Research in the Practice of Evangelism

Purpose
The Great Commission Research Network is calling for papers to be considered for the 2024 Knox Fellowship Award for Research in the Practice of Evangelism (one award of $1200 and two awards of $800). The goal of the competition is to conduct and disseminate research that serves to help churches fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20).

Submissions
Papers should present original research not yet published relevant to the practice of evangelism. The papers should be 3000-7000 words and in APA format. The most sought-after papers would include analysis and assessments of gospel presentations online, in-person, or in a community that have led to relationships with disciples of Jesus or decisions to become a disciple of him.   The winning papers may provide insight into how to evangelize in a particular setting or in a particular community.

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Submissions should be emailed by May 15, 2024, to David Dunaetz, editor of the Great Commission Research Journal: ddunaetz@apu.edu

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Awards
There will be four awards:  one award of $1200.00 and two awards of $800.00 each. Students are especially encouraged to submit papers.

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Types of Research
Priority will be given to research based on experiences and focused on behavior. This includes:

1. Empirical Research--Reporting quantitative research (e.g., descriptions of phenomena or hypothesis testing using survey data) or qualitative research (e.g., interviews to answer a research question) on a topic relevant to the practice of evangelism. Such studies could address topics such as pre-evangelism relationship building, communication skills, assessing a person’s openness to discussing gospel-related topics, approaches to sharing one’s personal testimony, evangelism through dialog, humor and evangelism, or equipping others for evangelism.

2. Case Studies--A description, analysis, and assessment of an approach to evangelism in a specific context such as a ministry setting, a virtual space, or chance encounters.

Since the focus is on the practice of evangelism, preference will be given to research that is not primarily focused on theology, exegesis, or philosophy.   

Publication

Winning and outstanding papers will be considered for publication in the Fall 2024 issue of the Great Commission Research Journal.​​​