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Revitalizing the church for a new day: identity, purpose, and theology

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MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Rankin, Christopher. Revitalizing the Church for a New Day: Identity, Purpose, and Theology. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/0e44e024-cdb0-4b93-b89a-dcb32297df62.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

R. Christopher. Revitalizing the church for a new day: identity, purpose, and theology. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/0e44e024-cdb0-4b93-b89a-dcb32297df62

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Rankin, Christopher. Revitalizing the Church for a New Day: Identity, Purpose, and Theology. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/0e44e024-cdb0-4b93-b89a-dcb32297df62.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

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Abstract
  • Since the early 1960s, the mainline church has experienced a decline in membership and financial resources, which have forced churches to make significant decisions concerning their future. Some congregations want to maintain the status quo and dwell in survival mode, while other churches are imagining new possibilities for their ministry. Denominations are faced with these same issues and now must make some decisions regarding their future. Revitalizing the Church for a New Day: Identity, Purpose, and Theology provides hope for the local church and denominations as we discern the new thing that God is doing in our midst. After reading books and visiting churches during a three-month sabbatical, a survey was designed for churches to use as they wrestle with these issues. I administered this survey with about a dozen congregations and then met with them in a follow-up discussion. Following my interviews with these congregations and going through my own transition in ministry, I discovered that denominations and local churches must focus on three aspects of vitality. Mainline denominations do not have a clear identity, which has trickled down to the local church. Furthermore, we have traded theology for marketing and advertising. The research revealed that our denominations are in decline because congregational leaders are not equipped to discern their identity, purpose, and theology of ministry. The survey used in this research will help the basic unit of witness, the local church, revitalize and prepare for the congregation’s bright and hopeful future.
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Last modified
  • 12/18/2025

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