Practical Theology Commons^™

Transforming West Zambia Field Of Seventh-Day Adventists To Conference Status: A Case Study, Passmore Hachalinga

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Southern Africa-lndian Ocean Division (SID) experiences annua] baptized membership growth of 5-7 percent. This membership growth rate however has not resulted in church organizational self- support. Efforts implemented by the SID administration to bring local fields to the required level of self-support, or conference status, in a timely manner failed to yield expected results during the 2005-2010 periods. This study project seeks to address this challenge by conducting a case study of West Zambia Field of Seventh-day Adventists.

Method

An assessment was conducted in the West Zambia Field of Sev enth-day Adventists using …

Developing Relational Communities: An Evangelistic Approach To Non-Adventist Students At Solusi University, Herbert Ndlovu

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The purpose of this study was to determine how healthy relational communities contribute to membership growth and the retention of non-Adventist students at Solusi University. Some of the effects of current public evangelistic approaches and the loss of community spirit were studied. The challenge of nurturing a community of meaning and relationship at Solusi was also explored.

Method

A self-reported questionnaire was completed by both Adventist and non- Adventist students. In order to verify the results of the self-reported questionnaire, interviews were conducted with the church leadership, 10 church members, and 20 second and third year students.

Results

Analysis …

The Historical Reflection Of The Integration Of The Minority Groups Within The Adventist Church In Zimbabwe Between 1985 And 1994, Jonathan Tapera Nzuma

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The integration of minority groups into the mainstream of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zimbabwe has been resisted. In the power struggle that ensued, rooted in complex issues of multi-ethnicity and multiculturalism, the church has gone through a schism. Little reflective thought has been given to how this schism may have been avoided and how to address similar issues in the future, as well as seeking to embrace wounded members back into the larger Adventist Church.

The Method

A theological foundation was laid for this project by examining the biblical doctrine of unity in diversity as portrayed in both …

The Role Of The Pastor In A Multi-Church District In East Zimbabwe Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Robert Muzira

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Some Seventh-day Adventist Church members in Chiremba West District, Harare, East Zimbabwe Conference, complained that 1, the district pastor, was not ministering to them effectively. The district has a total of seven organized churches and a membership of 5.135 (E.Z.C. Church Membership Record Book, 2008). Despite the high membership, members' expectations are that I attend all family or church programs. The purpose of the project was to discover the professional role for the pastor in a multi-church district, and also to uncover the expectations that church members have of their pastor in a multi-church district. Defining those expectations enables …

Motivating And Training The Laity To Increase Their Involvement In Ministry In The Ouaga-Center Adventist Church In Burkina Faso, Boubakar Sanou

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem.

In many Christian religious circles, the subject of clergy and laity has received much attention because of a sharp distinction between them. In Africa, the laypeople are expected to give allegiance to the clergy and also to depend on them for spiritual guidance and help. Although the New Testament teaches the concepts of the priesthood of all believers (1 Pet 2:5, 9-10) and the priestly ministry of the church as the function of the total church membership, there is still a persistent tendency to create a dichotomy between clergy and laity. This practice clearly shows two classes of believers: …

Servant Leadership: A Strategy To Retain Human Capital In Malawi Union Health Institutions, Baxter Dickson Chilunga

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Statistically the Malawi Union and its institutions are showing a negative labour turnover for the past five years. The problem is very pronounced in the health institutions where there were 104 employees lost at Blantyre Adventist Hospital and 106 employees at Malamulo Hospital. This is a drop from 645 to 435.

Method

I identified the supervisors, heads of institutions and health employees in Blantyre Adventist Hospital and Malamulo Hospital, both unmarried and married employees. Data was collected from these employees concerning human capital turnover from 2004 to 2009 through questionnaires, workshops and interviews. The data concerning worker retention was …

Transforming The Devonshire Seventh-Day Adventist Church Into A Missional Community Through The Biblical Alignment Of The Church’S Spirituality, Passion And Ministries, Errol N. Mclean

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Churches experiencing plateau or even decline often arrive at that stage in their life cycle because they are no longer fulfilling the great commission. They have lost their spiritual vitality, vision, and a purpose for mission. The challenge is renewing in this context a vision for growth and a commitment to ministry to the lost. This project details how this challenge was responded to at the Devonshire Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Method. Identifying that the church was in the plateau stage of its life cycle was fundamental to approaching the problem. A theological foundation was established as a first step …

A Paradigm For Cell Church Ministry In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In South Korea, Won Moo Song

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Small group ministry, known as the cell church, was thought to be the best response to the slow growth of membership in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in South Korea. However, the attempt to develop effective cell church ministries has failed to attract new, or even current, members. Yet, there are three non-SDA churches that have had success in setting up model cell churches. The purpose of this study is to explore possible reasons for the failure, examine the successful programs, and identify those steps the Korean Adventist church could adopt in order to establish a positive paradigm for …

Implementation And Evaluation Of The Jesus Loves Jeans Initiative To Evangelize And Retain Youth For The Houston International Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Kendall Turcios

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Topic

The Houston International Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church has had significant challenges baptizing and retaining its youth. In the last five years, only a few youth have been baptized and nearly 50% no longer attend church. A primary contributing factor seems to be the lack of training to develop genuine biblical discipleship in the youth and young adults. Eims (1978) describes the process of discipleship as ―[taking a] person from the time of his conversion and helping him become a solid, dedicated, committed, fruitful, mature disciple who could in time repeat that process in the life of another‖ (p. …

A Curriculum To Equip Lay Pastoral Candidates For Service In The Pennsylvania Conference, James Richard Wibberding

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

During the first decade of the twenty-first century, Pennsylvania Conference leaders nurtured a desire for lay pastoral development. However, a cohesive training program did not emerge. Although lay training programs with other foci and the efforts of some local salaried pastors had produced a few lay pastors, a streamlined, accessible, principle-driven, and competency-based program was needed. With an increase in pastor to member responsibility of 64% from 1970 to 2005 and no growth in the number of churches in the same period, the creation of a training program was deemed to have missional import.

Method

An eleven-month curriculum was …

Seventh-Day Adventist Leadership Recruitment And Training Program For Basarwa In Botswana, Africa, Boitirelo Kabo

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Seventh- day Adventist church in Botswana, although being among the fastest growing churches in the country, has not been able to reach the Basarwa tribe since 1921. This is in spite of the church’s best effort. Among the contributing factors is the apparent failure by the church to develop a culturally relevant approach that considers the Basarwa unique lifestyle and a lack of Basarwa church leaders.

Methodology

Surveys were administered among the Basarwa in four districts to establish their awareness of the church and factors that hinder them from joining the church. Training on church leadership for the …

A Strategy To Mobilize Seventh-Day Adventists In Lusaka In Response To The Hiv/Aids Crisis, Harrington Simui Akombwa

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

While Zambia is rated the 7th country worst affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide, the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, an Faith Based Organization (FBO) well respected nationwide for its concern about people’s physical health because of its hospitals and clinics around the nation, is seemingly standing by doing close to nothing. What could be the problem?

Method

To uncover the possible causes of Adventists’ perceived noncommittal stance on the AIDS issue, a survey designed around a descriptive and exploratory social research model utilizing quantitative research techniques for data collection and analysis was conducted. The survey was conducted in 2 of the …

The Transformational Effects Of Forgiveness In The Lives Of Members Of The Kingsboro Temple Congregation, Joseph E. Ainsworth

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Forgiveness is a crucial need within the congregation, and the lack of a greater practice of forgiveness is severely impacting the emotional, relational, and spiritual wellbeing of members. This present study investigated causes of hurt within the congregation, and designed a process to assist members in achieving forgiveness to empower them to live a forgiven life.

Method

The Pearson Correlations of Values measured 17 variables of spirituality and forgiveness against variables of avoidance, revenge, distancing, and feeling close. The ] 7 variables were reviewed and validated by Dr. Joan Atwood as a check and balance to personal biases. Forty-eight …

The History Of The Emergence Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The State Of Manipur, India, Cornelius Kamei

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist church emerged in the state of Manipur, India, through a lay-led church planting movement. Currently, no written account exists of the early history of this work in Manipur. Today, the work in Manipur is clergy-dependent and growth in this region has stagnated. In order for the work to move forward successfully, there is a need to remember the early history of the work in this region.

Method

In the absence of earlier written works on the rise of Adventism in Manipur, oral sources were relied upon as primary sources for accuracy. The sources were gathered through …

A Program For Prevention And Intervention Of Compassion Fatigue And Burnout Among Pastors In The Guyana Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, David O. Mckenzie

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The membership of the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventist has surged to over 50,000 over the ten year period, 1997-2006; however, the professional Adventist clergy group has experienced a decrease over the same time period—from thirty-three to twenty-seven ministers (Guyana Conference of SDA Statistics). The ratio of clergy to laity is, thus, 1:1853, where it was previously 1:1039. Consequently, ministers in the Guyana Conference of SDA are likely to become victims of burnout—and its compassion fatigue form—as they encounter the demands of ministry.

Methods and Procedures

Following the case study method of qualitative research, the researcher utilized Eisner’s (1998) …

Developing Spiritual Formation And Mission Awareness In The Hill Portuguese Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Johannesburg, South Africa, Dilson M. Bezerra

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Between 1992 and 2007, the attendance of the Hill Portuguese Seventh-day Adventist Church has declined from 200 to 60 members and the church completely lost its sense of mission. This downturn requires investigation and study in order to reverse the situation. The project is an implementation of a program to revive the church in fellowship with God, and in action within the community. Further, Portuguese immigrant members display a tendency towards liberalism when removed from their native culture.

Method

An informal survey was created and administered to the church members in order to discover why membership had been declining …

Performance Evaluation Of Pastors In East Zimbabwe Conference, Douglas Mutanga

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

There has been no consistent and effective way of evaluating the performance of pastors in the East Zimbabwe Conference. In most cases the evaluating is only done for the purpose of identifying ordination candidates and is based only on quantifiable goals that include baptisms, tithe returns, and submission of reports. Due to the rapid growth of the church in terms of personnel, number of churches and membership, and the vast geographical territory, the need for an evaluation instrument is critical.

Method

The study was descriptive and designed around research questions that helped determine the job description of the pastor. …

Dual Allegiance And The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Africa: How To Address The Issue In An Open Dialogue In The West Central Africa Division, Gilbert Wari

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Africa in general, and the West-Central Africa Division in particular, has been facing the issue of dual allegiance or “split level Christianity.”

Method

The Bible, Spirit of Prophecy, and other related books and articles concerning the issue of dual allegiance were studied, then theological and religious-cultural data were analyzed, a strategy was put in place by using a Logframe Matrix and a Gantt Chart so as to address and deal with the issue from a biblical point of view.

Results

A spirit of dedication and commitment started manifesting itself among pastors, administrators, and church …

Developing Team Ministry Among Pastors And Elders In The Eastern Sector Of The Reunion Conference Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Johnson Andriamanalina Razafimamonjy

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In 2005, two of the churches in the eastern district of Reunion Island experienced severe conflict between the assigned pastor and elected local elders. The response of one church was the removal of its elders from their posts. In the other church, the church board expressed that they did not want the pastor. The result was minimal church growth during the two years that followed. The continuing confusion and conflict that has stymied the evangelistic potential of the congregations must be addressed in order to recover mission and witness.

Task

The task of this project is to develop and …

Desarrollo De Un Seminario De Predicación Para La Iglesia Adventista Del Séptimo Dia Hispana De Charlotte En Carolina Del Norte, Carlos Gerardo Molina

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

On September 27, 2008, the body of fourteen elders from the Charlotte Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church in North Carolina had a meeting where they indicated that it was necessary to develop a preaching seminar to prepare and train the twenty-three active preachers and church members willing to participate in such a program. These preachers had not had previous academic training or instruction on how to prepare and deliver sermons. This need, identified by the local church elders as urgent, provided the basis for the present D.Min. project.

Method

The procedure for the development of a preaching seminar took various …