Practical Theology Commons^™

A Program To Improve Bible Study And Prayer In The Humboldt Park Hispanic Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Julio I. Juarez

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

A survey conducted in the Humboldt Park Hispanic SDA church (HPHC) indicated that its members, like many others in our post-modern society, have neglected personal Bible study (PBS) and prayer. The results of this were evident in many aspects of their lives.

Method

This problem was brought to the attention of church leaders (elders and the church board). Consequently, a strategy was developed for involving all members in a week of prayer and seminars centered around personal Bible study and prayer. The seminars were based on a review of related literature. A survey was conducted before and after the …

A Strategy For Reaching Secular People, Ernan Alpin Norman

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Secularization is a process that has effected and continues to effect massive changes in the cultural, social, and religious experience of many people. It is characterized by a loss of the influence of religion on society’s institutions and peoples. It came about when the scientific method became the principal means of discovering truth, while the biblical and theological perspectives became increasingly sidelined. People have become increasingly secular in their thinking, and many currently view the church as archaic, irrelevant, and boring. This presents a problem for the church and its mission in our contemporary society. Because of the lack …

Development And Implementation Of A Stewardship Program At The Calhoun, Georgia, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Paul S. Hoover

Professional Dissertations DMin

Task

The task of this project was to increase the participation among the membership of the Calhoun Seventh-day Adventist Church with the financial stewardship need of the congregation. The study was to determine the number of families involved and to implement factors to increase church family involvement.

Method

A family giving unit was defined as a family within the Calhoun Seventh-day Adventist Church. A family unit is made up of a household whether the member is single, married, or married with dependents. Family involvement was measured in three giving areas of tithe, church budget, and debt reduction to the Calhoun …

Religious Fundamentalism And Gender Differences, Herbert W. Helm, John M. Berecz, Emily A. Nelson

Faculty Publications

The role of religious fundamentalism and its relationship to shame and guilt was evaluated in 107 students who attend a church-sponsored university. A number of personality measures were given and gender differences were analyzed. The role of externalization was similar for males in this sample to that of earlier studies. However, it was found that females showed positive correlations between externalization and both shame and guilt. For females, more fundamentalistic religious training may help to contribute to an external orientation at the expense of identifying with a personal religion, and appropriate guilt. © 2001 Human Sciences Press, Inc.

Retention Of New Members Into The Caffin Avenue Seventh-Day Adventist Church, David W. Hinds

Professional Dissertations DMin

This study attempted to identify the reasons why new members stop attending church one to six months after they are accepted into membership of the Caffin Avenue Seventh-day Adventist Church and to find ways to reduce the number of individuals who drop out. The introduction analyzes the biblical and theological basis for a higher retention of new converts. It considers principles found in the book of Acts and concerns for lost membership. A review of relevant literature on the assimilation of new members was done to provide an overview of the problem and to gain insights into reducing the number …

Calvin Seminary Forum, Andrew Bandstra, Henry Zwaanstra, Roger S. Greenway, James A. Dejong

Calvin Seminary Forum (1994-2001)

1 - “God Who Called You is Faithful” - Andrew Bandstra
2 - “Calvin Seminary: An Historical Sketch 1876-2001” - Henry Zwaanstra
4 - “Calvin Seminary and the CRC: Changes and Challenges” - Roger S. Greenway
6 - “Trends and Challenges” - James A. De Jong

The Formerly Unchurched: Bridges To The Unchurched In The 21st Century, Thom S. Ranier

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

This is the presidential lecture given at the American Society for Church Growth meetings in November 1999. In his article, Dr. Rainer shares some of his cutting edge research regarding effective evangelistic churches. His insights are extremely helpful for those consulting with churches in the area of evangelism.

The Evangelistic Conversation In An Increasingly Postmodern America, Will Mcraney

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

This article looks at postmodernism and its impact on church growth. “The Evangelistic Conversion in an Increasingly Postmodern America” will aid you to understand the new ministry context in which we seek to reach people for Christ.

New Wineskins: With What Materials? A Theology Of New Wineskins For The 21st Century, Howard A. Syder

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

Dr. Howard Snyder’s article on “New Wineskins: With What Materials?” focuses on developing “A Theology of New Wineskins for the 21st Century.” In his thoughtful article, he demonstrates his skill at historical reflection as he points to helpful and unhelpful places to develop our ecclesiology.

Research On Faith And Health: New Appoaches To Old Questions, Thomas G. Plante, Allen C. Sherman

Psychology

Does religious faith influence health? Are religious practices associated with altered risks for morbidity or mortality? Do religious or spiritual individuals tend to enjoy better well-being or mental health across the lifespan? Does spiritual or religious involvement change the way individuals adapt to the demands of chronic illness? This volume brings together some of the leading investigators who have explored these intriguing questions. Though research is in its early phases, the chapters that follow review some of what we have learned and begin to trace the outlines of the many mysteries that remain.

Implementation And Evaluation Of A Leadership Mentoring Program In The Hampden Heights Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Barry Tryon

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Leadership development is a vital but often neglected part of church life. In many churches little is taught on the subject to the current leaders of the church, and even less is done for the development o f future leaders. In addition, the traditional seminar approach, when used, is not always effective in developing church leaders. One program, written by Dr. Dan Reiland, seems to address both o f these problems. Joshua's Men is a spiritual leadership training program using mentoring (discipleship) to grow potential leaders in the church. Is this program effective? Does it develop spiritual leaders in …

Islam, Indigenous Traditions, And Adventism In Kenya: A Comparative Study To Determine Effective Approaches To Evangelize Kenyan Muslims, Joseph Kilonzo

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Islam is spreading speedily in Kenya from the coast and the north towards inland areas, converting great number of persons and communities. The Islamic influence is evident in almost all spheres of life in the country, including social, political, economical, and spiritual. Muslims are particularly hard to reach with the gospel. However, this does not mean the task of reaching them is unsurmountable. The task of this project, therefore, was to provide a biblical, theological, and missiological strategy for presenting the gospel to Muslims in Kenya with the view of winning them over to Christianity (Adventism).

Method

The research …

Youth Ministry Strategies For Korean Seventh-Day Adventists In The United States, Joon Hwan Huh

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Since the ministries of Korean-American churches have focused mainly on the first generation, little relevant ministry to second- and third-generation Korean-Americans has been developed. The youth have been ignored by the church leadership. Consequently there has been a need to encourage the spiritual developmental stage of youth leadership, to clarify worship and relationships, and to design an effective youth ministry for the SDA Korean-American church.

Method

The task of this dissertation was to discover biblical principles and guidelines for the development of effective and relevant youth ministries for Korean-American Seventh-day Adventist churches. In order to meet this aim, Scripture …

A Training Program For Local Church Elders/Leaders In Northeast India, Kongyui Awungshi Shimray

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Local church elders and leaders in the Northeast India Union have regularly cared for nurturing and evangelism within the church. They have performed pastoral responsibilities because there are only eighteen paid district pastors in charge of over 130 organized churches and more than 300 companies. However, elders and leaders have no training to perform the task effectively. To enable local church elders and leaders to minister effectively, leadership training is required.

Method

The project considered first the concept of Christ's servant leadership as a basis for the work of elders and local leaders within the chinch. It also reviewed …

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 …

A Seminar On Reaching The Secular Mind For Members And Guests Of The Hickory Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Kenneth J. Ford

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Western civilization is now pre- or post-Christian. Secularism has entrenched itself in our culture. Many churches are still utilizing mostly antiquated methods of reaching a Christian culture. We need to discover methods to engage the twenty-first-century secular mind.

Method

This report is outlined in the following way. It gives a brief overview of secularism by defining and then tracing its origin and development. Then it gives an overview of biblical, SDA, and selected evangelical literature on reaching the secular mind. A six-session seminar was formulated utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint, to be conducted sometime in the near future.

Results

The results …

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 …

Preaching By Discovery: A Training Program To Help Lay Speakers Develop A Style Of Preaching That Motivates To Action, Michael A. Mnich

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Many Seventh-day Adventist congregants do not act upon the sermons they hear. Lay preachers often preach in small, rural, Seventh-day Adventist churches. This project sought to develop a six-hour seminar to train lay preachers to preach in a way that motivates hearers to action.

Method

A literature search was conducted on motivational principles in psychology, education, the Bible, and the writings of Ellen G. White. These principles were used to develop the Preaching by Discovery seminar, which was given to the lay preachers of three small rural Seventh-day Adventist churches in Kansas. After the six-hour weekend seminar, lay preachers …

Biblical Preaching And Church Growth : The Role Of Lectionary Preaching, David Theodore Grout

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Intentional Learning Experiences For Personal Spiritual Formation On Seminary Students, Carol M. Tasker

Dissertations

Problem. Many seminary students describe their time in seminary as a spiritual desert. Most Protestant seminaries do not provide spiritual formation classes for their students, thinking that such measures are unnecessary or inappropriate for theological education, or assuming that the church is the place for spiritual formation to take place. Nevertheless, pastors are expected to be spiritual leaders, and the pastor’s spirituality is ranked by laity as the highest priority needed by seminary graduates for effective church ministry. A literature survey of theological education shows that, in the last 150 years, students have consistently recognized their need for help …

A Longitudinal Study Of Seventh-Day Adventist Adolescents Through Young Adulthood Concerning Retention In Or Disaffiliation From The Church, Gyung Gu Kim

Dissertations

Problem. Why do some Seventh-day Adventist youth leave the church in North America? The proportion of the youth who disaffiliate themselves from the church is considered to be a problem of serious concern for parents, teachers, other religious educators, and the church itself. It was the purpose of this study to discover the relationships that may exist between youth retention in the church and other selected variables.

Method. The Ten-Year Youth Study of Youth Retention in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America furnished data for statistical analyses. Out of the 578 questions of the Ten-Year Youth Study, relevant items …