Date of Award
2018
Document Type
Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Committee Chair
Cal Robertson
Abstract
The future of ministry will involve many churches forming interchurch partnerships to share resources to maximize ministry effectiveness and stewardship of assets. A small group between members of First Baptist Church and First United Methodist Church in Elizabeth City, NC, was formed to explore biblical themes of partnership and discuss logistical issues and how they might be obstacles to partnerships. Surveys measured participants’ perceptions of their doctrinal knowledge, attitude toward partnership, and perceived difficulty in dealing with the logistics of partnership. Discussion, reflection, and interviews contributed to the interpretation of survey data. Results indicated that a shared small group experience between two churches can be a catalyst for the development of fruitful, interchurch partnership and participants envisioned ways the churches may be able to partner together.
Citation Information
Batson, Thomas Paul, "Cooperation, Not Competition: Utilizing a Shared Small-Group Discipleship Experience to Create Interchurch Partnerships between First Baptist Church and First United Methodist Church in Elizabeth City, North Carolina" (2018). Doctor of Ministry Projects. 43.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/divinity_etd/43