Church Planting Movements

This article examines how inclusive language education can support the educational and cultural needs of the Oraon tribal community of Gumla in Jharkhand. Focusing on the sociolinguistic context of Oraon students, it explores the challenges they face in accessing quality education due to the dominance of English and regional languages like Hindi in schools. At home, these students speak Kurukh, their native language, which is often excluded from formal education. This linguistic disconnect can hinder learning and weaken cultural identity. Through a sociolinguistic lens, the study analyses classroom practices, teacher approaches, and community perspectives to understand how language use affects educational outcomes. It emphasizes the need for mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE), where children begin learning in their native language before transitioning to others. The article also advocates for culturally responsive teaching methods and reforms in language policy that acknowledge the linguistic diversity of tribal populations. Such inclusive strategies not only improve academic achievement but also preserve indigenous languages and identities. Overall, the study highlights the urgent need to bridge the gap between home and school languages to create an education system that is truly inclusive and equitable for tribal learners like the Oraons.

When the Oraon tribe moves from their homeland to cities, they face big challenges in keeping their cultural identity, mainly because they start losing their native language. To fit into their new surroundings, they often learn and use dominant languages like English for work and Sadri often in their daily life. Over time, this causes their traditional language to fade away. Losing their language doesn't just affect how they speak-it also creates a deep identity crisis because language is a key part of who they are. This struggle is shown in books like Mary Oraon by Mahasweta Devi, which talks about how English influence's tribal identity and culture. The story shows how mixing English words with native languages reflects bigger social and cultural changes, as well as the inner struggles of indigenous people. Studies show that moving to new places can bring better job and education opportunities, but it also threatens cultural traditions and identity. The Oraon people's experience highlights the challenges of migration, learning new languages, and staying connected to their roots. It is important to find ways to balance adapting to a new culture while also protecting their native language and heritage.

The preaching of the word of God does not focus on the position of pastor, or ordained minister, but rather the duties and responsibilities of every believer. The progress of the era changes all elements of society, both from the economy, social, culture, politics without exception in the ministry of preaching the word of God. The problems and challenges in the 4.0 era are still not finished, the 5.0 era is now here and has become a special problem and challenge for everyone, especially believers and this must be faced by the church. To answer this challenge, the author uses descriptive qualitative research seen from existing phenomena and interviews with church leaders. How do the church and believers respond to this and take advantage of digital opportunities in delivering the preaching of the Word of God based on digital era 5.0 without ignoring conventional methods but empowering technology and mastering technology in preaching the word of God because technology is able to break down dividing walls and connect them in a network and the preaching of the word of God continues to occur on the digital platform even though the preacher is not preaching the word of God.

The Makhuwa-Nahara people have been exposed to Christianity for five centuries, but until recently, they seemed to have rejected it. This study explores why some of the Nahara are responding positively to the radio dramas based on orally translated Bible narratives. Besides the fact that God’s Word through his Spirit softens hearts, why would an African Muslim people group respond positively to something that contradicts some of their Islamic teachings? I hypothesized that one of the reasons that the radio life application Bible dramas are helping contextualize the gospel is that they do not seem foreign to the Nahara, and they have found them relevant to their lives. To evaluate this, it is important to understand their culture first, so I have given a brief ethnographic profile of this oral folk Islamic African people group from northern Mozambique. Next, I explain how a panorama of 89 Bible narratives was chosen and translated orally into Nahara to help contextualize the gospel for them, speaking to relevant cultural issues.  I then describe how we produced radio dramas to answer life questions using the orally translated Bible narratives.  Through the distribution and broadcast of these, I show how several oral Bible discussion groups were formed and have helped the participants apply the gospel to their contexts and start following Jesus.  To discover what effect these radio dramas based on orally translated biblical narratives have had in contextualizing the gospel for the Nahara, a qualitative empirical study was conducted by analyzing interviews conducted among them. Through the interviewees’ engagement with the oral Scriptures and radio dramas, this study shows clear evidence that the gospel is being contextualized in many areas of Nahara society and culture, including doctrine, ethics, family life, myth, art, and burial rituals.  To evaluate the quality of this, I first describe a biblical standard of contextualization found in how the Apostle Paul helped contextualize the gospel for diverse cultures in the Book of Acts. Then, with the contextualizing principles drawn from Paul’s ministry, I evaluate and suggest improvements for contextualizing the gospel among the Nahara.

Holistic Leadership Coaching is essential for Christians and the church. Especially the leader must care for themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. Many people fail to recognize that a unique concentration on spirituality increases the risk of burnout caused by a lack of Sabbath rest and delight. Moreover, it is difficult for leaders who accept themselves when they burn out or have depression because they will resist the counseling they do with others.
So, Holistic Leadership Coaching will help protect the church leader from burnout from their personal life or ministry. The coach will identify a clear goal and an action plan for them and help them develop potential and self-management until they can make decisions themselves. Coaching will be the best instrument for leadership ministry, especially in the Chaisawat church. I will end this paper with C-O-A-C-H, which stands for C- come alongside, O- observe carefully, A-ask questions wisely, C-communicate options and resources, and H-holds accountable.

The understanding of theology has gone through a lo ng historical development and the individual definitions oscillate from an everyday t hinking about one’s faith to highly academic expressions and terms. Trilhaas, for examp le, sees theology as a “reflective self-understanding of faith.” 1 Theology implies the wish to think about the reali ty of faith as deeply as possible and about its relationship to other sources of knowledge about life. 2

Leadership has garnered significant attention in both secular and religious circles. It has become the centerpiece of numerous programs, seminars, and conferences. The famous maxim states, "Everything rises and falls on leadership." When it involves people and change, leadership consistently plays a vital role. Therefore, leadership development within the local church has become an expected responsibility of local pastors. They are not just shepherds but also cultivators of leaders. The Bible underscores the importance and value of leadership in both the church and society. Leadership is critical to God. God appoints and utilizes leaders, guiding them to lead others toward His purpose for their lives. The lack of leadership development is one of the primary reasons churches plateau and decline. Many pastors or ministers struggle to discover and nurture leaders within the congregation. They face significant challenges in recruiting workers. However, unless pastors are able and willing to train, develop, and produce leaders or leaders of leaders, the church will remain stagnant, regressing and declining. If leadership is essential to God, then leadership development in the local church is part of God's will. If leadership development aligns with God's will, then there is a necessity to establish a theological and biblical foundation for leadership development within the local church.

The present study was carried out at El-Mattana Research Station, Luxor Governorate, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt. In two plant crop seasons of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 to study the effect of planting dates on yield for three sugarcane varieties (G.T. 54-9, G.98-28 and G.84-47) grown at three planting date in mid-March, mid-April and mid-May. The date of harvesting was in mid-March for all planting dates. A split plot arranged RCBD, in four replications, was used for the experiment. The three varieties were randomly distributed to the main plot while the three planting dates were assigned to sub-plot. The results indicated that planting sugarcane in mid-March was superior in millable cane/fed, cane weight, as well as cane and sugar yields in both seasons. The commercial sugarcane variety G.T.54-9 surpassed the other two varieties in the number of millable canes/ha, cane weight, as well as cane and sugar yields. However, the variance between the commercial sugarcane variety G.T.54-9 and G.84-47 in the studied traits was mostly insignificant. This indicates that reducing the growing season by delaying planting date reduced cane and sugar yields. Under conditions of this investigation, planting commercial sugarcane variety G.T.54-9 in mid-March can be recommended to obtain the highest cane and sugar yields/ha.

This dissertation argues that for missionaries today and onward, Carey's concept of "plodding" in mission work serves as a corrective to many of the models found in missions theories today. Thus, as a work of "missiological retrieval," a model for response to fruitless labor is developed from Carey's response by synthesizing the theological and missiological principles he both believed in and applied during the first seven years of his ministry (1793-1800). This synthesis results in a paradigm called the "art of plodding," which contains nine timeless principles that can be implemented for missionary training, development, and assessment. This paradigm comes as a form of course correction to the dominant views and responses to fruitless labor that have been popularized since Carey's life and ministry ended in 1834, which are also summarized and evaluated in this work.

This guide, Spirit-Led Church Planting: A Strategic and Prayerful Guide for Building Gospel-Centered Communities, explores the dual approach needed for effective church planting, balancing strategic planning with spiritual discernment. Rooted in evangelical theology and missiological best practices, the guide provides a five-step system to establish Gospel-centered communities in various cultural contexts. Drawing from biblical examples and contemporary scholarship, the guide outlines the processes of fact-finding, prayer, relationship building, team formation, outreach, and the launch of a new church. It emphasizes the necessity of flexibility, highlighting both centralized and decentralized models of church formation to reach diverse populations. Through careful community engagement, team building, and a reliance on prayer, this system equips church planters to adapt to the cultural and spiritual needs of their mission field, ensuring the long-term sustainability of their efforts. The guide emphasizes the importance of integrating practical strategies with the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit to establish and grow churches that faithfully represent the Gospel and meet the unique needs of each community.

Keywords: church planting, Gospel-centered, mission, prayer, missiology, church formation, community engagement, team building, outreach, spiritual discernment, decentralized church model, centralized church model, strategic planning.

Tulisan ini mengeksplorasi model kepemimpinan Kristen yang adaptif, di mana seorang pendeta tidak hanya berperan sebagai pemimpin dalam liturgi dan administrasi gereja, tetapi juga terlibat secara aktif dalam kehidupan sehari-hari jemaat di luar konteks formal. Kepemimpinan yang adaptif ini menekankan pentingnya kehadiran pendeta dalam dinamika sosial, spiritual, dan emosional jemaat, menciptakan relasi yang lebih dekat, autentik, dan bermakna. Dengan mengikuti teladan Yesus, yang hidup di tengah masyarakat, model kepemimpinan berbasis persahabatan ini menunjukkan bagaimana kehadiran aktif seorang pendeta dapat memperkuat hubungan antara pemimpin dan jemaat, serta meningkatkan efisiensi dan relevansi pelayanan gereja. Melalui pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif, penelitian ini mengkaji problematika kepemimpinan Kristen dalam konteks degradasi identitas pemimpin di luar pastori, dan bagaimana model kepemimpinan yang terlibat langsung dalam kehidupan jemaat dapat menjawab tantangan pelayanan. Kesimpulannya, kepemimpinan adaptif memperkaya kehidupan spiritual jemaat, memperkuat relasi antar anggota jemaat dan pendeta, serta memberikan dampak signifikan terhadap relevansi dan keberlanjutan gereja di masa kini. Kata Kunci: Kepemimpinan Kristen, Adaptasi kepemimpinan dan Pendeta sebagai sahabat LATAR BELAKANG Kepemimpinan Kristen yang efektif ditandai dengan ketekunan, kerajinan, dan keterlibatan aktif dalam tugas-tugas yang dipercayakan. 1 Dalam konteks gereja, peran ini memegang posisi vital dalam menentukan arah, pertumbuhan, dan keberlanjutan komunitas jemaat. Seorang pendeta, sebagai pemimpin spiritual, berfungsi tidak hanya sebagai pengelola liturgi dan administrasi, tetapi juga sebagai penghubung yang menjembatani kehidupan sehari-hari jemaat dengan ajaran gereja. Namun,

This paper discusses the concept of transformational Christian leadership in the context of building impactful church communities. By referencing the teachings of Jesus Christ and biblical principles, church leaders are expected to facilitate positive change and create an environment that supports spiritual growth. Characteristics of transformational leaders, such as vision, empowerment, and inspiration, are key to establishing an inclusive church community. Additionally, the impact of this leadership on the church's mission is explored, including congregational involvement in social service and justice. Through case studies of contemporary churches, this journal provides insights into successful leadership practices and the challenges faced in the current context.

At a fundamental level, the discipline of frontier missiology is based on crossing difference:” dissimilarities between peoples are significant enough to require an intentional apostolic effort to engage such peoples. By contrast, much of contemporary missiology is based on “uniting difference:” distinctions between peoples are harmful to the unity of Church and a pastoral response requires the ministry of reconciliation. In this regard, Donald McGavran’s infamous Homogeneous Unit Principle (HUP) serves as an inflection point between frontier missiology and contemporary missiology. The apparent contradiction lies between an apostolic function and a pastoral function, both of which are needed, but at different times and in different ways. Phenomenologically, church planting movements (CPMs) highlight this tension. In this lecture, after presenting three short case studies introducing CPM’s intersection with the HUP, I’ll share what I’ve discovered specifically as it relates to the nature of church multiplication within networked oikos churches. Along the way, I’ll make two proposals: 1) that “homophilous” is a more appropriate term than “homogeneous,” and 2) the HUP is better understood as a “paradox” and not a “principle.”

This research sought to explore the impact of a missiological movement hermeneutic on how leaders create missions strategies. A literature review was conducted to determine if the multiplication of disciples and churches was part of the historical context of the New Testament. The study included interviews with top leaders from different organizations and countries to get different perspectives and experiences. An analysis of the results confirmed that using a missiological lens focused on the multiplication of the gospel, disciples and churches is a legitimate hermeneutic, although the research also revealed notable objections to this method of study and to using the term movement to describe the New Testament events. Leaders currently do not learn about movement strategies from formal theological training, but there is a growing number of books, articles, trainings and field practitioners available that have played a prominent role in influencing strategic plans. The implications of the lack of prominent use of a missiological hermeneutic in considering missions strategies coupled with the growing number of examples of Disciple Making and Church Planting Movements currently taking place, highlight the need for serious discussion about improving the biblical hermeneutic used to guide church planting efforts.

In this research paper, I will examine how a disciple-making philosophy of ministry shapes the goals and priorities of church-planting. An overview of the definition and components of a disciple-making philosophy of ministry will be provided. Emphasis will also be placed on ways church planters can strategically implement a disciple-making plan based on a disciple-making philosophy of ministry. Examples from my church plants in Ghana, W. Africa and Buffalo, NY will be shared to demonstrate how key principles can be fleshed out in practice.

An underlying assumption of most church-based research is that the sample from which the data is collected is representative of a wider collection of church members, church leaders, small groups, churches, denominations, or whatever is the focus of the study. To increase the likelihood that this assumption is met without making the research an impossible undertaking, various sampling strategies are used ranging from random sampling to convenience sampling, each with advantages and disadvantages. After a sampling strategy is chosen, an appropriate sample size should be pursued, depending on the nature of the study. The sample size of quantitative studies seeking to describe the frequency of a phenomenon (such as a belief or behavior) or the number in a category (such as demographics) is determined by the desired margin of error. It is more complex to determine the desired sample size of quantitative studies that test a relationship between concepts or differences between groups; several variables must be considered (statistical power, acceptable false-positive error rate, and effect size). For qualitative studies, sampling and data collection should continue until saturation is reached, that is, until little or no new information would be gained from additional data.

This Chapter 19 - co-authored with Rania Mostofi - in Motus Dei: The Movement of God to Disciple the Nations, Ed. Warrick Farah, William Carey (2021) explores the challenge of second generation (children growing up to convert parents) for the movements to Christ in Iran and Algeria. It is an is an invitation to reflect critically upon the faithfulness and effectiveness of movements as they move from the first to the second social and familial generation. explore the various dimensions of the second-generation challenge as it manifests itself in Iran and Algeria. Through this discussion, our aim is to highlight key areas of ecclesial practice that need reviving in both movements so that they are positioned to experience a flourishing multi-generational future. Though our reflections are specific to Iran and Algeria, our hope is that the deliberations offered might also resonate with other contexts.

Source -- https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol19/iss2/5/

This article will highlight five areas of learning: (1) the conventional church attendance crisis, (2) church history, (3) Simple House Church planting, (4) the future of "church," and (5) the rise of Disciple-Making Movements. It is intended to be descriptive. It is my story. In many ways, thanks to the input of many Simple Church planters, it is our collective Simple Church story of the past 15 years.

In hopes of adequately sharing what is currently taking place, this article will include a blend of statistical data, observations from personal experience, analysis of social trends, and a brief summary of my understanding of God's prophetic end-time vision to which all nations, tribes, languages, and people are invited. There are still many questions along with the realization that we have made mistakes along the way. However, we have found some answers to the mounting challenges facing Westernized churches.

As you read, there will likely be things you find helpful, insightful, disturbing, challenging, and some that may even make you angry. My goal has been to take a candid look at what is developing among God's end-time people. The closing thoughts of this article will attempt to synthesize our experience, providing a look at possible next steps.

https://amzn.to/3xs9ZHE

An incredible breakthrough in missions history is taking place as disciples of Jesus make more disciples of Jesus around the globe, particularly among the least-reached. But what exactly are these church planting or disciple making movements? Where are they occurring and what are their unifying features? How are they manifesting in diverse populations? And can you or your organization be instrumental in catalyzing more movements? Motus Dei, Latin for "movement of God," seeks to answer these questions and more. Warrick Farah has expertly synthesized an extensive conversation between mission practitioners, scholars, and seasoned movement leaders from around the world. The resulting in-depth analysis of movements provides a multi-disciplinary academic investigation of an emerging "movements missiology," highlighting the importance of theology, social sciences, ethnology and anthropology, communications theory, leadership theory, and statistical analysis. Motus Dei locates the current Church Planting Movement (CPM) phenomenon within modern history, while tracing its roots back to the first century, and articulates a missiological description of the dynamics of Disciple Making Movements (DMMs) in Asia, Africa, and diaspora contexts in the Global North. Offering over thirty first-hand accounts of indigenous churches planting churches among the nations, Motus Dei provides a seedbed for growing movements in diverse contexts. There are lessons to be learned here by anyone seeking to participate in the movement of God.

Farah, Warrick, ed. 2021. Motus Dei: The Movement of God to Disciple the Nations. Littleton, CO: William Carey.

Steve Addison has blessed the church with this simple, but thorough, treatment of the early rise and continued expansion of the church. He brings fresh insight into the beginnings of the movement that impacts the world to this day. This book’s principles are accessible to all readers As Addison simply points out the key aspects of Jesus’ ministry and explains how they paved the way for a reproducible movement. This review will provide a brief summary of the content of What Jesus Started, also pointing out the most significant contributions the book makes to modern church planting movement efforts.

Faith-based nonprofit organizations often do not track the transformational outcomes of programs because these outcomes are considered intangible and difficult to quantify. Bible League International's (BLI) Board of Directors commissioned the development of an instrument to assess the transformative impact of BLI's programs. This was accomplished in collaboration with the Metadigm Group. From field interviews and from relevant literature, three measurement domains emerged: Program Participant Outcomes, Worker Capacity and Affiliation, and Program Function. In pilot tests, qualitative methods were used to refine the instrument. Due to time and budgetary restraints, the project ended prior to conducting reliability studies. This case study presents factors driving faithbased nonprofits to measure transformational outcomes, exposes some of the methodological challenges in accessing transformational outcomes, and provides an approach to developing an instrument to quantify transformational outcomes.

To equip students for effective, long-term cross-cultural ministry during their undergraduate training in institutions of biblical higher education, missions educators should consider whether their training approaches are holistically integrated, relationally oriented, and fundamentally caring. Although such characteristics are suggested in the literature about missionary training, prior to this study, researchers have not developed a statistically validated scale to assess the connections between such training and graduates preparedness for cross-cultural ministry. This research study focused on developing an instrument to determine what aspects of recent graduates college experiences correlate with their
perceptions of preparedness for cross-cultural service. The study used an online, self-administered, quantitative survey designed by the researcher and validated through expert review and factor analysis. The validated instrument  may be useful for missions program directors seeking to assess and improve their programs.

For the first time in United States history, more churches are closing their doors (for the last time) than opening them.

An easy-to-read short summary (1 paragraph) or longer versions that include source material.

Notice the part about attempting to revive existing churches or plant new conventional churches.

Church planting is a non-negotiable endeavor for the church of God. It must be carryout in other to reach the world with the gospel. In this contemporary age, planting new churches can be of no interest to some people because of the clamouring for mega-churches. The present generation has its peculiarities which are part of the discovered secrets of some church leaders leading to them growing mega-churches. A church planter or church planting team must understand the context of the present generation. In other to understand the context of the present generation, the youths are to be examined because they mirror the past generation and reflect the future generation. This is the reason many church leaders and minister of the gospel seeks how to meet the spiritual and physical needs of the youths.
It will be of greater advantage for every church planter to be prepared ahead for the possible challenges that may surface during their adventure of planting new churches in this contemporary age. Planting a church that is fitting to the millennials, should be the target of all church planters because the glory of the past labour and the future glory depend largely on them. Apart from the introduction and conclusion, this paper, therefore, examines the Concept of Millennial Generation and Church Planting, Challenges of Millennial Generation to Church Planting, and the essential precautious measures for planting Millennials churches.

Pandemi Covid 19 merupakan isu global dan menjadi ancaman keamanan non-tradisional bagi Indonesia. Pemerintah Indonesia telah menetapkan kebijakan Pembatasan Sosial Berskala Besar (PSBB) sebagai salah satu upaya menanggulangi bencana nasional itu. Kebijakan PSBB juga menjadi acuan bagi kegiatan social bagi warga komunitas gereja Lingkungan Santa Theresia, Paroki Santa Maria Regina, Bintaro Jaya. Namun, selama masa pandemi itu warga komunitas tetap ingin merawat kohesi social yang selama ini telah mereka bina. Sehubungan itu dirancang kegiatan-kegiatan yang membuka keterlibatan warga dan sekaligus kegiatan itu juga dapat membawa manfaat konkrit bagi warga masyarakat yang lebih luas. Gerakan “Ayo Berbagi” menjadi sarana bagi warga dalam ikut serta membangun kohesi social, memperkuat identitas masyarakat yang majemuk dan sekaligus dapat dipandang sebagai salah satu strategi keterlibatan masyarakat dalam ikut serta mengatasi ancaman keamanan non-tradisional.

Postmodernism challenges the church. The complexity of late 20th and early 21st century American evangelicalism was the environment for fresh Emerging Church conversations. Interest in Americanized Church Growth was waning, and church attendance was continuing to decline in spite of charismatic renewal. There was increasing frustration with the evangelistic ineffectiveness of the mega-church seeker models in reaching postmoderns, together with the growing realization that there were alternatives to inherited Constantinian models of church. It is a complex conversation. Some, who are faithful to biblical authority, doctrine and the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ, have sought to keep the focus on being both a missional and missionary movement. This article does not simply list what is right or wrong with Emerging Church, nor confine discussion to certain practices. It examines how Adventists have assessed this movement, and, in reflecting the author's academic, professional and personal journey of ministry, it represents an Adventist response.

Introduction to Church Planting Movements Over the past twenty years church organizations in the global West have looked on with awe, tinged with envy, at the rapid growth of church planting movements (CPMs) in the developing world. These CPMs have emerged while the West has been preoccupied with the growing tide of post modernism and secularism in their once Christian nations. These movements have been observed to be emerging on every continent with developing nations, from South America to Asia, Africa, and Europe, and often under significant persecution. For a movement to be defined as such, David Garrison suggests that it is one when there is a "rapid multiplication of indigenous churches that sweeps through a people group or population segment" (Garrison 2004:21). While it has been observed that there are numerously so-defined CPMs in places such as India and China, there are none that have been observed in the West. This is not due to a total lack of interest among Western Christians, for the zeal and for the desire to evangelize their home communities can be witnessed in the innumerable amount of time and money invested in trying to understand and develop the field of church growth. Garrison states that CPMs "reproduce rapidly" meaning that newly planted churches are starting new church plants themselves very quickly. Second, movements obtain a high level of "multiplicity" in their church plants. That is, they are not just adding new congregations, but that the new congregations are adding congregations, often multiple congregations at once. Third, the church plants are "indigenous," meaning that the church has grown from within rather than being planted by an outsider. The churches look, act, and feel as though they are homegrown. Fourth, 1

Penelitian ini merupakan studi tentang kerja di dalam pemikiran Jhon Calvin. Dengan menganalisis pemikiran Calvin tentang kerja sebagai panggilan Allah dan juga sebagai pelayanan. Penulis berpendapat bawa ada keterkaitan erat antara keduanya. Menurut Jhon Calvin bahwa pekerjaan juga adalah sarana bagi manusia untuk melakukan pelayanan bagi sesama dalam kasih dan keadilan, yang berarti bahwa kerja juga dilakukan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan satu sama lain demi kebaikan bersama. Hasil dari studi ini menunjukkan adanya keterkaitan erat antara pelayanan dan panggilan dalam bekerja sehingga baik mengabaikan yang memuliakan Tuhan dengan memanusiakan manusia ketika melakukan pekerjaan.

The transformation of the Toraja Church under Tallulolona reflects the dynamics of ecclesiastical management that strengthens cultural identity while navigating changing times. Tallulolona's important role in formulating vision and mission, developing a responsive organizational structure, and empowering the congregation in decision making, forms the basis of church growth and involvement. The impact extends from increasing congregation membership to active involvement in local development. This study provides in-depth insight into how ecclesiastical management can combine local values with innovative strategies, creating a model for a sustainable church future.

CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by Unisa Institutional Repository in the Maritime Provinces and whether or not there are significant differences in these Provinces with regard to urban and rural areas or why some church plants struggle and others thrive. Chapter 3 develops a conceptual framework for the problem through a thorough literature review of both North American sources, as well as, sources from a more global perspective, but it does not, in itself, solve the problem facing church planting situations in an Atlantic Canadian context, therefore, empirical research needs to be done. This research is designed to identify the common characteristics of viable, long-term church plant practices and to compare characteristics of church plants that struggle, not only in the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches, which is the researcher's base of experience in the area, but also in the wider context of Atlantic Canadian Evangelical Churches in the Maritime Provinces. The purpose of the research is to assist churches and denominations achieve longterm viability in future church planting situations by becoming aware of common characteristics of viable long-term planting situations in the region. 1.5 Hypothesis: There are unique and identifiable characteristics that are common among viable long-term church planting situations in the Maritime Provinces of Atlantic Canada. 1.6 The methodology of the study: This study was conducted from an empirical qualitative research approach, based on a conceptual framework derived from literature for the field of church planting in the late 20th and early 21st century. This framework formed the basis for developing a research tool to obtain data through in-depth interviews with church planting pastors from several evangelical denominations

Not a few people hold leadership positions, but only a handful of people take part as leaders in missionary movements, even though the church has a missionary call that must be fulfilled. It was at this point that Petrus Octavianus appeared in his life and works to show himself as one of the few people whose figure reflects a missionary movement. With his missionary movement, Petrus Octavianus moved across borders to proclaim Christ. The research method used is a qualitative method with a narrative study approach. The results of this research show that a missionary leader can produce works that tend to be unexpected. This is reflected in the experience of Petrus Octavianus as a religious and national figure with a multitude of achievements that have received much appreciation as a manifestation of his theological life journey which was made possible by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

An assessment of the vitality of the Seventh-day Adventist churches in the Ontario Conference revealed a lack of multiplying congregations. This finding raised serious concerns. At the same time, the Ontario population net growth continued to increase at a higher rate than the Conference average net growth. There is a need for an intentional approach in identifying barriers for church growth, developing a strategy to remove these barriers, and initiating a congregational culture change that would unleash a God-given multiplication potential in congregations. In order to facilitate the congregational culture-change process, coaching in ministry would increase the chances for an effective intervention. LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, relevant literature is reviewed to discover elements essential for initiating a church culture change that leads to multiplication. The review was conducted within the scope of church growth with an emphasis on (a) church culture change, b) a pastor's role in church culture change, (c) exploring principles and habits of healthy churches that multiply with emphasis on disciple making, and (d) coaching. The review findings informed the development of a strategy that, when implemented, will lead a church to improved health and will initiate multiplication.

Introduction to Church Planting Movements Over the past twenty years church organizations in the global West have looked on with awe, tinged with envy, at the rapid growth of church planting movements (CPMs) in the developing world. These CPMs have emerged while the West has been preoccupied with the growing tide of post modernism and secularism in their once Christian nations. These movements have been observed to be emerging on every continent with developing nations, from South America to Asia, Africa, and Europe, and often under significant persecution. For a movement to be defined as such, David Garrison suggests that it is one when there is a "rapid multiplication of indigenous churches that sweeps through a people group or population segment" (Garrison 2004:21). While it has been observed that there are numerously so-defined CPMs in places such as India and China, there are none that have been observed in the West. This is not due to a total lack of interest among Western Christians, for the zeal and for the desire to evangelize their home communities can be witnessed in the innumerable amount of time and money invested in trying to understand and develop the field of church growth. Garrison states that CPMs "reproduce rapidly" meaning that newly planted churches are starting new church plants themselves very quickly. Second, movements obtain a high level of "multiplicity" in their church plants. That is, they are not just adding new congregations, but that the new congregations are adding congregations, often multiple congregations at once. Third, the church plants are "indigenous," meaning that the church has grown from within rather than being planted by an outsider. The churches look, act, and feel as though they are homegrown. Fourth, 1

Since it's descobrimento on April 22 nd , 1500, Brazil proved to be resistant to Protestant and Evangelical Christianity until the 20 th century. However, by the end of the century, Brazil had, in many missiologists' minds, transitioned from being a missionary field to a missionary force. There is one Brazilian trait in particular that serves well to describe both God as He has orchestrated the evangelization of Brazil, and Brazilians as they increasingly have fulfilled their role in God's global mission to, in and through Brazil. This trait is summarized in the expression dar um jeito (pronounced "darh oon jhei'-to"). While a literal translation into English does not make much sense, its meaning can most accurately be conveyed with "make a way." Its participle form (dando um jeito) would be "making a way," and that is a wonderful description of God on mission to, in and through Brazil. For over 500 years, despite difficulties, hostilities, resistance and obstacles, He has been "making a way" for His Gospel to be proclaimed, His name to be known, His Son to be worshiped and His mission to be completed-first to Brazil, then in, and now among the nations through Brazilian Evangelical missionaries. By way of an integrated research v methodology, situated within a naturalistic paradigm, and based upon the grounded theory method, this dissertation analyzes data and makes inferences from a variety of theoretical as well as disciplinary perspectives, in an attempt to uncover, examine, understand and integrate selected theological, historical, cultural and strategic reasons for Brazil's resistance to the Gospel, as well as to show how God has overcome the resistance, in order for the Gospel to continue to impact Brazil, and for the Brazilian Evangelical church increasingly to become a missionary "powerhouse" in the 21 st century. vi KEYWORDS Missio Dei, doxological missiology, doxological motivation, freewill theism, "openness of God" theology, dando um jeito, jeitinho, Brazil, historical, cultural, strategic, Brazilian Evangelical missions, two-thirds world missions, emerging missions movements, missionary training, missionary education, business as mission vii ABBREVIATIONS AMTB Associação de Missões Transculturais Brasileiras (Brazilian Cross-Cultural Missions Association) APMB ix DEDICATION To the Lord Jesus, the Christ, in whom I live and move and have my being eternally, my hope of glory. To Sonia, Gabriel and Giovanna, for whom, more than any other humans, I live and move and dedicate my being, for their eternal hope and glory in Jesus Christ. To my parents, Jack and Carolyn who, through their dedication to Jesus Christ, to their children, and to the outworking of God's will in their lives, have served as genuine, motivating and deeply encouraging examples of what it means to live in hope and be rewarded-in the case of my mother, who is now with Jesus-with eternal glory.

78 My search was restricted to theses and dissertations concerning the intentional use of business for the purpose of missions. There are many theses and dissertations related to economic development, microenterprise and the like, but they are beyond the purview of my research.

Problem A review of administrative data reveals that Shiloh French Seventh-day Adventist Church has lost 25% of its members over the past 5 years, while only 15% joined by baptism. Most new members come from transfers and profession of faith. The purpose of the present work is to address the issue of lack of motivation to carry out the mission of the worldwide church by asking the following question: How can a mission-focused stewardship plan help church leaders and members refocus? -- Methodology Based on the context, theological reflection, and literature review, the initiative was presented in four phases: Mission-Focused Stewardship Sounding Board, Mission- Focused Stewardship Mindfulness Movement, Conducting Mission-Focused Stewardship Seminars, and Mission-Focused Stewardship Peer Support Groups/Mentoring. The implementation of those phases was done as follows. Forming a sounding board was the first phase to implement the project. A diverse group of 8 people was appointed—men,...

Early Indigenous Membership in a Praying Community in Downe Township [Cumberland County, New Jersey] : Review of Cemetery and Archaeological Records of All My Relations.

Early records of indigenous occupation of the Half Way Creek (later named Dividing Creek) and Vacant Marsh of West Jersey before 1698 has been recorded in records of various faith groups colonizing the lands between the Cohansey Creek and the Maurice River. The area depicted on the map by John Worlidge in 1702 where landmarks were drawn between the Prince Maurice River and the Cohanʃe were wildlands and marshlands where the King, Newcomb, Gaskill, and Blizzard lineages originated. These labeled wildlands on the early maps from explorations contain some habitation areas, and reported encounters with the original people of our early plantation (church planting) by immigrants. Cartography delineates the Kahanʃick Indians, Agreement Creek, Egg Island, Gamen Island, vacant marsh, Half Way Creek, and James Waʃs to the west of the Maurice River. Through compiling the history of various denominations of church planting, the early encounters, the oral history, the cemetery listings,  the archaeological site records, and indigenous knowledge of flora and fauna, a robust recreation for the territory of the Lenopi has been recorded into a searchable collection on geographic information system mapping of Southern New Jersey.

Church Planting in the Deep South enjoys greater success and sustainability in a Kingdom praxis where the supernatural is taught, embraced, and practiced, is not an assertion to be proven, but a concept to be tested; Tested in light of cultural context, Spiritual Climate, Sociological significance, and experiential research.

Evangelical churches around the globe face the challenge of overcoming cultural barriers to engage people with the gospel message and guide them toward biblically faithful discipleship. Each church develops a sub-culture of traditions, behaviors, and beliefs that poses challenges to connecting with outsiders who share the same cultural background but have little prior knowledge of Christianity. This cultural disconnect between the sender and recipient of the good news creates an obstacle in fulfilling Christ's call to "make disciples" among all nations and facilitate conversions (Matt 28:18-20). A careful self-assessment by local congregations regarding their approach to disciple-making will aid in closing the gap between people within and outside the church. In this respect, the Church Discipleship Matrix (CDM) offers a tool to evaluate and recontextualize pathways of transformational conversion. Churches can engage their leaders and church members in a creative, communal exercise of self-reflection to discover how contextualization affects their disciple-making ability. The matrix sheds light on the entire process of gospel diffusion, beginning with the transmission of the Christian faith and moving to the translation of ministry (contextualization), the turnaround experience (conversion), the transformation of converts, and the retransmission of the gospel.

Penelitian ini menyinggung maraknya gereja virtual dalam hal pemafaatan teknologi. Namun masalah yang dihadapi ialah sulitnya membangung sebuah persekutuan sebagai salah satu tujuan gereja. Unik untuk diperhatikan bahwa persekutuan jarak jauh sudah ada sejak jemaat mula-mula terbentuk. Paulus berhadapan dengan persekutuan yang jarak jauh dan-sama seperti sekarang-memaksa Paulus menggunakan media yang ada (surat) untuk berinteraksi. Tetapi bagaimana gagasan Paulus tentang persekutuan jarak jauh sehingga Paulus mampu mempertahankan persekutan adalah fokus utamanya. Penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian kualitatif dengan menerapkan prinsip hermeneutik terhadap Alkitab dan studi kepustakaan lainnya. Dari hasil penelitian, dijumpai beberapa hal dalam exordium Paulus tentang gagasan Paulus membangun persekutuan jarak jauh, diantaranya: (1) Mengingat jemaat dalam doa. Persekutuan jarak jauh membawa Paulus untuk selalu mengingat dan menggumuli persekutuan jarak jauh dalam doa. (2) Mengecek kehidupan rohani. Dalam suratnya, Paulus sering menyinggung tentang ungkapan syukurnya terhadap iman jemaat, yang menandakan Paulus memang sering mencari dan mendengar kabar iman dari jemaatnya. (3) Mengusahakan perkunjungan. Paulus menyadari kekurangan yang besar akan persekutuan yang dibangun dari jarak jauh, sehingga banyak kali dijumpai Paulus ingin mengadakan pertemuan secara langsung untuk persekutuan yang lebih dekat lagi dengan jemaatnya.