Research in Evangelism

The Great Commission Research Network (GCRN) and the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education (AETE) are calling for papers to be considered for the 2024 Knox Fellowship Awards for Research in Evangelism (one award of $1200 and two awards of $800). The purpose of the prizes is to encourage 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 and associated phenomena. The winning papers may provide insight into how to evangelize in a particular setting or a particular community.

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

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

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

• 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. Studies could address topics such as pre-evangelism relationship building, communication skills, assessing a person’s openness to gospel-related topics, approaches to sharing one’s personal testimony, or equipping others for evangelism.
• 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 joint issue of the Great Commission Research Journal and Witness: The Journal of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education.​​​