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The intention of the AFMSA to revision its policies, processes and structures is the motivation for this study. The relationship between the vision and essential nature of the church and the structure or form given to it is central to all the chapters.<br /> The first chapter gives an analysis of the origins of the Pentecostal Movement and the AFMSA in order to reveal their original vision of the church and the way in which this vision became structured in their history. After a section on the importance of a clear vision and strategic structures for organizations today, the biblical metaphors that served as a foundation for the early Christians&rsquo / vision of the church are discussed. Our Christian predecessors&rsquo / envisioning and structuring of the church in each period of history are analyzed. This gives an idea of the need for reform and the challenges involved in this process, which are still faced by later generations. The historical survey reveals the development of the marks and the vision of the early Christians to represent the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. In the conclusion, a preliminary dialogue is established between the vision of the early Pentecostals and the leaders of the AFMSA with regard to the structuring of the church and other expressions of the same vision.<br /> The next four chapters (2-5) address the significance of the specific marks in the Pentecostal Movement and the AFMSA. This is followed by a short analysis of the biblical foundation and the historical development of these marks in the history of the Christian church. The chapters are arranged according to the prominence of each mark in the Pentecostal Movement and the AFMSA. Chapter two therefore starts with the apostolicity that is followed by the holiness in chapter three, unity in chapter four and catholicity in chapter five.<br /> <br /> It becomes clear from chapter two that the Pentecostal Movement and the AFMSA want to restore the apostolic faith of the early Christians while the rest of the Christian church confess every Sunday through the Apostles&rsquo / Creed and the Nicene Creed that they believe they stand in the tradition of the apostles. The mark of holiness that is discussed in chapter three expresses the particular view of holiness held by Pentecostals. Biblical and historical connections are made between it and other Christian expressions revealing that we can all become true followers of Christ in holiness. Chapter four addresses the fact that the church has to accept that we exist as a unity in diversity. In chapter five, the linking of all traditions is established because all have the challenge to share their unique expression of God&rsquo / s fullness with the universal Body of Christ.<br /> <br /> In chapter six, all the elements so far discussed: the vision of the church that was based on the Bible, and the history of the Pentecostal Movement, AFMSA and of the Christian Churches are summarized to gain an overall perspective. This is followed by an analysis of the vision of the church today and applied to the AFMSA. The AFMSA is encouraged to revision and restructure itself in the light of the apostolicity, holiness, unity and catholicity that are shared by the witnesses in Scripture and history so that it will be an example of God&rsquo / s vision for the church and the world.

The intention of this thesis is an examination of the conflict and interaction between the Presbyterian and Congregational church polities, as seen in the polemic and apologetic material published concerning the "New England way" between 1641 and 1662. No attempt is made to describe the historical influence of one polity on the development of the other, except by the way; the aim is rather to present a systematic view of the arguments actually used by each side in attack and defence. In the works under survey, the attack was largely made by the Presbyterian divines, the defence by the New Englanders; as a result, the emphasis is on the Congregational system under Presbyterian criticism, rather than vice versa. The New England writers, alone among contemporary Independents, spoke from the experience of an established Congregationalism; this, the Presbyterians could not afford to ignore. It is this which makes a study of the controversy between them especially interesting. Scottish and English Presbyterians had not only to prove that the New England way was theoretically wrong, but also that practically it was a failure. This gave added urgency to the debate. These works reveal not only the differences between the two sides, but many of their common presuppositions as well; and a knowledge of each of these things is important for those who have followed in their steps. For the spiritual descendents of these men often use arguments in defending the polities they have inherited, which have little or no relation to the principles used by their forefathers in establishing them. We can only benefit from a greater understanding of some of the forgotten principles which lie behind our systems and their differences. Absolute scriptural literalism, double predestination, covenant theology, millennialism, and the idea of the Roman Catholic Church as "Great Mysterie Babylon," are more or less foreign to the thought of most modern churchmen; and Ramism, repugnance for democracy, the philosophy of Social Contract, and "the duties of the Magistrate in the first table of the Law," are, for almost all, as relics of an age long dead. Yet this is the native soil of New England Congregationalism, and of Westminster Presbyterianism as well. One may hope that an increased understanding of some of the reasons behind their quarrel may be some help to us in making it up.

From the earliest Christian missionary endeavours, when St. Paul made himself to become "all things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:19-22), Christian missionaries have avowed the principle of 'identification' - the sympathetic adaptation of one's behaviour and message to the culture within which one engages in missiop. But the precise nature of this 'identification' seems to have undergone significant changes as the 'Christian' West came to dominate the rest of the world idealogically, politically, and economically. Utilizing representative sources of the period, this study attempts to portray missionary identification as it was understood and practiced by Protestant missionaries between 1860 and 1910. The record is examined at several levels: Anglo-American Missionary Conference reports are used to paint the broad picture of missionary attitudes and concerns; the London Missionary Society - with special reference to its activities and personnel in Central Africa and Central China - serves to fill in the details of the larger canvas. The result depicts Protestant missionaries of the time as having been so enmeshed in European civilization as to preclude any significant adaptation to non-Western life - in either theory or practice. Materially, socially, politically, economically, educationally, and religiously, the missionary remained a European. Even in the linguistic sphere, missionary identification came gradually to mean the instruction of natives in the English language. While exceeding any degree of identification which might have been attempted or achieved by any other group of Westerners (such as adventurers, explorers, merchants, colonists, and colonial officials), missionary identification was severely truncated by the powerful press and pull of their own Eurocentrism, and by their self-conscious awareness that they were the incarnation of European superiority in virtually every sphere.

Church growth in America was not keeping pace with population growth. The size of the challenge was great, but the size of the average church was small. How could church planting be promoted when the majority of churches were small? The research was conducted for the purpose of analyzing what beliefs, values, and attitudes existed among congregants and leaders of small churches toward church planting to discover relationships, if any, between the beliefs, values, and attitudes of those congregants and leaders to the practice of church planting. The review of literature demonstrated a gap in the research. The literature review examined foundational research in the field and identified commonly-held beliefs, values, and attitudes toward church planting. Through a survey, the researcher gained insight into the views of congregants and pastoral leaders. Congregants and pastoral leaders from small SBC churches under 124 in attendance located in the Midwest were the focus of the study. Pastors and congregants were randomly selected. The results of the surveys were tabulated and correlated, dividing responses between pastoral leaders and congregants. Relationships, if any, were determined by comparing means. Research findings demonstrated that congregants and pastoral leaders agreed with the teachings of the Bible relating to church planting, but there was a difference between what they saw the Bible teaching and what they valued. Further comparisons revealed a significant difference between the beliefs, values, and attitudes of congregants and pastoral leaders. Church planting practice of churches had no influence on the views of congregants toward church planting, but church planting practice had significance influence on the attitudes of the pastoral leaders. The findings of the research applied to church planting. Educators could build upon the stance that congregants and pastoral leaders had toward Scripture and on their favorable attitudes toward church planting. Leaders needed greater awareness of their own inconsistencies. Visionary leadership was needed to bridge the gap toward the planting of more churches. If one wanted to see a church plant another church, it would require a change in the attitude of the leader.

In modern theological studies, ecclesiology has became a very important concern in Western academic circle. However, it has not caught the attention of many theologians in Chinese academic circle. This thesis will use the Ideal Type method to construct a set of three typologies of ecclesiology in Modern Protestant Theology, named as Liberal, Confessional, and Subversive. Each type will pick two or three important modern Protestant theologians as the representative, Friedrich Schleiermacher and Paul Tillich represent the Liberal, Karl Barth, Jurgen Moltmann and Stanley Hauerwas represent the Confessional, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Graham Ward represent the Subversive. By this research, we can have a more comprehensive framework to understand the development of ecclesiological studies, and to compare the strength and weakness of each typology. After analyzing the typologies, the later part of this thesis will use them to analyze the contemporary Chinese context. It aims at pointing out the meaning and the relevance of these typologies of ecclesiology to Chinese Theology and Hong Kong Churches. / 李駿康. / Adviser: Pan Chiu Lai. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-03, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 210-229). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Li Junkang.

Project (D. Miss.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1984. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-172).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-185).

Cultural heritage and human comfort: The issue of indoor climate in historic buildings in the twentieth centuryI

The adaptive reuse of secular buildings as churches signals a return to the fundamental belief that architecture is not necessary for Christian worship. Following are the stories and photographs of fifteen churches in the Greater Toronto Area where congregations worship inside buildings designed for non-religious purposes. These photographs document the utilitarian architecture of secular buildings as a backdrop to the act of worship and fellowship that have become the sole embodiment and expression of faith. While the stories behind these churches testify to the adaptability of Christian worship and the power of faith and community during times of economic struggle, they also ask us to reconsider our role as architects in the relationship between architecture and faith.