Developing a Strategy for Calvary Bible Church East of Comstock, Michigan, to Contextualize the Gospel for Unchurched Young Adults

Abstract

This project addresses the development of a contextualization strategy for local church ministry. Chapter 1 explains the purpose, goals, context, and rationale for the case study. Chapter 2 examines the beginnings of culture, national identity and mission in Genesis 10-12, the contextual requirements of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20, and the example set by Paul in Athens in Acts 17:16-34 to conclude that contextualization in ministry is a biblical requirement. Chapter 3 examines the contextualization spectrums of Travis and Allison, builds upon work by Hesselgrave to propose a new method for assessing contextualization strategies, and applies that assessment to the ministries of MacArthur, Keller, Driscoll, Kimball, and the case study ministry. Chapter 4 chronicles a 15 week research project during which church members were trained in contextualization and enlisted to study the culture of local young adults. Chapter 5 evaluates the project and presents concluding thoughts.