DOCSLIB.ORG

Churches Flourish in Different Environments

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Churches Flourish in Different Environments ASBURY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY a community called ••• This material has been provided by Asbury Theological Seminary in good faith of following ethical procedures in its production and end use. The Copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States code) govems the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under celiain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to fumish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy of reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. By using this material, you are consenting to abide by this copyright policy. Any duplication, reproduction, or modification of this material without express written consent from Asbury Theological Seminary and/or the original publisher is prohibited. © Asbury Theological Seminary 2011 800.2ASBURYasburyseminary.edu 859.858.3581 204 North Lexington Avenue, Wilmore, Kentucky 40390 Svanberg ABSTRACT Different churches flourish in different environments. The main question of this study is what church plants will grow and flourish in Swedish soil. The study focuses on the qualities of the suitable plant and not on how to plant it. o The spiritual soil and climate in Sweden is different from that in the US. Secularization has gone so far that people have started to talk about the "theophobia" of the Swedish people. What kind of church plant will be able ~o reach ordinary, secularized, unchurched Swedes? Through a multiple case study that examines three churches planted between 1992 and 1996, the study tries to answer that question. A comprehensive review of literature provided the framework for the study. It also surfaced a check-list of eighteen standard church planting principles. The study investigated the extent to which these standard principles were present in the case study churches and to what extent they were manifested in an indigenous way in these churches. The fmal objective of this study was to develop an indigenous model for new Methodist Churches in Sweden based on the principles discovered in the review of literature, the employment of these principles revealed in the case study, and the historic and contemporary challenge facing Methodism in Sweden. Therefore, the last chapter proposes a model featuring ten important characteristics that should mark new Methodist churches in Sweden which would be capable of reaching unchurched, secular people. These distinctives include: (1) a growth­ oriented, Wesleyan theology, (2) inspiring worship, (3) fervent spirituality, (4) visionary leadership, (5) gift based ministry, (6) relational life and witness, (7) authentic Christian living, (8) cell/celebration church structures, (9) cultural relevance, (10) and a seeker­ targeting approach. DISSERTATION APPROVAL This is the certify that the dissertation entitled CHURCH PLANTING IN SWEDEN IN THE 21 ST CENTURY: A MODEL FOR NEW METHODIST CHURCHES presented by Peter Svanberg has been accepted toward fulfillment of the requirements for the DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at Asbury Theological Seminary Wilmore, Kentucky Date Dean, Doctor of Ministry Program Date CHURCH PLANTING IN SWEDEN IN THE 21 ST CENTURY: A MODEL FOR NEW METHODIST CHURCHES A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment on the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Peter Svanberg May 1999 © 1999 Lars Peter Edvin Svanberg ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables VB List of Figures Vl11 Chapter 1. Overview of the Study . 1 Introduction. ... 1 Theological Introduction. 2 Historical Review of Swedish Methodism ......... 3 Understanding the Problem. 8 Context of Study ........................................... 11 Purpose of Study ........................................... 15 Research Questions ......................................... 15 Definitions of Terms .... 16 Methodology .............................................. 17 Description of the Project. 18 Importance of the Study . 19 Overview of Remaining Chapters ...... 16 2. Review of Literature . 21 Theological Foundation for Church Planting. 21 Historical Literature ................. 34 Sociological Literature ...................................... 46 Church Growth Literature. 62 IV Missiological Literature 77 Church Planting Literature .................................. 87 What Model Emerges? ..................................... 104 3. Design of Study .......................................... 110 Review of the Problem ..................................... 110 Research and Operational Questions .......................... III Methodology ............................ , ................ 113 Data Analysis ............................................ 118 Feedback ............ " ............. " ................... 120 4. The Project ............................................... 121 Introduction .............................................. 121 F6rsamlingen M6tesplatsen ................................. 122 Stockholm Karisma Center .................................. 137 Tomaskyrkan ............................................. 151 The Research Questions Answered ............................ 165 5. Summary and Conclusions .................................. 172 Previously Published Studies ................................. 182 Thoughts on the Research Method ............................ 184 Suggestions for Further Study ................................ 185 A Model for New Methodist Churches in Sweden 187 Appendixes A. Interview Questions ........................................ 210 B. Observation Guide. 221 v Works Cited 226 VI LIST OF TABLES Table 1. The Methodist Church in Sweden, Membership. 8 2. Religious Belief in Sweden . 56 3. Churched Versus Unchurched in Sweden. 57 4. Religious Belief in Different Age-groups .......... 58 5. The Nine-teen Churches Making the Population for the Field Research. 166 6. Forsamlingen Motesplatsen. 169 7. Stockholm Karisma Center. 170 8. Tomaskyrkan................................................. 171 Vll LIST OF FIGURES Chart Page 1. Comparison Between Modernism and Postmodernism on Four Important Subjects. .. 50 2. Motesplatsen's House Group System, May, 1998. ................... 127 3 .. Stockholm Karisma Center's Cell Group System, October, 1998. ....... 143 4. The Small Group System of a Cell/Celebration Church. 205 V1l1 To Eva-Lena, my beloved wife, best friend, and partner in-ministry, and to Erik and Rebecka, my joy and pride in life. I love You. Svanberg 1 CHAPTERl Overview of the Study This chapter gives an overview of the stUdy. It provides a background to and an understanding of the problem and states the purpose and methodology of the study. Introduction I love growing roses. If possible I would grow roses in every corner of my garden. The climate in Sweden and the location of my garden do not allow that. The part of the garden that is located north of my house is not suitable for roses. The house and some huge birches give too much shadow and roses would not survive there. That part of the garden, however, is perfect for rhododendrons. It is the same way with churches. Different churches grow and flourish in different places. F or as long as I can remember in my pastoral ministry, I have had a longing to see churches grow, new people come to Christ, and new churches started. I have seen new movements come to Sweden, plant new churches, attract people, grow, and do church in new and fresh ways. Often I have felt the frustration over the small possibilities I have seen within my own church to do what I always have longed to do. At times I have been tempted to leave my church to start over again in a new movement and ride on the momentum of newness and freshness. But I am a Methodist, born by Methodists. My children are fourth generation Methodists on their father's side and fifth generation on their mother's. It is through the Methodist church God has shown me his extravagant love. There I gave my life to rum, there he called me to ministry, there I met my wonderful wife, there .... Svanberg 2 The year in the Beeson program at Asbury Theological Seminary rekindled my confidence in the possibilities of Methodism once again becoming an aggressive multiplying church planting movement. I met colleagues with a burning passion for church planting. I saw thriving, cutting edge Methodist churches that reach the unchurched in new and exciting ways. I met men and women of faith with a burning desire to seek and save the lost. The year in Wilmore, Kentucky, gave my wife and me a renewed vision for reaching the unchurched and building a church that reaches the unchurched and glorifies God. Theological Introduction Since the first day of Pentecost the church has been God's main instrument for advancing his kingdom and proclaiming the gospel of salvation to humankind. Acts of the Apostles tells the fascinating story about how a group of petrified men hiding from the Roman authorities empowered by the Spirit went out and literarIly turned the world upside down (or maybe turned it right again). The immediate result of their witness was the growth of the church. New churches
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Meserete Kristos Church Leadership During the Ethiopian Revolution (1974-1991)
    Thriving under Persecution: Meserete Kristos Church Leadership during the Ethiopian Revolution (1974-1991) BRENT L. KIPFER* Abstract: Under persecution during the Ethiopian Revolution (1974-1991), highly committed men and women led the Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) through remarkable transformation and growth. Although persecution has been an enduring reality in the global church, leadership in that context has received scant research attention. Drawing on interviews and other first-person accounts of faithful MKC leaders in the Derg era, this essay explores the dynamics of their experience using the leadership theory of Robert E. Quinn as a conceptual lens. Persecution forced MKC leaders to clarify the priority of their commitment to Jesus and the mission of the church. Prepared to die for the sake of the gospel, they demonstrated leadership marked by a highly effective pursuit of purpose, compelling integrity under pressure, attractive love, and remarkable creativity—leading to extraordinary results. Between 1974 and 1991 the Meserete Kristos Church (MKC)—an Anabaptist Christian renewal movement in Ethiopia—experienced a profound transformation. Under pressure from a Marxist regime bent on eradicating evangelical Christianity from the country, the MKC grew from 800 to 34,000 baptized members, greatly expanded its geographic reach, dramatically increased the pool of people in active ministry, became financially self-supporting, adopted a radically new ministry structure, and nurtured a contagious spiritual vitality among its members. A remarkable group of leaders—both men and women—played an essential role in this transformation, leading the MKC with courageous purpose, integrity, love, and creativity. This essay, based largely on extensive interviews with twenty-four MKC leaders, explores the dynamics of leadership that enabled the MKC not only to survive but also to flourish under circumstances of persecution and extreme hardship.
    [Show full text]
  • Five Principles to Make and Multiply Disciples Through the Small Group Ministry
    LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY FIVE PRINCIPLES TO MAKE AND MULTIPLY DISCIPLES THROUGH THE SMALL GROUP MINISTRY DOCTOR OF MINISTRY PROJECT A Thesis Project Submitted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF MINISTRY By Timothy W. Yates Barboursville, West Virginia November, 2012 ii Copyright © 2012 by Timothy W. Yates All Rights Reserved iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In January of 2009, my Pastor, Dr. David Lemming began to realize the traditional Sunday school was no longer effective as a means of evangelism and discipleship. Consequently, Pastor Lemming asked me to investigate the small group model. Thank you Pastor for having the wisdom and fortitude to leave a traditional model in order to embrace a more effective means of making disciples. Thank you for entrusting me with this ministry. Fortunately, that same year, I enrolled at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and eventually became a disciple of Dr. Dave Earley and Dr. Rodney Dempsey. I want to thank these two godly men for sending me on the most incredible journey of my life. You time, training, and friendship have been invaluable and life changing. I also want to thank my wife (soul mate) who also joined me in my mission. Thank you for being an incredible small group leader, disciple-maker and multiplier. You have the uncanny ability to see the big picture and the incredible potential of multiplication. It is a joy serving Jesus shoulder-to-shoulder with you. I also want to thank my mentor, Dr. Charles Davidson and my reader, Dr. Rodney Dempsey. Your constant encouragement has inspired me to forge ahead during the difficult days of writing.
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking Discipleship at Faith Methodist Church in Singapore: Making Disciples Through Effective Small Groups
    Please HONOR the copyright of these documents by not retransmitting or making any additional copies in any form (Except for private personal use). We appreciate your respectful cooperation. ___________________________ Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) P.O. Box 30183 Portland, Oregon 97294 USA Website: www.tren.com E-mail: [email protected] Phone# 1-800-334-8736 ___________________________ ATTENTION CATALOGING LIBRARIANS TREN ID# Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) MARC Record # Digital Object Identification DOI # Ministry Focus Paper Approval Sheet This ministry focus paper entitled RETHINKING DISCIPLESHIP AT FAITH METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE: MAKING DISCIPLES THROUGH EFFECTIVE SMALL GROUPS Written by MOH-YING WONG and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned reader: _____________________________________ Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: December 13, 2015 RETHINKING DISCIPLESHIP AT FAITH METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE: MAKING DISCIPLES THROUGH EFFECTIVE SMALL GROUPS A MINISTRY FOCUS PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY MOH-YING WONG DECEMBER 2015 ABSTRACT Rethinking Discipleship at Faith Methodist Church in Singapore: Making Disciples through Effective Small Groups Moh-Ying Wong Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2015 The goal of this paper is to develop an intentional communal disciple-making process at Faith Methodist Church that will help foster life transformation among its members. At Faith Methodist Church, a transformed life is defined as one growing in the areas of Fellowship (community), Adoration (worship), Involvement (service), Transformation (discipleship), and Harvest (evangelism).
    [Show full text]
  • A Soteriology from God's Perspective
    Doctoral Project Approval Sheet This doctoral project entitled A SOTERIOLOGY FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE: STUMBLING INTO GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR A PENTECOSTAL MISSION STRATEGY FOR JAPAN Written by PUI BAK CHUA and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned readers: _____________________________________ Dr. Cindy S. Lee _____________________________________ Dr. Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: February 5, 2020 A SOTERIOLOGY FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE: STUMBLING INTO GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR A PENTECOSTAL MISSION STRATEGY FOR JAPAN A MINISTRY FOCUS PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY PUI BAK CHUA FEBRUARY 2020 Copyrightã 2020 by Pui Bak Chua All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT A Soteriology from God’s Perspective: Stumbling into God’s Righteousness for A Pentecostal Mission Strategy for Japan Pui Bak, Chua Doctor of Ministry 2020 School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary Building upon theology; scriptural principles; and religious, cultural, and social studies, this doctoral project aims to implement a discipleship process utilizing the modified Twelve Steps concept (N12) for Niihama Gospel Christ Church (NGCC) and Japanese Christians. In mutually caring closed groups and in God’s presence where participants encounter the Scriptures and their need to live a witnessing life, N12 aims for eventual habit change, ministry empowerment, and development of Christlikeness translated into culturally-relevant witnessing. Part One will begin by describing the general trend of decline in both the community and church contexts.
    [Show full text]
  • 80513 Bibliography
    8 80513 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1972. Allen, Roland. Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962. __________. The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962. Alexander, Archibald. The Log College. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1968. Anderson, Neil, and Elmer L. Towns. Rivers of Revival: How God is Moving & Pouring Himself Out on His People Today. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1997. Arn, Win, Elmer Towns, and Peter Wagner. Church Growth: State of the Art. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1989. Autrey, C. E. Renewals Before Pentecost. Nashville: Broadman, 1968. ________. Revivals of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1960. Baer, Hans A. African-American Religion in the Twentieth Century: Varieties of Protest and Accommodation. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1992. Bahr, Robert. Least of All Saints: The Story of Aimee Semple McPherson. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1979. Bainton, Roland. Yale and the Ministry. New York: Harper, 1957. Baker, Ernest. The Revivals of the Bible. London: Kingsgate Press, 1906. Banks, Robert J. Paul’s Idea of Community: The Early Church Houses in Their Historical Setting. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994. Barrett, David B. Evangelize! A Historical Survey of the Concept. Birmingham, AL: New Hope, 1987. Beardsley, Frank G. A History of American Revivals. New York: American Tract Society, 1904. Beasley-Murray, Paul, and Alan Wilkinson. Turning the Tide: An Assessment of Baptist Church Growth in England. London: Bible Society, 1981. Beere, Joel R. Puritan Evangelism—A Biblical Approach. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 1999. Blumhofer, Edith L.
    [Show full text]
  • Young Pastors Give Their Take on the Church of God by Carl Stagner
    August 2011 In this issue Young Pastors Give Their Take Young Pastors Give Their Take on the Church of on the Church of God By Carl Stagner God, 1 Macro Missions in Micro- nesia, 2 he Church of God Leadership Summit 2011 Put is rich in diversity. Faith into Action, 3 The spectrum of Tbackgrounds, cultures, Social Media Keeps the Church Connected, 4 perceptions, and ages is Tear ‘n’ Share Permeates broad. I asked Jonathan Local Eateries During NAC Frymire (30), Erin Taylor 2011, 5 (30), and Chris Denney Jonathan Erin Taylor Chris Denney Choosing Unity, 6 (34), a series of questions to Frymire 55th In Service Training get a sense of the Church of Institute Convenes in God from the perspective stand the call to follow Christ as both Leader Anderson, 7 of young pastors. and Forgiver until high school. While attend- Martha Black: E-mail ing college, we were part of a significant Encourager, 8 CGM: How were you called into ministry? revival in our college town, and it was during MACU to Launch Worship Frymire: My calling came gradually. The that time that God called me to a deeper walk Certificate Program, 9 first nudges toward ministry probably came with him and also to a life of ministry. For Leaven’s Sake: Targeting in high school; however, I was extremely Our Own Kind, 12 reluctant to follow that path. With so many CGM: What are your specific ministry passions? Subscribe pastors in the family, I didn’t want to go into Frymire: When it comes to Christianity, I ministry just because it was what I knew.
    [Show full text]
  • Paul J Worsnop June 2000 Chester-Ie-Street, Co Durham
    Durham E-Theses Facilitating mission in British Methodist churches: lessons from historical and contemporary models Worsnop, Paul J How to cite: Worsnop, Paul J (2000) Facilitating mission in British Methodist churches: lessons from historical and contemporary models, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4206/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 FACILITATING MISSION IN BRITISH METHODIST CHURCHES LESSONS FROM HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MODELS The COI)yright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should he IlUhlished in any form, including Electronic and the Internet, without the author's prior written consent. All information derh'ed from this thesis must he acknowledged aJ)l,ropriately. Paul J Worsnop June 2000 Submitted to the University of Durham for degree of Master of Arts (Theology Department) \"I '; ,"'- ~-I- ~ 7 JAN lUUl FACILITATING MISSION IN BRITISH METHODIST CHURCHES LESSONS FROM HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MODELS Paul J Worsllop - MA Degree (Durham) - JUlie 2000 ABSTRACT The recent rapid decline and current ageing membership of British Methodism has given rise to questions as to whether it has a viable future.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cell Group Church Structure: an Evaluation
    The Cell Group Church Structure: An Evaluation Peter Koh INTRODUCTION The modern Cell Church movement that emerged over the last two and a half decades of the 20th Century has been hailed by some as the Second Reformation1. It has been credited for the rise of huge churches in many parts of the world, with membership running into the thousands. I would like to deal with one specific model in the Cell church movement. It is a model formulated by church growth specialist, Ralph Neighbour Jr., and fleshed out by several large churches in Singapore and Malaysia2. For a while it received star billing here and overseas as a definitive answer to the growth and outreach needs of the church. Using Neighbour’s terminology, we shall refer to this type of church format as the Cell Group Church, or CGC for short3. 1 By authors such as William Beckham in The Second Reformation – Reshaping the Church for the 21st Century (Houston: Touch Publications, 1997), and Greg Oden in The New Reformation – Returning the Ministry to the People of God, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990). 2 The methodology of this church format is definitively set out in: Ralph Neighbour Jr., Where Do We Go From Here? A Guidebook for the Cell Group Church (Houston: Touch, 1990), and Lawrence Khong, The Apostolic Cell Church (Singapore: Touch Ministries, 2000). 3 The CGC format is commonly regarded as a Western adaptation of David Yonggi Cho’s pioneer mega cell church in Seoul, South Korea. In his CGC Guidebook, Neighbour made many references to the mega cell churches in Seoul.
    [Show full text]
  • New Wineskins, Old Wine: Alpha As the Future of Wesleyan Theology
    NEW OLD WINE: AS FUTURE OF WESLEYAN THEOLOGy1 ROB "lntelligent, biblically based ... for the mind, there is nothing better around than the Alpha course, ' states evangelist ony Campolo. "lf you've ever wondered 'why jesus?' hardly a better answer than this," according to evangelist Luis Palau. "Alpha is a powerful tool for reaching the lost for and helping them mature their faith,' states founder of Campus Crusade for Across denominations and para-church groups, from England to South to South Korea, the Alpha "short course" has ten years swept the globe. Beginning 992 with only courses offered through Brompton Anglican Church London, the Alpha course has grown to over twenty million participants wor1dwide, and still growing.3 Through a unique combi- of worship, prayer ministry, video and small group discussions, thousands have been drawn into a persona1 relationship with jesus as Savior and Lord, while a1so producing renewed vigor and enthusi- asm among formerly mainline Protestant denominations. Although utilized across the Body of from Catholicism and Anglicanism to Pentecostalism and non-denominationa1 settings, and containing numerous matic/ Pentecostal (j.e. the extraordinary such as healing, speak- ing tongues, words), many ways Alpha presents a vision of faith and that is distinctly Wes1eyan form and content (e.g. worship and evangelism as core practices of the especiaIIy as nurtured smaII groups grounded prayer and Scripture study). Moreover, through upholding a Bib1ical vision rooted the actual physical death and of jesus as key to salvation, through a grounding intercessory prayer, meal- and the agency of the Holy aII phases of Alpha, many theo- logica1 distinctives that were once considered constitutive of early and Rev.
    [Show full text]
  • Beneath His-Name and Sign.. , I That Other Souls
    54 ' WORD & DEED My love his outpoured-wine, -. ,, « ~t Acup o'erfilled, a table spread i- , ,:Beneath his-name and sign.. , I That other souls, refreshed and fed* > , t ,. May share his life through mine. , • ... f My all is in the Master's hands 4 For him-to bless and break; - , i Beyond the brook his winepress stands ,- ' v i. And thence my, way I take* * r i ,1 Resolved the whole pf love's demands To give„for his, dear sake. -' i > » i i' i .i .. Lord,- let,me share that grace-of thine ( Wherewith thou.didst sustain1 , The burden of the fruitful vine», l The gifrof buried.grain. -i * p ./ iWho dies-with thee, O Word divine; ,'Shall rise, and live^gaini ,• _ - It has'always been important in any theology of the sacraments to uphold both the vertical and horizontal aspect of the sacraments. Sacraments as true fellQw7 ship-r-being one with Christ and each other. Both aspects are fujlypresent in this affirmation, of the believers' life as.sacramental. It gives a deepened and broad­ ened view on what sacraments are. And I certainly believe that there, is-and has always been a sacramental theology in The Salvation Army and that the Army therefore is not non-sacramental. u -,- • . > However jthe argument .for, the .sacrament of serving cannot be the-main or only part of a Salvationist sacramental theology. It runs the risk of, placing too much attention,on ''our. side"—;the human agent. From,a more traditional theo­ logical view ofthe sacraments they are first and/oremost actions of God.
    [Show full text]
  • G2G January Forum
    Milford United Methodist Church Good to Great Forum – January 26th, 2009 A brief outline of the Good to Great process: 1. Disciplined People Identifying leaders with vision and determination, cultivating a “Who first, then what” culture. 2. Disciplined Thought Confronting the brutal facts; putting every sacred cow under scrutiny. 3. Disciplined Action Insisting everything we do serves our mission; majoring in the majors, minoring in the minors. 4. Building Greatness to Last Making disciples and producing men and women who are even more passionate and prepared to know and serve Jesus Christ than we are. Last September, Good to Great released a letter to initiate dialogue in three areas – a) Cell group ministry b) Summer programming c) Sunday morning worship schedules In October, then, Good to Great hosted a series of small home-based meetings where church members and friends voiced questions, concerns, opinions, and suggestions. The data collected from those meetings are listed in this packet. Since October, a group of seven church members have begun a comprehensive cell leader training program. Cell group remarks. Also, the Education and Worship committees have been involved in discussions about summer programming and Sunday worship schedules. Education and Worship Team remarks. What’s next? Develop a 3-5 year plan for our church. What do we need to do to most effectively help people discover the joy of knowing and serving Jesus Christ? From the New England Conference Office of Congregational Development’s G2G packet: “Great churches are those pivotal congregations where transformative leadership, radical innovation, deep faithfulness, and disciplined action meet.
    [Show full text]
  • Download UMC DOC Primer
    PRIMER UMC DOC Primer Copyright 2015 © Manila Episcopal Area, Philippines Central Conference of The United Methodist Church All rights reserved. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occassional page copying for personal or group study is permitted, on condition that the source is indicated. Published by the Manila Episcopal Area of the PCC-UMC and Discipleship Resources-Philippines UMC Headquarters, 900 United Nations Ave., Ermita, Manila, Philippines Book design by Cheenee Bautista Printed in the Philippines CONTENTS Foreword, v Introduction, vii A Brief Description of Disciples of Christ (DOC) Ministry, 1 The Basic Patterns that UMC DOC Emphasizes, 10 Two Aspects of the Equipping Track, 15 Processes for DOC Ministry, 16 CARE Group Ministry, 18 Conducting CARE Group Meeting, 22 Guidelines in Doing Personal Daily Devotion, 24 UMC DOC Network Gathering/Conference, 26 FOREWORD There are countless strategies for missions, evangelism, and discipleship that are offered by many writers and denominations. Some are effective and some are not. For many years, the Manila Episcopal Area (MEA) has been wanting and waiting for an effective discipleship program to be used by pastors and lay people to disciple members and, in turn, make them disciple makers. UMC DOC (United Methodist Church-Disciples of Christ) is the answer to this dilemma. UMC DOC will help us fulfill our mission as United Methodists. This program is in harmony with the Wesleyan teachings we love so dearly and is consistent with our UMC teaching and practices. This discipleship program also seeks to address the reported exodus of some members especially the Young People to other “fellowships” that have been causing heartaches to church leaders like me.
    [Show full text]