<p> Literature has argued that starting new churches is biblical and strategic, requiring the effective equipping of church planters and leaders through adult learning methods (Acts 13:1–4 and 14:20–23; Keller, 2003, p. 1; Reimer, 2016, p. 74). The sobering reality is that about one-third of church plants do not survive (Stetzer & Bird, 2007, p. 5). In partnering with churches and leaders to plant more churches, SENT Network (SENT) has identified a need to provide more effective and timely training, so its church leaders improve the skills required to start and lead thriving churches. With the unique challenge of being geographically dispersed, leaders in SENT need blended learning with active training during the face-to-face component, according to existing literature (Mark 3:13–19; Luke 5:1–11; Acts 2:14, 41–47; Hyun, Ediger, & Lee, 2017; Lee, 2010; Silberman, 2006). For this research, nine leaders from eight local churches were divided into two six-week cohorts to learn to lead others to center on Jesus and the gospel through blended learning with active training. The hypotheses were that blended learning is a viable method for SENT to use and that active training during the face-to-face component results in improved skills in church leaders. Data were collected through these instruments: Artifacts Submission Tracking, Online Engagement Survey (OSE), Training Evaluation Survey, Observation Checklist, and the Community of Inquiry Survey (CoI). After the data were collected, disaggregated, and analyzed, the hypothesis was confirmed that blended learning with active training is an effective strategy to equip church planters and leaders within SENT. The implication for SENT includes offering additional training topics, which also has implications for other organizations seeking to advance God’s kingdom through starting new churches. </p><p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10979336 |
| Date | 30 November 2018 |
| Creators | McGeever, Mark |
| Publisher | Lancaster Bible College |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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