The Missional Future of Free Churches in a Secular Context: A German Case Study
Abstract Similar to most Western nations, Germany has experienced a history of secularization, resulting in church decline. However, some Christian communities have been less affected by decline. The historical free churches ( Freikirchen ), usually of an evangelical nature, have not only developed...
| Published in: | Journal of empirical theology |
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| Authors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2020
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| In: |
Journal of empirical theology
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bund Freier Evangelischer Gemeinden in Deutschland
/ Mission
/ Church growth
/ Secularization
|
| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy KBB German language area KDG Free church RB Church office; congregation RJ Mission; missiology |
| Further subjects: | B
Free churches
B Bund Freier evangelischer Gemeinden B Secularization B Mission B Church Growth B conversion growth |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Abstract Similar to most Western nations, Germany has experienced a history of secularization, resulting in church decline. However, some Christian communities have been less affected by decline. The historical free churches ( Freikirchen ), usually of an evangelical nature, have not only developed a more explicit missionary identity than the mainline churches, some of them have also been able to experience church growth against the larger trends. In this paper quantitative and qualitative data are presented based on a study of the Bund Freier evangelischer Gemeinden (BFeG) in Germany. These data show that general church growth and conversion growth are correlated, that young churches grow better (in both respects) than older churches, that the net conversion growth (conversions minus decline) of younger and older churches is overall largely the same, and that growth results in Berlin outperform the results in other cities and in the BFeG as a whole. These results are put into context by extended case studies of two churches, one old and one young, and they are discussed with a view to existing studies of (free church) mission in the West. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-9256 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of empirical theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15709256-12341388 |