Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Messianic Allusions Of Zechariah 13:6 Revisited, Ingram London

Papers

This study seeks to demonstrate that the best way to understand Zech 13:6 is to locate the text within the larger structure of Zechariah in relation to parallel passages and the theological center of the larger context combined with careful textual analysis reveals that the text does indeed have at the very least messianic applications if not direct allusions whether primary or secondary.

Sacred Times: The Book Of Jubilees At Qumran, J. Amanda Mcguire

Papers

Given the evidence that Jubilees was so influential at Qumran, this paper seeks to answer the following questions: How did the book of Jubilees understand sacred times in general and the Sabbath in particular? How did its sacred time theology affect the theology of the Qumran community? This paper will not contribute any novel or unique ideas regarding either Jubilees or the Qumran community, as such. It will, however, endeavor to bring the various facets of scholarship on the subjects together, making the relationship between the two more concrete.

An Exegetical Analysis Of Jeremiah 1:5: The Presence Of Free Will And Choice, Daniel Xisto

Papers

This research paper will show that even during the collapse of the kingdom of Judah, the Lord, wanting to save His children, never forced or predestined the will of Jeremiah. The following exegesis points to an alternate reading, one of free will and choice.

Proposed Solution To The Problem Of Member Retention For The South Sao Paulo Conference, Nilson S. Ferreira

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The South São Paulo Conference loses an average of 32 percent of its members per year as a result of dissatisfaction with the church. According to the Office of Archives and Statistics of the Central Brazilian Union, the South São Paulo Conference baptized 2,057 people in 2004 and 797 dropped out of the church, resulting in a 38 percent church dropout rate in that year. In 2005, the conference baptized 2,516 people and 1,000 dropped out, for a disaffiliation rate of 39 percent. In 2006, 2,746 were baptized and 456 dropped out, for a disaffiliation rate of 19 percent. …

Implicit Leadership Theory And Bass And Riggio's (2006) Transformational Leadership Model As A Means Of Leader-Renewal At The Napa Community Seventh-Day Adventist Church, John Walter Grys

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Napa Community Seventh-day Adventist Church did not have an active, engaged, and participating leadership core throughout the previous ten years of church life. Current leaders, while demonstrating faithfulness and desire, were not actively being engaged and challenged to grow in their own leadership understanding and practice. The absence of such an ongoing process contributed to the lack of leader and leadership renewal within our faith community.

Methodology

The combined introduction of Implicit Leadership Theory (ILT) and Transformational Leadership (Bass & Riggio 2006) through an eight-week process would provide a means to inject into our community an external theory …

A Process Of Critical Contextualization To Deal With The Issue Of Women In Leadership In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Korea, Injong Moon

Professional Dissertations DMin

Purpose. As a young man growing up in the Korean Seventh-day Adventist Church, there were several women in the church who influenced my life. Later on, at Sahm Yook University, I was in theology courses with both young men and women. I was impressed with the passion and talents that the women brought to their studies and witnessing activities. However, once out of university not many of them became pastors or leaders in their churches. And those that did left their positions soon after marrying. For me this seems a loss of leadership potential, especially for a church in Korea …

Discipleship Master Plan: A Disciple-Making Strategy For The South Flint Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Melvin S. Santos

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The lack of a disciple-making plan and irregular leadership training for members in the South Flint Seventh-day Adventist Church resulted in undeveloped and ill-equipped members operating in a reactive and survival mode leading to frustration and leader “burn outs.”

Method

The Discipleship Master Plan was developed and implemented in the South Flint Seventh-day Adventist Church in Burton, Michigan, which consisted of two major formats: (1) Four Levels of Discipleship Training, and (2) a Discipleship Master Plan Infrastructure. The four levels of discipleship focus on the development of all members. This training took place primarily during Sabbath afternoons and worship …

A Training Program To Equip Local Churches For Small Group Evangelism In The East Ghana Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Kwasi Ansah-Adu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Many Adventists in the East Ghana Conference like others in the global church erroneously perceive ministry as limited to activities at the church premises on the Sabbath or specific programs or events like a three-week evangelistic series, rather than a lifestyle. Even so few participate in ministry leaving the bulk of the membership in the pew as spectators.

Method

My research was based on the study of the Bible, E. G. White counsels, literature on church growth, statistics on growth trends of the East Ghana Conference, and the church in Ghana, as well as my personal journey as a …

A Model Course For Training Lay Persons Of The Chicago Area In Biblical Preaching, Leeroy M. Coleman

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, speak of the importance of preaching. The Christian Church of today places a high priority on preaching, but the burden is shouldered mainly by the clergy with little participation by the laity. The OT and the NT demonstrate the importance of clergy and laity sharing in the ministry of preaching, but today pastors need lay persons to preach and lay persons express their need to be trained in preaching. There is a dirth of materials and programs that will r effectively train lay persons to preach. It was task this project to …

Spiritual Growth Perceptions Of Students At Southern Adventist University, William Brennon Kirstein

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Seventh-day Adventist collegiate young adults are disengaging from the church in alarming numbers in North America today. In this context, the need arises for Adventist colleges and universities to be much more intentional about the relationships it forms with its students and the spiritual formation system it is promoting during these years.

Method

A comprehensive spiritual master plan, as well as an assessment process, was developed for Southern Adventist University in order to explore the perceived quality of campus spirituality and how it impacts the lives of students.

Results

In this study, students perceived the following three objectives to …

Development Of Seminars To Improve Family Relationships And Spiritual Experience Among Ghanaian Emigrant Families In Adventist Immigrant Churches In New England, John K. Amoah

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Family relational problems are on the rise, while family spiritual development is waning in the majority of immigrant Ghanaian churches in the Southern New England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It is apparent that the changing dynamics in migration and the acculturation process have a significant impact on family relationships and spiritual experience. While the observation may be anecdotal, it begs for systematic study and improvement. This dissertation project seeks to improve immigrant family relationships and family spiritual development through seminars.

Method

This dissertation involves the development of a six-session seminar based on the areas of reported concern: family relationships, …

An Investigation Of Why The Christian Servant Leadership Model Is A Factor In Effective Evangelism And Retention Of Members At The Nakonde Mission District In Zambia, Frank M. Sikazwe

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Baptismal percentages are not marching with retention levels. The desire to meet baptism goals has slowly caused a shift in emphasis with more attention on winning souls than in keeping them. Comparing baptisms to losses for the Zambia Union Conference for the period 2001 to 2005 reveals that the annual retention rate drastically dropped while evangelistic initiatives and funding increased. This trend has caused an imbalance in evangelism. The current project will investigate this trend in order to determine its possible cause before providing solutions.

Method

I used ten focus groups with ten members each. After training, the researcher …

Loving Conversations: A Seminar To Assist Hispanic Families In Advance Planning For Their End-Of-Life Care At El Divino Salvador Presbyterian Church And Monrovia Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Edgar Enrique Urbina

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Advanced technology is currently available to prolong life, but often there is a lack of preparation or documentation of the family and family wish for end-of-life care. It has been estimated that between 18 percent and 30 percent of Americans have completed an advance directive. The percentage drops even further among Hispanics. Advance planning on end-of-life care is a process people can use to prepare themselves and their loved ones for dying. The purpose of the project was to develop and evaluate the participants’ response to a seminar to encourage family conversations among members of Hispanic churches on practical …

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Experiencing The Joy Program In Attracting And Connecting With Postmoderns In The Richmond Hill Seventh-Day Adventist Church, David H. Baker

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Richmond Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church has not been successful in attracting post-modern young adults. Pastoral observation suggests that a potential contributing factor is that doctrinal study guides are not effective for reaching young adults. Post-modems are very visually oriented and place an emphasis on the need for experiential learning. In order to be effective, Bible studies targeting post-modem young adults need to focus on a combination of experiential discussions, relationships and individuality. These three areas are the focus of a new video Bible study series that specifically targets post-modem young adults entitled, Experiencing the Joy.

Method

The method …

Formation And Implementation Of A Leadership Development Program For The South Malawi Field Of The Adventist Church In Africa, Elphes Luwani

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The South Malawi Field membership for 2005 was characterized by an annual growth rate of just 3 percent, which was quite low compared to other parts of the Malawi Union. Furthermore, 74 pastors and their laity baptized only 164 members total on average while apostasies claimed as high as 26 persons per year. Therefore, this research aims at discovering the effect that equipping pastors and church leaders with effective leadership skills might have on addressing the challenges that seem to inhibit growth in the South Malawi Field.

Method

A body of up-to-date literature focusing on leadership and management skills …

A Leadership Model For Initiating Change In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Zambia, Edwin Shimunzhila

Professional Dissertations DMin

Topic

The task of this project dissertation is to develop a leadership model for initiating and effecting change in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zambia.

Purpose

The purpose of this project dissertation is to develop a leadership model for the successful initiation and effecting of change in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zambia. Strategies will be developed that will help pastors and lay leaders facilitate the successful initiation of change.

Sources

The research method I chose to use in this dissertation is theoretical. Extracting information from what other scholars have written on change and the change process will be presented …

Implementing A Training Manual For Adventist Local Church Leaders In The Gauteng Region Of South Africa, Eugene L. Fransch

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The youth department of the Southern Affican-Indian Ocean Division of the Seventh-day Adventist church (SID) has noticed a growing trend of frustration and ineffectiveness among local church youth leaders in their yearly church planning. This has lead to a high turnover rate among them due to a lack of adequate materials, poor program planning, and a clear knowledge of the department’s objectives to guide them in their planning.

Methodology

The purpose of the research was to implement a Youth Leadership Training Manual for church youth leaders that would help them overcome their current frustrations and assist them in planning …

A Strategy For Church Planting In Northern Nigeria Beginning In Zangon-Kataf, Francis F. Daria

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The first Adventist missionaries came to Northern Nigeria in 1930. Their intent to establish medical and evangelistic work in Southern Kaduna was restricted by three opposing factions. These were Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), Islam and African Traditional Religion (ATR). They frustrated the indigenous people from understanding the concept of the missionaries. Eighty years later there is still no Adventist presence in this area, which is part of the 10/40 Window that encompasses all of Northern Nigeria. During these 80 years no Adventist Church has been established in this region. There is, therefore, a need to develop a church planting …

Developing A Model For Spiritual Guidance And Peer Mentoring For Youth And Young Adults In The New Life Seventh-Day Adventist Fellowship In Berrien Springs, Michigan, Hollis H. Mceachchrane

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Research has pointed out a factor essential to the spiritual guidance of youth and young adults in the Seventh-day Adventist Church: How teenagers think is dependent (Fields & Robbins, 2007) on how they are spoken to and how effective the messages are delivered; however, a majority of youth from New Life SDA Fellowship do not receive adequate mentoring that would pair them up as a support for each other or that would build good interpersonal relationships with their peers. While the Fellowship offers a designated staff for church services, there is no provision for youth to mentor each other …

A Model For Enhanced Nurture Of New Believers In The Reang Tribe In India, Lalmuansanga Chawngthu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Reang tribal people live in Tripura State, Northeast India. The Reang are largely illiterate and most live in poverty. Sicknesses and starvation are common among this tribal group. Although Adventists and other Christian groups have had reasonable success evangelizing the Reang, many converts appear to become Christians in search of the material aid they need. The Seventh-day Adventist Church needs a systematic and comprehensive plan of spiritual nurture for its Reang converts that will lead them into mature discipleship.

Method

This study begins by developing a theological foundation for spiritual nurture based on selected biblical passages and the …

Industry-Based Ministry: A Pilot Project At The New Dimension S.D.A. Church, Sendak Kojo Duffu Yankson

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church, from my pastoral observation here at the New Dimension Seventh-day Adventist congregation in Brooklyn, has not been as successful in retaining the unskilled and uneducated urban poor as other ministries (for example, the Nation of Islam). We preach evangelistic messages to change the lifestyles of the poor and in the process we either lose them or leave them on government assistance because we have no viable economic program to sustain them in our faith.

Purpose

The purpose of this project was to develop and implement a model of industry- based ministry by which members could …

Career Counseling Program For The South Ghana Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Samuel Amoh

Professional Dissertations DMin

Statement of Problem. A large number of converts into Seventh-day Adventist churches in South Ghana Conference (SGC) are young adults in colleges and universities. These educational institutions do not offer career counseling or job placement guidance to help these young adults choose programs and fields of study that match their abilities and talents and develop their potentials. Instead, the schools usually impose on students a particular field of study. The lack of appropriate guidance has led to a large number of graduates who are either unemployed or underemployed. A negative residual effect is seen in the physical, mental, spiritual, and …

Application Of Biblical Worship Principles In The New Life Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Nairobi, Kenya, Thomas Masimba

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The New Life Seventh-day Adventist Church has practiced the traditional style of worship since its establishment in 1986. In this style of worship, reverence is expressed through silence, and both emotional expression and congregational response are discouraged. Neither clapping of hands nor applauding ministers is acceptable. Seemingly, the new generation of members has embraced the opposite. As a result, the church is experiencing a conflict as to which style of worship should be observed.

Methods. A literature review of contemporary authors, the Bible, historical Adventist writings, commentaries, and relevant articles concerning style of worship were examined. A questionnaire was …

The Ministerial Leadership Development Program At Lakeview Adventist College In Malawi, Earnest Samuel Harry Khonje

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Ministerial Leadership Training program at Lakeview Adventist College has operated for over 28 years. Since the late 1990s, there has been little in the curriculum that prepared leadership to meet challenges in the field, especially in management and administration. The period 1997-2006 has seen the exit of more ministers than during the years 1980-1996.

Method

This study used surveys, interviews and questionnaires. Survey questions were formed to be answered by pastors in training as well as by those who have already completed training. Therefore, focus groups were organized for those at the College and for those serving as …

Reaching African American Males In Hartford, Ct, Through The Use Of Black Heritage Bible Studies, Stephen L. Williams Sr.

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

For the past ten years, the Faith Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hartford, Connecticut has not been very successful at winning African American males. It appears that this is because a significant number of African American males hold the Bible as “the white man’s book” and a tool of enslavement that has no relevance today. This makes our traditional evangelistic approach and materials ineffective.

Method

The project was to (1) raise the level of awareness about the dilemma of the African American male, (2) examine the factors that have led to the negative stereotype and their unwillingness to attend church, …

Utilizing H.M.S. Richards' Sermons And Writings In The Development Of Sermons That Focus On The Unique Aspects Of Seventh-Day Adventist Preaching As Implemented At The Kress Memorial Church In Winter Park, Florida, Eric M. Doran

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

H. M. S. Richards maintains that Seventh-day Adventist preaching should be distinct from the preaching of others. What guidelines does Richards provide for determining what should be included in Adventist preaching, and how can those guidelines be integrated into the preaching at the Kress Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church?

Method

The books, articles, and sermons of H. M. S. Richards were researched for guidance on what Seventh-day Adventist preaching should include. On the basis of the principles developed from Richards, twelve sermons preached prior to the research were evaluated. Twelve new sermons following Richards’ principles were then written and preached …

Improving Marital Satisfaction Among Couples In The Ottawa Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Floyd Samuel Spence

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

A number of marital issues are challenging the members of the Ottawa Seventh- day Adventist Church. Of primary concern is the increase in “marital distress.” Given the importance of marital satisfaction on the health of a marriage, an examination of marital satisfaction levels among couples in the Ottawa Seventh-day Adventist Church is a priority. Based on this background, the primary focus of this study was to investigate marital satisfaction and its effect on marital health, with the intention of improving marital satisfaction levels among couples in the Ottawa Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Method

This study evaluated marital satisfaction factors that …

Un Programa De Renovacion Vocacional Para Los Pastores De La Asociacion De Baja California, Mexico, Saul Barcelo Guerrero

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The pastors of the Seventh-day Adventist Conference of Baja California, Mexico, are a key factor in the development and implementation of the mission, but over the years, some of them not only lose energy, but also the vision and motivation to move on and have a tendency to stop supporting and promoting the ministry work program. This thesis aims to develop and suggest a program that can renew the motivation of those pastors who have forgotten their calling, in addition to helping maintain the provision and ongoing development of those who have given their lives to church service with …

Reigniting The Lifecycle Of Plateauing Churches In Brazil Through A Prayer-Based Intensive Growth Approach, Otoniel De Lima Ferreira

Professional Dissertations DMin

Purpose of the Project. This project seeks to create and develop a comprehensive prayer-based evangelism strategy to reignite the lifecycle in plateauing churches in Brazil. Through this project, pastors, church leaders, members and new members will be motivated and equipped to experience a better prayer life.

Method. The method used for this study was based on qualitative research: a review of prayer as it is presented in the Bible, theoretical texts on prayer, and practical books written by prominent Christian authors, and a comprehensive study of the lifecycle of some Seventh-day Adventist churches in Brazil. These profiles were studied and …

A Strategy For Poverty Reduction Among Seventh-Day Adventist Members In Kenya, Joseph B. Nyagwoka

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. Poverty is a challenge in Kenya today and is significantly impacting the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This problem is reflected in recent tithe and offering reports that suggest that the majority of the Seventh-day Adventist members and new converts in Kenya do not have a regular source of income. Hence, there is a need for local congregations to address this problem of poverty.

Method. In this study current literature dealing with poverty has been reviewed and analyzed. This includes books, journal articles, programs, reports, and internet materials. The available data from the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist church is …