Blog Archives

“Image of God” Theology in the New Testament and its Implications for Church Leadership

By Larry J. Perkins, PhD What is a human being? Christianity and its foundational texts offer a coherent response to the question within the framework of a Christian worldview. Christianity claims in its creeds that its answers to such questions … Continue reading

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The Reality of God in a God-Forgetting Age: Towards a Revitalized Vision of God for Today

By Archie J. Spencer, ThD Introductory Comments Gottesgewissenheit: God is not only dead, ……he is also, for that reason, forgotten. One can always count on German intellectuals to describe actual states of affairs in pithy, yet precise one-word summaries, especially … Continue reading

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Cultivating Generosity at Home

By Ron Sing, BA Cultivating a culture of generosity radically and spiritually transforms individuals. It increases the believer’s love for God and secures treasures in heaven for all eternity. God wants only the best for his people as they handle … Continue reading

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Considering Context in Ministry Education

By Howard Andersen, PhD Introduction In biblical exegesis, and other studies of a literary nature, context gives text its meaning. An ancient document may be poorly preserved in places, but scholars may determine the meaning of a missing word by … Continue reading

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From Us to Them to Family

By John Dyck, MA, and Ken Pudlas, EdD Introduction Earlier articles published in NIMER have dealt with the broad topic of diversity and inclusion. For the most part they discussed the church’s responsibility to be inclusive of all persons including … Continue reading

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Atonement in 1 Peter – Reflections on Isaiah 53

By Larry J. Perkins, PhD The epistle of 1 Peter offers a specific perspective on the understanding of Jesus’ death and its significance. The writer’s integration of material from the Fourth Servant Song of Isaiah (52:13- 53:12) provides one of … Continue reading

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Reflections on the Theological Validity of Disciple-Making Movements (DMMs)

By Mark Naylor, DTh Introduction During my years as an evangelist and church planter among an unreached people group (1985-99), I struggled because of misconceptions I had about my role as church planter, my vision of church, the meaning of … Continue reading

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Toward Structurally Inviting and Inclusive Churches

Kenneth A. Pudlas, EdD Seminarians and others preparing for vocational ministry, whose calling is to minister to the Body of Christ on earth in some capacity, must bring into confluence their head, hand, and heart if they are to be … Continue reading

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Preparing a Proposal

Elsie Froment, PhD Introduction This article provides basic guidance on preparing a proposal for a new way of doing things in ministry settings. Perhaps the leadership team desires to bring a facility renovation forward. Perhaps a ministry leader would like … Continue reading

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Evangelism and “Nones and Dones” in Canada

Joel Thiessen, PhD  Introduction The fastest growing “religious” group in Canada include those who say they have no religion, or what sociologists of religion call “religious nones.” Approximately one-quarter of Canadian adults and one-third of Canadian teens do not identify … Continue reading

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Discerning “The Spirit” in Mark 2:8; 8:12 and 14:38

This paper makes the argument that the writer of Mark’s Gospel always references the Holy Spirit or “unclean spirit/s” when he uses the term πνεῦμα. Continue reading

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The Intentionally Intercultural Church: A Place for All Peoples

The purpose of this paper is to examine Jesus’ mission for the church and argue that an intentionally intercultural ideology will make churches within diverse communities safe places for people of any racial or ethnic background. Continue reading

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“Drinking It New in the Kingdom of God” (Mark 14:25) – An Assertion of Ownership?

The reference to drinking “the produce of the vine” in Mark 14:25 usually is seen as a reference to the eschatological banquet motif. In this article the argument is made that the Markan narrative does not refer to the eschatological banquet motif… Continue reading

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Adaptive Versus Strategic Planning: Planning for Results

The process of ministry planning has become a key part of most leadership boards or staffs. It is either implicitly or explicitly expected that most high-level leaders will be able to point to a well thought through strategic plan in order to explain the actions they are taking or the outcomes they are pursuing. This article suggests that it is time for a change… Continue reading

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Shrinking the Margins: The Church and Diversity

This article continues an ongoing exploration of inclusion and widens the biblical worldview lens to consider marginalization based on diversity in ethnicity, race, culture, and values. Continue reading

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