Writing Literature Reviews in Church-Based Research

Because of the knowledge explosion taking place, literature reviews in church-based research are needed more than ever. Summaries and syntheses of previous research make this knowledge available to practitioners and help researchers focus on what remains unknown. In contrast to empirical studies, literature reviews rely on previously published studies to make conclusions and advance theory. These studies may include both church-based research and more general research that is not particularly Christian. In contrast to meta-analyses which focus on synthesizing statistical information, literature reviews focus on conceptual synthesis and theory advancement. To write a literature review, authors must first choose a research problem to address. An initial review of past literature will help them focus on a narrower research question, most likely in an iterative process, to choose a specific topic. The authors must also consider the purpose of their review in light of past research and theoretical contributions that they can make to the chosen topic

Social Media as a Tool for Evangelism Among Youth and Young Adults

This research aims to answer the question of which social media platforms youth prefer and what types of content they prefer. Using data collected from a quantitative survey of Seventh-day Adventist schools, this research seeks to identify the most-used social media platforms and most appealing types of content so Christian churches, media organizations, and digital missionaries can more effectively utilize social media as a tool for evangelism among youth and young adults, defined as people 15 to 24 years of age

The Continuity Mindset for Christian Mission

Missionaries from the Global North regularly serve as trainers for Christians in the Global South. From personal experience, missionaries are regularly seen as being qualified to do this work simply because of their position. Rather than missionaries assuming they are competent purely on the basis of their titles, I believe they should instead practice the Continuity Mindset for Christian Mission, a mindset that emphasizes the continuity of one’s identity and ministry in one’s home culture with one’s identity and ministry in the host culture. This practice includes elements of vulnerable mission, nonresidential mission, tentmaking, cultural intelligence, and authentic leadership. I propose that the intentional practice of the continuity mindset can help missionaries from the Global North appropriately fulfill training responsibilities or ambitions they may have in the Global South. This article introduces the continuity mindset and how its theoretical foundations can aid missionaries from the Global North in laying down their power in order to better serve those to whom they are sent in the Global South

My Journey in Church Growth

At the request of my good friend Gary McIntosh, I am going to recount my more than 40-year journey in the field of Church Growth

Leadership: Essential for a Church to Grow Numerically and Spiritually

This article relates the spiritual gift of leadership (Rom. 12:8) to numerical church growth. Scripture presents spiritually gifted leaders as those who received authority from God and had knowledge of his will for his people. Biblical leaders delegated effectively and encouraged those who were given tasks to accomplish. The overall scope of biblical teaching on leadership indicates that pastors/elders should have the gift of leadership. Allowing those who qualify and have the gift of leadership to emerge is crucial for the health of a church

An Examination of Three Models of Missional Communities for Sharing the Gospel with Muslims in the United States

Missional communities are small groups within a local church that serve those outside the church with the aim of sharing the gospel, perhaps even providing them the possibility of joining the group. Missional communities have been used effectively by local churches in reaching the surrounding community or a specific group of people. This article examines three different models of missional communities, discussing the strengths and challenges associated with each one. Based on these observations, along with observations on the evangelical Christian and Muslim communities in the United States, three recommendations are presented for helping missional communities effectively share the gospel with a local Muslim community