Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Leadership Strategy To Identify And Reverse The Effects Of Consumerism On The Commitment To The Mission And Management Of The Village Seventh-Day Adventist Church Members, Ronald Paul Kelly Jr.

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Low levels of commitment have detrimentally affected many aspects of the Village Church's health and vitality. The present study was developed to see to what degree the leaders of the Village Church had imbibed consumer constructs of identity and ministry and to what degree those constructs could be changed when presented with a biblical construct of identity and ministry.

Method

A week of spiritual emphasis entitled "Built on the Rock" examined the principles of the church growth movement as manifest in the megachurch movement. By contrast, the scriptural paradigm of the church as a family was presented as a …

A Strategy For Planting A Growing Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Rivers West Conference, Nigeria, Smart B. Maduagu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Rivers-West Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church, like most Seventh-day Adventist Conferences in Nigeria, is growing at 1% (GC Statistics 2020) while the population of Nigeria is growing at 2.5% (The World Bank Data, 2021). The local Adventist church membership growth is not matching the country's population growth when compared to the obvious spontaneous growth of other Christian churches like the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) which began thirty-eight years after the advent of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria; they have about twenty thousand (20,000) churches (History and Growth of RCCG, 2014) while the Seventh-day Adventist Church in …

Exploring The Influence Of Racial Diversity On Church Growth: A Case Study Of Buffalo Suburban Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Lancaster, New York, Luis A. Mancebo

Dissertations

There is a growing phenomenon in the United States of America: multiracial churches. While earlier research indicates that church growth typically happens in more homogenous congregations, more and more churches are growing that are multiracial. This case study focused on the growth of Buffalo Suburban Seventh-day Adventist Church (BSSDAC), a multiracial church in Lancaster, New York. Data collection was done through focus groups of church leaders and members, and a review of any available church and membership records.

BSSDAC started as a White congregation in Buffalo in 1885 and moved to the suburbs in the 1980s where the initial transition …

Training The Members Of The Hacienda Heights Seventh-Day Adventist Church To Create Missional Communities, Brett Poynter

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

A 2011 analysis of the Hacienda Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church revealed it had poor missional health in it, was not outreach focused, small group oriented, or a discipling community. This attributed to plateaued church growth with a congregation consisting largely of boomers and a significantly low percentage of GenX’ers and millennials.

Method

An intervention to train the members of the Hacienda Heights church to create missional communities was developed and applied as a means to improve the church’s missional health and growth. The intervention was developed by studying missional church literature and assessing the church and community. The resulting …

Using A Small Group Approach To Increase Church Growth In The Gikondo Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Schadrack Nsengimana

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem.

Although many people are baptized at the Gikondo Seventh-day Adventist Church each year, about 70% leave the church shortly after baptism.

Method.

The biblical principles of church growth were studied and theological reflection focused on four biblical themes. First, the call to integrate the Great Commission into the daily life and relationships of the individual believer in Christ was examined. Second, church growth as faithfulness to God was explored as a biblical teaching. Third, the view that a healthy church embraces multiplication of disciples as its core responsibility was studied from a biblical perspective. Fourth, the role of the …

Development And Implementation Of A Small Group Program To Foster Numeric Growth At The Fresno Spanish Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Antonio Huerta

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem The Fresno Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church has a 65 year history in the city of Fresno. From the year of 1995 until the year of 2005 when I became the pastor for this church, I realized that the numeric growth rate in this congregation had dropped significantly. I soon became aware of the urgent need for a comprehensive analysis that would enable the Fresno Spanish Church to regain its growth momentum. Method The solution and the vision to solve the problem was the development and the implementation of a small group program that would help train, equip, and mobilize …

An Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Natural Church Development Within Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In The United States And The Resulting Church Growth, Rodney Jon Mills

Professional Dissertations DMin

The Problem

Natural Church Development (NCD) is a church health paradigm that is being used in Seventh-day Adventist churches across the United States as a tool for increasing both church health and growth. One question that needs to be addressed is whether the implementation of NCD within Seventh-day Adventist churches results in church growth.

The Purpose

The purpose of this dissertation is to establish a validation of the NCD process by evaluating the church growth experienced at the Milwaukee Central Seventh-day Adventist Church and compare that growth with Seventh-day Adventist churches across the United States which have participated in taking …

Principios Y Estrategias Para El Crecimiento De La Iglesia Adventista Del Séptimo Día Hispana De Baltimore, Maryland, Ronald Lizeth Costa Estades

Professional Dissertations DMin

The objective of the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) includes growth. Throughout Christian history, the church has grown. At the same time, qualitative growth enhances quantitative growth. Both are needed in response to the Great Commission. The Seventh-day Adventist Church would benefit from adopting a philosophy that promotes a wholistic growth of the church. This thesis studied such growth and elaborated a strategy for the Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church in Baltimore to reach well-rounded growth.

The first step was to study church growth in the Bible. A careful study of the Great Commission throws light on discipleship, a key to church …

Developing A Strategy For Growth In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Finland Using The Natural Church Development Approach Based On A Case Study In The Turku Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Aimo Helminen

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The growth of the Adventist Church in Finland stagnated in the mid 1980s and after that the membership of the church began to slowly decrease. There is a need to look at the past growth patterns of the church in Finland to discover the reasons for the present decline in membership and develop and implement a strategy for church growth.

Method

Current literature was reviewed, including books and articles on the principles and strategies of church growth. These were studied in the context of the Turku Church in order to determine if the principles in the Natural Church Development …

Programa De Crescimento Da Igreja Para O Território Da União Sul-Brasileira, Jose Santos Filho

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Brazil Union territory (SBU) has become known for its quantitative growth. However, as one analyzes the population size of that region, the conclusion is that much more still needs to be done. Studies made by Christian Schwarz in several countries indicate that the number and quality of members may increase provided that certain biblical principles of church growth are implemented.

Method

The research was done through extensive analysis of previous studies regarding church growth. Biblical perspectives, as well as existent literature on the development of churches, lay ministry, pastoral leadership, training, and …

Factores De Iglecrecimiento En La Iglesia Adventista Del Sur De México, David Javier Perez

Professional Dissertations DMin

Three questions guided the research: How has the Seventh-day Adventist Church grown in southern Mexico during the last sixteen years? What have been the factors that supported this growth? What elements could strengthen church growth in the Southern Union of Mexico? The average annual growth in the Southern Union, from 1985 to 1990, was 9.49 percent. From 1991 to 2000, the average growth was 4.05 percent. The average growth from 1985 to 2000 was 6.09 percent. Before attempting to identify factors that contributed to growth in the Southern Union, church growth was studied in the Bible, in the writings of …

El Evangelismo De La Amistad Como Factor De Crecimiento En La Iglesia Adventista Del Séptimo Día, Tomas Torres De Dios

Professional Dissertations DMin

The faithful fulfillment of the gospel commission demands the use of correct and appropriate methods to bring new members into the church. For this reason, the Seventh- day Adventist Church has used various evangelistic methods. The purpose of this dissertation was to make a theoretical study of friendship evangelism and prepare a workshop to train church members and local leaders. The Bible shows kindness as one of God’s attributes in dealing with human beings. Ever since Creation God has provided what human beings need to live in an environment of good relationships. One of the ways in which God showed …

Master Planning For Church Growth In Serbia, Radivoje Rade Milosavljevic

Professional Dissertations DMin

Very quickly we are approaching the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church is growing as never before. However, the SDA Church in the former and present-day Yugoslavia grew rapidly in some periods, and declined in others. What factors helped the SDA church to grow? How can the power of the Holy Spirit be combined with a good strategic planning process to fulfill the Great Commission? This vital issue needs to be acknowledged and observed with practical steps taken to find causes and solutions.

This dissertation examines the development of a master-planning strategy for church …

Church Growth In The Khasi-Jaintia Conference, Meghalaya, India, Khrawbor Kharbteng

Professional Dissertations DMin

The population of the Khasi-Jaintia Conference territory is made up of 80 percent Khasis and 20 percent other ethnic groups. The Khasis, an accepting and happy people, are receptive to the Christian message. This receptivity comes from their monotheistic concept of God and their admiration for the dedicated missionaries who brought the gospel but did not attempt to modify their culture, except for their refusal to accept social evils such as drinking, gambling, and sexual promiscuity. Seventh-day Adventism came to the Khasi region in 1915 with the arrival of E. G. Hardinge and family. The actual work of the Seventh-day …

A Church-Growth Strategy For Revitalizing The Kolhapur Church, Bhupal R. Chandanshive

Professional Dissertations DMin

The task of this dissertation was to study the factors that have affected the growth of the Kolhapur church in south Maharashtra and to develop a strategy to revitalize the church. Twenty-five years ago, Seventh-day Adventist churches in Maharashtra were spiritually lively and active. But in recent years the churches have become weak; the attendance is nominal and there is little vibrancy.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kolhapur was viewed through the dynamics of church-growth principles, especially those applicable in the Indian context. The history of the church, together with membership statistics, provided information on the church over the last …

A Church Growth Study Of Three Churches In Kottayam, Robinson Stephenson

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Many of the churches in the North Kerala Section have been stagnant for years. In some churches over 50 percent of the members are inactive. This study analyzes the hindrances to the growth of three churches in the Kottayam District and suggests a strategy for church growth.

Method

The theological, historical, missiological, and practical dimensions of church growth were examined. A church growth approach was used which included an analysis of the factors involved in the growth and decline of three SDA churches in the Kottayam district. The growth patterns of three churches over the past ten years were …

A Church Growth Study Of The Chachkapi Church In Bihar State Of India, Manohar Kujur

Professional Dissertations DMin

Chachkapi Church is the only growing church in its pastoral district. However, its growth is very slow. Adventism first came at Chachkapi in 1957 and by 1998 it had grown to 161 members. This shows its potential for growth. The church members are Oraon and the majority of the people who live around the area belong to the same community. Oraons were the first to accept Christianity in Chotanagpur South Bihar. Growth was by a people movement. According to present trends, churches among the Oraons are growing slower in comparison to the other tribals in Chotanagpur.

In an attempt to …

A Strategy To Reach The English-Speaking People Of The Bay Islands Of Honduras, Stavely P. Elwin

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The English-speaking Seventh-day Adventist church in the Bay Islands has experienced slow growth over the last ten years. An evaluation reveals that some of the problems include poor evangelistic methods, few well trained pastors and workers, the churches' lack of support from the local mission and pastors, and no material provisions for the departments of the church. In addition, programs are lacking to help members come in contact with secular-minded people, and the methods used to improve the retention rate of newly- baptized members indicate there is a tremendous need for change in the style of evangelism in the …

Development Of A Program For Intentional Growth In The Antioch Seventh-Day Adventist Congregation, Long Island, New York, Trevor Saint Aubyn Forbes

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Antioch Seventh-day Adventist congregation was started in 1988 and grew steadily; however, for the last four years membership growth has plateaued. This lack of church growth has caused much concern among the church’s administration. The original hope and intention that the congregation would establish a growing church was founded on the premise that in order for the congregation to grow, it must implement intentional church growth programs.

Method

In order to learn how churches grow, I surveyed literature on church growth. I also interviewed six pastors of growing churches — three who are Seventh-day Adventists and three who …

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 …

A Study Of Church Planting And Growth Patterns Of Eight Korean Seventh-Day Adventist Congregations In The Eastern North America, Hai Chong Pak

Professional Dissertations DMin

NOTE: This Doctor of Ministry Project falls in a category described in the Andrews University Theological Seminary Bulletin as "Project II" in fulfillment of requirements for an alternate curriculum plan under which the candidate prepares two related papers—a theological position paper that addresses some issue or problem that exists in the church in a theological setting and a professional paper that addresses that issue or problem from a standpoint of ministerial practice.

(No abstract)

Toward The Development Of A Theological Critique Of Church-Growth Principles From A Seventh-Day Adventist Perspective, Terence G. Joshua

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church perceives itself as having a unique eschatological mission. Numerical growth is an important part of the objective of the SDA Church. To attain this aim, the principles of the church-growth paradigm developed primarily at the "School of World Mission and Institute of Church Growth" at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, has begun to be incorporated into the North American SDA mind-set.

There is minimal documented theological reflection upon church growth done from an SDA perspective. The analysis of the distinctive issues involved yields some concepts that are theologically consistent and some that are inconsistent with …

Building Up The Body Of Christ: A Study In Church Revitalization Leading To Church Growth, Eoin Barnard Giller

Professional Dissertations DMin

One of the most urgent concerns of the Church in the latter part of the twentieth century is to arouse Church members to their responsibility of ministering to each other and of ministering to the community in which they live. For too long the Church has relied upon a group of paid professionals to do the work of ministry. It was the purpose of this project to develop a theology and theory of church revitalization which would lead to church growth and which would apply the principles of Ephesians 4 in a local congregation. It was an attempt to orient …