Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Facilitating Holistic Spiritual Formation At The Northside Church Of Christ In Laredo, Texas, Kirk R. Cowell

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This thesis describes a project to facilitate holistic spiritual formation at the Northside Church of Christ in Laredo, Texas. A program consisting of seven weekly sessions of intergenerational religious experiences was enacted at the church in hopes of catalyzing growth in the cognitive, relational, affective, and behavioral domains. These sessions were constructed on a foundation consisting of the experiences of the non-class Churches of Christ—a group of congregations that has historically rejected the Bible class model—and informed by the intergenerational formation literature. Evaluation of this project showed relational and affective growth greater than what the congregation had experienced with the …

An Integrative Study Of Doxological Metanarrative, Mission, Motivation And Mechanism, João Mordomo

Business as Mission Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation engages in an integrative study of the doxological metanarrative of Scripture in relation to mission, motivation and mechanism, with special attention given to the business as mission (BAM) mechanism in Brazil. Two research techniques were utilized: 1) archival research in order to define and describe both the doxological components (metanarrative, mission and motivation) and the BAM mechanism; and 2) case study method in order to examine the motivations that drive successful Brazilian Christian entrepreneurs to start Kingdom companies.

The researcher identified three key metanarrative frameworks for understanding Scripture and redemptive history: the Nature of God (NOG), the Kingdom …

Consideration Of The Church's Identity And Mission, Predicated On The Church Be-Ing 'Ligamen' (Bond), C. A. Chase

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

In 1965, the Roman Catholic Church, in Gaudium et spes, declared to the world: this community realizes that it is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest of bonds (GS 1). Shifting her identity from being one in opposition to the modern world, she announced the possibility of becoming the very bond (ligamen) binding diverse human communities and nations of the world, whilst existing as a function, a light, an energy (GS 42). Framed against the classical understanding of ecclesia as a perfect society, and the fact that this was no longer realistic in …

Liberation Theology: Why Should The Nations Be Glad?, Marianne Burris Richardson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The role a just God ought to have in the struggle for sociopolitical liberation has frustrated theologians for centuries; in the twentieth century, Latin American theologians proposed that while God loves all people, God unequivocally sides with the poor in the fight for social justice, and so should the church. The relative success of this teaching in Latin American churches led to increased participation of the laity in the fight for democracy. This project will analyze liberation theology's efficacy as the motivation for social justice in Latin America, focusing on the writing of Leonardo Boff (a Brazilian theologian) and the …

When Business Is The Mission: A Study Of Faith-Based Social Business In Sub-Saharan Africa, Brian W. Albright

Business as Mission Theses and Dissertations

There is an extraordinary group of people, motivated by their Christian faith, starting businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa because they believe that business plays a key role in alleviating poverty. These faith-based social business (FSB) leaders face situations similar to those faced by leaders in other academic and practitioner fields including business as mission, social entrepreneurship, international business, and international development, given their pursuit of multiple-bottom lines, cross-cultural engagement in undeveloped nations, and a focus on integration of faith. The complexities of their contexts create opportunities and challenges in which their strategies and operations require further investigation and analysis.

This case …

Developing An Intentional Mentoring Model For Disciple Formation At The Mayfair Church Of Christ, Jason Bybee

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project to lead a team in the development of an intentional mentoring model for disciple formation at the Mayfair Church of Christ. This intervention involved the team members in a series of sessions during September and October 2013. Project sessions were designed to provide participants an intentional mentoring experience through exposure to four core practices: exploration of the biblical text, appreciative inquiry exercises, communal sharing, and prayer. Sessions were informed by (1) an understanding of discipleship as following behind Jesus and walking alongside our fellow sojourners, (2) the nature of …

Bonhoeffer And His Answer To The Enduring Problem, Joel Durrwachter

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

In light of the relatively recent critiques of Christ and Culture, I would like to examine another text by a rough contemporary of Niebuhr's: Bonhoeffer's Discipleship. In the book, Bonhoeffer is dealing with similar themes and problems as Niebuhr wrestled with years later, yet Bonhoeffer has an entirely different interpretation and outcome than Niebuhr. Why is this the case? What was occurring in Bonhoeffer's social context and what influenced him that contributed to his argument? To help answer this question I will focus upon three areas that recent criticisms of Christ and Culture have highlighted: (1) the definition of culture, …

The Liturgical Use Of Spiritual Gifts: Discerning Next Steps In Contextual Nigerian Practice., Emmanuel Saba Bileya

CTS Master of Theology (ThM) Theses

The use of spiritual gifts is a blessing to the Church today, especially when it functions within the liturgical forms in a worship service. Specifically, the liturgical use of spiritual gifts is a great benefit for the edification of both the mainline and the Pentecostal churches. In Nigeria, the use of spiritual gifts is significantly contextual to the African world view. Some Nigerian theologians suggest that the compatibility of spiritual gifts to the African world view is one of the main factors that contributes to the fast growth of Pentecostal and charismatic churches in Africa. Due to its compatibility with …

An Adventist Functional Substitute For Initiation Rites Of Passage For Kikuyu Boys And Abagusii Girls In Kenya, John Macharia Gichuiri

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Many boys who undergo circumcision as a rite of passage in the Kikuyu community in Kenya are secluded for two weeks while they heal. During this period their parents are barred by the culture from seeing their sons and the boys are left entirely to the influence of their peers, who introduce them to all manner of vices like smoking tobacco, bhang, drinking alcohol, taking drugs of addiction, chewing of miraa, pre-marital sexual activities, and recruitment to illegal gangs. These vices negatively affect the boys’ spiritual growth and expose them to physical, mental, social, and emotional health risks. An …

A Biblical Strategy To Promote Christian Morality Among Youth In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The Zambia Union Conference, Tommy Susiku Namitondo

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

A good number of the youth in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zambia are openly involved in immoral behavior. The youth blame peer pressure and modernity for their lack of Christian morality. The issue is whether youth in today's atmosphere can maintain a biblical norm of moral purity.

Method

A systematic study of the Bible was made. Then the writings of Ellen G. White, other Adventist writers, and other Christian authors were reviewed. This data was used to develop seminar materials for teaching Christian morality to young people. Four congregations were selected to pilot a program to demonstrate that …

A Biblical Strategy To Equip Students To Deal With Spiritual Powers In Nyanchwa Adventist College, Ernest Nyakina Motaroki

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Fear of evil spiritual powers has been a major problem among students and staff members at Nyanchwa College. In Kisii, fear of witchcraft has also had major consequences among the community, and hence is a serious problem. People have reacted in various ways in dealing with those suspected of being in possession of these powers. There has been a common belief that some students and members have inherited witchcraft practices and powers which they continue to practice at college. Fear of evil powers among students and members of the college has immensely affected spiritual fellowship and worship services, and …

A Lay Member Church Planting Strategy For Unreached Areas In The West Tanzania Field, Jacob Ngussa Bohole

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. There seems to be a persistent tendency among church members to perceive ministry as the sole responsibility of the paid professional pastor: This is in contradiction with the New Testament concept of the priesthood of all believers (1 Pet 2:5, 9-10), which emphasizes that ministry is the function of the total church membership. The purpose of this research is to develop and implement a strategy to empower and involve lay people in ministry and mission in the West Tanzania Field.

Method. The methodology employed in the process of this research is threefold: (a) to examine Old and New Testaments …

Towards A Missiological Model For Worldview Transformation Among Adherents To African Traditional Religion In Yorubaland, Kelvin Okey Onongha

Dissertations

Seventh-day Adventist missions in the western region of Nigeria are a century old, yet reversion to pre-Christian practices such as divination and sorcery are reported, especially during periods of personal crises. This study sought to understand the influence of the traditional worldview on the practices of divination and sorcery and to develop a model that would move the Yoruba Adventists from dependence on these practices to a biblically shaped faith and praxis. A grounded theory approach was adopted for conducting this qualitative research. Data were collected from two focus group discussions and from face-to-face interviews with five pastors, five diviners, …

A Strategy To Create A More Meaningful Worship Experience In The Sony Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The Ranen Conference, Duncan Odhiambo Mumbo

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Some members of the Sony Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Ranen Conference skip worship services claiming that the services are boring and do not meet their spiritual needs. They claim that the services are always the same and too traditional, hence their reason for not attending regularly. At times some members attend Pentecostal services on Sundays to experience more meaningful worship. This study was to develop and implement a program for a more meaningful worship experience during the worship services in the Sony Adventist Church of the Ranen Conference so as to encourage members to attend worship services regularly. …

Model For Training, Empowering, And Organizing Churches In The Mampong-West District For Shared Leadership In The Central Ghana Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Michael Adomako

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The Mampong-West District of Seventh-day Adventists in Central Ghana, West Africa, has a membership of over 1,943 with a minimum number of active lay members. There is a need to develop a training curriculum and create an organizational design for the district that will facilitate a shared leadership. Statement of the Task The task of the project is to develop a model for training, empowering, and organizing the churches in Mampong-West District for shared leadership that will equip and deploy members for effective leadership roles.

Proposed Method. The project will use the Extension Movement in Theological Education (EMTE), the …

Desarrollo E Implementacion De Una Escuela De Capacitation Laica Para La Union Colombiana Del Sur, Jose Aicardo Arias Quintero

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The South Colombian Union (SCU) was established in 2010. Because of its recent organization, the Union does not have a well-organized lay training program, to fulfill its mission. The formation of a lay training school will greatly contribute with the formation of new leaders, as well with the dissemination of the gospel in the region.

Methodology. This research begins with a theological study related to the training of laity for evangelism, followed by a review of current literature on training lay people for ministry. To meet the goal to train lay leaders’ for ministry, the SCU adopted, contextualized, and …

Toward A Biblical Model Of Culturally Appropriate Persuasion For The Evangelistic Mission Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Imo State, Nigeria, Aloysius Ntiwunka

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a worldwide denomination, but it is one of the smallest in Imo State, Nigeria, even though 90% of the population is Christian, Protestant and Catholic, with only 2% Muslim. Since most of the population of Imo State is Christian, the common belief in God should open the opportunity to present the unique teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church; namely, the message of the Three Angels of Revelation. However, numerous approaches to evangelism do not seem to have been successful in producing changes in the lives of the citizens.

Method. This project document followed a …

Equipping Church Members For Contextualized Discipleship In Osaka-Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church, West Conference, Japan, Jong Hyun Ryu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist church in Japan has been on a steady decline in recent decades, at best maintaining the status quo. Although several factors may be responsible for this condition, a major factor for this is the failure of the church and its message in connecting with the Japanese culture and people in a relevant, meaningful way. The church seems not to be listening and observing the trends as she continues to apply evangelistic models designed by and for the Western nations to the Japanese. Consequently, despite the enormous funds and good programs, the church in Japan is not …

Applying The Biblical Practice Of Meditation Among Adventist Frontier Mission Employees, Conrad Vine

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. Personal feedback from AFM personnel indicated deep uncertainty as to the legitimate basis for, and practice of, meditation within the Bible in general and the counsels of White in particular. The ongoing debates within the SDA Church concerning meditation and the lack of formal denominational guidance on how to meditate exacerbated the uncertainty. As a consequence, primary devotional habits for many employees primarily revolved around to prayer, Bible study and corporate worship. Yet there remained a reported hunger on the part of many employees for a more meaningful sense of God’s presence in their lives. The problem therefore was …

A Forgiveness And Reconciliation Strategy To Bring Ethnic Harmony In The Nairobi East Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Timothy O. Guto

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Conflicts have affected the church of God in recent times. The Seventh-day Church in Kenya and especially after the 2007 and 2008 post-election violence was very negatively affected. Some members still cannot co-exist or enjoy Christian fellowship in the same congregation because of lack of forgiveness and reconciliation. Co-existence became difficult because church members fought each other and even destroyed homesteads belonging to rival tribal groups. Tarimo admits that "those churches that happen to be multiethnic with a national outlook are plagued with internal inter-ethnic conflicts" (2008, para. 4). Although conflict management has been done by the government including …

A Strategy To Increase The Retention Of Members In The Nyaguta District, Paul G. Kiage

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

According to a report given at the 2010 year-end church board meeting that was conducted in the Nyaguta district of the South Kenya Conference, more than 40 percent of the members baptized each year drop out from the church.

Method

The current nurturing programs in the Nyaguta District churches were reviewed to see whether they were effective. A questionnaire was administered to the focus groups to obtain information. Seminar materials on membership retention from the Bible, the writings of E. G. White, and other Christian writers were developed and a series of seminars were conducted to train a group …

A Strategy To Integrate New Members Into The Life Of The Local Church In Nyamira Conference, Samuel Makori

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Although there are good efforts in the local churches in the Nyamira Conference to baptize new believers, about 50% of them stop attending church soon after baptism.

Method

A seven-step mission strategy called the Spiritual Guardianship Plan (SGP) was launched in two local churches in the Nyamira Conference. This is a plan to involve local church members to care for fellow members, to help integrate new members into the life of the local church, and to nurture new members into spiritual maturity. Mature members of the church are assigned to new members to help them to be integrated into …

A Strategy To Present The Concept Of Headship: Healing Families In The North Burundi Mission, Joseph Ndikubwayo

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The headship of a husband over a wife is one of the concepts that creates a lot of misunderstanding in some Seventh-day Adventist homes in the North Burundi Mission. This situation has impacted both families and the church. On one hand, a husband believes he is to be strong, that he is the only one who can think logically, and that he should make all the decisions for the household. On other hand, a woman is considered to be weak, and therefore must respect her husband, have babies, and keep quiet. Unfortunately many women show respect out of fear …

A Strategy To Increase The Number Of Young People In The Jericho District Marrying Members Of The Adventist Faith, Alfred G. Marundu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The negative impact and loss of members due to many Adventist young people marrying non-Seventh-day Adventists is tremendous. Church services are not attended regularly by those who marry outside the faith community because families are split on the day of worship due to doctrinal differences. There is pressure to do things with the family on Sabbath and even children are confused as to which parent to follow. Two churches were selected to study the extent of this problem. Principles from the Bible, the writings of Ellen G. White, other Adventist and non-Adventist authors were explored to come up with …

A Strategy To Increase Membership Among The Xhosa-Speaking People In Zimbabwe, Ndlovu Sikhumbuzo

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Seventh-day Adventist membership among the Xhosa-speaking people in Zimbabwe (a minority ethno-linguistic group) is very low. The Seventh-day Adventist presence among the Xhosa-speaking people in this particular area has been minimal. This trend has led to a lot of frustration in the planning and implementation of outreach programs among this people group. The problem is that in spite of the outreach programs conducted for the Xhosa, the response of the community remains relatively low as compared to other ethnic groups in the same area.

Method

A theological study on reaching the unreached was developed and formulated from a review …

A Strategy To Increase Giving In The South Kenya Conference, Julius M. Bichang'a

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The South Kenya Conference (SKC) was the first to gain conference status in Kenya in 1981. Unfortunately it continues to struggle financially to the point of receiving subsidies from other conferences for its day-to-day operations. The annual stewardship statistical reports for the last 10 years show that the tithe is slightly higher than the offerings. While 14 % of the members return their tithes; only 8 % of them give offerings. This was one of the challenges I was faced with when I was elected as the conference Stewardship Director. This indicates that there is a weak commitment to …

A Biblical And Theological Strategy For Dealing With Spiritualism In The Zambian Context, Peter Chulu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Rusangu Secondary School has experienced many incidents in recent years where dorm students were harassed by evil spiritual forces, causing fear and uncertainty among the students.

Method

A systematic study of the Bible, commentaries, books, journals, and articles concerning spiritualism was undertaken. Once theological and historical data on spiritualism was identified, it was utilized for training, equipping, and empowering prayer band members on how to deal with demonic harassment at the school.

Results

The school and church experienced revitalization. Members learned how to utilize a prayer band ministry to pray for the students who were being harassed by evil …

Adventist Medical Mission In Botswana: Toward An Effective And Appropriate Model, Olaotse Obed Gabasiane

Dissertations

Since holistic health is central to Africans, they will seek it from all possible health-care systems that include (1) African traditional medicine, (2) Western-oriented medicine, (3) Christian medical mission, as well as (4) African Independent Churches (AICs) with emphasis on spiritual healing. However, at times this comes with negative consequences.

This research sought to understand why medicalpluralism exists in Botswana and the rest of southern Africa, and why it finds concurrent use by Africans; solutions can help Christian medical missions develop more effective and holistic ways to serve Africans. The research can also help Christian medical missionsunderstand how they can …

Resisting The Influence Of The Imeyomwana Heresy In The Nyangweta District, Lenard B. Aencha

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Imeyomwana (a heresy involving the concept of what it means to be in Christ), a group of former Adventists, is causing problems in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Nyangweta district of the South Kenya Conference. Many of their teachings contradict those of the Seventh-day Adventists Church and many members are apostatizing to this group.

Method

To deal with the heresy I employed a two-pronged strategy. On one hand I sought to enter a dialogue with those involved in Imeyomwana, while on the other hand I confronted the false teaching with biblical truth. This strategy employed two powerful planning …

Biblical Principles To Guide Adventists On Political Involvement In Zimbabwe, Obert N. Mudzengi

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

There is no harmony in the understanding of the momentous "middle-of-the-road" approach when it comes to political involvement. Some people are politically headstrong, while others are laid back. This standoff has left the church in a quandary about what to do concerning civic matters. The scarcity of a farsighted stratagem to help guide church members on citizenship issues might be the cause of the deadlock.

Method

To provide some framework, biblical principles and guidelines from the writings of Ellen G. White on political involvement were established. In addition to reviewing Adventist and other Christian authors on responsible citizenship, this …