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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 …

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 …

Witness Beyond Technique: Gospel, Conversion, And The Moral Formation Of The Church, Christopher Flanders

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Technique, efficiency, and measurable outcomes typically govern contemporary Western approaches to evangelism. Such approaches presume a thin account of the gospel, a punctiliar understanding of conversion, and an instrumental view of the church’s witness. This article argues that these assumptions represent not merely pragmatic missteps but theological distortions. Drawing on Scripture, historical theology, missiology, and practices of Christian initiation, I contend that evangelism is best understood as ecclesial witness oriented toward the moral formation of persons and communities under the reign of God. Conversion, on this account, is not a discrete decision secured through persuasive technique but a transformative journey …

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.

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 …

Creating More Discipleship At Mount Olivet Baptist Church Through The Brotherhood Ministry, Kevin Ml Jefferson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Getting volunteers to serve in the Brotherhood Ministry will increase the opportunity to create more discipleship at Mount Olivet Baptist Church and better serve the Community. The purpose of this research is to address the problem through some sort of intervention and report the results based on the interventions provided. Research is needed on this particular ministry because it is the ministry that does outreach in the local community.

Mission As Virtuous Practice: A Theology Of Mission Through The Lens Of Virtue Ethics, Michael Niebauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work uses theological virtue ethics as a guide both for critiquing various models of Christian mission and for constructing a model of mission that adequately addresses these criticisms. The first section of the dissertation (chapters one, two, and three) is devoted to an assessment of three major models of mission, which I have labeled mission as the missio Dei, mission as growth, and mission as dialogue. This assessment generates three recurring issues within the field of missiology that have remained largely unresolved: the problems of distinction, agency, and persuasion. The second half of the dissertation (chapters four, five, …

Toward A Post-Religious Urban Theology: The Missionary Movement Ethos In Secularized Contexts, Marcelo E. C. Dias

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"An urban theology should be the center of conversation with the current post-religious context that takes into serious consideration people’s search for meaning and the new spirituality in this age. Perhaps popular culture can give clues about contemporary meaning-making as well (Shannahan 2014:207-217). On the one side, history assures that an urban setting does not need to feel like a threat to the Christian faith. “Early Christianity was primarily an urban movement. The original meaning of the word pagan (paganus) was ‘rural person,’ or more colloquially ‘country hick.’ It came to have religious meaning because after Christianity had triumphed in …

The Ecumenical Remnant: Using A Narrative Approach To Revelation To Form Missional Imagination In An Adventist Context, Michael Larson

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation addresses the renewal of missional imagination in an Adventist church context. This study will make the case that even among members who loyally participate in their local church, many Adventists in North America are conflicted about their witness, leading to ineffective evangelism and disengagement with the mission of the church. Much of this is related to a theological disconnect with exclusive positions the church has embraced regarding its identity as the remnant church. This identity is largely derived from the church’s founding document, the Book of Revelation. How then can local Adventist churches in North America reignite members …

Missional Apologetics: An Examination Of Essential Elements In The Apologetic Approaches Of Early Christian Era Apologists In Light Of The Mission Of Christ To A Pluralistic World, George B. Bannister Sr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The cultural ethos known as postmodernism has impacted the epistemological and functional structures of contemporary society in dramatic ways. Changes in the attitudes, standards, and belief systems from which people operate in their day-to-day lives have seen radical alterations in the last fifty years. The impact of the postmodern milieu has been evident in various ways in local church ministry, as well as the extension of local church ministry on the mission field.As a result of the waning effectiveness of traditional evangelism methods and indications that there is a relationship between that waning efficacy and the postmodern milieu, scholars have …

Witnessing To Christ In North-East India, Marina Ngursangzeli, Michael Biehl

Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Series

The Church in India has a far closer connection to Edinburgh 1910, as F S Downs points out, that one of the Indian delegates was Rev Thankan Sangma, a Garo. This little known fact is illustrative of how, on one hand, the Church in North East India is ignorant of this legacy and continues to view ecumenism poorly and suspiciously, while on the other hand the challenges faced by the Church in the region and the social, economic and political milieu it is placed in, have been largely ignored, neglected, or worse still, identified with what is generally portrayed as …

Pentecostal Mission And Global Christianity, Wonsuk Ma, Veli-Matti Karkkainen, J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu

Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Series

Although Pentecostalism worldwide represents the most rapidly growing missionary movement in Christian history, scholars from within and outside the movement have only recently begun academic reflection on the mission. This volume represents the coming of age of emerging scholarship on various aspects of the Pentecostal mission, including theological, historical, strategic, and practical aspects. The more than twenty authors from all five continents, men and women, academics, mission leaders, and practitioners, offer exciting perspectives on Pentecostal movements' contributions to the search of Christian unity in global contexts.

The Missional Approach Of The Acts 29 Church Planting Movement, Marylyn Sohlberg

Global Tides

Missional churches, those that bring Jesus outside the walls of the church and into the unknown, unreached, and uncomfortable areas in the United States and the world, seem to have taken center stage in the realm of popular Christian discussion over the past few decades. However, roughly thirty percent of the globe remains untargeted by “missional churches.” In his book “Planting Missional Churches,” Ed Stetzer highlights the need for missional churches in the U.S. in particular, citing a Gallup poll that observed eighty percent of American churches in decline. In 2011, Gallup also estimated an average of forty-five percent of …

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 …

Adventures In Churchland: Discovering The Beautiful Mess Jesus Loves, Dan Kimball

Doctor of Ministry

A growing number of young adults (those in the 18-30-year-old age range) are not
engaging, becoming involved or entering into the church of America. An increasing
number of those who grew up attending church are leaving after their high school years.
I have observed this as a pattern when visiting churches and talking to church
leaders across America. Statistics are showing this as seen in studies such as Dave Kin-
naman’s research and writings from the Barna Research group and Ed Stetzer’s research
from LifeWay Christian Resources. This is a very significant problem because if the
church loses connection with …

Edinburgh 2010: Witnessing To Christ Today, Daryl Balia, Kirsteen Kim

Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Series

The Edinburgh 2010 study process is unique. Set up to mark the centenary of the World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh 1910, it is a project of churches worldwide which is multi-regional, cross-denominational and poly-centric. It involves all the major Christian world bodies, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal, with study events taking place in every continent that involve hundreds of Christians in different parts of the world. This volume, the second in the Edinburgh 2010 series, includes reports of the nine main study groups on different themes which will be used as the raw material for discussions at the conference …

Fishing For Men While Fishing With Men- Relationships Built Through Recreational Experiences As A Tool For Effective Evangelism In Contemporary American Culture, Jonathan Rockey

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Rockey, Jonathan R. "Fishing for Men while Fishing with Men: Relationships Built through Recreational Experiences as a Tool for Effective Evangelism in Contemporary American Culture." D.Min Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary-St. Louis, 2008.316 pp. with Appendices.

The stated goal of this project is "to evaluate a program for the equipping of volunteers for sharing the good news of God's love in Jesus in a recreational setting, and to evaluate the results of that equipping in the lives of these participants by looking at their willingness to witness and the effects they describe that arose from the experience and the process …