THE GREAT COMMISSION RESEARCH JOURNAL
As a scholarly, peer-reviewed publication, the Great Commission Research Journal presents research from multiple disciplines, including:
- Theology
- Missiology
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- History
The journal focuses on church-based ministry that aims to help people follow Jesus Christ, that is, to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).
It focuses on both the practical and the theoretical aspects of evangelism, church planting, church growth, spiritual formation, church renewal, worship, and missions, both in Anglophone and non-Anglophone cultural contexts.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Only the highest quality submissions presenting original research within the scope of the journal will be chosen for publication. To ensure this, all articles will go through a peer-review process. Articles deemed by the editor to have potential for publication will be sent to reviewers (members of the editorial board or other reviewers with the needed expertise) for their recommendation.
Upon receiving the reviewers’ recommendations, the author will be notified that the submission was either rejected, that the submission has potential but needs to be significantly revised and resubmitted, that the submission is conditionally accepted if the noted issues are addressed, or that the submission is accepted unconditionally.
Papers should be APA formatted according to the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Submissions should include a cover page, be double-spaced in Times New Roman, and be between 3,000 and 7,000 words (approximately 10-22 pages). Contact the editor for exceptions to this word count.
Non-native English-speaking writers are strongly encouraged to have their papers edited by an English language editor before submitting them so that their work will be judged on the research quality alone.
There are no fees to submit an article or to have it published in the Great Commission Research Journal.
All work submitted to the journal must be original, unpublished, and not being considered for publication elsewhere. Upon acceptance for publication, the author will be contacted to electronically sign documents indicating that the work is original and to assign rights to the Great Commission Research Journal and the Great Commission Research Network to reproduce the article in any way and form it sees fit and to transfer this right to others. The author retains the right to publish the article elsewhere with the note “This article was originally published in the Great Commission Research Journal,” accompanied by a full bibliographic reference.
SAMPLE ARTICLES
1 / PASTORAL ATTITUDES THAT PREDICT NUMERICAL CHURCH GROWTH
Dunaetz, D., & Priddy, K. (2014). Pastoral attitudes that predict numerical church growth. Great Commission Research Journal, 6(1), 241-256.
2 / EMOTIONAL RELEVANCE IN OUTREACH MINISTRY
Hunter, G. G. (2018). Emotional relevance in outreach ministry. Great Commission Research Journal, 9(2), 192-200.
3 / CHURCH-BASED RESEARCH: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Dunaetz, D. R. (2020). Church-based research: Challenges and opportunities. Great Commission Research Journal, 12(1), 1-17.
4 / ALTERNATIVE MODELS FOR CHURCHES AND CHURCH PLANTS: WHEN TITHES AND OFFERINGS ARE NOT ENOUGH
Moon, J. (2020). Alternative models for churches and church plants: When tithes and offerings are not enough. Great Commission Research Journal, 12(1), 19-42.
5 / THE BIG NEWS ON SMALL CHURCHES: RE-EVALUATING THE CONTRIBUTION OF SMALL CHURCHES TO THE FULFILLMENT OF THE GREAT COMISSION
Hussey, I. (2016). The big news on small churches:Re-evaluating the contribution of small churches to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Great Commission Research Journal, 7(2), 172-183.
