Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Training Program For Lay Evangelists In The Principles Of Communication, Carl Fletcher

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Many dedicated lay people who are involved in evangelism often lack good communication skills. Consequently their effectiveness is impaired and the gospel work does not advance as it should. This study is undertaken to discover some of the principles of communication which can help lay evangelists to communicate the gospel more effectively.

Method

With the help of Biblical resources and selected literature on the subject, the project, in part one, examines some of the modes of Biblical communication found in both the Old and the New Testaments. In part two, the project presents a training program in the principles …

An Evaluation Of The Concept Of Seminary In Mission With Reference To The Latin American Adventist Theological Seminary, Juan Millanao Orrego

Professional Dissertations DMin

This study dealt with the Seminary in Mission (SIM) concept held by the Latin American Adventist Theological Seminary (LAATS), its current perception, and its degree of application in the five LAATS campuses. The creation of LAATS by the South American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in 1979 resulted in a reorganization and maximization of theological educational resources, including those at the undergraduate level. The SIM concept, adopted by LAATS at that time, indicates that faculty will carry out on-campus academic activities as well as off-campus field work with students on a weekly basis. The implementation of this concept …

Theological Education In Context: A Pilot Extension Program For The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Rwanda, Robert G. Peck

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

One of the most important concerns that presents itself to the Adventist Church in Rwanda is how to adequately cope with the rapid growth of new members. There are too few pastors equipped to care for the growing membership. It was the purpose of the present pilot project to design a strategy that would provide theological education and training for pastors currently employed and training for those mature church leaders who are motivated to improve their leadership abilities and skills.

Method

Theological Education by Extension (TEE) was the proposed solution to the problem. A two-tier approach was suggested. The …

Historical/Analytical Study Of The Contributions Of Alma E. Mckibbin To The Seventh-Day Adventist Church School System, Marie Louise Myers

Dissertations

"If we don’t understand our roots, we lose sight of our mission" (G. Ralph Thompson). Alma E. McKibbin, the first Seventh-day Adventist church school teacher in California, is little known among Seventh-day Adventists outside that state, where she began teaching in 1896. She developed a Bible curriculum that was used for over half a century in the Seventh-day Adventist church school educational system—a private, religious, parochial organization of over four thousand schools all around the world.

The purpose of this study is to document the contributions she made to that system, with a special emphasis given to the analysis and …

Towards Understanding Distinctive Seventh-Day Adventist Preaching, John Harold Hobart Mathews

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

As early as 1957 there has been concern by some church members that Seventh-day Adventist preaching has lost its uniqueness or as some have said, "the old Adventist ring." Are SDA preachers losing the church's mission in their preaching? That assertion continues to be a voice within Adventism.

Method

A study from the Bible, writings of Ellen G. White and other church publications helped me understand the mission of the SDA church and preaching's relationship to that mission. An analysis of sermons by J. N. Andrews, W. A. Spicer, and H. M. S. Richards, Sr. demonstrate how leading SDA …

What You See Is What You Get: A Media Seminar For The Renewal Of Christian Values, John Glass

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

North American Seventh-day Adventists who spend considerable time viewing television appear to be increasingly patterning their lives after those lifestyles portrayed on commercial programs, consequently experiencing some of the problems (e.g., divorce) that secular individuals experience, yet tend to reject those who question television, nor seek to understand the impact television viewing has on character development, spirituality, and lifestyle values.

Method

Using recent scientific research as a basis, a seminar was developed that was designed to inform church members of the impact that indiscriminate viewing of commercial television programs has on character development and personal lifestyle values.

Results

The …

A Strategy For Lay Involvement In Urban Evangelism And Geographical Advance In The Territory Of The North Mexican Union Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Mexico, David Velazquez

Professional Dissertations DMin

The Global Mission thrust initiated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) in 1990 envisions a specific length of time for all the world to be covered with the SDA message. An important challenge of Global Mission is reaching the inhabitants of the cities. This project report contains a strategy for lay involvement in urban evangelism.

Part One of this project attempts to provide a theoretical framework by developing a theological perspective of the city, as shown in four areas:

1. An analysis of the phenomenon of urban growth around the world, as well as in Latin America and Mexico is …

The Methods Of Selected British Pastors Evaluated In The Light Of The New Testament And Ellen G. White For Their Usefulness To The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Paul R. Smith

Professional Dissertations DMin

Since the early 1950s immigrants have been arriving in Britain in large numbers from the Caribbean and from Asia. Some immigrants from the West Indies have joined Seventh-day Adventist churches. Currently, statistics indicate that although Seventh-day Adventist membership has increased in Britain since 1950, the Black percentage has risen considerably while the White percentage has dramatically declined. This study was undertaken in the hope that by examining the methods of four successful non-Seventh-day Adventist pastors in England and comparing their approaches with instructions found in Scripture and the writings of Ellen G. White we could find pointers which could help …

Effects Of Adventist Engaged Encounter On Role Expectations And Growth In Premarital Relations, Jeffrey O. Brown

Dissertations

Problem. There is a growing concern in present society over what have come to be known as 'family values.' At the heart of these values lies marriage, and the erosion of this ancient institution has caused practitioners and researchers alike to focus on possible opportunities afforded by premarital intervention. With the proliferation of enrichment programs, there is a need in the church for an evaluation of Adventist Engaged Encounter (AEE), the largest group premarital intervention program in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, especially as it relates to two of its primary foci: role expectations and growth.

Method. Demographic details were obtained …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of The Collectivism-Individualism Paradigm: The Influence Of Confucian Values On The Conflict-Handling Behavior Of Male Graduate Business Students In Hong Kong And The United States, Randy Ki-Kwan Chiu

Dissertations

Problem. The Collectivism-Individualism literature argues that there is a difference in the way that Americans and the Chinese handle conflict based on differences in culture. It is also speculated that these differences have been influenced by Confucian values. However, these positions have not been conclusively supported by empirical findings.

Method. Both the Chinese Value Survey and Thomas and Kilmann's Management-of-Differences Exercise were administered to 124 U.S. White American graduate business students and 142 Hong Kong Chinese graduate business students. Three null hypotheses were formulated. These hypotheses stated that there is no linear combination of Integration, Human-heartedness, Confucian work dynamism, and …

A Study Of Religious Attitudes And Problems As Perceived By Current And Former Seventh-Day Adventist Students At Seventh-Day Adventist Mission Secondary Schools In Hong Kong, Daniel Gim-Teng Chuah

Dissertations

Problem. In spite of the combined efforts of both the local churches and the schools, the church attendance of Seventh-day Adventist adolescents has been low. This present study was to identify the religious attitudes of current Adventist students and Adventist alumni of all Adventist mission secondary schools in Hong Kong and to determine the relationship of these attitudes to other selected variables such as Bible classes, spiritual assemblies, church services and activities, doctrinal beliefs, relationships with parents, teachers, and pastors, their own self-concepts, and peer and media influences. This study sought to relate also the attitudes with 14 background variables …

A Validation And Comparative Study Of Kinetic Family Drawings Of Native American Children, Sheryl A. Gregory

Dissertations

Problem. Research on how Native American (NA) children draw their families and how perceptions of their families are reflected in their family drawings is lacking. The purpose of the study was (1) to validate the Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) as an appropriate instrument for use with this population, and (2) to compare Native American and Caucasian children's KFDs.

Method. The KFD and Semantic Differential Scales were administered to 52 Native American children from the Potawatomi and Iroquois tribes, ages 6-14. A matched sample of 104 KFDs of Caucasian children from Southern Michigan was used for comparison. The data were analyzed …

An Organizational Model For A Coordinated Program Of Music Ministry For The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In North American And Europe, Raimo J. Lehtinen

Dissertations

Problem. Initiating work in the coordination of church music activities has been undertaken in the North American and European portions of the world-wide organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. There was a need to develop a comprehensive model of music ministry which the Church could utilize when further steps in the advancement of organized music programs will be taken.

Method. In the process of creating the philosophical rationale for the model a descriptive method was used. Adventist literature on music ministry was reviewed, analyzed, and compared with the basic themes of Johansson's contrapuntal design (1984). In thedevelopment of the rest …

The Seventh-Day Adventist Adult Sabbath School: Its Purpose As Described And Perceived, Sherman Mccormick

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Model For Ministry Of Church Elders In The Inca Union Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Luis Miguel Luna

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this research was to elucidate the ministry of lay elders as it is suggested in the New Testament and to construct a model for the ministry of local church elders in the Inca Union Mission.

Method. This study was documentary and theological. The primary source was the New Testament, specifically the gospels, the book of Acts, and the epistles. Secondary literature was employed to support the biblical findings of the elders' tasks.

Conclusions. In harmony with the teaching of the Scriptures regarding early church organization and leadership, elders are selected by the local church and ordained …

An Investigation Of The Effectiveness Of Training In The Utilization Of Spiritual Gifts In The Personal Ministries Of Ontario Seventh-Day Adventists, Fitzroy S. Maitland

Dissertations

Problem. The New Testament indicates that spiritual gifts occupy a crucial function in the life and growth of the church. No known empirical study has measured the effectiveness of nurture and training for gift implementation. This study was designed to investigate behavioral change in awareness and use of spiritual gifts by Seventh-day Adventist members.

Methodology. The New spiritual Gifts Inventory (NSGI) was used to identify awareness of giftedness in five clusters--Teaching, Shepherding-Evangelizing, Supporting, Counseling, and Leadership. An Activity Inventory was developed for the study with 20 activity questions corresponding to the NSGI. The following statistical designs were used to analyze …

The Empirical Development Of A College Curriculum Of The Epistle To The Galatians, Dragutin Matak

Dissertations

Problem. Seventh-day Adventist adolescents need a clear understanding of the gospel which provides the assurance of salvation. Since in Seventh-day Adventist colleges there is no curriculum for the Epistle to the Galatians, this study was intended to provide college religion students with the opportunity to understand cognitively and to apply experientially the claims of the gospel as presented in Galatians.

Method. The basic philosophy of the learning approach utilized in this study was that a curriculum is more than a blueprint for educational planning. In Christian education, curriculum is a bridge between theory and practice in the cognitive, affective …

Information Essential For Accountability And Planning As Identified By Board Chairs And Principals Of Seventh-Day Adventist Secondary Schools, James R. Nash

Dissertations

Problem

Particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools have been facing problems with enrollments and finances. The purpose of this research was to identify those elements of information and data that the board chairs and principals of United States Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools determined would provide, if gathered and organized, the foundation for school personnel accountability and planning.

Method

The population consisted of the board chairs and principals of SDA secondary schools located in the continental United States. A questionnaire was developed, piloted by a panel of judges, and sent to each of the 78 principals and …

An Exploratory Study Of The Aims And Methods Of Family Worship In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, L. Edgel Phillips

Dissertations

Problem

The Adventist Church places a high value on family worship yet less than 50 percent of those surveyed indicated that the observance was practiced. It was posited that an investigation of the aims and methods of family worship might provide a partial answer to this phenomenon. This present study was to determine the underlying dimensions of the aims and methods of family worship and to discover which methods have a significant correlation with the aims of family worship.

Method

An instrument was developed for collecting data from individual members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who reside in the geographic …

The Use Of Nśʼ In The Pentateuch And Its Contribution To The Concept Of Forgiveness, Gudmundur Olafsson

Dissertations

This study investigated the use of the root nśʼ in the Pentateuch in an attempt to discover its semantic relationship to the concept of forgiveness. Survey of the available literature revealed a near vacuum in this area, apart from a couple of careful but brief treatments. Other studies were either very cursory or only partially relevant to the present study. Most writers tend to relegate the concept of forgiveness to the derived meaning of "remove" without substantiating it exegetically.

Cognate languages affirmed the existence of the root and its range of meanings. The widest range of meanings and closest affinity …

The Eschatological Judgment In Job 19:21-29 : An Exegetical Study, Gordon E. Christo

Dissertations

Practically all scholars today acknowledge the juridical features of the book of Job. The purpose of this study is to identify the legal event that Job is understood to believe would take place in the eschaton.

Chapter 1 first analyzes the significance of the place of our passage in the structure of the book. Job 19 is found to be the center of a structurally balanced composition. Further study of structure reveals that v s s . 25-27b can be viewed as: (1) the heart of the chiasm in 19:21-29, (2) the node of that speech, and (3) a pivot …

An Investigation Of Dispensational Premillennialism: An Analysis And Evaluation Of The Eschatology Of John F. Walvoord, David P. Gullón

Dissertations

This study presents a historical and theological inquiry of one of the most influential eschatological views in America's evangelical and premillennial fundamentalist circles: dispensational premillennialism.

My objective is threefold: (1) to survey the main factors that contributed to the rise of dispensational premillennialism, (2) to evaluate its claims to the historical and theological roots, and (3) to portray and to assess the eschatology ofthis system as it has been enunciated by John F. Walvoord.

To achieve these purposes, after a brief introductory chapter, we begin in chapter 2 by showing the development of premillennialismsince the days of the early church …