Training A Group of Teachers For New Believer Retention

Kenneth G.  Moren

Etd

Training A Group of Teachers For New Believer Retention

Public Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Kenneth G. Moren. Training A Group of Teachers For New Believer Retention. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/678a2d2b-ef04-4c9b-a673-98f2077c26ba.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

K. G. Moren. Training A Group of Teachers For New Believer Retention. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/678a2d2b-ef04-4c9b-a673-98f2077c26ba

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Kenneth G. Moren. Training A Group of Teachers For New Believer Retention. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/678a2d2b-ef04-4c9b-a673-98f2077c26ba.

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

Creator

Kenneth G. Moren

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Abstract

Churches in the United States, regardless of denomination, are retaining fifty-one percent of new believers. This disheartening statistic was unacceptable to me and the leadership of Family Christian Center of Patterson, California. Unfortunately, we also had the same dismal retention rate of new believers and no strategy to resolve it. Thus, the need became the impetus to train a small group of teachers for new believer retention. The ABBA teacher training program was developed as a response to the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) combined with theoretical principles for Christian service (Attachment, Belonging, Becoming, and Assimilation).Instruction for the ABBA program is biblically based and formulated from Paulo Freire’s five ideas of dialogical learning and Robin Alexander’s theory of dialogical teaching. ABBA is implemented in a repertoire of teaching that includes talk, teaching aids, technology and tests. This methodology was presented in two different workshops one month apart which included homework assignments for participants. Volunteers from Family Christian Center were trained to teach new believers in doctrine, Christian service and spiritual gifts in conjunction with an emphasis on retention in the local church. Two important reasons for new believer retention: (1) for the growth and maturity of the new believer; and (2) for the assimilation of the new believer into the church to connect with other believers and actionize their Christian service. The ABBA program was designed for multi-denominational use with flexibility to accommodate the church’s teaching schedule. The Candidate’s project has demonstrated a successful pragmatic response to the new believer retention dilemna.

Year