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A Survey Of Selected Aspects Of The Practice Of Ecclesiastical Appointment In The New Testament, Early Christian, And Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Gerald T. Du Preez

Master's Theses

Problem Seventh-day Adventists claim that their doctrines are Bible-based. The question is asked whether the same holds true for their practice of appointing ministers. This study exéunines and compares aspects of ecclesiastical appointment in the New Testament, Early Christian, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Method The New Testament passages pertaining to ecclesiastical appointment were surveyed, incorporating brief exegeses and word studies. Selected writings of the Early Church and the early history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, were also examined. Conclusions The Bible does not appear to present a definitive pattern on the practice of ecclesiastical appointment. The concept of "ordination" …

Study Of Factors Which Influence The Involvement Of Baby Boomers In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Metro-Atlanta, Edward E. Wright

Professional Dissertations DMin

Task. The task of this project was to determine the level of church involvement of Adventist baby boomers in metropolitan Atlanta, to identify factors that contribute to that level of involvement, and to suggest a strategy for intentional ministry to this population.

Method. Questionnaires were sent to 344 households in the metro-Atlanta area identified by pastors as containing young professionals. After three mailings, 260 individual responses were received (a response rate of 54.2 percent). The tabulation process identified an effective survey base of 161 individuals which met the combined requirements of age and income (earning more than $30,000 per year). …

An Investigation Of Satanic Influences Upon Physically, Emotionally, And Spiritually Disturbed Christians: Selected Case Studies, Clifford N.R. Quantz

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

This project emerged out of a sincere desire to find answers to the physical, emotional, and spiritual bondage that plagued Christians. After many years of pastoral ministry, I was convinced that something was not complete in my ministry to these troubled people. Traditional counseling methods I had been taught were ineffective in breaking these bondages. An honest soul search, and a new look at the ministry of Jesus and the apostles exposed this one area of neglect in my ministry. As an Evangelical I believed in the biblical account of evil spirits, but was not really aware of their …

Premarital Education: A Model For The Toronto Perth Avenue Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Steve David Cassimy

Professional Dissertations DMin

Statement of Project

Every pastor is involved in performing marriages. Pastors are also spending a considerable amount of time in post-marital counseling. This project sought to design and implement a Premarital Education program to help prepare couples for marriage and to reduce the number of hours pastors spend with post-marital care. The sessions in the model may prepare couples for life's challenges as they learn to develop communication and coping skills. It is hoped the sessions will aid the couple in handling marital adjustment and in dealing with conflict.

Method

This project report explores a brief history of Premarital Education …

Stewardship Practices In Kenya With Proposed Solutions, Absalom N. Birai

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Although the Seventh-day Adventist church in Kenya has over three hundred thousand believers, the annual statistical reports indicate that its return of tithes and offerings does not correspond with its large membership. This study was undertaken to survey its giving patterns so as to discover possible weaknesses, to find ways of overcoming such weaknesses, and to promote faithful stewardship.

Method

To create a better concept of the stewardship of tithes and offerings an attempt was made to examine how tithes and offerings were practiced during the Old Testament era, intertestamental period, New Testament period, and by Ellen G. White. …

Seventh-Day Adventist Worship: A Course For Pastoral Students At Montemorelos University, Mexico, Hector Enrique Ramal

Professional Dissertations DMin

The purpose of this project was to develop an undergraduate course in Seventh-day Adventist worship. Chapter 1 states the purpose, justification, and expectations of the project. Chapter 2 states the origins and development of worship as these are revealed in the Old and New Testaments. Chapter 3 considers worship from Ellen G. White’s perspective. The concerns, issues, and principles of true worship are found in her writings. Chapter 4 deals with contemporary issues in worship.

The first part of this chapter has to do with the literature review and centers in the Pentecostal Movement and its influence on the Christian …

Improving The Understanding And Practice Of Country Living In The Georgia Central Korean Sda Church, Martin Byung Cho Rho

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The message of country living has been repeatedly stressed throughout the Spirit of Prophecy counsels, and there has been a problem in understanding and applying the message of country living among Korean SDA members in Korea and North America. The effect of this misunderstanding has produced many problems in the area of church growth and church leadership.

Method

This project report examined the historical background of Ellen G. White’s counsels of country living and studied the writings of Ellen White regarding country living in relation to city mission. This study involved a workshop and survey for evaluation. This project …

Strategy To Evangelize The Ahanta Middle Class, Andrews Laurence Ewoo

Professional Dissertations DMin

The Seventh-day Adventist Church appears to have grown dramatically in Ghana. Of the four fields in Ghana, the Central Ghana Conference was organized in 1933 and has a membership of 88,380. The South Ghana Conference, organized in 1987, has a membership of 38,573. The North Ghana Mission, organized in 1968, has a membership of 157,532, Ahantas form 1.9 percent. Not even 5 percent of the total union membership is of the middle class who control the economy of the country.

This Doctor of Ministry dissertation suggests a Sequence Evangelism Seminar as a viable strategy for reaching the rich Ahanta middle …

The Establishment Of Asi Chapters In Tanzania, Israel Mangore Magesa

Professional Dissertations DMin

Statement of Project. The purposes of this project were first, to study the multifaceted aspects and the importance of ASI (Association of Privately Owned Seventh-day Adventist Services and Industries) in the United States of America, and second, to develop an approach for the establishment of ASI chapters in the Tanzania Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists.

Method. To accomplish the above purposes, primary sources of information were consulted, such as a survey of ASI and other relevant literature including ASI audio and video tapes in order to discover the historical background and cultural setting of ASI. The development of the self-supporting …

Ashram: A Contextualized Model For Discipling The Hindus Of Tamil Nadu, Poovelingam R. Solomon

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. "Make disciples of all nations" is the commission Christ gave His disciples before His ascension. In obedience to this command, the gospel has been preached in India since the arrival of Apostle Thomas in A.D. 51. For the past four hundred years Christian missionaries have tried various methods to reach the Hindus, with little success. According to a recent census, 82.64 percent of the population of India still remains Hindu, with only 2.43 percent adhering to Christianity. Therefore, discipling Hindus still remains a great challenge to the Church in India. The institutional and social-gospel approaches followed by Christian missionaries …

A Qualitative Study Of Prayer As The Pastor's Work, Kenneth Lee Schander

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

This study is an attempt to understand the pastor’s perspective regarding prayer as a part of his/her work. The nature of the pastor’s work has been debated throughout the history of the Christian church without consensus. This uncertainty regarding the role of the pastor is increasing. In the confusion over what constitutes the pastor’s job, his/her call to be a person of prayer has been largely lost sight of. A critical need exists to understand prayer as a priority for pastors.

Method

The study is divided into two sections. The first section is an overview of the relevant biblical …

The Development And Implementation Of A Grief Support Group Program For The Toronto East Seventh-Day Adventist Church Community, Whitford A. Shaw

Professional Dissertations DMin

This project attempts to develop and implement a grief support group for the Toronto East Seventh-day Adventist Church. Several theories of grief, both within and outside of the SDA Church, are briefly explored. The intent is to derive an understanding of the dynamics of the grief encounter. The research shows that in the context of grief, one of the best methods for resolving the pain and trauma of grief is to attend a grief support group. Our contemporary society shuns openness of expression with regard to grief. Society also imposes on the bereaved a limited time period to get over …

The Origin And Transmission Of The Alphabet, Joaquim Azevedo

Master's Theses

Problem The origin of the alphabet has been a puzzle for scholars since Herodotus. Although there are today many theories concerning the origin and transmission of the alphabet to the Greeks, this subject is ctill debated. New archeological findings are brought to light every year, and the increase of knowledge of the script used in the Mediterranean world may support or oppose the current hypotheses. Therefore this subject should be reviewed anew in the light of these facts. Methodology A review of selected literature was made to determine the actual state of this subject. A paleographic study was done, based …

A Case Study Of Selected Preservice Teachers Regarding The Origins Of Their Perspectives On The Commonplaces Of Education And The Impact Of Foundations Studies On Those Perspectives, Charles D. Scarbrough

Dissertations

Problem. Many educational foundations scholars claim that teacher education programs focus on the how of instruction (student teaching and methods courses) instead of the why of education (foundations studies), and that preservice teachers’ pre-college perspectives about education are not questionned or challenged. Their programs’ foundations studies have made little or no impact on preservice teachers.

Method. An interview-based case study methodology was employed and Schwab’s (1978) concept of the four "commonplaces" of education (teacher, student, curriculum, and context) was used to categorize questions about the meaning and purpose of education. Nine interviewees were selected from among students in two teacher …

Factors Influencing Consumer Choices In Graduate Nursing Education At Andrews University, Catherine Keith Turner

Dissertations

Problem. Universities and colleges are increasingly interested in marketing strategies in order to improve enrollment. Nursing programs have likewise become more conscious of the need to be more market-oriented. Knowing the factors that influence consumer choices in higher education can enhance marketing strategies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the factors related to marketing nursing graduate education that affect consumer choices in a particular program. Of special interest was the nursing student population in the Andrews University Graduate Nursing Program.

Method. From the literature and from focus groups of a sample of the student population, data …

Detecting Malingered Psychotic Symptoms With The Rorschach Projective Technique, Kristin M. Batchelder

Dissertations

Problem. Criminal defendants may be strongly motivated to avoid prosecution by appearing mentally ill, and the malingering of psychotic symptoms is of special concern in legal proceedings. Much research has been conducted to determine accurate methods to detect malingering. These include clinical interviews, structured personality tests, intelligence tests, and projective techniques. This present study investigated the ability of specific variables on the Rorschach Projective Technique to detect malingered protocols.

Method. The 83 subjects in this study were restricted to male pre-trial defendants in the Federal Judicial system who were placed into three categories by diagnosis: (1) malingering psychotic symptoms, (2) …

Exposure To Electronic Entertainment Media And Student Outcomes In Two Demographically Diverse Elementary Schools, Ronald W. Busby

Dissertations

Problem. Standardized test-score results have declined sharply and learning difficulties have risen significantly during the decades that electronic entertainment media (EEM) have become a national phenomenon. Exposure to electronic entertainment media has generated much speculation, discussion, and study. Research, however, is lacking on how sensory overload impinges upon the brain and mind of developing children with respect to learning and adapting socially. Thus, research is needed that addresses sensory overload phenomena and academic performance and social behavior.

Methodology. The population consisted of 349 third- and fourth-grade children in a demographically diverse public school district located in southwestern Michigan.

The Time …

Human Immunodeficiency Virus And Acquired Immune Deficiency : Beliefs, Knowledge, And Behaviors Of High-School Students Attending Seventh-Day Adventist Academies, Deborah L. Gray

Dissertations

Problem. Few attempts have been conducted to assess knowledge of HIV/AIDS in the adolescent population attending Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools. This present study was to investigate the HIV/AIDS-related beliefs, HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, and HIV/AIDS-related behaviors of adolescents according to gender, grade level, ethnicity, geographical location, and religious affiliation.

Method. The subjects for this study were 1,292 9th- through 12th-grade students attending selected non-boarding Seventh-day Adventist academies representing three geographical regions of the United States and the Virgin Islands. The survey instrument utilized was the "AIDS Survey for Students" obtained from the U.S. Center for Disease Control. Chi-square analysis was used to …

A Study Of The Attitudes Of Seventh-Day Adventist Parents Toward The Support Of Seventh-Day Adventist Church Schools In British Columbia, Johan Haakmat

Dissertations

Problem. Despite the numerical growth of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) membership and the number of private and parochial schools, there has not been a corresponding increase in student enrollment in Adventist church schools in British Columbia, Canada. This study investigated possible reasons for this trend through a study of the attitudes of church members toward the support of Adventist education in the province.

Method. The data for this study were gathered using the Adventist Education Opinion Survey (Naden, 1987). The sample was SDA church members in British Columbia who provided 498 usable responses that were analyzed by the use of item …

Stages Of Deliberate Teacher Integration Of Faith And Learning : The Development And Empirical Validation Of A Model For Christian Education, Raquel Bouvet Korniejczuk

Dissertations

Problem. Research is lacking on the many ways the integration of faith and learning is accomplished by teachers. The purpose of this study was to develop a model of the process by which teachers integrate faith and learning in the formal curriculum. The model was validated by investigating to what extent the integration of faith and learning was deliberately accomplished by teachers in six Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools located in three South American countries.

Method. A multi-method approach involving questionnaire, interviews, and document analysis was used in order to study the process teachers experience in implementing integration of faith and …

Development Of The Concept Of Salvation In The Argentinean And Paraguayan Seventh-Day Adventist Children And Adolescents From Ages 6 To 17 Years, Victor Andrés Korniejczuk

Dissertations

Problem. Research is lacking on how the concept of salvation develops in children and adolescents from Christian religious populations. the purpose of this study was to explore how the concept of salvation develops in Argentinean and Paraguayan Seventh-day Adventist children and adolescents, from a psychological perspective.

Method. Using a developmental, cross-sectional design, semiclinical interviews were conducted with 120 Argentinean and Paraguayan children, ages 6 to 17, to assess the development of the concept and assurance of salvation. Subjects also completed (1) a semantic differential scale, which measured their attitudes toward salvation (ATS), (2) a demographic and religious practices information survey, …

Intact Families With A Multiple Sclerotic Parent: Social And Emotional Adjustment Of Parents And School-Age Children, Jean A. Mccutchan

Dissertations

Problem Statement. Research on children with a multiple sclerotic parent has been minimal and until recently focused only on negative aspects. This study investigated how families successfully cope with multiple sclerosis (MS) and how their school-age children are affected, positively or negatively.

Methodology. This research used the case study approach with intact Caucasian families, 10 where the mother was the patient and 3 families where the father was the patient. The 20 children were ages 5 through 19. Following a clinical interview, the family members responded to the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales-II, the Family Hardiness Index and the …

Efficacy Of Addiction Treatment In A Correctional Setting For Female Offenders As Measured By The Addiction Severity Index, Paul Robert Wiese

Dissertations

Problem. This study was designed to determine to what extent improvement following treatment for addiction was evident, and if treatment seemed causative in that outcome, for incarcerated female addicts. This study also explored the question of which treatment modality seemed most effective-- an education-only group, a comprehensive long-term treatment group, or a waiting-list control group. -- Method. The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) furnished scores on seven psychosocial areas for subjects. Hypotheses were tested with paired t tests. The means of the pre- and post-tests for the three groups were compared, as well as between group mean scores. Second, a …

Validation Of Goals For Pre-Departure Missionary Orientation, Donna M. Worley

Dissertations

Problem

Cross-cultural orientation programs facilitate missionary preparedness. Orientation is more effective if driven by valid and suitable goals determined before methods are selected and programs implemented. This study attempted to identify valid goals for pre-departure programs and develop a framework for selecting them.

Method

The goals of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Institute for World Mission (IWM) were selected for validation. IWM is a 4-6 week pre-departure orientation program that started in 1966 and had effectively prepared 2,500+ cross-cultural missionaries by 1993. Their goals are broad areas suitable for establishing sub-goals and objectives. The validation process comprised four phases: identification and …

Reactions To Childhood Sibling Death: A Qualitative Investigation, Mary A. Paulson

Dissertations

Problem

In looking at the importance of sibling relationships, we see that the death of a sibling can cause considerable disruption to the surviving child's development. A review of the childhood sibling loss literature indicated that no study was found that investigated the effects of sibling loss on depression and psychosocial development and studied reactions to sibling loss and its effects on cognition, emotions, behaviors, interpersonal relations, and spirituality.

Method

Thirty subjects participated in this research and composed three developmental groups. Erik Erikson's psychosocial developmental stages were utilized in this investigation. The subjects were grouped according to their age at …

Relationships Among Selected Internal/External Variables Affecting Decision Making In The Roles/Functions Of Research University Provosts, Haldane F. Davies

Dissertations

Problem

In the business and corporate world, there exists a unique collection of proven decision-making tools, techniques, and management ideas. There is, however, no clear definition and empirical analysis relative to the nature of the relationships among internal/external variables as they influence decision-making in the research university provosts' roles and functions. It was the purpose of this study to investigate the effects of selected variables on provost decision-making within their many functions.

Method

The survey research method was used to study the relationships among selected variables affecting decision-making in the functions of research university provosts. An instrument was designed and …

The Effect Of Pull-Out Programs On The Academic Achievement Of Sixth Grade Students In South Bend, Indiana, Pherbia Mathis Engdahl

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of pull-out programs in band and orchestra on the academic achievement of sixth-grade students in South Bend, Indiana.

Method. Two groups of 299 students each, an experimental pull-out group and a control non-pull-out group, were matched by third-grade total battery NCE scores, and were analyzed by pull-out and non-pull-out status, by race, and by gender.

A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. When there was a significant interaction effect, a test of simple effects was performed. Pairwise Comparison was tested using the Student-Neuman-Keuls Multiple …

The Role Of The Academy Principal In The Austral Union Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Educational System As Perceived By Principals And Teachers, Eduardo Gonzalez

Dissertations

Problem. Considering the rapid expansion of educational institutions in the Austral Union of Seventh-day Adventists and the lack of a job description for principals, there is a need for more research in the area of the principal's role.

Method. This was a descriptive survey research. A 71-item questionnaire created by Robert Kalangi in 1975 and modified by the researcher was used in this study. The population was all of the principals and teachers of the12 day- and boarding-academies in the Austral Union. The data were analyzed using percentages, means, and standard deviations. Comparisons were made using t tests and $\chi\sp2$ …

The Signs Of The Parousia: A Diachronic And Comparative Study Of The Apocalyptic Vocabulary Of Matthew 24:27-31, Ki Kon Kim

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to find continuity and discontinuity in the use of the apocalyptic vocabulary in Matt 24:27-31 with that of the apocalyptic literature by tracing its possible literary allusions or parallels.

Chapter 1 states the problems concerning Matt 24:27-31, as well as the purpose and limitation of the study; reviews relevant literature; describes methodology and procedures used; and surveys the ancient sources which witness to the apocalyptic traditions which may be assumed to be related to the passage.

Chapter 2 explores the term "Parousia" in order to grasp the meaning of the Matthean Parousia because it …

Microstructural Analysis Of Revelation 4-11, Ekkehardt Müller

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to carry out a microstructural analysis of Rev 4-11 which is one of the essential procedures in an accurate exegesis of the Apocalypse.

Chapter 1 of this study deals with the method of analysis. A brief review of literature is presented. The study of modern contributions to the macrostructure and especially to the microstructure of the Apocalypse paves the way for a description of the present investigator's methodology.

The second chapter concentrates on the syntactical display of Rev 4-11. First, a detailed description of sigla and other techniques is given to allow the reader …