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
The Gospel Advocate Company owns the copyright to three books by Flavil Yeakley: "Why Churches Grow," "Church Leadership and Organization," and "The Discipling Dilemma." They have started issuing E-Book editions of some out-of-print books. They want to protect their right to issue those three books by Flavil Yeakley as E-Books. In the mean time, you could find copies in the library of Harding University and the libraries of other schools serving the same constituency among Churches of Christ. You might be able to borrow one of these books through inter-library loan.
Flavil Yeakley's latest book, "Why They Left," is still available for purchase from the Gospel Advocate.
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 Chri