Center for Spiritual Leadership -> Yeakley Research Library
The Flavil Yeakley Research Library
Dr. Flavil Yeakley has been a researcher and statistician for over 40 years. His work on the Church of Christ provides a lens by which to view the historical trends in the Churches of Christ, as well as a tool for helping to shape its future. Dr. Yeakley is now using his expertise to bless the Center for Spiritual Leadership. Below are some of his contributions that have been digitized for quicker and wider distribution. This material may be downloaded with no further permission needed.
Dr. Yeakley's Curriculum Vitae can be viewed by clicking
here.
Books
Why Churches Grow, Third Edition (Nashville, Tennessee: Christian Communications, a division of the Gospel Advocate Company, 1986). First Edition (St. Louis, Missouri: Anderson’s, 1977). Second Edition, revised and enlarged (Arvada, Colorado: Christian Communications, Inc., 1979).
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Church Leadership and Organization (Nashville, Tennessee: Christian Communications, a division of the Gospel Advocate Company, 1986).
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The Discipling Dilemma, edited by Flavil Yeakley with five chapters by Yeakley and two each by Howard Norton, Don Vinzant, and Gene Vinzant (Nashville, Tennessee: Gospel Advocate Company, 1988). A critical study of the Discipling Movement that eventually became the “International Churches of Christ.”
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Theses
Persuasion in Religious Conversion (Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Illinois, 1975). A study of factors related to evangelistic church growth.
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Rhetorical Strategies Analyzed by Social Movement Theory as Applied to Conflict within the Restoration Movement (M.A. Thesis, University of Houston, 1972). A study of why the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement divided over some issues while managing to differ without dividing over other issues.
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Booklets
Good News and Bad News: A Realistic Assessment of Church of Christ in the United States 2008 (Searcy, Arkansas: Harding University Center for Church Growth Studies). A revised and updated version of “Separating Fact from Fiction” 1994.
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A Report of Research Conducted for the Christian Higher Education Foundation. A study conducted for the presidents of Christian colleges and universities that produced collective outcomes assessment information on these schools and information of interest to all church leaders: retention rates in Churches of Christ, divorce rates, involvement levels, etc.
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The Growth Record Revisited: Part One: Correcting the Record; Part Two: Understanding the History a class handout at the Harding Lectures 1998. Numerical growth and geographic dispersion of the Churches of Christ in the United States, 1890-2007, Tables and Maps. Contributions of Harding University and its predecessor institution to this history of growth.
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Questions and Answers About Church Discipline (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma: Christian Communications, Inc., 1987).
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Chapters in Books Edited by Others
“The Importance of Leaders Planning for Growth” in A Handbook on Leadership: As Exemplified in the Life of Howard Norton, edited by Jim Sheerer and Charles L. Williams (Chickasha, Oklahoma: Yeomen Press, 2006).
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“Trends in Church Leadership” in Directions for the Road Ahead, edited by Jim Sheerer and Charles L. Williams (Chickasha, Oklahoma: Yeomen Press, 1998).
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“Profile of the New Convert: Patterns of Dissatisfaction” in The Pastor’s Church Growth Handbook, Volume II, edited by Win Arm (Pasadena, California: Church Growth Press, 1982), pp. 27-30.
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“Profile of the New Convert: Change in Life Situation” in The Pastor’s Church Growth Handbook, Volume II, edited by Win Arn (Pasadena, California: Church Growth Press, 1982), pp. 31-36.
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Conference Presentations
“The Role of Christian Education in Evangelism” Christian Education Conference 2003.
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“How To Use Bible Classes for Evangelism” Christian Education Conference 2003.
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“Church Growth Through the Bible School” Christian Education Conference 2003.
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“Preaching to the Whole Church: Using the Four Communication Styles Identified in Carl Jung’s Theory of Psychological Types” Christian Scholars Conference, Oklahoma Christian University, July 2002.
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“How the Sect-to-Denomination View of History among Churches of Christ in the United States Influences Perceptions of Missions,” Christian Scholars Conference, Harding University, July 1999.
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“Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion as Reasons for Reversing the Decision in Guinn v. Collinsville Church of Christ” a paper presented at the Speech Association Convention 1985—Summary of arguments in a debate with Daniel Ross Chandler (a minister of a “gay” congregation of the Unitarian Universalists Fellowship in New York). This debate was co-sponsored by the Religious Speech Communication Association and the Commission on Freedom of Speech.
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Journal Articles
“A Review of Natural Church Development by Christian Swartz” with John Ellas in Journal of the American Society for Church Growth, Volume 10, Spring 1999, pp. 83-92. This was a very critical review of the book by Swartz. David Wetzler wrote a response that was a strongly-worded reaction to the review by Yeakley and Ellas.
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“A Response by Ellas and Yeakley” in Journal of the American Society for Church Growth, Volume 10, Fall 1999, pp. 39-43.
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“Evangelism and the Chronologically Gifted in Abundant Living (edited by Kay Gowan), October 2008, Volume II, Number 1, pp. 31-32.
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“On Retaining Converts,” in Religious Communication Today, Volume 1, Number 1 (September 1978), pp. 15-17.
This journal now goes by the title ”The Journal of Religious Communication” and it is published by the Religious Communication Association.
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“Constitutional Issues In The Appeal Of The Collinsville Church of Christ, Mission, Part I: The Facts of the Case,June 1986, pp. 15-18; Part 2: Religious Freedom Issues,September 1986, pp. 17-21; Part 3: Freedom of Speech and Other Issues,November 1986, pp. 17-19.
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“Communication Style Preferences and Adjustments as an Approach for Studying Effects of Similarity in Psychological Type” in Research in Psychological Type, Volume 5, 1982, pp.30-48.
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“Implications of Communication Style Research for Psychological Type Theory” in Research in Psychological Type, Volume 6, 1983, pp. 5-23.
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Lectureship Presentations
“Lead in Providing Uplifting Worship Services” in the Freed-Hardeman Lectures 1994, pp. 419-422
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“Church Growth Update” in the Harding Lectures 1988, pp. 604-611.
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“Where Are We: A Sociological Perspective” in the Harding Lectures 1987, pp. 566-574.
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“Where Are We: A Future Perspective” in the Harding Lectures 1987, pp. 578-581.
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Other items will be added to this page in the future.