Foreword

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The Theological Roots, Vision, and Contribution of the Church Growth Movement

In the 1970’s, Donald McGavran’s Church Growth movement emerged in the service of a powerful theological vision: to fulfill the ancient promise to Abraham—that all of the earth’s peoples would be blessed, and to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission—to reach, and make disciples, among the lost peoples of the earth. Church Growth’s people, however, have never “majored” in Constructive Theology. With most other Christians, we regard Christianity as a revealed (not an imagined) faith; most of us affirm the classical theology of the Church, with deep roots in the Scriptures and normative respect for the several ancient creeds. So Church Growth leaders have not presumed to “improve” on “the faith once delivered to the saints!” Furthermore, Church Growth people usually identify with one of the great Protestant theological traditions—such as Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Methodist, Anabaptist, Restorationist, or Pentecostal. Moreover, because Church Growth is a field within the broader discipline of Missiology, we generally share the Mission Theology of our colleagues. Church Growth has not primarily contributed to theology because theology, per se, is not our “main business”, and reflective theology is not the arena for our essential contribution, nor is “speculative theology.” If the reflection behind important human (including Christian) activity functions within a Theology-Strategy-Method (or a TheoryModels-Practice) spectrum, Church Growth’s essential contribution is located squarely in the middle, while drawing from both theology and from field research where the practice is especially effective, with some contributions to theology and more to practice

The Rationale for a Culturally Relevant Worship Service

More and more churches, in most denominations and traditions, rely less upon pipe organs, hymnals, robed choirs, and the old European hymns, and rely more upon grand pianos, guitars, bands, drama teams, singing ensembles, and newer music with the words projected on a screen. The movement toward contemporary worship, however, has attracted its fair share of suspicion, criticism, and even rage

The Rationale for a Culturally Relevant Worship Service

More and more churches, in most denominations and traditions, rely less upon pipe organs, hymnals, robed choirs, and the old European hymns, and rely more upon grand pianos, guitars, bands, drama teams, singing ensembles, and newer music with the words projected on a screen. The movement toward contemporary worship, however, has attracted its fair share of suspicion, criticism, and even rage

Emotional Relevance in Outreach Ministry

In Western history, the Enlightenment sold the idea that humans are essentially rational creatures who need to graduate from their primal emotions. Leaders like Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley knew better, commending Christianity as a faith of “the heart” and leading a Great Awakening. Nineteenth century evangelical leaders, however, drank too much of the Enlightenment Kool-Aid and took an excessively left-brained approach to pre-Christian people. The religious tracts of the time expose this turn. This article invites church leaders to rediscover a more biblical (and Reformation) understanding of human nature and to pioneer in “emotionally relevant ministry” once again

Emotional Relevance in Outreach Ministry

In Western history, the Enlightenment sold the idea that humans are essentially rational creatures who need to graduate from their primal emotions. Leaders like Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley knew better, commending Christianity as a faith of “the heart” and leading a Great Awakening. Nineteenth century evangelical leaders, however, drank too much of the Enlightenment Kool-Aid and took an excessively left-brained approach to pre-Christian people. The religious tracts of the time expose this turn. This article invites church leaders to rediscover a more biblical (and Reformation) understanding of human nature and to pioneer in “emotionally relevant ministry” once again

The Theological Roots, Vision, and Contribution of the Church Growth Movement

In the 1970’s, Donald McGavran’s Church Growth movement emerged in the service of a powerful theological vision: to fulfill the ancient promise to Abraham—that all of the earth’s peoples would be blessed, and to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission—to reach, and make disciples, among the lost peoples of the earth. Church Growth’s people, however, have never “majored” in Constructive Theology. With most other Christians, we regard Christianity as a revealed (not an imagined) faith; most of us affirm the classical theology of the Church, with deep roots in the Scriptures and normative respect for the several ancient creeds. So Church Growth leaders have not presumed to “improve” on “the faith once delivered to the saints!” Furthermore, Church Growth people usually identify with one of the great Protestant theological traditions—such as Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Methodist, Anabaptist, Restorationist, or Pentecostal. Moreover, because Church Growth is a field within the broader discipline of Missiology, we generally share the Mission Theology of our colleagues. Church Growth has not primarily contributed to theology because theology, per se, is not our “main business”, and reflective theology is not the arena for our essential contribution, nor is “speculative theology.” If the reflection behind important human (including Christian) activity functions within a Theology-Strategy-Method (or a TheoryModels-Practice) spectrum, Church Growth’s essential contribution is located squarely in the middle, while drawing from both theology and from field research where the practice is especially effective, with some contributions to theology and more to practice

MS 610 The Ministry of Evangelism

Reading Assignments: Most of the classes will focus, for the first session, on books or readings, that have been assigned for that day. The books and readings are available in Asbury’s Cokesbury Bookstore. BOOKS: 1. Rambo, Lewis. Understanding Religious Conversion 2. Hunter, George G. III, The Celtic Way of Evangelism 3. McLaren, Brian. More Ready Than You Realize 4. Crandall, Ron. The Contagious Witness READINGS (available in ATS bookstore after about February 17): 1. Neill, Stephen. “Conversion” 2. Green, Michael. “Methods and Strategy in the Evangelism of the Early Church” 3. DeWolf, L. Harold. “The New Birth” 4. Green, Bryan. “Counseling the Seeker.” 5. Winter, Ralph. “The Highest Priority: Cross-Cultural Evangelism.” IV. Requirements and Written Assignmentshttps://place.asburyseminary.edu/syllabi/3044/thumbnail.jp

ME 830 Seminar in Evangelization: Applied Rhetorical Theory

Textbooks: Seminar participants will work through and process parts of two formidable texts, and will reflect throughout the semester on one famous evangelistic sermon—Clarence McCartney’s “Come Before Winter” (class handout) 1. Bizzell, Patricia and Bruce Herzberg, ed’s. The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present, Second Edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001) 2. Corbett, Edward P. J. and Robert J. Connors. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, Fourth Edition (Oxford University Press, 1999.https://place.asburyseminary.edu/syllabi/2721/thumbnail.jp