Roger Stronstad wrote a timeless text for pastors and believers to discover the Luke-Acts themes of prophetic deeds and declaration. The experience of Spirit baptism results in prophetic communities that take the gospel to the ends of the earth. He demonstrated from Luke’s primary focus, the importance of following Jesus’ example and instruction to be filled with the Spirit for bold witness as prophets. Stronstad’s strong pneumatology emphasis introduced the book,
“In regard to the subject of this study, namely, ‘the Prophethood of all believers’, my aim of thinking Luke’s thoughts after him is to understand the meaning of Spirit-baptism and its relationship to either salvation or to vocation. When reading Luke-Acts, I have observed that Luke often explicitly relates the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit to a vocation as the Spirit of prophecy.“[1]
Thus the author sets the tone for the book. The treatment of God’s people as subjects who should be empowered by the Holy Spirit to become powerful prophets in word and deed. Stronstad gives a comprehensive examination of this subject, demonstrating that all of God’s people should operate in like anointing.

The Theme

Jesus, the anointed prophet of God, replicated in the lives of the early church and subsequently in the Church as a whole, serves as the theme of The Prophethood of the Believers. Stronstad gives a compelling argument that as Jesus was the anointed prophet mighty in word and deed, the Church has also received that same anointing to speak the truth in power and to confirm His word in works.
Stronstad gives multiple examples of this truth throughout the Book of Acts and beyond. He states that everyone from apostles to deacons walked in both anointed word and works. Moreover, that example indicates believers today should also be anointed for word and works, a very compelling and encouraging argument. If God intends all Spirit-filled believers to operate in the prophetic anointing, and to minister in power (as Jesus) in both word and in deed, it demonstrates the biblical norm and obliges every believer to seek to walk in that same anointing.
The book’s outline, set around the prophetic ministry of Jesus, and how He passed it to the disciples and then to the rest of the Church is demonstrated in the book of Acts and the New Testament. Stronstad begins by examining the prophetic ministry of Jesus, followed by an analysis of the disciples’ prophetic ministry. Subsequent chapters dealt with that same prophetic anointing upon Stephen and Phillip’s deacons and the prophets Barnabas, Agabus, and Peter. He then concludes the book with a chapter on the prophetic anointing exhibited in Paul’s ministry and a synthesis of the prophetic anointing given to all believers.

Most Meaningful Material & Ministry Related Issues

The most meaningful material given was the chapter on, “The Prophethood of All Believers, A Contemporary Relevance.” In this chapter, the author states,
“The Church is to be a community of prophets… In fact, in too many places, the Church views itself as a didactic community rather than as a prophetic community, where sound doctrine is treasured above charismatic action. Indeed, the preaching and teaching of the word displace Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, and Spirit-empowered ministry. The Spirit of prophecy has been quenched, and the gifts of the Spirit have been sanitized and institutionalized. The non-Pentecostal/ non-charismatic Church needs to recapture its prophetic heritage, to which it is either hostile or indifferent.“[2]
Much of the Church reflects this statement by embracing the form and forgetting the function. Not that pastors and other believers should have to choose one over the other, but the Church needs to operate in both. Each need anointed instruction and unction teaching, resulting in supernatural service. As the author declares, may we shake off our spirit of indifference and once again recapture our prophetic heritage.

Significant Quote

Although one can take many good quotes from this book, the one significant quote that needs highlighting is from the chapter on contemporary relevance. In this chapter, the author states,
“All too often, the Pentecostal, charismatic movements focus on the experience, the emotion, and the blessing more than they do on Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, and Spirit-empowered service. This shift in focus from vocation to personal experience, from being world-centered to self-centered, renders the Pentecostal’s service, the charismatic movement just about as impotent as the contemporary service non-Pentecostal, non-charismatic Church. This focus on experience rather than on service is like selling one’s birthright of Spirit-empowered service for the pottage of self-seeking experience and blessing.“[3]
This statement helps to frame the urgency of right focus.  Stronstad’s admonishment and his encouragement reinforce Luke’s theme to return to Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, and Spirit-empowered service, which strengthens opportunities for witness in this tumultuous time.

Critical Critique 

Stronstad’s research into the reflection of the prophetic ministry of Jesus in the lives of His disciples and subsequently, the lives of all those that became a part of the early Church, is the book’s greatest strength.
If there were any weakness, it would be that the author might serve the book well to set a contrast at the beginning against a more recognized theological subject such as the “priesthood of the believer.” This may give the reader an understanding of how other doctrines remain well known and received, yet this very apparent teaching of scripture the church as a whole has overlooked. And this, much to our detriment, has weakened democratization involving all believers, in the proclamation of the gospel.

Recommendation

The Prophethood of all Believers can assist Christians in the transformational process of becoming all God has redeemed them to be. It reminds the readers that the mission of the Church remains to build the kingdom of God by walking in prophetic word and work. It also encourages the reader to aspire to great things in the spiritual realm. If indeed, the early Church modeled normative Christianity, then each one must strive to regain the lost Spirit-empowered prophetic speech and reclaim our God-given birthright.

Bibliography

Roger Stronstad, The Prophethood of All Believers: A Study in Luke’s Charismatic Theology. CPT Press, Cleveland TN, 2010.
[1] Roger Stronstad, The Prophethood of All Believers: A Study in Luke’s Charismatic Theology (CPT Press, Cleveland TN, 2010) 2.
[2] Stronstad, The Prophethood of All Believers, 121.
[3] Stronstad, The Prophethood of All Believers. 121.

 Alvin (Dobie) Weasel, founder, and president of Life Tribe Ministries, leads the movement to reach every Native North American with a contextualized, life-changing message of Jesus. Weasel, a church planter and pastor of multiple multi-ethnic churches, also ministers as an evangelist, camp, and conference speaker. Dobie Weasel is a graduate student at Trinity Bible College and Graduate School pursuing a Master of Arts degree in rural ministry.

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Outline & Theme

Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird outlined their book, Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers, into four parts to assist reader’s use of this resource. First, Stetzer and Bird begin with the methods and the standards of their research for writing their book. Second, they discuss importance of evangelism, and the dependency of church planting to accomplish the mission of church multiplication. Third, the authors look at the different church planting methods exploring the benefits and hindrances in church panting models. Fourth, they discussed the importance of looking at new ways to evaluate if the church has a multiplying mindset and what factors produce fast or slow growing churches.

Stetzer and Bird express that the purpose of writing their book, “We are absolutely convinced that a huge influx of new churches is required in this country, an influx that will not happen unless present patterns change.”[1] The premise of this book, continuing to do church, in the same way will not impact the world we live in today.

The authors believed that, “…church planting is the best way to take the church to the people it needs to serve. We believe new churches are the best platform for followers of Jesus to live as salt, light, and doers of good deeds in our communities, to demonstrate love in practical ways, and to intentionally make more disciples of Jesus Christ.”[2] Stetzer and Bird’s classification of what it will require Christ-followers to reach and disciple their communities has the prerequisite of a healthy church planting movement that leads to multiplication.

Most Meaningful Material & Ministry Related Issues

Stetzer and Bird wrote about how churches need to use a new matrix to measure effectiveness. By using a different matrix, could enable churches to focus on multiplication instead of addition. Stetzer and Bird believed, “The way that most pastors and congregations measure health by whether their church is growing.”[3] The challenge that this assertion raises for congregations and pastors that churches can have the appearance of health; however, with different criteria, churches may not have the health that church leaders thought they had.

The authors continued, “The better measurement is whether their people are learning to reproduce themselves. Ralph calls it disciples multiplying churches.”[4] As pastors and congregations overcome the fear that they will lose control or lose people when they reproduce themselves, they will see multiplication in the church as a necessity.

Significant Quote

Evangelistic methods have evolved; at times, the church needs to evaluate its effectiveness. One of the ways that church leaders could do this by looking at the past. Stetzer and Bird noted, “Paul’s evangelistic strategy was to plant new churches that in turn planted new churches.”[5] This statement’s significance should raise the question for church leaders to consider how they may become more effective in reaching the lost in our world today. Do churches need to plant new churches or for smaller churches to partner together to plant churches. As churches return to this evangelistic method, church leaders can look at nontraditional ways of doing church that may provide more effective ways to multiply itself.

Critique

Throughout the book, Stetzer and Bird discussed that the church needs to move from an addition to a multiplication mindset[6]; they keep this theme throughout their book. Stetzer and Bird wrote, “…this is not a book for those whose approach is to start only one church. Instead, we are speaking to those who have a dream of starting lots and lots of churches. Not via one-by-one addition, but by multiplication.”[7] Stetzer and Bird did well presented the need well for new churches to plant new churches,“…when the church uses new benchmarks this can be accomplished.

More organic mindsets focuse on abundance versus size. In agricultural terms, farmers sow lots of seeds with the mindset that they will reap more than they sow.”[8] From establishing new benchmarks in the conclusion of their book or establishing the intended purpose in writing their book stayed consistent with multiplying the church. Stetzer and Bird covered the intended purpose of their book well. The authors provided a detailed account on how they conducted their research, which provided (possibly validity or anything else you think this gave the text).

Recommendation

Church planters or those interested in the church planting movement would benefit from reading this book and having it as a resource to refer back to as a tool. As churches embark on the journey of planting a church, this book shows the importance of not only planting one church but multiple churches. Stetzer and Bird cover a broad range of topics that could help existing churches get out of the church’s Status quo.

Bibliography

Stetzer, Ed, Warren, Bird. Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint, 2010. Kindle.

[1] Stetzer, Ed, Warren, Bird. Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers: (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint, 2010), Chap. 2. Kindle.

[2] Stetzer, Bird, Viral Churches Chap. 2.

[3] Stetzer, Bird, Viral Churches, Chap. 3.

[4] Stetzer, Bird, Viral Churches Chap. 3.

[5] Stetzer, Bird, Viral Churches Chap. 2.

[6] Stetzer, Bird, Viral Churches, Chap. 2.

[7] Stetzer, Bird, Viral Churches, Chap. 2.

[8] Stetzer, Bird, Viral Churches, Chap. 14.

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Read the Academic Article: Partnership in the Gospel

The summer of 1987 provided a new opportunity for ministry and our young family moved to a small community in western Nebraska to pastor a rural church. Several men in the small-town church worked on area ranches, providing opportunity for time with ranchers cowboys and recapturing a childhood enjoyment of horses. After a couple years, I purchased two untrained horses, but they needed the diligent work of training. The horses taught me important life lessons while responding to the riding and training process. Looking back at the experience, I learned far more than the horses I attempted to teach. The process of developing a horse into a good partner involved more than I understood but that began an interest to study horse training.

A video with a trainer, Shana Terry (Down Under Horsemanship 2017), and her trained American Quarter Horse, Marty, demonstrates an amazing partnership of performance and difficult maneuvers.[1] Marty performed flawlessly while Terry gave instructions from a distance without halter, bridle, or lead line touching the horse. The horse ran, made difficult spins, jumps and maneuvers from cues that he learned from Shana. One exercise demonstrated a partnership of trust and communication where Marty backed down a slope across a body of water and then trotted back to Shana on cue. The relationship, trust, and performance of Shana and Marty should pale in comparison to the partnership of believers to accomplish God’s will for His kingdom, exceeding the best partnership with a well-trained horse.

[1] Liberty Down Under Horsemanship. Shana Terry and Marty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYeHIQqDo2I  Accessed December 2019.

The maneuvers that Shana trained Mary to do truly make a person horse partnership look easy.  The level of communication between trainer and horse required a unity and understanding rarely found.  If a horse trainer can find that level of partnership, how much more should the servants of the Lord establish partnership.

Partnership requires unity and togetherness to build relational bonds fulfilling God’s great mission. Creation unfolds with the first example of partnership. God said, “Let us make man in our own image” (Gen. 1:26). The doctrine of the trinity, some refer to the tri-unity of God gives insight in partnership (Evans 2016). Charles Hodge (1981, 445) gave insight into this unity. “According to the scriptures, the Father created the world, the Son Created the world, and the Spirit created the world: The Father preserves all things; the Son upholds all things; and the Spirit is the source of all life.” The unity and partnership of the trinity, beginning from the account of creation and continuing throughout scripture, paint a picture of the potential of partnership according to God’s design.

The work of partnership in God’s relationship with man continues in the New Testament primarily through the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Jimmie Evans III (2016, 2) noted the teaching of Jesus where he expressed the necessity of sending the Holy Spirit:

While with His disciples, Jesus was a present helper and teacher, but following His departure the Holy Spirit takes on those roles (John 14:26). He will also remind them of Jesus’ words, and He will testify about Jesus through the disciples (John 14:26; 15:26). Not only do these verses indicate His role, they also reveal His identity in terms of the progression of who sends Him. In 14:16, He will ask the Father to send the helper. In 14:26, the Father will send the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name. Then in 15:26, Jesus refers to Himself sending the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father. Each of these instances of sending reveals a unity and bond between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whereby the three comprising the Trinity are displayed working in cooperation.

This work of the Holy Spirit finds greater expression through the New Testament but especially in Acts where Luke identifies the Holy Spirit as the primary source and partner who leads and guides the church.

The first chapters of Acts set the stage for the remainder of the New Testament modeling reliance on the Holy Spirit to direct and guide the church. (Acts 1:8, 4:31, 5:32, 6:3 6:19) The disciples trusted the Savior who baptized in the Holy Spirit and His partnership to lead the New Testament Church. (Acts 15:28) The birth of the church came with an expectation of partnership with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8) This continued with varying intensity from the days of the early church on. A refreshing and intensifying of this recognition of the Holy Spirit in the church occurred in the early Twentieth Century with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a continued revival on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, CA. This Spirit led revival brought deep spiritual connections removing the classes separating people and released the power of partnership. (Miller 2015, 11-21) The spiritual renewal possessed similarities to the early church on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit led people to love, celebrate, preach, plant, share and send people out with a transformational and redeeming message (Miller 2015, 15-20). These Spirit empowered believers became a discipling, multiplying community of faith without regard to race, class or gender and sent people out to plant churches, ministries, and missionaries throughout the world. This level of partnership continued through the following decades of the Pentecostal movement and remains in place to present times.[1]

That season brought significant partnerships from pastor to pastor, church to church and pastor to church. The culture of working and playing together reflected strong relationships where pastors worked together on churches, summer camps, church buildings, and other projects. They often celebrated together, hunted together, and some vacationed together.[2] The cooperation and collaboration, common both in decades past with the rural church and community, finds a less common place in rural life today; yet partnership continues to give blessing and life to all those who access it.

[1] The Pentecostal movement experienced and continues to experience a struggle to maintain partnership, however observations of four decades of ministry indicates seasons of refreshing tend to remove this tendency toward division and brings unity in the church.

My years sitting with older pastors allowed me to hear multiple stories of the partnership between pastors, churches, missionaries, and districts. The urgency of kingdom service and their sense of eschatology reflecting the soon return of Christ caused many leaders to see every person who worked diligently for the kingdom as a ministry partner. This level of partnership drove church multiplication and cooperation in ministry. They expressed a praxis of ‘one in the Spirit and one in mission.’ This did not represent all but many in the rural area where I first experienced church and the Pentecostal message.

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The post Theology of the Call: Acts 26:16-20 appeared first on Rural Advancement.

This paper presents the need to review the theology of God’s call connected to missions and the rural church. The need for the church to observe the rural churches’ connection to the call can strengthen missions work to all ethne. In light of the decline of young rural ministers, this paper explores the biblical call for ministry engaging God’s mission (missio Dei) and observing calling in Acts 26:16-20; God continues to call Spirit-empowered believers to join His mission of reaching the lost from every ethne. Paul’s call demonstrates that God’s calling includes the purpose and the empowerment that summons believers to respond.

The exploration of Luke’s appeal to the church, considering the example of Paul’s call, strengthens the praxis of the Christ-centered call that launches Spirit-empowered workers into the harvest in and from rural communities. Incorporating Luke’s Spirit-empowered missio Dei call and response theme with rural churches, accomplishing the mission of Christ for every people group, becomes a rural impetus.[i] Tyra promoted the pneumatic missio Dei imperative, “…it must be acknowledged that Luke’s message overall seems to be that all Spirit-filled believers possess the capacity, like Ananias [and Paul], to hear God’s voice, receive ministry assignments, speak and act on Christ’s behalf, make new disciples, and build up the church, offering a powerful refutation of religious relativism in the process.”[ii] To mitigate the rural church crisis, God continues to call ministers to accomplish His mission in the rural communities, to turn them from darkness to the glorious light.

Jesus continues His universal call to invade the darkness with the gospel light in the rural and urban communities. Gene Edward encouraged believers that God’s call leads to places large and small, “Christians have the confidence that ‘all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose’ (Rom. 8:28). Notice that this promise is tied to vocation (being ‘called’) and to God’s purpose, not our own.”[iii] The Holy Spirit works through believers to remedy a lack of missionary zeal, calling for radical transformation of people in rural and urban communities, healing blind eyes, setting free the bound, bringing the good news of sins forgiven and sanctification through faith in Christ. A biblical theology of the call, in view of Paul’s call and the rural church current condition, necessitates increased prayer, preaching, and teaching about responding to the Spirit-empowered missional call; encouraging people young and old, men and women, to respond to the Lord Jesus who called Saul on the road to Damascus and leaders for ministry today.

[i] Moltmann Jurgen Moltmann. The Church in Power of the Spirit. (New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers, Inc. 1977), 10.

[ii] Tyra. 68.

[iii] Gene Veith, Edward, Jr. God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Book.2002), 59. “Vocation is, in part, a function of the particular gifts God has given us; but we cannot know our vocation purely by looking inside ourselves. Our choices are constrained by givens that are outside our control. Neither are circumstances completely under our control. God, though, is in control of them all. While non-believers are trapped in their random, meaningless world, Christians have the confidence that ‘all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose’ (Rom. 8:28).” This promise follows Paul’s admonition that Spirit helps us pray according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26-27).

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By Ronald L. Masten

Partnership on purpose, spiritual fervency, and intentional outreach into the community will characterize the church in the future, and the future begins now. Developing leaders for ministry rural churches necessities relevant ministry that includes, spiritual fervency, authenticity, community outreach, and partnership.

The current state of ministry in rural Sandhills of Nebraska struggles with the following questions: “How will relevant ministry survive as the church moves into the future? What will the ministry look like? Who will lead outreach? How will missions be supported moving forward?” Rural communities face many struggles in these times; they experienced a decline and loss of families over the past several decades, which resulted in smaller churches. World Population Review reports Thomas County Population in 1980 at 973 people and 2018 numbers at 720.1 Many trends ignored or thought small rural ministry as less than larger metro churches. Karl Vaters stated in, The Grasshopper Myth, “Half of all Christians in America and far more than half of Christians worldwide attend a Small Church.”2 This study researched the challenges and issues of current ministry, and the opportunity for churches to partner and cooperate together ensuring productive ministry and evangelism for the future. 

The research included interviews of pastors, lay leaders, members and adherents, and small-town residents using a questionnaire designed to provide answers to focused questions with persons involved in the rural ministry context and community. What percentage of pastors serve in bi-vocational roles? What level of education and experience do they have? What role do laypeople play in leadership? What level of cooperation between area churches ensures successful ministry in the future? This research gathered responses from diverse groups in the churches and ministries engaged multiple viewpoints ensuring good research data from interviews from current ministries and those engaged in evangelism whether clergy or lay leadership. 

The church must recognize that collaboration and partnership will not just evolve on its own. This new paradigm engages the church in a sense of urgency rooted in seeking God to give direction and guidance moving forward. God will lead the changes, partnerships, spiritual renewal, and missional evangelism through contextualization and intentional evangelism.

This research project survey demonstrated that the rural churches in the Sandhills of Nebraska and around America still have life; however, there is a sense of urgency in the church to find ministry answers to go forward. In a rural ministry context, authenticity became a key to influence and leading change in people’s lives and the converse remained true.

People in the rural context desire authenticity, in ministry, and in outreach.  In small communities, genuine ministry becomes immediately apparent, so the lack of genuine concern and compassion compels the rural community to appraise the messenger as irrelevant. Sandhills people ignore the inauthentic rather than accepting them as a true missionary. Rural people immediately recognized inauthentic life and any opportunity to lead them in change will become lost.

Relevant ministries will not only survive in the future, but it will also thrive. Small-town rural pastors and laypeople exhibit optimism and hope. We can rejoice in the knowledge that we are in the midst of mission, guided by the Holy Spirit, that will lead this revival and breathe new life into the backroads of our state, country, and world.

1 WorldPopulationReview.com; Nebraska, February 17, 2020. (accessed 2020-5-28).

2 Karl Vaters, The Grasshopper Myth (New Small Church, New Song Media, 2012), 41.

Read the Academic Article

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By Paul D. Maunu

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Answering the question, what factors led rural pastors from a season of plateau or decline to turnaround; producing church growth, compelled this research.  Spiritual fervency, productive relationships, and community outreach represented the key to a turnaround.  This thesis sections include; research methodology, literature review, findings and analysis, theological reflections, and application.  The research methodology concerning rural church turnaround; focused on the context of the study, research methodology, and obtaining results from the rural context.  The literature review included biblical expression, rural ministry challenges, and valuing rural ministry.  The empirical research portion addressed findings and analysis from ten interviews of pastors leading turnaround, detailing expected findings, key components, and contributing factors.  Expected findings considered programs, leadership factors, pulpit ministry, and other challenges.

The key components identified include spiritual fervency, productive relationships, and community outreach.  Spiritual fervency examined prayer, spiritual encounters, and personal refreshment.  Productive relationships included intentional investment, peer friendship, and relationships among church leaders.  Community outreach investigated mentality shift, servanthood, and catalytic ideas.  These factors provided the commonalities and framework for the turnaround in the ten churches studied.  Theological reflections on Orthodoxy, Orthopraxis, and Orthopathos in the rural setting assisted in the reflection and consideration.  Applications from the research addressed the following: establishing the call to rural, pursuing spiritual growth, initiating outreach, and establishing relationships.  The methodology, literature review, findings and analysis, theological reflections, and application form the major sections of the thesis.

Discouragement and its impact in the rural setting require reflection and significant consideration.  Kathleen Norris wrote in Acedia and Me about the ancient term of acedia she explained that the Greek root means the absence of care with the person afflicted by it, either refusing to care or not capable of doing so.[1]  Brad Roth, author of God’s Country, warned against acedia, which he characterized as spiritual despair that causes a lack of care for life, for God, for others, and even for ourselves.[2]  Roth believed that this element of despair proved challenging in the rural context. Depression and discouragement can represent major challenges for the rural pastor.  Whether considered within the context of acedia, spiritual warfare, or clinical depression these times of discouragement impact ministry.

Moving beyond the challenges of ministry when in plateau or decline seemed an important issue to consider.  When a church encounters a season of no growth, discouragement can impact the pastor, leadership, and church members.  A church that loses people can move towards despair; leading other members to consider leaving, placing pressure on pastoral leadership to ‘righting the ship.’  Neil Anderson and Charles Mylander in Setting Your Church Free said, “Your leaders may ache over good people who have chosen to go to other churches and left the burdens of ministry to an overworked few.”[3]  Seasons of plateau and decline tend to impact many within the church, yet the minister tends to carry the weight of the burden during these seasons.

Ministers may experience defeat resulting in leaving the church and at times the ministry.  Pursuing the accounts of ministers that overcame the factors that hinder progress in the rural setting formed the framework for this research.  The narrative of pastors that battled through the discouraging times provided a paradigm for others to consider; extending hope to the pastor struggling to establish turnaround.  This research set out to discover pathways of optimism for the health of pastors and strength for churches in rural America.

A pastoral breakthrough provided a key component for the research. Finding and documenting cases of moving beyond significant challenges to places of victory marked the research.  These pastoral interviews developed out of contact with various leaders who connected me with pastors that fit the criteria of this research.

The research criteria necessitated experiences uncovered that included turnaround from a state of plateau or decline.  This element can provide hope and encouragement to the pastor engaging in the battle to overcome the season of challenge.  This research may stir the belief that growth can happen through the difficult seasons of ministry.  The rural context often tends to get overlooked when celebrating the stories of success.  Uncovering accounts that demonstrated the plausibility for ministry turnaround offered value.

The situations discovered in this research varied in many ways; the challenges inherent in the church and local community dynamics presented unique obstacles to turnaround.  This material does not provide a one size fits all approach.  Principles came forth offering ideas to consider and apply to multiple rural ministry situations.  After the interview process concluded, the categorization and analysis of the data took place.  These commonalities offered breakthroughs and insights suggesting hope for struggling rural churches.

The ability to implement change might serve as the most vital component of moving from plateau and decline to turnaround. The discovery of what motivated change proved foundational.  The change factors may vary according to circumstances within the church, community, and minister’s personal life.  The pastors surveyed found pathways to lead their churches from plateau or decline to growth.  Some components that produced turnaround proved similar while other aspects tended to fit individual situations.

This thesis details methods used to study rural church turnaround, focusing on the context of the study, research methodology, and obtaining results from the rural context.  The literature review includes biblical expression, rural ministry challenges, and valuing rural ministry.  The main portion of this thesis addresses findings and analysis from the ten interviews of pastors leading turnaround, detailing; expected findings, key components, and contributing factors.  The key components include spiritual fervency, productive relationships, and community outreach which form the quintessential elements from the research.  These factors provide the framework for turnaround.  Theological reflections on Orthodoxy, Orthopraxis, and Orthopathos in the rural setting garnered exploration.  Applications from the research address; establishing the call to the rural context, pursuing spiritual growth, initiating outreach, and establishing relationships.

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[1] Kathleen Norris, Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life (New York: Riverhead Books, 2008), 3. Kindle Edition.

[2] Brad Roth, God’s Country: Faith, Hope, and the Future of the Rural Church (Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2017), 41. Kindle Edition.

[3] Neil T. Anderson and Charles Mylander, Setting Your Church Free: A Biblical Plan for Corporate Conflict Resolution (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2005), 154-155.

[4] Glenn Daman interview with Paul Maunu, January 22, 2020.

[5] Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to be Spiritually Mature While Remaining Emotionally Immature (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 117.

[6] Henry Cloud, Necessary Endings: The Employees, Business, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward (New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2010), 112.

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By April Maunu

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Using qualitative research and interviews, this thesis endeavors to answer the question of what successful ministry looks like on the Native American reservations and suggest strategies that may be procured as a model of ministry to reach the communities on the Rosebud Reservation.

This study addresses the obstacles and problems in making Christ known among the Native American people and attempts to identify key principles for successful, long-lasting ministry on the reservation.  Part one of the paper includes a brief history of the Rosebud Reservation along with an analysis of main issues affecting Native American ministry, followed by a theological review, and concluding with a definition of successful ministry among the Native Americans.  Part two examines qualitative research through interviews from Rosebud Reservation ministry leaders followed by additional interviews of ministers of Native American ministries on various reservations.  The study concludes with possible principles and suggestions for successful ministry on the Rosebud Reservation as defined in the first part of the thesis.

The Rosebud Reservation, home to the Sicangu (Brule) tribe of the Lakota Sioux, established its location along the southern border of South Dakota, east to the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1878.[1]  The Native Partnership website states, “The Rosebud Reservation is economically depressed and ranks second (after the Pine Ridge Reservation) in per capita income on Plains Reservations. Unemployment sometimes reaches over 80%.”[2]  Extended families often live together in houses of disrepair.  Many Natives struggle with drugs and alcohol, furthering the disintegration of family units.  Children often experienced shuffling from one house to another, growing up in confusion and uncertainty.[3]  A resurgence of culture and traditional religion over the past fifty years created a dichotomy of the past and present and a division between those who follow the old ways, Native religion and culture, and those who do not embrace this resurgence.  Traditionalist Natives, those that adhere to the traditional religion and ways of the tribe, tend to distrust anyone they consider white, those of European descent or part of the dominant society.

Mistrust and assumptions formed around the sending culture hinder the ministry efforts of people from white cultures.  The Sioux culture appears complex and proud.  Although they accept goods and food, they may discredit the donor’s intent if they think the motivation came from pity or if the giver showed no intent of personally investing themselves.  Short term ministry teams that come for a few days out of the summer leave feelings of abandonment, causing Natives to scorn their message.  A common occurrence, community members may have a pile of items given by various ministries but remain internally unaffected by the gospel.  Ministries that approach Natives with tangible gifts in hopes of drawing them into the church often leave exhausted and depleted physically as well as emotionally with few committed followers to show for their efforts.[4]

As Spirit-filled followers of Christ, miracles demonstrate the truth of beliefs.  Jesus said, “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe…”[5]  The incorporation of miracles in a worship service may demonstrate the truth of Christianity, but without a clear theological basis for understanding the identity of Jesus, the Sioux observer may account the miracle to a great medicine man, or holy man set apart as favored by the spirits to heal and see visions.  A Rosebud Reservation,missionary warns that although Natives and missionaries need the signs and wonders,  ministers should provide practical teachings to prevent the misunderstanding that Jesus existed as merely a great medicine man.[6]  Teaching the needed theological foundations proves difficult when few if any community members attended Bible studies.  Pentecostal signs and wonders provide affirmation of God’s favor when paired with an understanding of Jesus as God incarnate through contextualized discipleship furnish a complete gospel message.

This research purposes through studying the past and present ministry on the Rosebud Reservation, to bring clarity of understanding and key methods that may motivate those who desire to minister on the reservation but don’t know what to do as well as encourage those in current ministry. They do not seem to need more physical assistance in outreaches as current ministries already provide food and essential items.  Disagreement over syncretism makes it difficult to partner with some ministries.  This research considered methods to partner with ministers on the reservation.  The research included cultural reflection concerning how white churches and ministries may connect culturally to become more inviting.  The perplexity and desire to partner with Native American ministries and reach Natives in my community spurred the writing of this thesis.

A resurgence of basic gospel sharing principles surfaced through literature reviews and interviews with ministers who work with Native Americans.  The unique multiculturism of the Rosebud Sioux requires the building of trust through meaningful relationships as a foundation for ministry.  Interviewees indicated the need for spiritual healing of the intergenerational trauma that has prevented many Natives from finding their identity in Christ.  Contextualized discipleship may provide the theology and tools Natives need to walk as committed followers of Christ.  Discipleship should produce disciples that produce disciples.  An increase of indigenous ministry on the reservations may facilitate an influx of Native souls transformed for Jesus.  Part One of this thesis gives some foundational understanding of the issues affecting ministry on the Rosebud Reservation and the Theological basis for Native American ministries.  Part Two reports on the interviews with various Native American ministers and the dialogue produced through their answers.  The conclusion will procure some possible principles ministers on the reservations may implement to maximize effectiveness.

The goal of this research continues to advance the gospel among the Native Americans on the Rosebud reservation.  From studying the research, pursuing meaningful relationships, contextualized discipleship, indigenous ministry, and Holy Spirit empowered inner healing on the reservations may enhance Native American ministry and bring about Christ-following transformation in Native lives.

[1] Donovin Arleigh Sprague, Rosebud Sioux: Images of America (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005), 8. “The Lakota reservations of today are about one half their original size from the Act of 1889.  Rosebud Reservation was established in 1878 for the Sicangu and its headquarters was located at the town of Rosebud… The original eastern boundary of Rosebud Reservation was the east bank of the Missouri River… On the south end of Rosebud Reservation were Fort Niobrara, Spars, and Valentine, all in Nebraska.  Fort Niobrara was established in 1880 to protect Nebraska settlers from the Sicangu and other bands.  It was just northeast of Valentine, Nebraska.”

[2]“South Dakota: Rosebud Reservation: PWNA Resources,” South Dakota: Rosebud Reservation PWNA Resources – Partnership with Native Americans, accessed March 25, 2020, http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageNavigator/PWNA_Native_Reservations_Rosebud.

[3]Firsthand observation by the author while substitute teaching on the reservation – the school would often have to search for kids to find out which house they were to be picked up from.

[4]Observances from experiences and conversations with other ministers.  For discussion on trust between Natives and White Christians please see Chapter Four of Craig Stephen Smith, Whiteman’s Gospel (Winnipeg, Manitoba: Indian Life Books, 2006).

[5] Mark 16:17-18, ESV.

[6]Minister One interview with April Maunu, January 28, 2020.

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