Rev. Mike Niebauer:
Mike is a native of State College, PA, and has spent the past 15 years in Chicago before recently returning to my hometown. For the past 8 years he has been helping to start Redeemer Anglican Parish, a network of seven congregations in Chicago, including outreaches to college campuses, nursing homes, Hispanic communities, and various Chicago neighborhoods. In addition to ministering, he is a string bass player, performing with Chicago and Austin based performers for the past 10 years. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Northwestern University and a M.A. in Theology from Wheaton College, and is currently working on a PhD in Systematic Theology from Duquesne University.
Allison Niebauer:
A native of Minnesota, Allison Niebauer has lived in Chicago for the past 5 years, working with refugee communities through World Relief and in the educational field with Mawi Learning. She is currently entering a PhD program in Rhetoric at Penn State University, where she also teaches Public Speaking. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and International Relations from Wheaton College.
I read your article on Transfer vs. Evangelism growth on TGC. Excellent. If you haven’t read William Chadwick’s “Stealing Sheep”, you need to! He expands the ideas in your article with stats, figures, and stories, as well as great explanations. He urges a “Covenant of Pastoral Integrity”, basically a commitment to refuse to steal sheep, as a basis for inter-church cooperation.
You may have to buy a used copy on Amazon.ca or something, but it’s worth it.
Stealing Sheep: The Church’s Hidden Problems with Transfer Growth, by William Chadwick. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois. 2001
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Thank you for the recommendation Scott. I have read that book, and agree, it’s excellent! I’m currently working on a book that expands on some of the themes in the TGC article, and I reference Chadwick’s work a few times. Thanks for reading!
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