Re-imagining Christian Education for Millennials in an African American Pentecostal Assemblies Context


Book Description

It seems many Christian Pentecostal churches are struggling to disciple and retain a millennial population. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 57% of religious millennials have church membership, and this represents the lowest percentage among current generations as overall church membership and participation trends downward from 76% in 1948 to 52% in 2018 (Jones, 2019). The factors contributing to the poll must be explored both from outside and inside of the church. One may wonder if the church is providing the proper education and training to attract and retain millennials. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study research design will be to explore current pedagogical methodologies and ICT use in Christian education among pastors and teachers in the Gates of Heaven Assembly of Churches (GOHAOC) and to assess the current level of satisfaction with and participation in Christian education ministry activities of the GOHAOC among the millennial members of the church community. At this stage in the research, ICT is defined as a “diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information. These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony” (Amin, 2018, p.2). Pastors, Christian educators, and millennials will be interviewed and surveyed to explore contributing factors to the target group's discipleship practices. The qualitative methodology was chosen to analyze the practices surrounding the research problem. Research findings and recommendations from this research will contribute to the body of literature on discipling millennials.




The Formation of a People


Book Description

"New from pastor and professor Carmichael Crutchfield, steeped in current scholarship and lifetime of experience in the African American church, this contribution to the study of Christian education expands our understanding of education to encompass the larger life and ministry of the church, from practices of testimony, worship, and preaching to more traditional classroom contexts of Sunday church school and midweek Bible study. Dr. Crutchfield further develops the concept of Christian education in light of spiritual formation, wherein our pedagogies are oriented toward forming the Christian disciple in the likeness and character of Jesus Christ. The book provides constructive definitions of Christian education and faith formation, as well as clarity about formation processes across all ages and seasons of life. The author gives particular attention to such formation as it occurs in the historic and contemporary African American church context, where those who do ministries of Christian education, faith formation, and discipleship often have a wide range of training and experience-from no formal theological education at all to specialized seminary degrees"--




Christian Education in the African American Church


Book Description

Provides detailed practical guidance in virtually all areas of Christian education in the African American context.




Reaching, Teaching and Growing African-American Believers


Book Description

"Reaching, Teaching and Growing African-American Believers" promotes Christian education in all churches, particularly African-American churches, for adults, youth, and children. (Christian Education)




Religious Education in the African American Tradition


Book Description

Schweitzer?s goal in this book is to explore what postmodernity actually means for theology and how theology and the church may respond to its challenges. He focuses on the life cycle as it is changing with the advent of postmodernity, looking sequentially at segments of the life cycle using different lenses: modernity, postmodernity, and responses from church and theology. Schweitzer concludes with a theology of the life cycle.




In Search of Wisdom


Book Description

A guide for pastors, church leaders, and all who help African Americans in their search for a meaningful Christian lifestyle. Forming Christians--leading fallen and flawed human beings into the path of discipleship to a crucified and risen Lord--is one of the central, if not the central, tasks of all Christian churches. It is a difficult enough task anywhere, but for African Americans, beset by racial conflict, personal crises, generational separation, and other concerns, it is especially so. African American churches must work particularly hard to counter the messages their members receive from the dominant and often unfriendly culture. This book employs the biblical text and African tradition to draw on the idea of the search for wisdom as a potent way to help African Americans in their pursuit of genuine Christian discipleship. Wisdom in African American tradition is not simply knowledge; rather, it is those insights, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and practices that create and sustain a life of hope and that produce an inherent sense of the worth of one's self. If their members are to engage in the search for wisdom, African American churches must build an intentional ministry of faith formation. Wisdom can be gained, the authors argue, when African Americans listen to the black oral tradition with its proverbial sayings, revered Bible stories, songs, and narratives from the lives of exemplary individuals. The book offers several similar avenues for the search for wisdom, including helpful models of black males mentoring younger black males, as a remedy to the destructive effects that contemporary culture has on this segment of the African American community.




Afro-Pentecostalism


Book Description

In 2006, the contemporary American Pentecostal movement celebrated its 100th birthday. Over that time, its African American sector has been markedly influential, not only vis-a-vis other branches of Pentecostalism but also throughout the Christian church. Black Christians have been integrally involved in every aspect of the Pentecostal movement since its inception and have made significant contributions to its founding as well as the evolution of Pentecostal/charismatic styles of worship, preaching, music, engagement of social issues, and theology. Yet despite its being one of the fastest growing segments of the Black Church, Afro-Pentecostalism has not received the kind of critical attention it deserves. Afro-Pentecostalism brings together fourteen interdisciplinary scholars to examine different facets of the movement, including its early history, issues of gender, relations with other black denominations, intersections with popular culture, and missionary activities, as well as the movementOCOs distinctive theology. Bolstered by editorial introductions to each section, the chapters reflect on the state of the movement, chart its trajectories, discuss pertinent issues, and anticipate future developments. Contributors: Estrelda Y. Alexander, Valerie C. Cooper, David D. Daniels III, Louis B. Gallien, Jr., Clarence E. Hardy III, Dale T. Irvin, Ogbu U. Kalu, Leonard Lovett, Cecil M. Robeck, Jr., Cheryl J. Sanders, Craig Scandrett-Leatherman, William C. Turner, Jr., Frederick L. Ware, and Amos Yong




Black Millennials and the Church


Book Description

How can leaders turn this challenge around and begin to reach young people with meaningful ministry that offers mature faith formation-keeping them interested and involved in the local church? Based on a nationwide study of African American young adults, Block Millennials and the Church uses a mix of humor, real-life illustrations, and research findings to present church leaders with valuable insights, specific ministry principles, and programming proposals to use in your church context to make disciples of this emerging generation of young adults. Includes VALUED VOICES, featuring interviews with black millennials who share their experiences with the Christian church.