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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.

Dependence Versus Independence: An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between World Gospel Mission And The Africa Gospel Church In Kenya, Patrick L. Murunga

Doctor of Ministry

Africa Gospel Church has a serious problem of an unhealthy relationship with the World Gospel Mission. Since its inception, the mission has struggled to let go off the church. The church on the other hand, has been happy to see this relationship go on in the same dependent way without much concern. The Africa Gospel Church is over seventy years now and is at a place in its life where it needs to chart its own course.

This study evaluates the relationship between the mission agency and the Africa Gospel Church in Kenya. It investigates the historical challenges that might …

Program Book, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship

Symposium on Worship Archive

Program and Worship Book for the 2011 Calvin Symposium on Worship

Concordia Seminary Magazine | Winter 2012, Paul Devantier

Concordia Seminary Magazine

Broadening the paths to ministry

68th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectureship -- Psalms: God's Unchanging Faithfulness (2011), Jerry Rushford

Pepperdine Bible Lectures: Programs

Program booklet for the 68th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, May 3-6, 2011. Subtitle: "The Steadfast Love of the Lord Endures Forever." The Pepperdine Bible Lectures is an annual event hosted by Pepperdine University featuring a wide variety of lectures and classes on topics and themes in the Bible and Christianity.

Jerry Rushford, Lectureship Director

Rick Gibson, Tami Williamson, and Joella Michael, Lectures Team

Evangelical And Frontier Mission: Perspectives On The Global Progress Of The Gospel, A. Scott Moreau, Beth Snodderly

Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Series

This extraordinary compendium documents and illustrates the movement from what Edinburgh 1910 designated as ‘unoccupied fields’ to what R. Winter strategically designated as ‘unreached people groups’ thus re-pioneering frontier missiology focused on 'finishing the task.

Contextualizing The Gospel To Muslims, Maya J. Morgan

Seminary Masters Theses

Muslims are considered some of the least reached peoples in the world. As "Christianity" is often associated with Colonialism, the Crusades, and Western culture, traditional models of “casting the seed” have proven ineffective. Those seeking to share the goodness with Muslims must explore new contextual ways to communicate the message of Christ to the Islamic community. This thesis begins by defining and giving a brief history of contextualization. Basic methods of contextualization are explained, and issued of syncretism are addressed in chapter one.

Contextualization must be practiced when communicating the good news. Chapter two focuses on the aspects of cross-­‐cultural …

Evangelical And Frontier Mission Perspectives On The Global Progress Of The Gospel, Beth Snodderly, A. Scott Moreau

Edinburgh Centenary Series

As we reflect on the past century, then, the stories of the evangelical world church deserve to be heard. In this volume, we do not have space to even begin to scratch the surface. Being forced to choose an orientation, we collected stories and thinking related to the way evangelicals have idealized, operationalized and organized in light of the remaining frontiers of mission.

Elijah Baker And The Churches He Planted On The Eastern Shore Of Virginia: 1776-1798, Laverne Young Smith

Articles

Elijah Baker was a church planter who spent twenty years planting churches on the Delmarva Pennisula that is shared by Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia between 1776 (when he arrived) and 1798 (when he died). He left quite a legacy on the Eastern Shore. This project highlights his ministry in the Virginia section of the Eastern Shore, and profiles the history and current ministry of the churches that he was directly responsible for planting.

Catechesis For A Practicing Church, Jim Fox

Theses and Dissertations

In "Catechesis for a Practicing Church" I . . . survey the history of Christian catechesis (looking for norms regarding content and structure), explore methods and styles of contemporary experts in secular and Christian education, and reflect on the context of a practicing church as observed specifically in Vineyard Community Church (VCC) to define and build a contemporary catechesis for VCC (the model) as well as for the larger practicing church.

Response 2011, Seattle Pacific University

Seattle Pacific Alumni Magazines

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: January 2011, Scott Hoezee, Sarah Meekhof Albers, Michael Tenhaken, Reginald Smith

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Testimonies of Conversion and Calling
3 - Our Stories and The Story by Scott Hoezee
5 - Reclaiming God’s Gifts by Sarah Meekhof Albers
6 - Philip and Sarinah Djung’s Story as told to John Cooper
8 - God’s Calling Doesn’t Involve Detours by Michael TenHaken
9 - God’s Interruptions by Reginald Smith
11 - Lifelong Promises by Richard Sytsma
12 - The Power of a Moment by Darwin Glassford

Departments
13 - Formation for Ministry
15 - News

Understanding The Effects Of Diversity In Mission From A Social Science Perspective, David R. Dunaetz

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This study presents an overview of the results of empirical studies concerning diversity in work teams. Although these studies have most often been carried out in secular contexts, they support perspectives of human nature that are consistent with the biblical themes found associated with the Tower of Babel (the Similarity/Attraction Perspective) and Paul's metaphor of the Body of Christ and spiritual gifts (the Information/Decision Making Perspective). Key concepts are explained, including the measurement of diversity and team performance, task and relationship diversity, faultlines, cultural versus non-cultural diversity, and status. When the results of the various diversity studies are combined, it …

Under One Umbrella: Multiple Communities, One Church, Timothy Jacob Gillespie

Doctor of Ministry

It is my claim that the need for alternative communities within established church structures is not only growing, but is also paramount to the continuation of the gospel of Jesus Christ into the post-Christian, post-Modern world. These alternative communities often take the form of "emerging" worship services, Young Adult services, and "churchwithin- a-church" expressions of worship and community. They are seen in large, medium, and small church settings; as such, we see many of the same problems to varying degrees. The search for relevance has led us to these communities, and this author sees them as valid expressions of faith …

Anglican Eucharistic Liturgy: A Church-Planting Hope For The Post-Christian Culture Of The Pacific Northwest, Anthony D. Kriz

Doctor of Ministry

The question addressed in this dissertation may be stated as follows: 1tJ1l1at hope does Anglican Eucharistic Liturgy bring to the future of church planting within the increasingly post-Christian urban centers of the Pacific Northwest? According to our research of a sample zip code of inner-city Portland, Oregon, only one in four people self-identify with Christianity and less than one in five attend church. Churches are shrinking and closing rapidly and our culture is increasingly defined as post-Christian. The plans of the recent church-planting efforts are losing ground. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but there is significant evidence that the Anglican …

Missão Integral [Holistic Mission Or The ‘Whole Gospel’] Applied: Brazilian Evangelical Models Of Holistic Mission In The Arab-Muslim World, Edward L. Smither

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-2015)

In this article, I will first show the historical development of this theological approach within the Brazilian and Latin American evangelical spheres through the work of the Latin American Theological Fraternity – a movement founded in 1970 that maintained historic evangelical values (i.e. a high view of Scripture, the necessity of conversion) whilst also taking Latin America’s great social needs into account. Nurtured by thinkers such as René Padilla (Ecuador), Orlando Costas (Puerto Rico), Samuel Escobar (Peru), and later Valdir Steuernagel (Brazil), the movement has not only responded to the concerns raised by Liberation theologians, but it has also influenced …