Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Understanding Secularized People Of Metro Manila: A Case Study Approach For A Contextualized Urban Ministry Strategy, Ermela T. Dizon

Dissertations DIS

Problem

Secularization shapes people's thinking, feeling, and behaving in the cities. Yearly, there is a rise in the number of de-religionized or secularized people in cities of the world who engage in pursuits of materialism and show declining interest in religion. Sociologists and missiologists postulate about the spectrum of secularity and the variety of secularism in different context. Since Metro Manila is one of the world's top highly urbanized and densely populated cities, the Seventh-day Adventist Church encounters challenges in reaching its secularized people. It is a new turf for the church. Pastors trained for rural settings may not understand …

Understanding Secularized People Of Metro Manila: A Case Study Approach For A Contextualized Urban Ministry Strategy, Ermela T. Dizon

Dissertations

Problem

Secularization shapes people's thinking, feeling, and behaving in the cities. Yearly, there is a rise in the number of de-religionized or secularized people in cities of the world who engage in pursuits of materialism and show declining interest in religion. Sociologists and missiologists postulate about the spectrum of secularity and the variety of secularism in different context. Since Metro Manila is one of the world's top highly urbanized and densely populated cities, the Seventh-day Adventist Church encounters challenges in reaching its secularized people. It is a new turf for the church. Pastors trained for rural settings may not understand …

To Make Man Whole: Towards A Strategy For Gospel-Centered, Comprehensive Health Evangelism, Kyle L. Allen

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Historically the Seventh-day Adventist Church is an evangelistically oriented movement. In harmony with this historical precedent, the evangelistic focus of the Church has included an emphasis on God’s plan to restore the whole person—to make people whole physically, mentally, and spiritually. This wholistic focus on evangelism is based on Christ’s method of a threefold ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing. When this is the practice, many prejudicial barriers are reduced and the reception of the message the Church is called to share is made easier. Despite this focus, the evangelistic strategies of the Church have often not effectively integrated …

Strategy To Implement And Evaluate A Health And Wellness Program In The Inner-City Of Benton Harbor, Michigan Through The Harbor Of Hope Church, Imasiku Mubita

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The data from the Berrien County Health Department (2011b) shows that the city of Benton Harbor has unusually high prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. In addition, the city is a food desert and residents lack good healthcare coverage which helps to exacerbate these lifestyle diseases among its inner-city residents. Also, the dearth of healthy food intake plus the lack of exercise further hampers the community's health.

Method

A nine-week health-wellness program was opened to the community through the Harbor of Hope church in Benton Harbor. During this program community members had their biometrics screened at the beginning and …

A Study Of Nones In Brazil And The Usa In Light Of Secularization Theory With Missiological Implications, Jolive R. Chavez

Dissertations

The growth of those who declare themselves to be Nones, or religiously unaffiliated, in Brazil and the USA has been continuously higher than that of the general population. In Brazil, they are the third-largest group in the religious field, behind only Catholics, and Pentecostal evangelicals. In the USA, they are the second largest group, after Protestants as a whole. The Nones, in their diverse groups, are more represented among the youth in both cultures, and reflect the modern and postmodern influences of contemporary secularism, being a product of the process of changing human thought.

This work studies the Nones, in …

Development And Implementation Of A Community-Based Health Evangelism Strategy At Fellowship Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Tallahassee, Florida, Daphnis Ricardo

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Fellowship Seventh-day Adventist church desired to reach its community but did not have a strategic plan on how to do so. The lack of a strategic plan hindered the effectiveness of the church in making an impact in its neighborhood and left the members with a sense that they were not making a difference in their community. Initial observations done through formal talks with church leaders suggested that health ministry was a focus where their church had a strength and was a means by which to reach the neighborhood.

Method

The methods used were to develop a team …

Constructing A Theology Of Relational Life Through The Themes Of Creation, Incarnation, And Re-Creation As An Alternative To Current Categories Of Religions, Andrew Tompkins

Dissertations

This dissertation argues that current categories of religions are overly reliant on Western Enlightenment-based presuppositions and academic thinking that creates barriers in understanding God’s desire for all people to have abundant life. Many theologians and missiologists utilize these inherited categories without first subjecting them to the biblical canon. As a result, the theological and missiological discourse on religions is often grounded in extra-biblical presuppositions rooted primarily in an overly high view of human reason that do not accurately portray a biblical approach to relational life. These presuppositions do not accurately portray a biblical approach to relational life. I, therefore, compared …

The Impact Of The Imminence Of The Parousia On The Mission Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Bogdan Platon

Master's Theses

The imminence of the Parousia influenced the mission of Seventh-day Adventist church in all its history. The problem of this thesis is the extent to which the expectancy of the soon Parousia influences the concept about and the attitude towards mission in the Seventh-day Adventist church. Is Parousia the main motivation for the mission of the church or not? If Parousia determines the mission, what are the aspects associated with it that should drive the church mostly?

This thesis has a multidisciplinary approach: exegetical, historical and systematical. The study examines how the Bible history presents the impact of expectation upon …

A Strategy To Share The Gospel With The Hindu Community In The South Kenya Conference, Willys M. Oruta

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Adventist Church in the South Kenya Conference has not developed a strategy to share the Gospel with the Hindu community. The Hindu community is generally looked at as an idol worshipping group. However, this community conducts most of the business in many towns in Kenya. For this reason, they should not be neglected because God wants them to be part of His kingdom. Jesus died for the salvation of the whole world; therefore, a strategy to share the Gospel with the Hindu community is a divine command. In the South Kenya Conference, particularly in Kisii, the Hindu community …

Health And Social Ministries: A Holistic Approach To Ministering In Contemporary Society, Ezekiel Adeyemi Oyinloye

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

It has been observed for thirty years that Adventists conventional way of doing outreach ministries especially in the cities, fail to have expected response that fulfills goals. Attitudes of people are apathetic and reserved they stand aloof and are removed from sharing in what has been offered. They cannot be bothered. The inner city of Ibadan especially displays this type of attitude. Thus, inner city Ibadan has remained unentered by the Adventists since the inception of the Church in Ibadan a century ago. There is no single church of the Seventh-day Adventists in inner city Ibadan.

Method

A strategy …

An Introduction To The Process Of Re-Purposing The Fort Worth First Seventh-Day Adventist Church From Maintenance To Mission, Tyler Bower

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. In 2008 the Fort Worth First Seventh-day Adventist church had nearly 200 filled volunteer positions (according to the nominating committee report) as well as a wide range of ministries that served the needs of the members. The weekly attendance at that time averaged between 220 and 250 individuals (including children). In a self-administered survey only 20 members (less than 10% of weekly adult attendance) reported that they were engaged in direct evangelistic ministry aimed at recruiting new members (accessions). A similar survey was filled out by ministry leaders and 58% of these ministry leaders reported that their ministry had …

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 …

Structure And Mission Effectiveness: A Study Focused On Seventh-Day Adventist Mission To Unreached People Groups Between 1980 And 2010, Abraham Guerrero

Dissertations

The present study examines the impact of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's structure on mission effectiveness in taking the gospel to unreached people groups between 1980 and 2010. A historical descriptive study, this dissertation's theory base includes structure from an anthropological perspective; structure, mission, and effectiveness from an organizational perspective; and church structure and mission effectiveness in Christian history.

The impact of structure on mission effectivenessis evaluated in the present work by looking for patterns in history in which the structure has been either a facilitator or a hindrance for establishing churches among those who have not been reached with the …

Developing An Interdisciplinary Analysis And Application Of Worldview Concepts For Christian Mission, Paulo Candido De Oliveira

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The Adventist emphasis on cognitive knowledge and behavioral change instead of deep changes of worldview assumptions and allegiance is the main concern of the present work. It is easier to emphasize cognitive beliefs and behavior than to do the difficult task of working to change the underlying worldview premises that drive behavior. The emphases on cognitive beliefs and behavior have frequently generated syncretism, created loyalty based on surface advantage instead of deeper allegiance, and hindered the Seventh-day Adventist Christian message from being adapted to different cultures.

Method. An interdisciplinary library research is conducted to establish the foundational knowledge of …

Development Of A Strategy To Reach The Folk-Buddha Lepcha Community Of Sikkim, Tudu Joseph

Professional Dissertations DMin

The majority of the Lepchas who live in the land of Sikkim are unreached with the gospel message. A preliminary investigation of current literature indicated that 70 to 80 percent of the Sikkimese are followers of folk-Buddhism.

The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a strategy to reach the Folk-Buddhist Lepcha community of Sikkim with the gospel message.

The dissertation traces the historical development of the Lepcha community in Sikkim,,its culture, economy, health situations, and education. Chapter 3 details the beliefs, practices, and world view of the Lepchas, discusses government restrictions against Christianity in Sikkim, and describes the growth …

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 …

Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of An Evangelistic Approach For Gujarati Hindu Indians In Kenya, Haren Sthalekar

Professional Dissertations DMin

The task of the project was: 1. To study the historical, sociological, religious, and cultural backgrounds of the Gujarati Hindus in Kenya. 2. To develop an evangelistic approach suitable for the Gujarati Hindu people. 3. To implement the evangelistic approach for a period of two years in Kenya. 4. To evaluate the approach.

(No Abstract)

Christian Mission : A Biblical Foundation And Its Application To Evangelistic Work For Indonesian Muslims, Bahasa Soemarna

Professional Dissertations DMin

As far as Seventh-day Adventist evangelistic work for Indonesian Muslims is concerned, it appears that there is no formal, well-defined program to guide the pastors and members in working for the Muslims. It is, therefore, the purpose of this project to develop an evangelistic program which is specifically geared toward reaching the Indonesian Muslims with the Christian message, and which could be used by the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) churches in Indonesia.

In order to achieve this purpose, the project is organized into two main parts. Part I, "Biblical Evidence for the Universality of Jesus' Mission," will attempt to establish the …