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The research method relied on participant observation while the writer functioned in a high profile, influential position among the target group and included gathering survey data and historical statistics, and content analysis of extensive conference reports and archived minutes of decisions and policies. 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This project seeks to address and answer the question of how local churches survive and thrive in the shadow of the mega-churches. The focus of this project is to define the options those churches have in metropolitan areas. Options are limited to the strategies suggested by Lyle Schaller in his book, 21 Bridges to the 21st Century. This project will report on churches in the Western Michigan area who have implemented one of these strategies, what moved them to choose a particular strategy, the process they followed, and its results."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_of_collections_ssim":["Trinity Evangelical Divinity School"],"member_of_collection_ids_ssim":["c654e922-76d0-4427-ac29-e286b7997781"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"_version_":1799718927681454080,"timestamp":"2024-05-22T02:41:58.080Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2023-10-11T20:15:12Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2024-05-22T03:12:33Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"9431a786-2b7a-492b-868b-013fec1e8d54","accessControl_ssim":["72d03c55-0b62-4832-ba52-2330ff00aa2d"],"depositor_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"depositor_tesim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"title_tesim":["A program to train selected church members of Faith Promise Church, Oak Ridge, Tennessee in a visitor retention ministry"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2023-10-11T20:15:12Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T02:28:10Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["a8ea6f76-6031-477f-897f-5dbe9ac73558"],"hasLease_ssim":["295d0bc7-cf58-4d25-a72c-f8097c926285"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["Unknown"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary"],"advisor_tesim":["Randy Millwood"],"year_tesim":["2000"],"resource_type_tesim":["Unknown"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Robert C Stephens"],"publisher_tesim":["New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary"],"subject_tesim":["Faith Promise Church (Oak Ridge, Tenn)","Church growth","Church attendance"],"language_tesim":["English"],"abstract_tesim":["The purpose of the project was to develop a training module for equipping a selected group of leaders for retaining the visitors of the Sunday morning services of Faith Promise Church. The project included selecting and enlisting forty-five facilitators for the visitor retention program. The training lasted six weeks and the project was the evaluated. The training module and the facilitators' growth through the training sessions were all evaluated.  Several avenues of evaluation were used including: expert evaluation, pretest/posttest, surveys, and pastoral reflection. The project was determined to be a success and has already proven helpful in the growth of Faith Promise Church."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_of_collections_ssim":["New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary"],"member_of_collection_ids_ssim":["5e492469-490e-44a3-90c1-17560a603bc2"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"_version_":1799720852389888000,"timestamp":"2024-05-22T03:12:33.625Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2023-10-11T20:12:24Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T08:49:01Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"8c6278c2-4f72-4e48-ad9c-cac59e69a2a5","accessControl_ssim":["70df4b31-1bde-4124-914c-73821839ab00"],"depositor_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"depositor_tesim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"title_tesim":["Moving Seventh-day Adventist churches through the two hundred barrier"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2023-10-11T20:12:23Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T02:14:47Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["6b60270a-3643-4cd1-b337-2fe81b075ccb"],"hasLease_ssim":["d087e9e0-3453-4ca6-a5de-b84efb1c3aa1"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["Unknown"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Andrews University"],"advisor_tesim":["Ricardo Norton"],"year_tesim":["2000"],"resource_type_tesim":["Unknown"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["David P Ripley"],"publisher_tesim":["Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary of Andrews University"],"subject_tesim":["Church growth","Seventh-Day Adventists"],"language_tesim":["English"],"abstract_tesim":["Seventh-day Adventist churches have found themselves largely unable to grow beyond the 200-in-attendance barrier. The pastors of ten churches, chiefly Anglo, 300-400 in attendance, and not in an institutional setting were surveyed. Ten churches with less than 220 in attendance were also surveyed. These were compared looking for features that would make a difference.  The crucial differences between the two groups were in the areas of pastoral leadership, clarity of vision, staffing for growth,  relational evangelism, contemporary worship styles, and vital small groups.  These findings were applied to the Northwest Houston Seventh-day Adventist Church.  The results were that it grew through the 200 barrier. If an Adventist church wishes to move through the 200 barrier, it must become a different kind of organization. Prayerful pastoral leadership is vital. Clear visison is critical. It must staff itself for growth. Evangelism should be more relational. Worship styles will tend to be more contemporary. The definition of small groups must be widened."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_of_collections_ssim":["Andrews University"],"member_of_collection_ids_ssim":["4b1d9df2-25d6-46f6-a889-1871c277d61c"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["work_editor","public"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"_version_":1791135312301260800,"timestamp":"2024-02-17T08:49:04.550Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2023-10-11T20:10:46Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T07:27:44Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"fb82ffe4-057c-44c8-a6f8-401c61c2c046","accessControl_ssim":["bee5ffd8-6e0e-4857-acb7-97ee2823fed8"],"depositor_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"depositor_tesim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"title_tesim":["Enabling growth in an African American rural congregation"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2023-10-11T20:10:45Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T05:19:04Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["d9d125b7-dbcb-4003-841e-8bf16f1dd946"],"hasLease_ssim":["fb0d6e32-5ee8-42fb-b20f-7a8e3463154f"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["Unknown"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["United Theological Seminary"],"advisor_tesim":["Frederick A Wright"],"year_tesim":["2000"],"resource_type_tesim":["Unknown"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Joseph L Owens"],"publisher_tesim":["United Theological Seminary (OH)"],"subject_tesim":["Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church (Midway, Ky)","African American churches","Church growth","Rural churches"],"language_tesim":["English"],"abstract_tesim":["This study was designed to examine a method of guiding an African American rural congregation through a period of transitional growth. The context was the Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Midway, Kentucky. Two sermons and two workshops were developed to enhance the inclusiveness of new and existing members into the working ministry of the congregation. The learning was supported with scripture and methods of organization for leadership and membership responsibilities. Quantitative survey instruments and qualitative analyses revealed that immobilization was not entirely due to a lack of inclusiveness, but rather an inadequate response to the rapid growth in general."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_of_collections_ssim":["United Theological Seminary"],"member_of_collection_ids_ssim":["f0f9c284-37b6-440c-96ab-39e6509e82ee"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["work_editor","public"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"_version_":1791130198922493952,"timestamp":"2024-02-17T07:27:48.052Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2023-10-11T20:05:03Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T06:24:54Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"c9b258a6-701c-49da-a9ca-7f3f0ffa4a18","accessControl_ssim":["354d8da2-59f2-4b4d-9196-a81a4c926f4d"],"depositor_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"depositor_tesim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"title_tesim":["Re-creating a black Wesleyan evangelicalism for the 21st century through preaching and worship"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2023-10-11T20:05:03Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T03:55:32Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["f2003310-fe99-41e8-8f01-b89f56a5ee9f"],"hasLease_ssim":["ee273d8b-65ef-4f6a-aedd-c3374d9063e7"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Wesley Theological Seminary"],"advisor_tesim":["William B McClain"],"year_tesim":["2000"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Reginald E Lee"],"publisher_tesim":["Wesley Theological Seminary"],"subject_tesim":["African Americans","Church history","Church growth","United Methodist Church"],"language_tesim":["English"],"abstract_tesim":["Black United Methodist churches are in spiritual and numerical decline. The author takes an historical-critical approach, and his research indicates that where Black Wesleyans have taken preaching seriously, embraced vibrant worship styles as a medium to tell their story, fostered lay education and involvement, and maintained a Christ-centered preferential option for the poor, the church continues to thrive from one generation to the next. 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Church growth literature, Scripture, and leadership literature from both the church and the marketplace were surveyed.  Thirty-two pastors were interviewed who have pastored churches that grew from 150 to over eight hundred.  Major conclusions included (1) the issue of control is the dominant internal change; (2) a pastor's own relationship to God is crucial to the growth and health of the church; (3) lifestyle changes must be made as the congregation grows; and (4) church members and other pastors were the greatest help and the greatest hindrance to the pastor's internal change."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_of_collections_ssim":["Asbury Theological Seminary"],"member_of_collection_ids_ssim":["6c1e11e8-b66e-47b6-8fe9-6c546c20935c"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"_version_":1791134503918370816,"timestamp":"2024-02-17T08:36:13.616Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2023-10-11T19:58:14Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2024-05-22T03:12:37Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"7cb26972-ee5f-4f4d-b323-b941e339ba29","accessControl_ssim":["2951b198-35eb-408e-a15a-4459e49a4389"],"depositor_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"depositor_tesim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"title_tesim":["The lemmings: cliff notes on the state of mid-size congregations and related species in the Virginia Annual Conference from a church growth perspective"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2023-10-11T19:58:13Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T01:48:58Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["26726440-1a96-4856-bb26-3aa5e990f592"],"hasLease_ssim":["b70ba238-ac27-4994-8fe0-e69c31e8def6"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Wesley Theological Seminary"],"advisor_tesim":["Lewis A Parks"],"year_tesim":["2000"],"location_tesim":["Virginia"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. 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Yet conference-wide, among churches with over 125 in worship, the number of middle-size churches (125-249) dropped from 179 (62%) in 1980 to 141 (47%) congregations in 1999. An alarming 83.7% of middle size churches were declining or had less than the 'poor' rate of growth (as per Wagner) of 25% growth per decade. Long term pastorates for all size churches was found to be the exception. 85% of 'pastors in charge' or 'senior pastors' will move before a 7th year. Length of pastorates and effectiveness in receiving unchurched persons were both found to steadily decline with each smaller size type of church. The author coined the acronym of LEMMINGS for 'long established Mid-sized Ministries in No Growth Situations.' With data from 1980 to 2000, this study is a 'snapshot' of the church as it begins the 21st century. 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The project sought to recruit, equip, and challenge a team of lay members to study different ministries in which the church is currently involved and make recommendations for potential changes.  The team also conducted studies of the community and made recommendations as to how the church could help meet some of the needs that they discovered.  Additionally the project sought to move the initiative of the planning process away from the pastor and towards this team. This required a mind set change on behalf of both the pastor and the team."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_of_collections_ssim":["Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary"],"member_of_collection_ids_ssim":["e59d8a7f-b140-41e1-9d1f-4e98aaa1d973"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["work_editor","public"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"_version_":1791132405861449728,"timestamp":"2024-02-17T08:02:52.753Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2023-10-11T19:54:51Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T08:10:25Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"e762d4e6-c98e-4ac2-af18-7753bd7cbbab","accessControl_ssim":["1490f73f-3fd9-4706-89b7-05e46fcb0155"],"depositor_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"depositor_tesim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"title_tesim":["Growing a healthy church: the concept and proposed training program of natural church development"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2023-10-11T19:54:48Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2024-02-17T04:45:04Z","isPartOf_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["9cd96a55-1d42-40c4-8aca-e3a9718cdc0e"],"hasLease_ssim":["78c2af22-41ab-48f9-9429-850d062cd29f"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Atla RIM"],"degree_tesim":["Unknown"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Western Seminary"],"advisor_tesim":["Robert J Radcliffe"],"year_tesim":["2000"],"resource_type_tesim":["Unknown"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Francis C Choi"],"publisher_tesim":["Western Seminary"],"subject_tesim":["Schwarz, Christian A","Church growth"],"language_tesim":["English"],"abstract_tesim":["In 1996, Christian A. Schwarz reportedly conducted the most comprehensive church growth study ever with a scope that was drawn from more than one thousand churches in thirty-two countries on all five continents.  The research results confirm that healthy churches are growing churches.  To understand this new concept of church growth, the objectives of this thesis are: (1) to study the concept of natural church development; (2) to search for the biblical and theological basis of this concept; (3) to develop a mature concept that incorporates responses from some Christian leaders; (4) to discuss the major points of each quality characteristic; and (5) to create a relevant training program for natural church development. This product will be basically divided into two main parts: in part one, we will first study the history, concepts and principles of church growth, as well as church health. We will then turn to study the new concept of natural church development as developed by Christian Schwarz.  In part two, we will concentrate on the eight quality characteristics that are the essences of natural church development.  Other than these two main parts, in the appendix A and B, we will attempt to create a relevant training program for healthy church development, including a student's guide and a teacher's guide.  Since the materials, which related organizations can provide, are only for the advanced level, this project is to provide practical means for leaders to use in creating a healthy-growing atmosphere that promotes the concept of natural church development in their local church."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/assets/work-a3b75da7abded620ab321410c80d102e5e2417b71c54de7ba7d4b0363da904f7.png","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-approving","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-depositing","f6c99b2a-5c91-4444-8946-01a1837f1fd8-default-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_of_collections_ssim":["Western Seminary"],"member_of_collection_ids_ssim":["910240dd-6bfb-49cb-ab06-1b8de036aac8"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Metadata Only"],"account_cname_tesim":["rim.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"edit_access_person_ssim":["ckarpinski@atla.com"],"_version_":1791132883585335296,"timestamp":"2024-02-17T08:10:28.346Z","score":1.0}],"facets":[{"name":"resource_type_sim","items":[{"value":"Unknown","hits":424,"label":"Unknown"},{"value":"D.Min. 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