Practical Theology Commons^™

Front Matter, Spiritus 8.1 (2023), [email protected]

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Full Issue Spiritus 8.1 (2023), [email protected]

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

One Church’S Apathy Toward Fulfilling The Great Commission, David Thomas Williamson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Philippians 1:9-11 records Paul’s prayer containing four assessments believers can use to measure their progress toward spiritual maturity. These areas include a love that flows, a mind that knows, a character that shows, and a fruit that grows. The purpose of all these qualities is to demonstrate God’s glory. Where spiritual maturity is absent, apathy and complacency abound, and this dilemma must be overcome before a church can effectively pursue and sustain a viable focus on church revitalization. Because theological academia has not effectively focused on the partnership between spiritual maturity and church revitalization, this DMIN research project will address …

Recurso 13 Orientación Bíblica Evangelismo, Pablo Brink

Evangelismo

Recurso 13- Orientación Bíblica de Evangelismo

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 58 No 1 - April 2023), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

From the Editor: Karin Maag - 1 / Articles: “Going Abroad” in the German Academy: Abraham Kuyper as Continental Philosopher by Dylan Pahman - 3 / Old Princeton’s Midwestern Allies: An Aspect of Reformed Recovery Since 1930 by Kenneth J. Stewart - 29 / Catholic, Evangelical, and Reformed: The Theological Vision of I. John Hesselink by David Komline - 53 / Short Studies Low-Level Church Workers in the Spread of Reformed Protestantism in the Seventeenth-Century Dutch East Indies by Yudha Thianto - 89 / Review Essay: A New Wave of Scholarship on Karl Barth by Ronald J. Feenstra - …

Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 65, No. 2

Restoration Quarterly

PDF of the cover of Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 65, No. 2.

This repository hosts selected Restoration Quarterly articles in downloadable PDF format. For the benefit of users who would like to browse the contents of RQ, we have included all issue covers even when full-text articles from that issue are unavailable. All Restoration Quarterly articles are available in full text in the ATLA Religion Database, available through most university and theological libraries or through your local library’s inter-library loan service.

Book Review: Missions And Money: Global Realities And Challenges By Jonathan J. Bonk, Michel G. Distefano, J. Nelson Jennings, Jinbong Kim, And Jae Hoon Lee, Gregory C. Cochran

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

About The Great Commission Research Network (April 2023), David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Metrics And Measurements In Church-Based Research, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

To better understand the characteristics of specific churches and phenomena that occur across churches, various metrics and measurements can be used to describe them. Measurements must be meaningful and appropriate. Quantities involving people, finances, objects, or events are most frequently counted, but other measures may include behaviors, traits, skills, knowledge, and abilities of individuals. Measuring phenomena is necessary to understand how phenomena are related to each other. Measuring attitudes and beliefs are especially important because many ministries in churches are designed to influence these (e.g., preaching and teaching). However, from a Christian perspective, our motivation behind our measuring is important. …

Book Review: Faith In The Wilderness: Words Of Exhortation From The Chinese Church Edited By Hannah Nation And Simon Liu, Ryan Jensen

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Growing And Declining Churches Face Different Challenges: A Statistical Analysis Of The Top Ten Challenges Facing Churches Study, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

The data behind the study The Top Ten Challenges Facing Churches (Moody, 2023) is presented and analyzed with a focus on differences between growing churches and non-growing churches. Church leaders (N = 129) indicated how difficult they believed it would be for North American churches to overcome 50 potential challenges. For most challenges, no significant difference between the church leaders from growing and non-growing churches was detected. However, church leaders from non-growing churches viewed 1) attractiveness of programs, 2) retaining young adults, 3) youth programs, 4) small group participation, and 5) effective strategy as more difficult challenges to overcome than …

Relationship Building For Evangelism Among English Language Learners In China, Ryan Jensen

Great Commission Research Journal

This empirical research revealed that relationship-building by missionaries among English language learners in China was a factor that facilitated their verbal communication of the gospel. For this study, I interviewed 15 missionaries who were identified by various leaders as being active in evangelism and who had shared the gospel with at least 10 Chinese people in the last year that they were on the field. Participants explained that they used the strategy of “funneling” interactions with Chinese individuals by narrowing down a large number of people with whom they had contact to a select few who were interested in spiritual …

Book Review: Revitalizing The Declining Church: From Death’S Door To Community. Growth By Desmond Barrett, Terry Neumayer

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

A Bibliometric Analysis Of The Great Commission Research Journal 2009-2019, Glenn R. Wittig

Great Commission Research Journal

The Great Commission Research Journal, the subject of this investigation, is a relatively new journal with roots in the past. It is a successor to two previous publications from the American Society for Church Growth. A bibliometric analysis of the journal’s first ten volumes is presented on two levels. The first is a content analysis of the surface features of the publication such as the authors’ education, academic credentials, and employment, the number of full-length articles published, the subjects covered in each article, and other features such as the average length of articles, number of footnote references, and number of …

Finding Them, Keeping Them – Strategies For Evangelism And Assimilation: A Review Of The Books Written By Gary L. Mcintosh, Gordon E. Penfold

Great Commission Research Journal

A short review of each of the twenty-seven books by Gary L. McIntosh traces the development of the author’s thought up to his latest release in January 2023. This review demonstrates that McIntosh’s passion is to see churches and Christian leaders apply classical biblical church growth principles in their ministry contexts. His passion for reaching and assimilating new people, and for developing Christian leaders to carry out Christ’s Great Commission with a Great Commandment passion permeates each book. The breadth and depth of his knowledge are demonstrated in his many volumes with little overlap in their subject matter. His works …

Book Review: Christian Barriers To Jesus: Conversations And Questions From The Indian Context By J. Paul Pennington, Harshit Gudka

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: God At Work In The World: Theology And Mission In The Global Church By Lalsangkima Pachuau, Kenneth Nehrbass

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: One Faith No Longer: The Transformation Of Christianity In Red And Blue America By George Yancy And Ashlee Quosigk, Mike Urton

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Stick Figures Save The World: Drawing Simply To Share Jesus Well By Pam Arlund, Jason Lalonde

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Trust, Scripture, And The Spirit As Core Values Of Evangelism In A Chinantec Village In Oaxaca, Mexico, Eliseo Arce Hernandez, Ashley Stamper

Great Commission Research Journal

The paper provides both a rationale for an approach to evangelism and a practical, replicable ministry model focusing on three core values (trust, Scripture, and the Spirit) in order for churches and individuals to effectively fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20), particularly in cross-cultural contexts. A case study using this model in an indigenous Chinantec community in Oaxaca, Mexico, is presented. In contrast to modern evangelistic strategies that emphasize speed and numbers, this model and field example offer an alternative approach to church planting, an approach with a long-term focus and a goal of mature disciples and healthy churches.

Discipleship Renewed: Returning To The Ancient Teachings Of Jesus As The Manual For Modern-Day Christianity, Sarah Duron

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The modern American Christian is faced with a society that is in unprecedented spiritual decline. Yet, is today’s church equipped with the fortitude to shine as light in darkness like Jesus intended? The concern behind this project is that a broad view of current Christian landscape reveals a great need to reclarify what it means to be a Christian. In His teaching, Jesus provides everything that is needed for the Christian life. The American church needs to experience a genuine return to the kind of Christianity that Jesus intended. It is the kind that can be referred to as discipleship. …

A Kingdom Model Of Leadership: Developing A Biblical Leadership Standard Established On Kingdom Principles And Exemplified By The Person And Ministry Of Jesus, Meredith James

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Although secular leadership principles and insights may benefit pastors and ministry leaders, business practices and cultural trends should not be the driving influences that guide and inform the church. Many pastors and ministry leaders are not practicing the biblical concept of kingdom leadership that Jesus modeled. Instead, they have increasingly relied on secular leadership strategies to produce successful results for their churches. This approach to ministry can often guide ministry leaders to depend on their natural gifts, marketing campaigns, and elevated production elements to grow attendance. The problem with this ministry methodology is that faithfulness and biblical truth are many …

Providing Effective Pastoral Leadership Through Difficult Seasons: Overcoming Barriers To Becoming A Revitalized Church, Joseph Lee

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Leading churches in revitalization is challenging. Church plateau, decline, and revitalization have been issues for major denominations for years. Revitalization efforts have produced positive results for some churches, but the overall trend of decline in church attendance and participation in North America persists. One complicating factor in engaging church revitalization is the contextual nature of barriers contributing to plateau and decline. Some barriers may be specific to the churches' time, location, and culture. A second complicating factor impacting church revitalization is the COVID-19 pandemic that began early in 2020. This project explores church leadership dynamics during challenges seasons by focusing …

A Daily Time With God For Spiritual Growth: How Worship, Scripture, And Prayer Transform People Into Fully Devoted Followers Of Jesus, Luke Cunningham

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Bible engagement, faith practice, and people identifying as followers of Jesus are at an all-time low in America. Christians are casually attending church, occasionally volunteering, but not transforming into fully devoted followers of Jesus. Discipleship is defined differently from church to church, and “spiritual formation” is the new rave without much local church praxis. How do Christians go from a weekly faith of attendance to a daily faith of transformation? The focus of this doctoral dissertation is to present the practice of daily meetings with God as the solution to this problem. It is by laying out a clear theology …

Called To Serve: Developing An Understanding Of Pentecostal Pastoral And Practice From Pentecostal Theology And Tradition, Joshua Willaford

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Alongside Pentecostalism’s continued growth in both adherents and influence, there has also been an effort amongst contemporary Pentecostal scholarship to crystalize the ways in which Pentecostal theology and tradition finds its expression in practical theology. At present, too little effort has been dedicated to clearly articulating a theological vision for the role of the pastor in a Pentecostal church in a way that aligns with the movement’s unique contours. The aim of this research was to discover the impact of a presentation of Pentecostal theology and tradition on the development of the pastoral identity and practice of Assemblies of God …

Young Adult Attrition In The American Church: The Suspected Causes And Suggested Cures, Randall M. Morrow

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Young adults in America today are deciding that the Church is no longer relevant, so they are choosing to drop out in increasing numbers. Their disaffiliation from communities of faith is also harming their personal faith. This observation is irrespective of Church denominations; their exodus occurs in most faith groups, including Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, and Pentecostal/Charismatic denominations. Consequently, the future vitality of the Church is threatened. Why does this problem exist, and what can be done to intervene and change the downward trajectory? What should Christian parents and ministry leaders do differently to achieve a higher retention rate of …

The Top Ten Challenges Facing Churches In 2023, Edward E. Moody Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

This article summarizes the results of a study conducted by the Great Commission Research Network seeking to identify the top challenges facing churches in 2023. The results are similar to other recently conducted studies, emphasizing challenges related to evangelism and young adults.

Introduction To Special Section On Gary L. Mcintosh, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

My Pilgrimage In Church Growth, Gary L. Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

A short autobiography by Gary McIntosh focusing on his role in the Church Growth Movement

Book Review: Polycentric Leadership: Toward A New Theoretical Model For Global Leadership By Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Mark D. Wood

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.