Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Model For Preaching In The Missional Church : Common Characteristics Of Preaching Found In Effective Missional Churches Within The Pacific Northwest District Of The Christian And Missionary Alliance, Paul William Smith

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Lighted To Lighten : A Study Of Missional Families In Bangalore, India, P. C. Matthew Thankachan

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Band Of Brothers : A Study In Forming Spiritual Leadership Characteristics In Men, Ian George Wills

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Twenty-Somethings In The Church: The Impact Of A Biblical Worldview Study, Debbie Norris Lanier

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

From Traditional To Missional Church: Describing A Contextual Model Of Change For Ingrown Korean Diaspora Church In North America, Gil Pyo Lee

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Crossing The Great Divide: Syncretism Or Contextualization In Christian Worship, Cori Mcmillin Waisanen

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Creating Church Multiplication Through A Denominational Structure, Phil Stevenson

Great Commission Research Journal

A denomination will not survive, much less thrive, if it does not strategically and effectively plant churches. Church planting is the primary means by which new inroads are made. Church planting is the method by which a denomination keeps its vitality, energy, and vigor. The denominations that neglect this emphasis become ingrown, resulting in them “. . . losing the vigor and the high octane faith that caused them to succeed in the first place.”

Book Review: You Don’T Have To Cross The Ocean To Reach The World: The Power Of Local Cross-Cultural Ministry By David Boyd, Jeff K. Walters

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60: Being Church For All Generations By Edward H. Hammett With James R. Pearce, Mark Platt

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Bridges Of God: The Mission Legacy Of Donald Anderson Mcgavran, Charles Van Engen

Great Commission Research Journal

This short essay is about Donald McGavran and his ground-breaking book, Bridges of God, that became the cornerstone of Church Growth theory and the foundation of what is now called the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Missiological thinking and missionary practice was transformed by the energy, vitality, insight, and stubborn tenacity of Donald McGavran. Whether they agreed with McGavran or not, after the publication of The Bridges of God, mission professors, mission executives, and mission practitioners could no longer do business as usual, nor their usual business.

Church Growth By Another Name: Challenges And Opportunities For The Future Of A Movement, Alan Mcmahan

Great Commission Research Journal

A brief review of the church growth movement not only highlights significant accomplishments but also raises questions about its future. While church growth thinkers were compelled by the evangelistic mandate, this article argues that continued obedience to the Great Commission will require new responses to the rapidly changing context of ministry. Charting the path ahead, the author identifies six key challenges that demand new initiatives from the church: 1) the challenge to reinvent the evangelistic paradigm and imagination; 2) the challenge of diasporas, and the worldwide migration of people; 3) the challenge of urbanization, 4) the challenge of the plateaued …

Book Review: Vintage Church: Timeless Truths And Timely Methods By Mark Driscoll And Gerry Breshears, Aaron James Meraz Sr.

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Eight Keys To Overcoming Apathy Towards Church Growth, Danny R. Van Kanel

Great Commission Research Journal

Nothing zaps ministry efforts towards growth more than apathy among church members. Nothing energizes those efforts more than genuine interest and enthusiasm in growing the church. How can we turn apathy into enthusiasm? The answer is not as difficult as we might think.

Korean Church Planters’ Perception On Church Planting Education, Hansung Kim

Great Commission Research Journal

This study seeks to understand how Korean church planters perceive the church planting education that they received. This study employs the qualitative approach, which uses words and open-ended questions to explore and understand the meaning that individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem. To collect data, I interviewed nine church planters. I analyzed, interpreted, and wrote data as soon as possible. In addition, I collected other data. I also compared different data with each other to generate categories, and it was done consistently. The followings are the findings. While their passion for church planting was great and …

Leadership Succession From Matthew’S Gospel: Passing The Baton Of Leadership To The Next Generation, Allen H. Quist

Great Commission Research Journal

This article examines Matthew’s gospel drawn from social and cultural texture analysis to discover principles of biblical leadership succession. It provides a summary of principles about leadership succession, including that it: (a) starts with honorable leaders, (b) is an ongoing process, (c) is a family affair, (d) focuses on Christ’s authority with leaders as His agents, and (e) is action oriented. From the principles, this article infers five Christian ethical responses for organizational leadership: (a) it begins with a leader’s honor and then reveals itself in the leader’s life, (b) it is a continual process for the best interest of …

Doubling Down On Jesus, Joshua Rhone

Great Commission Research Journal

How can we go about meeting people's needs in a way that is faithful to the Good News of Jesus Christ?

Whither Church Planting?, Hutz Hertzberg, Francis Lonsway

Great Commission Research Journal

Church planting is a clear response to the gospel command to spread the good news. While the term “church plant” may not be shared across Christian traditions, its meaning and goal are universally embraced. What is also clear, however, is the fact that the establishment of a new plant does not guarantee its success. Likely the critical factor in denomination, free, or independent church expansion is the nature of the individual or team assigned or commissioned to spread the good news.

Ethical Guidelines For Church Planters: A Suggested Approach For Starting (And Continuing) The Conversation, J. D. Payne

Great Commission Research Journal

Church planters, regardless of their ministry contexts, need to develop a set of ethical guidelines to direct their ministry practices. This paper presents eleven particular guidelines.

Book Review: Shaped By God’S Heart: The Passion And Practices Of Missional Churches By Milfred Minatrea, Grant Horner

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Compatibility Of The Church Growth Movement With A Calvinistic Soteriology, Michael Waldrop

Great Commission Research Journal

The purpose of this article is to establish that the strategic, missiological thinking of the Church Growth Movement is compatible with a Calvinistic soteriology. The method for accomplishing this purpose involves, first, a clarification of terms. Both “Church Growth Movement” and “Calvinism” have been defined in myriad ways, and these are not all equally valid. Thus, specific descriptions are included here. Next is a necessary discussion of the tensions that are perceived to exist between Church Growth and Calvinism. This is followed by a survey of kindred concerns and an exhibition of the common doctrinal ground shown to be held …

Evangelism At The Family Altar (Butsudan), Michael Wilson

Great Commission Research Journal

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:31). This is the hope of all Japanese people who come to Christ for salvation. They long to see their loved ones—their household—believe in Christ, too. However, all too often, they are counseled to forsake their families who remain enmeshed in religious rituals to demons.

The Life And Ministry Of John Sung: Sowing Seeds Of Vibrant Christianity In Asian Soil, Ka-Tong Lim

ATS Dissertations

John Sung, Ph.D. (1901-1944), was a Chinese scientist turned preacher whose public ministry lasted a mere twelve years. Yet his short life impacted tens of thousands, if not more. At a time when science was king and religion was relegated to the realm of myths, a scientist who preached an old-time religion, performed faith healings, and talked about the second coming of Jesus, must be quite "crazy," or hard to understand.

This dissertation is a biographical research seeking to discern contributing factors that made John Sung a central figure of twentieth-century Christianity. It explains the importance of Sung and his …

Sacred Improv : Narrative Preaching That Offers Entrance Into The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, Daniel Wayne Meek

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Equipping Parents To Be Spiritual Leaders In The Home, Douglas J. Schoelles

ATS Dissertations

The goal of this project was to effect a positive cognitive, affective, and behavioral response in parents from two Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregations to lead their households in spiritual disciplines. The project consisted of four consecutive Sundays of preaching on faith forming in the home coupled with encouragement of the practice of a specific faith habit. These sermons were preached in tandem with four teaching sessions that reiterated the role of parents as spiritual leaders and concentrated on training families to engage in four faith habits in the home. Teaching tools were distributed to facilitate implantation of faith …

Evangelizing Pre-Christian People: A Thematic Perspective, George C. Hunter Iii

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

To reach pre-Christian people today, a church must create a culture of authentic conversation. This article represents a chapter of George C. Hunter's forthcoming book, The Apostolic Congregation: Church Growth Reconcetved for a New Generation (Abingdon, August 2009).

Book Review Of The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating The Missional Church By Alan Hirsch, Darren Cronshaw

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Size On The Growth And Development Of A Church, Gary L. Mcintosh

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

Churches operate differently depending on the size of the congregation. "Right sizing" the various ministries and processes of communicating, welcoming, training, involving, and a host of other activities is crucial for smooth operation, as well as increased growth of a church. As a church grows, it connot simply employ business as usual practices. Larger churches are not simply bigger versions of smaller churches. In reality, they are an entirely different structure that requires different operational procedures.

Introduction Winter 2009, Alan Mcmahan

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

With this issue, I have assumed the General Editorship of the Journal under the new and vigorous sponsorship of the School of Intercultural Studies at Biola University. In the spirit of the Journal’s founding, the School of Intercultural Studies, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, has long been in the business of preparing men and women to cross the barriers that prevent people from hearing the good news of the gospel of Christ. Biola’s commitment to this task insures the continuation of the Journal into the future, a future that will bring many new opportunities for expansion and impact. This edition …

Book Review Of The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating The Missional Church By Alan Hirsch, Gordon E. Penfold

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating The Missional Church By Alan Hirsch, J. D. Payne

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.