Ecclesial Futures publishes original research and theological reflection on the development and transformation of local Christian communities and the systems that support them as they join in the mission of God in the world. We are an international and ecumenical journal with an inter-disciplinary understanding of our approach to theological research and reflection; the core disciplines being theology, missiology and ecclesiology. Other social science and theological disciplines may be helpful in supporting the holistic nature of any research. The journal fills an important reflective space between the academy and on-the-ground practice within the field of mission studies, ecclesiology and the so-called “missional church”. Ecclesial Futures is a “Diamond Open Access” international juried journal, partnering with @RadboudUniPress and @openjournalsnl. The result for authors is free to publish articles, and for readers free to read articles. To keep up to date, subscribe by registering on the "Newsletter" button on the right of this page.
Innovative Mission Funding: Approaches Used by Assemblies of God Ghana in the Vision 3000 Initiative
This study examines the innovative funding approaches employed by the Assemblies of God Ghana (AG Ghana) during their Vision 3000 church planting initiative (2015-2019). Through analysis of semi-structured interviews with 14 key stakeholders and extensive document review, the research explores how AG Ghana developed funding strategies combining traditional church giving with modern technological solutions. The study reveals that AG Ghana successfully utilized mobile micro-giving programs, corporate partnerships, diaspora networks, and systematic local church contributions. While achieving significant success in resource mobilization, the initiative encountered challenges including urban-rural economic disparities, COVID-19 disruptions, and sustainability concerns in economically disadvantaged regions. The findings provide insights into contemporary mission funding approaches, suggesting the need for adaptive funding models that balance innovative financing mechanisms with traditional stewardship practices while remaining sensitive to local economic realities. This research contributes to ongoing discussions about sustainable mission funding in African Christianity.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mishael Donkor Ampofo, Peter White https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Felix Eiffler https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Cavanaugh, William T. 2024. The Uses of Idolatry.
Copyright (c) 2025 Scott J. Hagley https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Smith, Jennifer R. 2023. A thematic analysis of religious identity and volunteer motivation among emerging adult members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and Grell, Daniel. 2023. Pursuing Jesus Christ until we meet him face-to-face: A biblical and theological challenge to retired Baby Boomers to become transformed disciples of Jesus Christ who faithfully serve him in the context of their local church.
Copyright (c) 2025 Johannes Fröh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Percy, Martyn. 2025. The Crisis of Colonial Anglicanism: Empire, Slavery and Revolt in the Church of England.
Copyright (c) 2025 Benjamin Aldous https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Legrand, Lucien. 2023. Paul and Mission.
Copyright (c) 2025 John D. Doss https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Herbst, Michael, Andreas C. Jansson, David Reißmann and Patrick Todjeras. 2024. Evangelisation: Theologische Grundlagen, Zugänge, und Perspektiven; and Stoppels, Sake, Jan Marten Praamsma and Jan Martijn Abrahamse. 2023. Zoeken naar de dingen die boven zijn: heil in een seculiere tijd.
Copyright (c) 2025 Edwin Chr. van Driel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
How do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns, dynamics and competition?
This article deals with the conditions for the emergence of new forms of church, especially in the perspective of top-down dynamics: how do bottom and top relate to each other in the development of new churches? To do research in this realm can help church leaders in initiating new churches: Is it possible to control the process in a more direct way – not only by establishing the right conditions? I focus in this paper on data collected from the Erprobungsräume (church start-ups) in the Evangelical Church of Central Germany. The results contradict in a way the powerful narrative that new churches emerge at the grassroots level far away from traditional institutions. There are basically four ways top and bottom interact. It would be interesting to validate the results in other areas/churches.
Copyright (c) 2025 Thomas Schlegel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
This paper explores the challenges facing Christian churches in Germany amid increasing secularization and societal change. Key issues include the loss of institutional self-evidence, financial instability due to declining church membership, and the erosion of trust following abuse scandals. In response, the concept of empowerment is examined as a theological and pedagogical approach to fostering individual and communal agency. Drawing from interdisciplinary perspectives in community psychology, social work, disability studies and critical pedagogy, the study highlights how empowerment can create new pathways for engaging with the Christian message. Research at the CES focuses on religious communication, missional church development, and church theory in secular contexts, aiming to enhance the relevance of the Gospel through empowerment-driven approaches.
Copyright (c) 2025 Michael Domsgen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Regional and/or local: Can church be present in close proximity and in regional cooperation at the same time?
The article deals with the efforts of the churches in Germany to rebuild the structures of church life in view of the loss of members and resources. The experiences with structural reforms of the last 20 years are evaluated. A critical light is shed on the associated danger of prioritizing structural issues and losing sight of theological aspects as well as the missional calling. In addition, structural reforms are creating ever larger units; the life of the local community is drying up more and more. In contrast, it is proposed here to pay equal attention to local and regional church work, to promote the maturity of the local community (also with regard to worship services without a pastor), to promote regional cooperation and to focus on the church's mission to serve the Kingdom of God in local and regional social spaces. Missional ecclesiology proves to be a critical and constructive corrective to a church reform that is only oriented towards structures.
Copyright (c) 2025 Michael Herbst https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Conference Report: Christian Empowerment, Secularity and Church Development
<div id="tw-container" class="nev7se" data-cp="1" data-is-ver="false" data-nnttsvi="1" data-ntl-fpwrite="true" data-sletp="false" data-sm="1" data-ssbp="false" data-sugg-time="500" data-sugg-url="https://clients1.google.com/complete/search" data-tcp="geluk met jou verjaarsdag,gelukkige verjaarsdag,awoda pa,መልካም ልደት,عيد ميلاد سعيد,জন্মদিনৰ ওলগ জনালোঁ,aski mara phuqhawi,doğum günün mübarək,ad günün mübarək,з днём нараджэння,честит рожден ден,जन्म दिन के शुभ कामना,sanbε sanbε,শুভ জন্মদিন,sretan rođendan,per molts anys,feliç aniversari,malipayong adlawng natawhan,یادی لەدایک بوونت پیرۆز بێت,felice anniversariu,všechno nejlepší k narozeninám,pen-blwydd hapus,penblwydd hapus,tillykke med fødselsdagen,alles gute zum geburtstag,सालगिरह् मबारक,އުފާވެރި އުފަންދުވަހެއް,dzigbe zã nyuie na wò,χαρούμενα γενέθλια,happy birthday,feliĉan naskiĝtagon,feliz cumpleaños,palju õnne sünnipäevaks,zorionak,تولدت مبارک,hyvää syntymäpäivää,joyeux anniversaire,lokkige jierdei,lá breithe sona,lá breithe shona duit,co-là-breith math,feliz aniversario,vy'apavẽ,जल्मदिसाची परबी,જન્મદિવસની શુભેચ્છા,જન્મદિવસ ની શુભકામના,barka da ranar haihuwa,hauʻoli lā hānau,जन्मदिन की शुभकामनाएं,जन्मदिन की शुभकामनाएँ,sretan rođendan,bòn fèt,boldog születésnapot,ծնունդդ շնորհավոր,selamat ulang tahun,ezi ncheta ụbọchị ọmụmụ,ezi ncheta ọmụmụ,naragsak a panagkasangay,til hamingju með afmælið,buon compleanno,יום הולדת שמח,誕生日おめでとう,お誕生日おめでとう,sugeng ambal warsa,sugeng tanggap warsa,გილოცავთ დაბადების დღეს,გილოცავ დაბადების დღეს,туған күн құтты болсын,туылған күніңмен,រីករាយថ្ងៃខួបកំណើត,រីករាយ​ថ្ងៃ​កំណើត,ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು,ಜನ್ಮದಿನದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು,생일 축하합니다,생일 축하해요,api batde,rojbûna te pîroz be,туулган күнүңүз менен,туулган кунуңуз менен куттуктайм,felix natalis,alles guddes fir de gebuertsdag,amazaalibwa amalungi,mbotama elamu,ສຸກສັນວັນເກີດ,ສຸກ​ສັນ​ວັນ​ເກີດ,su gimtadieniu,piancham chibai,daudz laimes dzimšanas dienā,जन्मदिनक शुभकामना,tratry ny tsingerin-taona,tratry ny tsingerintaona nahaterahana,среќен роденден,ജന്മദിനാശംസകൾ,төрсөн өдрийн мэнд хүргэе,төрсөн өдрийн мэнд,ꯅꯨꯡꯉꯥꯏꯔꯕ ꯄꯣꯛꯄ ꯅꯨꯃꯤꯠ,वाढदिवसाच्या शुभेच्छा,वाढदिवसाच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा,selamat hari lahir,xewqat sbieħ f'għeluq sninek,ပျော်ရွှင်ဖွယ် မွေးနေ့ဖြစ်ပါစေ,ပျော်ရွှင်စရာမွေးနေ့ဖြစ်ပါစေ,जन्म दिनको शुभकामना,gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag,gefeliciteerd,gratulerer med dagen,matswalo a mabotse,tsiku labwino lobadwa,baga guyyaa dhaloota kee geesse,ଜନ୍ମଦିନର ଶୁଭେଚ୍ଛା,ଜନ୍ମଦିନର ଅଭିନନ୍ଦନ,ਜਨਮਦਿਨ ਦੀਆਂ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ,ਜਨਮਦਿਨ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ,wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin,کلیزه دی نیکمرغه,feliz aniversário,punchawniykipi kusikuni,la mulți ani,с днем рождения,isabukuru nziza,शुभं जन्मदिनम्‌,جنم ڏينهن مبارڪ,සුබ උපන් දිනයක්,všetko najlepšie k narodeninám,šťastné narodeniny,vse najboljše,manuia asofanau,bhavhadhe rinofadza,maalin dhalasheed farxad leh,dhalasho wacan,gëzuar ditëlindjen,срећан рођендан,letsatsi le monate la tsoalo,wilujeung milangkala,wilujeung tepang taun,grattis på födelsedagen,heri ya siku ya kuzaliwa,பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துகள்,பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துக்கள்,పుట్టినరోజు శుభాకాంక్షలు,зодрӯз муборак,สุขสันต์วันเกิด,እንኳዕ ተወለድካ,doglan günüň bilen,maligayang kaarawan,doğum gününüz kutlu olsun,doğum günün kutlu olsun,siku lerinene ro velekiwa,туган көн белән,з днем народження,سالگرہ مبارک,سالگرہ مبارک ہو,tugʻilgan kuningiz bilan,tug'ilgan kun muborak bo'lsin,chúc mừng sinh nhật,mini emnandi,nwabela usuku lwakho owaqala ngalo,o kú àyájọ́ ọjọ́ ìbí,o ku ojo ibi,生日快乐,生日快樂,sikufisela usuku lokuzalwa oluhle,usuku olumnandi lokuzalwa" data-uilc="de" data-vil=",af,af-ZA,am,am-ET,ar-EG,ar-AE,ar-KW,ar-QA,ar,ar-IL,ar-JO,ar-LB,ar-PS,az,az-AZ,bg,bg-BG,bn,bn-BD,bn-IN,ca,ca-es,cs,cs-CZ,de,de-DE,de-CH,de-AT,de-LI,en,en-US,en-CA,en-AU,en-NZ,en-GB,en-IN,en-KE,en-TZ,en-NG,en-GH,en-PH,en-ZA,es,es-ES,es-AR,es-UY,es-419,es-BO,es-CL,es-CR,es-CO,es-DO,es-EC,es-GT,es-HN,es-NI,es-PA,es-PE,es-PR,es-PY,es-SV,es-VE,es-MX,es-US,eu,eu-ES,fi,fi-FI,fr,fr-FR,fr-CH,fr-BE,gl,gl-ES,gu,gu-IN,he,he-IL,iw,iw-IL,hu,hu-HU,hy,hy-AM,id,id-ID,is,is-IS,it,it-IT,it-CH,ja,ja-JP,jv,jv-ID,ka,ka-GE,km,km-KH,kn,kn-IN,ko,ko-KR,la,lo,lo-LA,lv,lv-LV,ml,ml-IN,mr,mr-IN,ms,ms-MY,nl,nl-NL,nb,nb-NO,ne,ne-NP,pl,pl-PL,pt,pt-BR,pt-PT,ro,ro-RO,ru,ru-RU,si-LK,sk,sk-SK,sr,sr-RS,su,su-ID,sv,sv-SE,sw,sw-TZ,sw-KE,ta,ta-IN,ta-SG,ta-LK,ta-MY,te,te-IN,tr,tr-TR,ur,ur-PK,ur-IN,yue,yue-HK,yue-Hant-HK,zh-HK,zh,zh-CN,zh-cmn,zh-cmn-CN,zh-Hans,zh-Hans-CN,zh-cmn-Hans,zh-cmn-Hans-CN,cmn-CN,cmn-Hans,cmn-Hans-CN,zh-TW,zh-Hant-TW,cmn-TW,cmn-Hant-TW,zh-cmn-TW,zh-cmn-Hant-TW,zu,zu-ZA"> The article reports on the conference of the International Consulation for Ecclesial Futures, which took place in Halle in 2024, and summarizes the key discussion points and insights from the participants. The focus in Halle was on the topic of "empowerment", which was repeatedly confronted with the specific church situation in the highly secularized church context in East Germany. In addition to the theoretical study of the topic, field trips were of particular importance.
Christian Empowerment, Secularity and Church Development
Copyright (c) 2025 Prof. Dr. Michael Herbst, Dr. Patrick Todjeras https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Evaluation of Ecclesial Innovations as Empowerment
The article introduces the reader to the scientific evaluation of an ecclesial innovation programme initiated in 2015 by the Evangelical Church in Central Germany called Erprobungsräume (Spaces of trial). By doing this, the text sketches the German socio-religious context and discusses the term “ecclesial innovation”. The main part of the article offers and debates the key findings of the evaluation undertaken from 2016 to 2023. The results show how an institution like a German regional church can undergo a broad transformation and what can be learned by this example for innovative church development in general as well as for the scientific evaluation of such a process. Finally, the article connects the evaluation of ecclesial innovation with the discourse on empowerment and outlines the potentials of more participative forms of empirical research as a kind of empowerment.
Copyright (c) 2025 Felix Eiffler https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Fostering Diversity in Congregations: A practical framework for local churches to reflect and improve accessibility
Diversity, understood as the extent to which the members of a group or organization differ from one another, is fundamental for the Church, but often not given to a great extent in local congregations, at least not in the Evangelical Church in Germany. This article wants to support practitioners in a diversity-oriented development process for their local churches. In the first part, the concept of diversity management is introduced and some ideas pointed out and adapted for congregational development. Taking these basic ideas and additionally systematizing some suggestions from tools for diversity-oriented organizational development, in the second part a practical framework is presented. It has been created for identifying barriers and finding starting points for enhancing diversity in local protestant churches in Germany. Based on a model of four levels of accessibility and exclusion, the core is a framework of five areas of church activities in which unconscious barriers can be found regarding these different levels of accessibility. The aim is to help congregations to take some manageable steps to better include all who are already present and to become more accessible for others who are different in certain dimensions of diversity.
Diversity management, congregational development, inclusion and exclusion, German churches
Copyright (c) 2025 Hanna Kauhaus https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Making Sense about the Future of Churches' Engagement with Technology: A Post-pandemic Reflection on Digital Ministry
The COVID-19 pandemic marked a pivotal moment for religious congregations, compelling them to navigate profound technological, theological and social disruptions. This article employs sensemaking theory to explore how congregational leaders interpreted and adapted to the challenges of digital ministry. Sensemaking theory offers a framework for understanding how people make sense and meaning out of complex situations, like to global COVID-19 pandemic. The article investigates church leaders’ experiences as documented by the Tech in Churches During COVID-19 project, a three-year study of how Indiana churches utilized and integrated technology to sustain community and worship amidst the pandemic. Findings highlight shifts in leaders’ attitudes toward technology, from seeing it as a peripheral tool pre-pandemic to an essential component of ministry afterwards. The study also reveals generational differences in technology adoption and decision-making, reflecting diverse approaches to maintaining theological and communal identities in a digital context. Despite technology offering unique opportunities for outreach and inclusivity, concerns about the sustainability, burnout and authenticity in tech ministry persist. This research calls for further exploration of equitable technological integration, intergenerational collaboration, and the relationship between faith and digital tools in post-pandemic reality.
Copyright (c) 2025 Heidi A Campbell, Meg Boone https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Shaw, Richard. 2024. The Unsettled: Small Stories of Colonisation
Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Root, Andrew, and Blair D. Bertrand. 2023. When Church Stops Working: A Future for Your Congregation beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation
Foulger, Will. 2023. Present in Every Place?: The Church of England’s New Churches, and the Future of the Parish
Cray, Graham. 2024. On Mission with Jesus: Changing the Default Setting of the Church
Bradbury, Paul. 2024. In the Fullness of Time: A Story from the Past and Future of the Church
Bevans, Stephen B. 2024. Community of Missionary Disciples: The Continuing Creation of the Church
Bargár, Pavol. 2023. Embodied Existence: Our Common Life in God
Antonio-del Castillo, Fides, and Raymund B. Habaradas. 2024. Basic Ecclesial Communities in the Philippines: Histories and Stories of a Pilgrim Church
Implementation of the Mixed Ecology in Church of England Diocesan Strategies
The mixed-ecology is a term that has come to denote both traditional and new forms of church mutually flourishing alongside one another, and since 2021 is included as part of the vision and strategy of the national Church of England. The extent to which this thinking has permeated the Church of England strategy varies greatly by dioceses and is affected both by use of language and national funding. The strategies which flowed from the twin streams of starting contextual forms of church (such as fresh expressions) and planting more congregations that are more identifiable as church (such as resource churches) now exhibit similar qualities. This article is based on a survey of diocesan strategies and vision statements and publicly available documentation from 40 of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England. I argue that diocesan strategies have been converging towards those that could be described as ‘mixed ecology’ even before the national strategy was adopted, and I highlight some present implications of the adoption of mixed ecology since then.
Copyright (c) 2025 Andrew Dunlop https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Missiological approach to Migration and Mission in Pentecostalism: a Pneumatological Missional Imagination
While much has been written on the intersections of migration and mission, little has been developed regarding theoretical frameworks for approaching the subject from the discipline of missiology. This calls for the development of a framework that will assist in the missiological approach to migration and mission. However, there is a need for the recognition of the current missiological approaches to migration and mission to identify the existing gaps such as relevancy to Pentecostalism. To fill this gap, this article brings together three theories of pneumatological imagination, missiological spirit, and missional imagination to develop a pneumatological missional imagination. The findings are, that a pneumatological missional imagination is relevant for dealing with some of the challenges in migration and mission in Pentecostalism such as the inability to minister relevantly to the host countries, cultural differences, and orientation to the mission of God. These challenges are outlined by using the Apostolic Faith Mission Ministry International in the United Kingdom (AFMIMUK) as a case study. The pneumatological missional imagination is relevant for witnessing to others, speaking foreign languages, and orientation to the mission of God. therefore, a pneumatological missional imagination is relevant as a missiological approach to the intersections of migration and mission in Pentecostalism.
Copyright (c) 2024 Solomon Kgatle https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Relational Authenticity in Community: A Key for Support on the Spiritual Journey?
As God leads his people in this current age, the church, ever-changing and growing, has responded with new expressions of independent community churches. Jesus’ mandate for the church to care for its people has not changed. How then, are independent community churches supporting the spiritual journeys of their congregants? This article presents a case study of The Big Table, an independent community church in South Perth, Western Australia. It uses interviews and participant observations to examine how spiritual support is provided beyond traditional church models. It draws from and extends, a theoretical framework of relational authenticity proposed by Lynne Taylor (2017), emphasizing its role in nurturing faith during seasons of doubt, crisis and transition. This has theoretical relevance as it extends Taylor’s research from recent converts to believers through faith transitions. The study shows how the deeply valued practices of community engagement, worship, Scripture exploration and relational leadership sustain spiritual formation and faith continuity, whilst highlighting the importance of relational authenticity as central to supporting believers across faith transitions. The article also has ministry relevance for understanding the journeys of believers who depart existing expressions of church, whilst retaining faith in God. It also holds practical relevance for church leaders exploring new expressions of church, offering insights into fostering meaningful spiritual engagement and support outside traditional frameworks.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sarah Oliva https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
An Assessment of Contemporary British New Monasticism Framed by the Missional Spirituality of the Celtic Peregrini
From the sixth century, Celtic peregrini (wandering scholars) emerged from Britain and Ireland to establish monastic centres for mission and evangelism. British New Monastic expression would no doubt benefit from increased adoption of their distinctive monastic practices. These practices include the Celtic understanding of the sacramental universe—all creation steeped in the presence of God—all pointing towards the ultimate glory of His kingdom. In risky living they undertook both physical and inner spiritual journeys. They emerged from monastic schools and long periods of seasonal formation. They embraced rhythms of ebb and flow, searching for silence and solitude, to first breathe-in the Holy Spirit, before enthusiastically embarking on evangelism. They drew boundaries—encircling the sacred core, whilst keeping-out distractions. They developed frameworks of daily prayer and Scripture-reading, based on the Psalmody, intentionally building scaffolding—Rules of Life and vows, constantly refocussing themselves on their ultimate goal of prayer without ceasing.
Celtic, Spirituality, Peregrini, Monasticism, Mission.
Copyright (c) 2024 Peter Ruxton https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Healing the Wounded to Lead in the Postcolonial Church
Amidst calls for decolonization and Africanization in theological reflection on the African continent, this paper looks at the long-lasting effects of colonialism, its power, and the inequalities and vulnerabilities it created, and how, long after the demise of the structures of colonialism, the coloniality of the heart still lingers. As a white South African, of French Huguenot descent, I was part to a minority group which dominated non-white citizens during apartheid. I still reap the benefits of this past privilege but the opposite is true for those who suffered under apartheid, who lives with a legacy of inferiority. For decolonialisation to succeed, the historically privileged must lay down their colonial position of superiority to bring about a shift in power, where the historically wounded create their own identity. This article makes use of Exegesis by Story as methodology to describe the journey of the Old Testament judge, Gideon, as an example on healing and restauration of the hearts and minds of the oppressed. The research results furnish the church with a transformational approach of coming alongside the appressed, facilitates healing, and empowers the wounded to become healers.
Copyright (c) 2024 Pieter Labuschagne https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Spijker, J. van ’t. 2021. To Participate: Looking for an Ecclesial Structure to be a Witnessing Church Today
Copyright (c) 2024 Rein den Hertog https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0