RESEARCH PROPOSAL 1
Research Proposal for
One of the Biblical Purposes of the Church: Fellowship
Natalie Radcliffe
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
Research Proposal:
One of the Biblical Purposes of the Church: Fellowship
Working Thesis Statement
The purpose of this paper is to discuss how fellowship within the local church is not only
necessary but a biblical purpose of the church.
Need for the Study
Too often, churches revolve fellowship around food, discussion, and socialization. This is
all surface-level interaction without a biblically based purpose and vision.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2
Outline of the Study
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to discuss how fellowship within the local church is not only
necessary but a biblical purpose of the church. Said fellowship encompasses believers actively
doing God’s will as the body of Christ to care for His people while glorifying God and advancing
His kingdom. True fellowship is caring for each other in Christ through corporate worship,
cooperation of God’s will, comprehensive care for one another, and accountability towards
working to be whom God wants us to be.
Biblical/Exegetical Studies Supporting One of the Biblical Purposes of the Church:
Fellowship
The large picture of the term ‘fellowship’ is first examined as our fellowship and unity
with Jesus Christ, as written in 1 Corinthians chapter one, verse nine (NASB Bible, 2007). In 1
Corinthians 12, Paul examines the dependency believers have on one another (Erickson, 2015).
Paul further develops the concept in Ephesians 4 in discussing that biblical fellowship builds up
and encourages (Erickson, 2015). Acts 2 tells of the early church members worshipping
together, sharing possessions, and praising God together (Erickson, 2013). True biblical
fellowship not only praises God and worships as one, but takes on and bears each other’s
burdens, as Paul writes in Galatians (Erickson, 2013).
Theological Implications of One of the Biblical Purposes of the Church: Fellowship for
Pastoral Counseling
Biblical fellowship is important for my long-term goals and success within the ministry.
My goal is to be a discipleship coach for families as well as a mediator for parents and children
encountering difficult times as they arise. It is crucial for parents dealing with a child’s behavior
issues, sexual identity confusion, and mental health distress, just to name a few, to not feel
alone. While providing mediation and short-term counseling, my goal will be for the counselee
to detach from the need for my counseling and find fellowship within the church to provide
RESEARCH PROPOSAL 3
accountability, support, and provide a safe place for imperfect people to worship a perfect God
as one.
Conclusion
The biblical fellowship must be a part of the local church. Counselees need the
fellowship to grow closer to Christ, using the people God has placed in their lives. Counselors
need to be able to get counselees plugged into solid, faith-based relationships. Biblical
fellowship moves beyond one’s relationship with God and extends to others. Our biblical
fellowship is meant to use the body of Christ to glorify God and advance His kingdom. It is
believers holding each other accountable, offering support, and encouraging one another as
together they move towards a more Christ-like life.
References
Erickson, M. (2013). Christian Theology (3rd ed.). Baker Academic.
Erickson, M. J., & Hustad, L. A. (2015). Introducing Christian Doctrine. Baker Academic.
Kollar, C. A. (2011). Solution-focused pastoral counseling: An effective short-term approach for
getting people back on track. Zondervan.
Lambert, H., (2016). A theology of biblical counseling: The doctrinal foundations of counseling
ministry. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan.
Warren, R. (2014). The Purpose Driven Church: Every Church is big in God's eyes. Zondervan.
