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Publication Date

4-2020

Abstract

This paper presents the cultural, theological, and practical background for a church planting manual. By examining the ideological, geographical, and cultural challenges of church planting in the Pacific Northwest, this project presents a culturally sensitive, yet innovative, approach. While church planting in a post-Christian climate is not new, there are unique challenges and opportunities for church planting in this region, especially for conservative denominations. After describing the culture and context of the Pacific Northwest, it surveys the most helpful works that have emerged in the past twenty years. Most of the books are geared towards church planting, however, one book is a theological analysis of Leslie Newbigin's missional ecclesiology. This theological analysis provides the synthesis that informs the ontology and economy of a viable, missional, and sustainable ecclesiology in this secular age.

Building off practical and theological assessments, the next section examines three different theological traditions; Reformed, Anabaptist, and Celtic. While the Reformed and Anabaptist traditions are a product of modernist, enlightenment epistemology, they both offer constructive theological convictions, ecclesiological practices, and unique postures of engaging culture. These contributions have helped the church over the past half millennia. While these traditions are often seen in juxtaposition with each other, the older Celtic Church side-stepped these problems by embodying the strengths of both traditions in an attempt to evangelize and reach a culture much like the Northwest. After positing the Celtic tradition as a preferable model to consider when planting in the Pacific Northwest (and thereby incorporating the strengths of both the Reformed and Anabaptist traditions), the focus turns to the practical aspects of the manual. After presenting the vision, the mission, and the context of the manual, the final section describes implementing and evaluating the manual. The first appendix provides the training manual.

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

First Advisor

Morey, Tim

Document Type

Project

Language

English

Keywords

Church planting, Celtic Church, Pacific Northwest, Missions

Disciplines

Practical Theology

Comments

This was uploaded by the David Allan Hubbard Library from the Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN). If there are any mistakes in this record, please contact archives@fuller.edu

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Date Uploaded

4-22-2020

Collection Number

DMin125

File Name

DMin125-0414

Rights

Material is subject to copyright.

Embargo Period

4-22-2020

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