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Articles 1 - 30 of 4779
Full-Text Articles in Practical Theology
Training Confident Witnesses: Evaluating A Practical Evangelism Seminar For The Twenty-First Century, Christopher Robershaw, Katherine Robershaw, Jose Philip, Jay Jay Moon
Training Confident Witnesses: Evaluating A Practical Evangelism Seminar For The Twenty-First Century, Christopher Robershaw, Katherine Robershaw, Jose Philip, Jay Jay Moon
Witness
This article evaluates the effectiveness of the Practical Evangelism Seminar (PES), an eight-week training program designed to equip Christians to share their faith in the complexities of twenty-first century North American culture. Developed at Asbury Theological Seminary in partnership with Knox Fellowship,[1]the seminar addresses contemporary cultural complexities summarized by the acronym SPIRIT: secularism, pluralism, individualism, relativism, identity, and technology. Using pre- and post-seminar surveys from 112 participants between 2019 and 2022, along with qualitative feedback and participant observation, this study explores changes in students’ knowledge and confidence related to evangelism. Findings indicate measurable increases in participants’ confidence and …
Editorial, Thomas Seckler
Second Annual Beth Seversen Dissertation Award, Thomas Seckler
Second Annual Beth Seversen Dissertation Award, Thomas Seckler
Witness
No abstract provided.
From Nones To Affiliation: Listening To Twenty-Somethings, Jay Moon, Bethany Harmon
From Nones To Affiliation: Listening To Twenty-Somethings, Jay Moon, Bethany Harmon
Witness
This exploratory article describes the religious journeys of twenty-somethings (ages 20–29) who moved from no religious affiliation (“Nones”) to Christian affiliation. Over five years, four researchers conducted interviews across the United States and gathered 101 responses to questions about what drew participants toward Jesus, what pushed them away, which aspects of Christianity resonated most, and what advice they would offer to those sharing faith with their generation. While much evangelism in North America has assumed guilt, shame, or fear as primary entry points into gospel conversations, many participants described a different posture: indifference. Yet indifference often coexisted with a longing …
The Influence Of Christian Faith Sharing Through Social Media On Christian And Non-Christian Young Adults, Glen Bowman, Ruben Williams, Tyler Sheppard
The Influence Of Christian Faith Sharing Through Social Media On Christian And Non-Christian Young Adults, Glen Bowman, Ruben Williams, Tyler Sheppard
Witness
This paper explores the influence of Christian faith sharing through social media on young adults, both Christian and non-Christian. Drawing on two qualitative descriptive studies using semi-structured interviews and focus groups, the research synthesized codes and identified key themes regarding positively oriented Christian content on social media. The content generally appealed to young adults and frequently enhanced their spiritual thinking, motivation, and behavior. However, posts with a negative tone, poor scriptural use, or perceived hypocrisy tend to provoke adverse reactions, including negative thoughts about Christianity and “fight-or-flight” behavioral responses. The findings also reveal that young adults often underestimate the influence …
Gravedigger Missiology And The Crisis Of Evangelism, Jose Philip
Gravedigger Missiology And The Crisis Of Evangelism, Jose Philip
Witness
This article argues that the crisis of evangelism in late-modern North America reflects not only disaffiliation and secularization but also a structural and Christological deficit. Evangelism is often "practiced as managed impact under the language of missio Dei rather than as participation in the living agency of Jesus Christ.” Developing Peter Berger’s claim that Christianity has been “its own gravedigger,” the article reads Berger in two registers. The Social Construction of Reality and The Sacred Canopy explain how plausibility structures sustain belief and how their erosion weakens inherited evangelistic models. The Precarious Vision exposes how religious roles and language can …
Training Confident Witnesses: Evaluating A Practical Evangelism Seminar For The Twenty-First Century, Christopher Robershaw, Katherine Robershaw, Jose Philip, Jay Jay Moon
Training Confident Witnesses: Evaluating A Practical Evangelism Seminar For The Twenty-First Century, Christopher Robershaw, Katherine Robershaw, Jose Philip, Jay Jay Moon
Witness
No abstract provided.
Book Review: At This Time: Dialogues In Theological Education, By Corwin Davis And Ted Smith, Eds., Christopher Robershaw
Book Review: At This Time: Dialogues In Theological Education, By Corwin Davis And Ted Smith, Eds., Christopher Robershaw
Witness
No abstract provided.
Book Review: God Draws Near: Rethinking The Biblical Theology Of Mission, By Collin Cornell, Joseph Culbertson
Book Review: God Draws Near: Rethinking The Biblical Theology Of Mission, By Collin Cornell, Joseph Culbertson
Witness
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Shaping The Journey: Wesley, Merton, Mulholland, And The Spiritual Formation Movement, By Daniel Harris, Kenny Johnston
Book Review: Shaping The Journey: Wesley, Merton, Mulholland, And The Spiritual Formation Movement, By Daniel Harris, Kenny Johnston
Witness
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Missional Imagination: Preparation For Kingdom Innovation, By Jay Moon, Mark Teasdale
Book Review: Missional Imagination: Preparation For Kingdom Innovation, By Jay Moon, Mark Teasdale
Witness
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Baal And The Gods Of More: Rescuing Church Growth From Idolatry, By Andrew Root, Christopher Robershaw
Book Review: Baal And The Gods Of More: Rescuing Church Growth From Idolatry, By Andrew Root, Christopher Robershaw
Witness
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Disability And Evangelism:The Good News Of The Fullness Of God's Kingdom, By Rochelle Scheuermann, T.S. John
Witness
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Why Millennials Don’T Go To Church, By Helen Trainor, Robert Suarez
Book Review: Why Millennials Don’T Go To Church, By Helen Trainor, Robert Suarez
Witness
No abstract provided.
Book Review: The Great Story And The Great Commission: Participating In The Biblical Drama Of Mission, By Christopher Wright, Nathan Clifton
Book Review: The Great Story And The Great Commission: Participating In The Biblical Drama Of Mission, By Christopher Wright, Nathan Clifton
Witness
No abstract provided.
Book Review - The Visions Of Ephesians: The Task Of The Church And The Glory Of God, Beth Ann Fisher
Book Review - The Visions Of Ephesians: The Task Of The Church And The Glory Of God, Beth Ann Fisher
Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry
The Vision of Ephesians: The Task of the Church and the Glory of God, by N.T. Wright. Zondervan Academic, 2025. 150 pages, $30.
Ministry With Children: Navigating An Expanding And Deepening River Of Thought And Practice, Ron Bruner
Ministry With Children: Navigating An Expanding And Deepening River Of Thought And Practice, Ron Bruner
Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry
Parents and church leaders live in a unique moment in the life of the church that creates a powerful opportunity: shaping ministry with children in ways that more faithfully serve God’s ongoing purposes. A convergence of several important ongoing conversations unique to our time connects scholars, practitioners, and parents interested in children's spiritual well-being. These tributaries in thought include (1) an emerging theological vision of children, (2) improved understanding of the physical, mental, and spiritual capabilities of children, (3) developing research into the relational ecologies of family, church, and generations, and (4) ongoing developments in children’s ministry leadership, practice, and …
Church-Based Qualitative Research, David R. Dunaetz
Church-Based Qualitative Research, David R. Dunaetz
Great Commission Research Journal
Qualitative research is collecting, analyzing, and interpreting subjective data to answer an important research question. It can be contrasted with quantitative research, which focuses on collecting numerical (relatively objective) data to test specific hypotheses. It is an attractive form of research in church contexts because it does not require training in statistics and can be conducted in almost all ministry settings. It is especially appropriate for topics that are under-researched, poorly understood, or involve concepts that are difficult to measure. Common problems associated with church-based qualitative research include overly broad research questions, weak descriptions of what has been observed, shallow …
Maximizing The Use Of Interpreters In Shortterm Medical Missions, Barbara L. Loach
Maximizing The Use Of Interpreters In Shortterm Medical Missions, Barbara L. Loach
Great Commission Research Journal
In the debate over the effectiveness of short-term medical missions (STMM), the role of interpreters has received cursory attention. However, the perceived quality of care and the actual care that patients receive, and therefore their receptivity to the organization and the presentation of the gospel by faith-based STMMs, hinges greatly on employing trained interpreters who can reliably communicate on behalf of all parties involved. Each barrier to cross-cultural communication —verbal, non-verbal, and cultural—can and should be addressed to have a successful mission outreach; providing adequate training for all participants in STMM, especially for interpreters, is critical to mediate the communication …
When Everything Moves Faster Than The Soul: Spirituality In A Fast-Paced World, Pablo Marzilli
When Everything Moves Faster Than The Soul: Spirituality In A Fast-Paced World, Pablo Marzilli
Great Commission Research Journal
This article analyzes one of the main characteristics of the hypermodern era in which we live: social acceleration. We live in an extremely individualistic era that forces us to be highly efficient and productive in everything we do. This social phenomenon leads to a sense of being overwhelmed; our culture demands that we maximize the use of our time, to the point where we feel that we are less productive than we actually are, even though this is objectively impossible. This culture of acceleration, which makes us live at a dizzying pace, also influences the church and reshapes our daily …
Understanding Evangelism: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, And Contemporary Issues By J.D. Payne, D. A. Horton
Understanding Evangelism: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, And Contemporary Issues By J.D. Payne, D. A. Horton
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Formed Together: A Value-Based Model Of Mutual Spiritual Formation For Pentecostal Pastors And Churches Under 500, W. T.A. Mcmillan
Formed Together: A Value-Based Model Of Mutual Spiritual Formation For Pentecostal Pastors And Churches Under 500, W. T.A. Mcmillan
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock” (Acts 20:28) is both a warning and an invitation. It insists that the pastor's inner life and the congregation's shared life cannot be pulled apart without doing damage to both. This dissertation grows out of that conviction and out of years of pastoral ministry in Pentecostal churches where the pressure to perform often overwhelms the slow work of being formed. It asks a simple but searching question: How do Assemblies of God pastors serving congregations under 500 in attendance understand the connection between their own spiritual health and the spiritual …
Sanctified Rhythms Of Rest: Reclaiming Sabbath And Spiritual Retreat For Pastoral Renewal And Burnout Mitigation In The Georgia Assemblies Of God, Philip Sosebee
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
“Sanctified Rhythms of Rest: Reclaiming Sabbath and Spiritual Retreat for Pastoral Renewal and Burnout Mitigation in the Georgia Assemblies of God” explored how intentional rhythms of Sabbath observance, solitude and silence, and spiritual retreat shaped the lived experiences of credentialed ministers within the Georgia District of the Assemblies of God. Pastoral burnout, emotional exhaustion, and unsustainable ministry expectations continue to affect ministers across denominational contexts, raising questions regarding the role of biblically grounded rhythms of rest in fostering pastoral renewal and sustainability. Using a six-month longitudinal hermeneutic phenomenological design, twenty-nine credentialed ministers participated in the intentional practice of weekly Sabbath …
Using Demographics And Psychographics To Advance The Great Commission: Lessons From The National Association Of Free Will Baptists, Edward E. Moody Jr.
Using Demographics And Psychographics To Advance The Great Commission: Lessons From The National Association Of Free Will Baptists, Edward E. Moody 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 …
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.
The Great Dechurching: Who’S Leaving, Why Are They Going, And What Will It Take To Bring Them Back? By Jim Davis And Michael Graham, David Thiessen
The Great Dechurching: Who’S Leaving, Why Are They Going, And What Will It Take To Bring Them Back? By Jim Davis And Michael Graham, David Thiessen
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Disability & Evangelism: The Good News Of The Fullness Of God’S Kingdom By Rochelle Scheuermann, Kenneth Nehrbass
Disability & Evangelism: The Good News Of The Fullness Of God’S Kingdom By Rochelle Scheuermann, Kenneth Nehrbass
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Repairing The Missional Breach: Why The Church Isn’T Making Disciples And How We Can Fix It By Kevin Blackwell, Henry E. Walker
Repairing The Missional Breach: Why The Church Isn’T Making Disciples And How We Can Fix It By Kevin Blackwell, Henry E. Walker
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
How Did We Get Here? Examining 70 Years Of The Church Growth Movement By Todd Wilson, Mike Morris
How Did We Get Here? Examining 70 Years Of The Church Growth Movement By Todd Wilson, Mike Morris
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.