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Articles 301 - 330 of 476
Full-Text Articles in Practical Theology
Five Types Of Multicultural Churches: A New Paradigm Evaluated And Differentiated, Bob Whitesel
Five Types Of Multicultural Churches: A New Paradigm Evaluated And Differentiated, Bob Whitesel
Great Commission Research Journal
This article puts forth a comprehensive and reconciliation-based paradigm through which to view multicultural congregations as one of five models or types. It updates the historical categories of Sanchez, adds contemporary models, and then evaluates each through a ten-point grid of nomenclature, mode of growth, relationships, pluses, minuses, degree of difficulty, creator complex, redistribution, relocation, and reconciliation. The five models are 1) the asset sharing Multicultural Alliance, 2) the collaborative Multicultural Partnership, 3) the asymmetrical Mother-Daughter model, 4) the popular Blended approach, and 5) the Cultural Assimilation model. The result is a comprehensive five-model paradigm that includes an assessment of …
Why Is There A Silent Exodus Of English-Speaking Adults From Western Canadian Chinese Churches?, Matthew Todd
Why Is There A Silent Exodus Of English-Speaking Adults From Western Canadian Chinese Churches?, Matthew Todd
Great Commission Research Journal
This study recommends solutions towards the retention through empowerment of Canadian Born Chinese (CBC) adults in Chinese bicultural churches. To address retention, the key risk factors and common dynamics that contribute to a “silent exodus” of CBC adults were established through qualitative research, including a survey of participants from diverse church affiliations. Based on an analysis of the literature review and survey results, this study advocates working toward the retention of English-speaking adults from Chinese Canadian churches through associated parallel independent English congregational models; this recognizes a link between the process of acculturation and the imperative to leverage mission.
The Ecclesiology Of Training For Trainers: The Issue Of Method And I Timothy 3:6, John Henry Serworwora
The Ecclesiology Of Training For Trainers: The Issue Of Method And I Timothy 3:6, John Henry Serworwora
Great Commission Research Journal
The implementation of the Church Planting Movement (CPM) and Training for Trainers (T4T) by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention missions life is not without challenge. Southern Baptist missiologists and seminary professors have written numerous papers and articles supporting or contesting this methodology. The majority of criticisms focus on the emphasis in the rapidity and “mass production” of churches, fearing the theological alteration among the new believers and their churches. This article argues that the leadership process in T4T/CPM violates the Baptist ecclesiology, since 1 Timothy 3:6 essentially excludes a new believer from pastoral leadership.
My Pilgrimage In Church Growth, Ray Ellis
My Pilgrimage In Church Growth, Ray Ellis
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Embracing Shared Ministry: Power And Status In The Early Church And Why It Matters Today By Joseph H. Hellerman, Paul Gritz
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Advanced Strategic Planning: A 21st Century Model For Church And Ministry Leaders By Aubrey Malphurs, John Sun
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Planting New Churches In A Postmodern Age By Ed Stetzer, Joseph Mun
Book Review: Planting New Churches In A Postmodern Age By Ed Stetzer, Joseph Mun
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: The Coffee Shop That Changed A Church: Discovering The Net Effect By Steve Parr, Peter Varosky
Book Review: The Coffee Shop That Changed A Church: Discovering The Net Effect By Steve Parr, Peter Varosky
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, And Create Movement By Will Mancini, Elizabeth Montgomery
Book Review: Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, And Create Movement By Will Mancini, Elizabeth Montgomery
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Legacy Churches By Stephen Gray And Franklin Dumond, Duane H. Boady
Book Review: Legacy Churches By Stephen Gray And Franklin Dumond, Duane H. Boady
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Introduction, Alan Mcmahan
Authority, Autonomy, And Healthy Communication: Embracing The Organizational Complexities Of The Multisite Church, Jamus Edwards
Authority, Autonomy, And Healthy Communication: Embracing The Organizational Complexities Of The Multisite Church, Jamus Edwards
Great Commission Research Journal
A perplexing matrix-style of leadership that reflects numerous leadership teams across multiple locations typically characterizes multisite churches. As a result, the most volatile element in the multisite church is the distribution of decision-making authority. The unique organizational challenge for multisite churches is determining the balance of trust, freedom, and control in the relationship between each campus’s leadership and the primary leadership team of the overall church. Inevitable frustrations among campus pastors can often be decreased when multisite leadership teams are characterized by clarity in roles and authority. Additionally, responsiveness in the areas of authentic communication and the embracing of conflict …
Book Review: Together In One Mission: Pentecostal Cooperation In World Evangelization By Arto Hämäläinen And Grant Mcclung, Eds., David Rogers
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Pastoral Attitudes That Predict Numerical Church Growth, David R. Dunaetz, Kenneth E. Priddy
Pastoral Attitudes That Predict Numerical Church Growth, David R. Dunaetz, Kenneth E. Priddy
Great Commission Research Journal
The attitudes of 92 head pastors were measured concerning 20 ministry-relevant ideas and practices, as well as information about their church’s present numerical growth. A statistical analysis found four pastoral attitudes that predict positive or negative numerical church growth. Positive predictors of numerical church growth were strong beliefs that 1) personal and corporate prayer are important and 2) transfer growth is an indicator of congregational health. Negative predictors of numerical church growth were strong beliefs in the importance of 1) preaching and 2) outreach to the community. The practical implications of these findings are discussed in light of evangelical theology.
Book Review: Franchising Mcchurch: Feeding Our Obsession With Easy Christianity By Thomas White And John M. Yeats, Brandon Kiesling
Book Review: Franchising Mcchurch: Feeding Our Obsession With Easy Christianity By Thomas White And John M. Yeats, Brandon Kiesling
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Planning And Implementing Successful Pastoral Succession, Parnell M. Lovelace Jr.
Planning And Implementing Successful Pastoral Succession, Parnell M. Lovelace Jr.
Great Commission Research Journal
The senior pastor serves as the visionary catalyst for the local church congregation. Cultural, ethnic, and theological traditions define the pastor’s role, often determining how the pastor plants a church, leads people, and transitions once the pastoral assignment is completed. None of these responsibilities is easy. However, the matter of pastoral succession brings concerns, sensitivities, and challenges that are unique within any discussion of ministerial success. Center of Praise Ministries in Sacramento, California, provides several examples of paradigms, challenges, and mores that one must address when facilitating healthy transition. This article explores how intentional and strategic pastoral succession planning provides …
Book Review: Making Your Vision A Reality: Proven Steps To Develop And Implement Your Church Vision Plan By Paul Cannings, Kenneth Lewis
Book Review: Making Your Vision A Reality: Proven Steps To Develop And Implement Your Church Vision Plan By Paul Cannings, Kenneth Lewis
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Timeless Growth Principles From The Movement Of Hans Nielsen Hauge: A Case Study In Pietism, David Stein, Frederick Thoni
Timeless Growth Principles From The Movement Of Hans Nielsen Hauge: A Case Study In Pietism, David Stein, Frederick Thoni
Great Commission Research Journal
As existing churches continually face the challenge of staying relevant, and new churches face the challenge of establishing traction in the first place, a fresh look at the dynamics of movements will help both. While large, existing churches can often operate from an institutional focus, new and growing churches have to operate from a movement focus. Declining churches need to recapture the dynamism that helped them come into being in the first place. In order to break free from the status quo a new catalyst must be inserted into the equation in order to move forward to the next level. …
Book Review: Size Does Matter: Moving Your Ministry From Micro To Mega By R. A. Vernon, Jeremy Upton
Book Review: Size Does Matter: Moving Your Ministry From Micro To Mega By R. A. Vernon, Jeremy Upton
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Church Launch: Start Small, Stay Small—Launch Large, Grow Larger!, Dave Page
Church Launch: Start Small, Stay Small—Launch Large, Grow Larger!, Dave Page
Great Commission Research Journal
Launching churches is the new paradigm for church planting in America for the twenty-first century. The old school paradigm was to plant a church and watch it grow slowly, like a tree. The new church planting metaphor is launching a church, like launching a rocket ship into space. This article argues that launching large churches is the most effective means of evangelism in the short and long run. Start small, and the church will stay small, as most do. Launch large, and the church has an opportunity to keep on growing. By launching large, churches can break church growth barriers …
Upcycling Church: New Hope For Transforming Declining And Plateaued Churches, Richard J. Frazer
Upcycling Church: New Hope For Transforming Declining And Plateaued Churches, Richard J. Frazer
Great Commission Research Journal
This article introduces new language and an alternative paradigm to the topic of revitalizing declining churches, which presents a transforming process for pastors, church leaders, denominational executives, and consultants to implement when coaching revitalizing churches. The biblical foundation for this writing is Jesus’ letter to the church of Sardis, recorded in Revelation 3:1–6. Five principles for upcycling a declining church are presented: embrace the crisis, answer the wakeup call, strengthen what remains, strengthen who remains, and return to spiritual roots.
The Missiological Method Of Jesus According To Luke 10: Do We Follow In His Steps?, Cecil Stalnaker
The Missiological Method Of Jesus According To Luke 10: Do We Follow In His Steps?, Cecil Stalnaker
Great Commission Research Journal
When it comes to evangelism and missiological methods, should we follow in the steps of Jesus? Many missionaries are doing just that. In Luke 10 Jesus instructs his disciples, giving them a method to accomplish their appointed mission. This involves three phases: (1) searching for the “person of peace”; (2) supporting a house fellowship; and (3) securing a missionary base of operations. Such an approach is certainly worth examining but only in light of the biblical authority and context as well as the missionary’s cultural context.
Book Review: Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping The Face Of The Church By J.D. Payne, Scott Zeller
Book Review: Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping The Face Of The Church By J.D. Payne, Scott Zeller
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
About The Great Commission Research Network, Alan Mcmahan
About The Great Commission Research Network, Alan Mcmahan
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Book Review: The Explicit Gospel By Matt Chandler, Jeremy Mcgarity
Book Review: The Explicit Gospel By Matt Chandler, Jeremy Mcgarity
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Church Growth Missiologist And Defender Of The Faith: George G. Hunter, Iii, R. Daniel Reeves
Church Growth Missiologist And Defender Of The Faith: George G. Hunter, Iii, R. Daniel Reeves
Great Commission Research Journal
Reeves summarizes Hunter’s impact in McGavran missiology with professors, church planters and evangelists. He highlights Hunter’s pioneering research among secular peoples at Muscle Beach and the fifth century Celtic movement, with broad application for enlisting and equipping disciples. Reeves also emphasizes Hunter’s less reported role as friend and trusted advisor, citing his personal experience of receiving encouragement and advice while forming and facilitating the Council on Ecclesiology, a project aimed at reducing counterproductive rhetoric among several popular movements.
Evangelism Or Disciple-Making?, Charles Arn
Evangelism Or Disciple-Making?, Charles Arn
Great Commission Research Journal
Evangelistic “success” is often defined by the number of “decisions for Christ”—those who raise their hands . . . come to the altar . . . pray the sinner’s prayer. However, the definition of success, when measured by the “fruit that remains” (Jn. 15:16) indicates that decision-making does not always result in disciple-making. In fact, upon closer study, many of the evangelistic methods commonly used by churches and Christians today have been shown to be ineffective—and even counter-productive—in producing disciples and responsible church members. In this article, Charles Arn contrasts the difference in practice and results between traditional evangelism vs. …
The Gathering Of The Saints: Noun Or Verb?, Kenneth E. Priddy
The Gathering Of The Saints: Noun Or Verb?, Kenneth E. Priddy
Great Commission Research Journal
This paper examines the question: Who are the saints? In the Old Testament the saints are the people of God, the nation of Israel, specifically those who have genuine faith and are true believers. In the New Testament the saints are the church, those who have been regenerated through the working of the Holy Spirit to be more than members of the visible church, but members of the eternal invisible church as well. In modern times we often speak of the “gathering of the saints.” Both noun and verb uses are included in Scripture and they are essentially distinguished by …
Book Review: The Churching Of America 1776–2005: Winners And Losers In Our Religious Economy By Roger Finke And Rodney Stark, Charles Salmon
Book Review: The Churching Of America 1776–2005: Winners And Losers In Our Religious Economy By Roger Finke And Rodney Stark, Charles Salmon
Great Commission Research Journal
No abstract provided.
Finding The Way Forward: George Gill Hunter, Iii, Ronald K. Crandall
Finding The Way Forward: George Gill Hunter, Iii, Ronald K. Crandall
Great Commission Research Journal
Ron Crandall recounts some of the significant personal transitions, achievements, and contributions to evangelism and church growth made by his long time colleague. This brief “inside story” captures some of both the professional and personal life of this world-class scholar, and reveals his passionate pursuit to help thousands of churches and millions of secular and disenchanted peoples “find the way forward.” Never content to only talk about evangelism, George Hunter is portrayed as employing every gift available to equip the Church for its apostolic mission to spread the power of “Christ in us, the hope of glory.”