Moving Seventh-day Adventist churches through the two hundred barrier

David P Ripley

Etd

Moving Seventh-day Adventist churches through the two hundred barrier

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MLA citation style (9th ed.)

David P Ripley. Moving Seventh-day Adventist Churches Through the Two Hundred Barrier. Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary of Andrews University. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/8c6278c2-4f72-4e48-ad9c-cac59e69a2a5.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

D. P. Ripley. Moving Seventh-day Adventist churches through the two hundred barrier. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/8c6278c2-4f72-4e48-ad9c-cac59e69a2a5

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

David P Ripley. Moving Seventh-Day Adventist Churches Through the Two Hundred Barrier. Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary of Andrews University. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/8c6278c2-4f72-4e48-ad9c-cac59e69a2a5.

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

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David P Ripley

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Abstract

Seventh-day Adventist churches have found themselves largely unable to grow beyond the 200-in-attendance barrier. The pastors of ten churches, chiefly Anglo, 300-400 in attendance, and not in an institutional setting were surveyed. Ten churches with less than 220 in attendance were also surveyed. These were compared looking for features that would make a difference. The crucial differences between the two groups were in the areas of pastoral leadership, clarity of vision, staffing for growth, relational evangelism, contemporary worship styles, and vital small groups. These findings were applied to the Northwest Houston Seventh-day Adventist Church. The results were that it grew through the 200 barrier. If an Adventist church wishes to move through the 200 barrier, it must become a different kind of organization. Prayerful pastoral leadership is vital. Clear visison is critical. It must staff itself for growth. Evangelism should be more relational. Worship styles will tend to be more contemporary. The definition of small groups must be widened.

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