Practical Theology Commons^™

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. …

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 …

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 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 …

Intercultural Faith-Based Mentoring Of Helderberg College Students, South Africa, Edward A. Appollis

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Many of the students of Helderberg College do not utilize the mentoring program fully and staff members lack the time and training for doing faith-based mentoring. Additionally, both staff and students have expressed the challenges that arise from a mentor-mentee relationship which is often intercultural.

Method

A mixed methodology study using the following instruments with two populations of Helderberg College: a survey-questionnaire by 93 fulltime registered student mentees present at a weekly assembly (3rd Nov. 2008); and a survey-questionnaire by 28 mentoring staff (4th Nov. 2008). Further, 6 interviews with mentors on 29th July- 3rd Aug. 2009 and 10 …

The Development Of Leadership Competencies For Children And Youth For Implementation In Pathfinder Club, Hyungsik Ju

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Children and youth members in the Korean Adventist church have been steadily decreasing in numbers. Although there are many causes, the most serious problem is a lack of leadership development training for children and youth. And then, the lack of a leadership program for young people not only fails to promote an evangelistic passion, but also causes a deficit of training for future church leaders. In this sense, various leadership competencies should be applied and developed in order to nurture young people spiritually.

Method

Library research, a theological analysis, a contextual analysis of South Korea and the Korean Adventist …

Developing And Implementing A Team Leadership Approach At The Alpha Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Gordon S. Jones

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Church life is not confined to a single or normative approach to leadership. Leadership must be decisively contextual The perennial challenge is developing, implementing, and practicing appropriate leadership. This project reports how this challenge was addressed at the Alpha Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Method

Cultural shift was fundamental to this challenge. The first step towards this transformation was establishing a theological and academic foundation. Next, four distinct phases were identified and employed in developing and implementing a team leadership approach for the Alpha Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Result

The project concluded with an evaluation instrument, which suggests that the new approach …

Assessing Retention Patterns And Implementing Strategies For Membership Retention In The Zimbabwe Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Richard Sithole

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

This research project has investigated, identified, and assessed member retention patterns of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zimbabwe, an entity usually referred to as the Zimbabwe Union Conference (ZUC). What prompted the research are two quinquenial reports (1998-2002; 2003-2007) which, as will be seen, show high baptisms as well as high membership losses (see Appendix B). Findings were made through surveys and questionnaires to pastors, elders, members, and former members; the researcher then designed an intervention program which was tried in two churches which were fast growing and at the same time poor in retention. The program was deliberate, …

Developing And Implementing A Program To Retain Adventist Clergy In The Botswana Union, Paminus Machamire

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The membership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Botswana has been growing at an average rate of 6% annually in the past ten years. Conversely over the same period of time the Botswana Union has been losing pastors at an average rate of 2% per year. Although members continue to increase they lack pastoral leadership.

Method

I used a mixed methodology to conduct a survey on former and frontline pastors, spouses and children of former and frontline pastors, union and conference officers. One group filled questionnaires independently and the other filled them under my supervision. I conducted some of …

Mentoring And Coaching Executive Secretaries In The Zimbabwe Union: A Strategy For Change, Solomon Maphosa

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Southern Africa Indian Ocean Division (SID) has never developed or implemented a program for coaching and mentoring newly elected leaders at any administrative level—division, union, or conference. Newly elected officers report personal and professional frustration as a result. It is reasonable to infer this has contributed to new leaders facing difficulty in delivering expected performance on the job, effecting their careers and service to the community of believers.

Methodology

The study followed the qualitative research paradigm. Qualitative research became a method of choice because it is descriptive in nature and it provides the researcher with the opportunity to …

Formation Of A Widows' Association: Empowering Women In The Local Church In The Kabwe East And West Districts Of The Central Zambia Conferance, Lubinda Ngenda

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The failure to meet the basic needs of life for the many widowed women in Kabwe East and West Mission District of the Adventist Church has affected the faith of widows in God’s ability to help them meet their physical needs and has eroded their confidence in the ability of the local church to help, as well as the genuineness of purpose the local church has in helping its needy members. The many widowed women in this region of Zambia, represented as 50% by some researchers, make responding to the problem urgent.

Method

Literature on leadership and community efforts …

Development Of An Action Plan To Transform The Erwin Hills Seventh-Day Adventist Church Into A Family-Friendly Church For The Purpose Of Winning Families With Youth And Children, Eli Rojas

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Through a period of a few years the Erwin Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church went from a thriving congregation with members of all ages to a small group of faithful members who desired to see the return of the days when their church was thriving. As the new pastor took office a desire to change came upon the leadership, one that led them to think of ways to attract and retain families to their ranks. There was a lack in ministry that was inclusive of all the members of a household and thus unattractive to new members with young adults …

Creating A Culture Of Community Involvement In The Adventist Church In Gugulethu Township, South Africa, Jongimpi Papu

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Most Adventist churches in South Africa live in isolation from their communities. Christianity in general and Adventism in particular are becoming irrelevant to the needs of the church, with serious implications for church growth.

Methodology

Tembalethu Adventist church in Gugulethu Township in South Africa was used to pilot a community services program by adopting a school nearby. A mixed approach of both qualitative and quantitative methods was used. This consisted of structured interviews, both personal and by telephone, and questionnaires. An analysis of a government census was also done.

Results

Tembalethu started an after-care program which was attended by …

Stewardship Patterns In The North Katanga Field Of East Congo: Implications For Leadership, Mutombe N'Gili-Muloko

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (GC) has reduced funding in terms of the appropriation to the lower entities. The GC has encouraged all organizations to reduce debts and manage their income more effectively. This project was formulated to determine to what extent the North Katanga Field (NKF) can increase its tithes and manage its income adequately. From 1999 to 2003 tithe decreased in the NKF when at the same time it increased in the North-East Congo (NECAT) areas and these regions were compared.

Method

Substantial written materials from specialists were used to find strategies for tithe …

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 …

A Strategy For Effective Youth Ministry In The Bantama Seventh-Day Adventist Church Ghana, Kofi Opoku Acheampong

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Young people comprise two-thirds of the 1,500 members of the Bantama I Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ghana. Despite a continuing increase in the number of young people, only a few of them attend youth activities. It appears that there may be a lack of formal programming or clear directions for youth ministry in the church. The result is a lack of spiritual connections between the youth and the church. In addition, there are behavioral problems among the young people when they are left to their own activities; consequently, parents are not allowing their children to attend youth-initiated activities, resulting …

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 …

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 …