situations and the Word of God, impacting relationships with others and one’s ability to love God and walk in obedience to His Word. Paul’s extensive use of φρονέω echoes back …
Rainbows Around The Throne: Theological Aesthetics In Evangelism To Same-Sex Attracted Men, Austin Tucker Kemp
Rainbows Around The Throne: Theological Aesthetics In Evangelism To Same-Sex Attracted Men, Austin Tucker Kemp
Senior Honors Theses
Cultural barriers and worldview differences between American evangelicalism and the LGBTQ+ movement have historically hindered evangelism to same-sex attracted men. Although recent Christian theologians have offered wisdom for including same-sex attracted believers in the church and for combating prevailing secular worldviews, evangelistic strategies to reach gay unbelievers remain underdeveloped. This thesis identifies five desires common within the population of same-sex attracted men (beauty, friendship, romance, sexuality, and masculinity) and proposes a method of evangelism which targets these desires using theological aesthetics to communicate the beauty of the gospel creatively and compellingly. A focus on aesthetic apologetics, aesthetic community, and aesthetic …
A Plan To Counteract The Negative Effects Of Laïcité On Evangelism, Jonathan Brian Laase
A Plan To Counteract The Negative Effects Of Laïcité On Evangelism, Jonathan Brian Laase
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This action research project aims to assist believers in the Eglise Evangelique Baptiste de Draguignan in France to maximize their evangelistic efforts despite the pressures and adverse effects of laïcité. The work rests on the historical and French legal definition of laïcité that parallels the biblical doctrine of the separation of church and state. This doctrine supports the libertarian approach of laïcité and opposes the restrictive definition growing in French culture. A group of eleven individuals participated in an intervention to assist believers in their understanding of laïcité, evangelism, and the practice of evangelism. This six-week intervention combined teaching times, …
The Resurrection And The Witness, Michael A. Thomas
The Resurrection And The Witness, Michael A. Thomas
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The thesis project aims to educate and equip New Life Christian Church (NLCC) and Eagle View Christian School (EVCS) leaders to use biblically fundamental arguments and theories about Christ’s Resurrection to defend its merits against contemporary cultural objections. The study employed the quantitative design method to gather information through a survey utilizing open and closed-ended questions with a convenient sample of thirty-eight participants from the NLCC and EVCS population. As leaders teach, others become effective witnesses of Christ’s Resurrection, equipping them to implement the teachings of Mathew 28:19-20 and 1 Peter 3:15 in their witness and defense of the gospel’s …
Equipping Christians With A Post-Christian Evangelism Paradigm At Great Oaks Church Of Christ, Tim Alsup
Equipping Christians With A Post-Christian Evangelism Paradigm At Great Oaks Church Of Christ, Tim Alsup
Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses
No abstract provided.
The Impact Of Southern Baptist Worship Ministries On Denominational Effectiveness, Laura S. Brod
The Impact Of Southern Baptist Worship Ministries On Denominational Effectiveness, Laura S. Brod
Masters Theses
Worship ministries maintain prominent roles in Southern Baptist (SB) churches. Despite ample available literature for today’s church educational methods and congregational discipleship, little study has focused on ways SB music ministries can bolster the spiritual health of congregants. SBs currently experience the consequences of recent scandals alongside dwindling attendance numbers. To address this multifaceted, spiritually rooted issue, this historical qualitative study proposes to discover characteristics and methods of music and worship ministries (WM) and leadership qualities that can best promote spiritual growth within SB churches to strengthen the denomination’s health. To undertake this, the study will explore SB history and …
Is Assurance Of Salvation Of The Essence Of Saving Faith In The Gospel Of John?, Robert Vacendak
Is Assurance Of Salvation Of The Essence Of Saving Faith In The Gospel Of John?, Robert Vacendak
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Catholics, Calvinists, and Arminians deny absolute assurance of salvation. Instead, they imagine only “degrees of,” “a measure of,” “a kind of,” or “some level of” assurance before final judgment. Scholarly analyses of assurance often prioritize earlier studies, not Scripture. Therefore, few question whether partial assurance even meets the Biblical threshold. This dissertation seeks a fresh inductive analysis of John’s Gospel, a book challenging the scholarly consensus. Numerically, John’s divine truth-claims regarding eternal life/assurance far exceed other Biblical books. Careful exegesis of John vindicates absolute assurance and refutes partial assurance. Regeneration occurs the moment one believes Christ has irrevocably saved him …
Non-Christian, Japanese College Students’ Perspectives Of Engaging With God Through The Participatory Components Of Christian Worship, Jacqueline Leigh Bencke
Non-Christian, Japanese College Students’ Perspectives Of Engaging With God Through The Participatory Components Of Christian Worship, Jacqueline Leigh Bencke
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This study seeks to examine the extent to which non-Christian college students in Japan perceive their engagement with the biblical God while participating in daily chapel services at Kyūshū Lutheran College. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, analyzing survey and focus group data to explore whether a relationship exists between students’ participation in chapel committee activities and their perceived spiritual engagement. Responses to Lynn Underwood’s Daily Spiritual Experience Survey, the Centrality of Religiosity Scale, and the Centrality of Buddhist Religiosity Scale are combined to create a general spiritual profile of respondents. Worship leaders and missionaries who are in positions of …
Full Issue: Spiritus 7.2 (2022) - Missional Leadership, [email protected]
Full Issue: Spiritus 7.2 (2022) - Missional Leadership, [email protected]
Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology
No abstract provided.
Restoration Jewish Evangelism: A Dispensational Paradigm For Jewish Evangelism, Justin R. Woods
Restoration Jewish Evangelism: A Dispensational Paradigm For Jewish Evangelism, Justin R. Woods
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Local Jewish populations within proximity of U.S. churches are perishing in their need to hear the Christian gospel. Obstacles to Jewish evangelism have festered through the centuries. Modern scholarship has held culpable the supersessionist traditions from the early church fathers and carried over to the present day. Dispensational pastors and scholars have acted on the front lines to correct this grievance. Restoration Jewish Evangelism (RJE) supplies a template of Jewish evangelism centered on a dispensational view of Romans 9—11. The goal of this project includes strengthening the parishioners’ situational awareness and self-confidence to engage in sharing the gospel of the …
Apologetics And Disability: Reframing Our Response To The Question Of Suffering, Rochelle Scheurermann
Apologetics And Disability: Reframing Our Response To The Question Of Suffering, Rochelle Scheurermann
Great Commission Research Journal
A prominent question that is asked when people consider God is how to account for suffering if God is good and all-powerful. For Christians, answering this question is a major part of apologetic and evangelistic training. But what if the way we have traditionally approached this question is not good news for everyone? This paper examines the suffering question in light of disabilities and suggests a new way to engage in apologetics that is centered in creation (not fall) and celebrates the gifts and opportunities that come through a diversity of ability.