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Articles 211 - 240 of 476
Full-Text Articles in Practical Theology
Reach, Assimilate And Develop: Essential Keys For The Resurgence Of The Church In America, Gordon E. Penfold
Reach, Assimilate And Develop: Essential Keys For The Resurgence Of The Church In America, Gordon E. Penfold
Great Commission Research Journal
This article presents a way to understand church growth from the perspective of reaching, assimilating, and developing people in the church. In Re:Vision: The Key to Transforming Your Church, Aubrey Malphurs and Penfold researched the characteristics discovered in re-envisioning (turnaround) pastors. The two researchers gathered a great deal of information about the ministry and practices of effective pastors including statistics on worship attendance, conversions, and baptisms. The statistics on conversion and baptism did not find their way into the book. This article examines worship attendance, conversion, baptism, and assimilation rates of reporting pastors. These rates reveal a great deal about …
Finding The Church Planting Model For Our Church: How Existing Churches Can Be Part Of The Church Planting Movement, Seungsoo Jun
Finding The Church Planting Model For Our Church: How Existing Churches Can Be Part Of The Church Planting Movement, Seungsoo Jun
Great Commission Research Journal
Church planting has become an effective method for revitalizing denominations. In many cases, however, church planting is limited to one or two charismatic leaders or a large church’s multi-site movement. This article attempts to present a roadmap to categorize the models of church planting. After understanding pathways for church planting, it suggests a method that enables existing churches to be part of this exciting movement of God.
Visionary Differences, Chris Messerer
Visionary Differences, Chris Messerer
Great Commission Research Journal
Organizational vision is nearly universally accepted as being critically important to a church in any stage of growth or decline. Church plants and church revitalization efforts depend on organizational vision because it provides focus and direction. Organizational vision is also important because it inspires people to participate. Successful church planters and church revitalization leaders excel at casting vision. While church plants and church revitalizations have similarities, leading one is significantly different from leading the other. Likewise, organizational vision is different between a church plant and a church revitalization. This article analyzes the differences between an organizational vision for a church …
Perceived Strengths And Weaknesses Of American Churches: A Quadrant Analysis Of Church-Based Ministries, David R. Dunaetz, Joshua Mcgowan
Perceived Strengths And Weaknesses Of American Churches: A Quadrant Analysis Of Church-Based Ministries, David R. Dunaetz, Joshua Mcgowan
Great Commission Research Journal
The needs and expectations of both Christians and non-Christians concerning churches vary according to the cultural context. Similarly, a church’s ability to respond to these needs depends on its ability to fine-tune ministries so that they are appropriate to the cultural context. This study uncovers various elements of American church ministries (especially those that can be supported by technology) which church members consider important but which are poorly executed. A sample of 325 members of American churches indicated which ministries they considered most important and to what degree they believed that they were carried out well in their church. A …
How Team Leadership Benefits The Health Of Pastors, Bill Stewart
How Team Leadership Benefits The Health Of Pastors, Bill Stewart
Great Commission Research Journal
The role of a pastor is more challenging and complex than it has ever been. With the increased demands come increased stress, which has resulted in burnout and failure on many different levels. The traditional leadership structure with a pastor sitting alone at the top only seems to exacerbate the problems associated with the stress of ministry. Pastors and churches are rethinking leadership paradigms and developing senior leadership teams that set the overall direction of the church. Pastors on these leadership teams believe that serving on a team of leaders has caused them to become healthy and maintain health over …
Book Review: Women In God’S Mission: Accepting The Invitation To Serve And Lead By Mary T. Lederleitner, Brit Redfield
Book Review: Women In God’S Mission: Accepting The Invitation To Serve And Lead By Mary T. Lederleitner, Brit Redfield
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Religion Crossing The Frontiers: Nigerian Pentecostal Dynamics In The Western World, Jacob Kehinde Oladipupo
Religion Crossing The Frontiers: Nigerian Pentecostal Dynamics In The Western World, Jacob Kehinde Oladipupo
Great Commission Research Journal
This article examines how the Pentecostal movements in Africa and most especially in Nigeria are experiencing fast growth and how African Pentecostals are speaking on the global scene, especially in Europe and America in the twenty-first century. This kind of Pentecostal reverse mission from Africa to the Western countries that brought Christianity to Africa in the eighteenth century is not without strengths and weaknesses. This article unveils the nature of the Nigerian Pentecostal movements in the diaspora and how much impact the movements are making in the Western cultures of Europe and America. The passion of the African immigrants’ churches …
Book Review: Who Broke My Church? 7 Proven Strategies For Renewal And Revival By Kent R. Hunter, David Thiessen
Book Review: Who Broke My Church? 7 Proven Strategies For Renewal And Revival By Kent R. Hunter, David Thiessen
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
The Future Growth Of Global Christianity And Yoido Full Gospel Church: Its Potential Role In The New Context, Wonsuk Ma
Great Commission Research Journal
Christians have long recognized the amazing growth of Yoido Full Gospel Church. It has been a pioneer in the Church Growth Movement and has set an example in its dependence on prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit. The church faces challenges/opportunities in the future as it relates to the church growth in the Global South, the changing culture in South Korea, and the Pentecostal/charismatic movements around the world.
Do Larger Churches Tolerate Pastoral Narcissism More Than Smaller Churches?, David R. Dunaetz, Hannah L. Jung, Stephen L. Lambert
Do Larger Churches Tolerate Pastoral Narcissism More Than Smaller Churches?, David R. Dunaetz, Hannah L. Jung, Stephen L. Lambert
Great Commission Research Journal
Pastoral narcissism in churches is a problem, from both a theological and practical perspective. In this study, we explore the question of whether church size is related to tolerance for narcissism. In the popular press, pastors of megachurches are often portrayed as narcissistic. The Dominance Complementarity Model of narcissistic leaders (Grijalva & Harms, 2004) predicts that churches which have less dominant followers, as may be the case in larger churches, would be more tolerant of narcissistic pastors than smaller churches. Yet larger churches also have the resources to hire the most qualified staff, which would presumably exclude candidates high in …
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Turning To North America, Gary L. Mcintosh
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Turning To North America, Gary L. Mcintosh
Great Commission Research Journal
The event that put Church Growth on the worldwide map was the Lausanne Congress on Evangelism held on July 14-28, 1974. Then, as the Church Growth Movement took hold around the world, the focus of some faculty at Fuller’s School of World Mission gradually turned toward North America. This article describes the actions and processes that propelled the movement into world prominence.
Architectural Evangelism: Examination Of Place Constructs Held By Churched And Unchurched Individuals, Matthew Niermann
Architectural Evangelism: Examination Of Place Constructs Held By Churched And Unchurched Individuals, Matthew Niermann
Great Commission Research Journal
In recent decades, the exterior design of Protestant churches has undergone radical reformulation under the influence of the church growth architectural design theory known as architectural evangelism. Presupposing that churched and unchurched individuals hold differing place constructs, architectural evangelism seeks to attract unchurched individuals to the church by changing the exterior design from church typologies to secular typologies. In doing so, as the theory proposes, when an unchurched individual is exposed to a typology they are more familiar with, a different place construct formulation occurs—a place construct rooted in conceptions of comfort and the perception of community-based activities. Noting the …
The Global Missionary: The Emerging Roles Of North American Missionaries In The Twenty-First Century, Blayne C. Waltrip
The Global Missionary: The Emerging Roles Of North American Missionaries In The Twenty-First Century, Blayne C. Waltrip
Great Commission Research Journal
This article explores the emerging roles of the North American missionary in light of the changing face of global missions. Missionary sending has become a phenomenon of reciprocity. Because the Global South has become a missionary sending force, missionaries are going from everywhere to everywhere. This shift has created a need for North American missionaries to reevaluate their roles in missions. They are increasingly becoming “Global Missionaries” that serve in more than one context. The author defines and describes a Global Missionary, evaluates the factors for the shift, and advocates a greater global partnership to fulfill the Great Commission.
A Case Study Of Growth And Decline: The Churches Of Christ, 2006-2016, Stanley E. Granberg
A Case Study Of Growth And Decline: The Churches Of Christ, 2006-2016, Stanley E. Granberg
Great Commission Research Journal
The group known as the Churches of Christ is one of America’s largest religious bodies with over 1.5 million adherents and congregations in all fifty states. Like many U.S. Christian bodies, the Churches of Christ have entered a time of decline. This article is a case study of the Churches of Christ and describes the group’s growth and decline, with a specific focus on the years 2006 to 2016. The movement’s current state of health is assessed, and the impact of new church planting as the engine for movement growth is described. The article ends by addressing three hard challenges …
Book Review: Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches By Mark Clifton, Chris Messerer
Book Review: Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches By Mark Clifton, Chris Messerer
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Turn-Around Churches: How To Overcome Barriers To Growth And Bring New Life To An Established Church By George Barna, Harvey Mitchell Jr.
Book Review: Turn-Around Churches: How To Overcome Barriers To Growth And Bring New Life To An Established Church By George Barna, Harvey Mitchell Jr.
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Learn Why Some Churches Are Growing, George G. Hunter Iii
Learn Why Some Churches Are Growing, George G. Hunter Iii
Great Commission Research Journal
Donald McGavran’s pioneering contribution to understanding the growth of churches and Christian movements drew from field research in growing churches and Christian movements, in addition to scripture and history. While field research included analysis from observation and the church or movement’s history and statistics, interview research produced the lion’s share of new insights. This article reports some of what has been learned about field interviewing—who to interview, the kinds of questions to plan to ask, the importance of follow up questions, and how to ask questions, manage the interview process, record insights, and reflect on the insights to inform future …
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Founding A School, Gary L. Mcintosh
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Founding A School, Gary L. Mcintosh
Great Commission Research Journal
With the Institute of Church Growth in Eugene, Oregon, set to close in June 1965, McGavran was thinking of retiring to his small farm in Oregon. However, his plans changed when he was chosen to become the founding dean of Fuller Theological Seminary’s new School of World Mission and Institute of Church Growth in September of that same year. The story of McGavran’s selection, as well as that of getting Alan Tippett back into the USA, demonstrates God’s miraculous work in bringing about the establishment of the new school.
Book Review: Race And Theology By Elaine A. Robinson, Aaron Perry
Book Review: Race And Theology By Elaine A. Robinson, Aaron Perry
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Entrepreneurial Church Planting, Jay Moon
Entrepreneurial Church Planting, Jay Moon
Great Commission Research Journal
Entrepreneurial church planting (ECP) explores innovative approaches for church planting in the marketplace. This article describes how entrepreneurial church plants leverage the networking and value creation provided by business in order to form communities of Christ followers among unchurched people. Biblical, theological, historical, and missiological support is provided to guide ECP planters. Four contemporary examples provide a paradigm of church planters that are typically suited for this approach to include the artist, social scientist, evangelist, and builder. These examples demonstrate the potential of ECP to break out of limited contexts and plant churches in larger networks of relationships in the …
The Case To Redress Evangelism In North America, Gary Comer
The Case To Redress Evangelism In North America, Gary Comer
Great Commission Research Journal
This article is a response to a warning made by George Hunter regarding the church’s adherence to its own “folk wisdom.” It explores the question of how the church could change, particularly in how it currently views evangelism, and how church leaders and members are unprepared to face the mission complexity unique to our time. It offers an alternative perspective with methodology that is theologically formed on the pattern of Christ, and built around the notion of spiritual influence. To that end, the kind of research that is most needed is discussed along with ideas on examining existing presuppositions.
Higher Education As Mission, Lewis Edwards, Kenneth Nehrbass
Higher Education As Mission, Lewis Edwards, Kenneth Nehrbass
Great Commission Research Journal
While missiologists have been paying attention to business as mission, few have studied the value of securing teaching positions in foreign secular universities as a missionary method. This article bases “Higher Education as Mission” on the Apostle Paul’s four-fold taxonomy for reaching the educated and uneducated at home and abroad. Teaching in universities can be a legitimate platform for gaining an entry point in restricted access countries. More than that, as Christian scholars pursue excellence in their own academic fields, they can model to the future elites of societies what it means to follow Jesus in every aspect of our …
Orthodox Background Believers: Listening And Learning, Cameron D. Armstrong
Orthodox Background Believers: Listening And Learning, Cameron D. Armstrong
Great Commission Research Journal
Evangelical church and organizational leaders in majority-Orthodox Romania often find themselves at a loss in understanding how to conduct outreach to Orthodox people. Often the cultural differences between Orthodox and evangelical Romanian Christians seem impassable. One approach is that of listening and learning from the transformational narratives of evangelical Christians converted out of Orthodoxy. The following article moves in this direction through qualitative analysis of conversion stories by four Romanian Orthodox background believers. Five common themes that arise from the data are discussed. The article concludes by offering an initial “evangelism rubric” to better posture evangelical groups to begin outreach …
Leading Through Growth: The Role Of The Lead Pastor In The Large Church, Stephen Grusendorf
Leading Through Growth: The Role Of The Lead Pastor In The Large Church, Stephen Grusendorf
Great Commission Research Journal
In order to be an effective leader, the large church lead pastor must recognize and respond to the ever-shifting organizational dynamics of his church. This article highlights the distinctive organizational dynamics of large churches as opposed to churches of other sizes. It will seek to identify the unique responsibilities that leading a large church places on the lead pastor. Finally, this article will describe the particular organizational perils and opportunities present as the lead pastor transitions a church through the various stages of organizational growth.
Book Review: Growing God’S Church: How People Are Actually Coming To Faith Today By Gary L. Mcintosh, Garrett R. Eaglin
Book Review: Growing God’S Church: How People Are Actually Coming To Faith Today By Gary L. Mcintosh, Garrett R. Eaglin
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: The Benedict Option: A Strategy For Christians In A Post-Christian Nation By Rod Dreher, April Berg
Book Review: The Benedict Option: A Strategy For Christians In A Post-Christian Nation By Rod Dreher, April Berg
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Church Planting In The Secular West: Learning From The European Experience By Stefan Paas, John P. Thompson
Book Review: Church Planting In The Secular West: Learning From The European Experience By Stefan Paas, John P. Thompson
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Becoming A Professor, Gary L. Mcintosh
The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Becoming A Professor, Gary L. Mcintosh
Great Commission Research Journal
As McGavran’s missionary career in India came to an end, publication of The Bridges of God opened new doors for research, teaching, and writing. The years 1955–1965 found McGavran moving from a missionary career to that of a professor and founding The Institute of Church Growth. In Eugene, Oregon, he met and befriended Methodist missionary Alan R. Tippett who became a partner in the spread of Church Growth Thought during the 1960s and 70s.
Conflict In The Small- And Medium-Sized Church, William D. Henard
Conflict In The Small- And Medium-Sized Church, William D. Henard
Great Commission Research Journal
One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with any church is conflict. Because of humanity’s fallen nature and because of the difficulty of initiating and accepting change, conflict is almost always inevitable. Conflict becomes detrimental when it is not handled correctly or when it remains unchecked and finds its source deep within the sinful nature and motives of people. Conflict in the church, though, does not necessarily have to be destructive. Many of those within the church reconciliatory ministry say that conflict is essentially neutral. When handled properly, it can actually result in some positive benefits for the church.
Preparing To Multiply: Four Steps For Established Churches, Joey Chen
Preparing To Multiply: Four Steps For Established Churches, Joey Chen
Great Commission Research Journal
How should a leader of an established church lead the church to multiply? With the increased attention to church planting, there are more resources available, but little attention is given to the established church. This article seeks to help the leader of an established church prepare to engage in multiplication. While strategy, best practices, and finances are vital components to church multiplication, the crucial starting point for an established church leader is to prepare. There are four places to look while in the preparation stage: inward, upward, outward, and around.