Digital Commons Network^™

God, Others, And Ourselves - The Stories We Tell And The Meaning We Make: A Narrative Approach To Adventist Mission In The South England Conference Of The British Union Conference, United Kingdom, Wayne B. Erasmus

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

A disconnect exists between the Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and its wider context as evidenced through the reduced number of accessions coming from the majority population and from second, third, and subsequent migrant generations. This present study was to propose and trial a worldview awareness training experience.

Method

A Six Conversation journey experience was devised and presented over a six-week period in the summer of 2021 via Zoom, in line with adaptations due to the COVID pandemic. Volunteer Adventist participants would explore their individual and collective meaning and identity narratives, grow awareness and understanding of other such …

Leadership Strategy For Sustaining Mission-Focused Vision In Years Seven To Ten Of Crosswalk Fellowship, Boyan Levterov

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In January 2007, my wife and I led a core team of passionate Christian believers to start Crosswalk Fellowship as a parachute church plant. The plant was a part of the local Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventist church planting initiative. The project had a successful start and reached the high standards to qualify for church status in the Texas Conference in less than one and a half years. Crosswalk continued to experience steady growth during the first five years of existence; However, in year five, people escaping crises happening simultaneously in the other two existing English Seventh-day Adventist churches …

A Strategy To Reach Families With Children In Calgary, Alberta, Ghenadie Girleanu

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

During the last decade, Calgary Central Church has not been intentionally involved in reaching families with children. They have done many different types of evangelism and community outreach programs but nothing to attract this specific segment of the population. With a large number of unreached families with children in the community, the need for a specific outreach project like this was obvious.

Method

A 12-week program to reach families with children was developed and implemented during 2016-2017. The approach of this project was to reach the parents by reaching their children first. For this purpose, Kids' Discipleship Club was …

Educating Calvary Baptist Church, Asheville, Nc, On The Value Of Following The Christian Year As A Means For Spiritual Renewal Through Worship, Jeffrey C. Hayes

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project introduced the spiritual value of following the Christian year in worship. Through a series of sermons and study lessons that focused on eight major seasons (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time), participants were exposed to the history and spiritual purpose of each, respectively. Two surveys were administered, along with weekly evaluations, and interviews, to measure the project’s effectiveness. The desired outcome was a greater degree of knowledge and interest in worshipping through the Christian year. According to the final analysis, increased understanding, spiritual growth, and desire to worship through the Christian year did …

Reducing Pastor-Dependency In The New Market Seventh-Day Adventist Church Through Self-Managed Ministry Teams, Shane N. Anderson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Between 2004 and 2015, members of the New Market Seventh-day Adventist Church independently—that is, apart from the pastoral staff—initiated only a handful of new ministries (either for in-reach or outreach) and only occasionally attempted to substantially improve existing ministries. This stunted the church’s ability to reach, baptize, and mature new members. Two professional assessments of the church indicated that this problem was caused largely by an unhealthy dependence on the pastoral staff to make the majority of substantive ministry decisions.

Method

Self-managed ministry teams were implemented into a significant portion of the church over a period of 18 months …

Developing A Strategy For Mobilizing Ministry On Behalf Of The Community Of Lilongwe, Malawi, Gladson Thumbalamoto

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Statement of the Problem

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world with over half of the population living below the poverty line (Fekete et al., 2007). The country has had a Seventh-day Adventist presence for the last 100 years. Although the Adventist Disaster and Relief Agency (ADRA) is addressing hunger in Malawi, there is a need for church congregations to do something at a local level to combat poverty, HIV/AIDS, disease, and hunger which are all rampant (Pembrey, 2010b). Lilongwe is the headquarters of many aid agencies but the worst symptoms of poverty exist within the city …

Building Authentic Biblical Community At The Pine Forge Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Gary I. Banks

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

A spirit of division at the Pine Forge Seventh-day Adventist Church is adversely affecting its ability to agree on mission and ministry focus.

Method

Over the course of 12 months, an investigation of the source of division was conducted through pastoral observation, surveys of the adult members, and a focus group of pastors of churches on boarding academy campuses. The data from the focus group and surveys was compared to that of the Pine Forge Seventh-day Adventist church. A Bible study series on building authentic biblical community was also conducted that taught biblical principles focusing on putting aside differences …

Priesthood Of All Believers: A Catalyst For Change In The Ephraim Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Reginald R. Barthelemy

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The Ephraim Seventh-day Adventist Church has experienced a significant declined over the last seven years. Nearly half of the membership was missing; however, one of the main reasons for this decline is the fact that church members failed to understand their calling to ministry and as a result they failed to assume their responsibility as disciples.

Method. A series of six seminars were given. The participants were taught the concept of the priesthood of all believers, the duty, and the responsibility of a disciple. Pre- and post-seminar surveys were administered by the researcher to measure understanding and growth acquired …

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. …

Development Of An Evangelism Model For The Silver Springs Shores Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Creaton Leopold Francis

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

From 1994 to 2003, the Silver Springs Shores Seventh-day Adventist Church in Florida had difficulty attracting and retaining members despite yearly evangelistic crusades and other efforts at soul winning. The purpose of this project was to develop and introduce a plan designed in response to this challenge, one tailored toward the specific needs of the Silver Springs Shores Church.

Method

In order to develop a model that would specifically address the needs of Silver Springs Shores Seventh-day Adventist Church, a thorough demographic study of the local community was conducted. The project entailed a feasibility study of the community and …

A Contextual Analysis Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Norway, With Suggestions For Renewal And Growth, Kjell Aune

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Since 1979, when the membership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway peaked, the membership has declined. There are underlying, complex reasons. This project seeks the underlying causes for the decline, and suggests possible solutions.

Method

The study begins by establishing a theological basis for ministry. Norwegian society is then analyzed demographically followed by an analysis of the Adventist Church in Norway, that includes a historical and organizational analysis, a review of the database material for the Adventist Church in Norway, and by four questionnaires designed for (1) Active members, (2) Pastors, (3) Former members, and (4) Young non-Adventists …

The Process And Adaptation Of The Ministries Of The Wausau Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The Postmodern Matrix To Those Born After 1964, William Shelby Bossert

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. It was apparent to many of the Wausau Seventh-day Adventist Church members, as well as the pastor, that there was an apparent lack or minimal level of participation of young adults (ages 17-35) in the life of the church. It was the strong desire of the pastor and many of the members of the congregation to be inclusive of young adults, provide ministries for and by them, and to foster an environment for them to he able to grow in a deeper relationship with Jesus. It was evident that the current practice and ministry levels at the church were …

Estrategia Para Plantar Una Iglesia En Puebla, México, Moises Reyna Sanchez

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Church planting is one of the basic tasks to which God has called his disciples. The gospel commission of Matt 28:19, 20 implicitly calls for church planting. This dissertation presents biblical and theological foundations for church planting. In addition, it explores the writings of current authors, looking for appropriate church planting strategies. Success in church planting is achieved by applying certain strategies. These include having a clear vision of what God expects, completing a demographic study of the chosen location, pinpointing the place where the new congregation will begin, form the founding group and training them, having the first meetings, …

A Strategy For Reaching Secular People, Ernan Alpin Norman

Doctor of Ministry Projects

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

Doctor of Ministry Projects

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 …

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

Doctor of Ministry Projects

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 …

A Training Program For Grief Ministry For Singapore Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors, Chor Kiat Sim

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Many Seventh-day Adventist church pastors in Singapore are not trained in grief ministry. This results in some pastors who are insensitive to the grieving. Consequently, theirs and many church members' grief has been unresolved. This study was undertaken to develop a holistic pastoral perspective regarding grief and to compose a training program in grief ministry that will help pastors understand their own grief dynamics and that of their parishioners.

Method

This project attempts to present the principles of grief ministry through the following dimensions: (1) Singapore's need of grief ministry in the midst of socioeconomic development; (2) the study …

Archaeology, The Ancient World, And The Bible: An Integrated Evangelistic Approach, Franke Jon Zollman

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Recent studies of the Seventh-day Adventist church have revealed that there are several large segments of society in the United States that are not present in the church in large numbers. Among them are groups of people who have attained high socioeconomic levels and above average educational levels. Many of the people who live in the Chestnut Hill section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are in these groups. Traditional Adventist evangelistic methods have not attracted them. This project sought to develop an archaeologically based evangelistic approach that would attract people with similar characteristics.

Method. A series of twenty …

Analysis And Evaluation Of The Ministry Of The Hamilton Community Church To The Unchurched, Mark C. Bresee

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. During my first eight years in the ministry I was troubled that members did not feel comfortable inviting unchurched seekers to our weekend worship services. I was concerned about the fact that most churches, including mine, were not reaching the unchurched.

Method. In 1990 I attended a Pastor’s Conference at the Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago, Illinois, where I learned how their philosophy and strategy for ministry had resulted in great success in reaching the unchurched. In September of 1991 we planted the Hamilton Community Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee using some of the philosophy and strategy of the …

A Strategy For Lay Involvement In Urban Evangelism And Geographical Advance In The Territory Of The North Mexican Union Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Mexico, David Velazquez

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Global Mission thrust initiated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) in 1990 envisions a specific length of time for all the world to be covered with the SDA message. An important challenge of Global Mission is reaching the inhabitants of the cities. This project report contains a strategy for lay involvement in urban evangelism.

Part One of this project attempts to provide a theoretical framework by developing a theological perspective of the city, as shown in four areas:

1. An analysis of the phenomenon of urban growth around the world, as well as in Latin America and Mexico is …

Comparing Audience Perceptions Of Constructs Presented Expositorily With Those Presented Topically When The Same Method Of Bible Study Is Used, Rollin Laverne Shoemaker

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

As the literature shows, every preacher needs to develop his own guidelines for presentation of theological constructs (preaching). The literature also shows the importance of the letter to the Galatians for the church, especially during and since the Reformation. Thus, this study attempts to compare audience perceptions of theological constructs (derived from my study of Galatians) presented expositorily with those presented topically when the same guidelines are used.

Method

This study was undertaken to: (1) develop guidelines for exegesis, that would be useful for preaching, starting with the Greek text, (2) develop guidelines for audience and community analysis, (3) …

Developing And Implementing A Training Program In Public Evangelism: For Lay Members Of The Hispanic Seventh-Day Adventist Churches Of The Wisconsin Conference, Miled Modad

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. A need for increased involvement and training in public evangelism of the Hispanics Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Wisconsin prompts one to discover different methods and ways by which laity could be educated and well-equipped to fulfill their ministry. Many programs for training laity for evangelism have been activated in Latin America, but the notably different cultural conditions of North America suggest that Hispanic people familiar with Latin American programs may need retraining if they are to be effectively Involved in evangelistic work in Wisconsin.

Method. A training program in public evangelism was designed and implemented for a selected group …

Toward The Development Of A Church Planting Strategy For The Local Seventh-Day Adventist Church In North America, Larry R. Evans

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Historically the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been a mission-oriented movement. In harmony with this emphasis church planting is beginning to gain a higher p rio rity in some parts of North America. Very little evidence has been gathered, however, which supports this practice as being an effective means of evangelism. Furthermore, v irtu a lly no guidance has been offered to local SDA churches explaining why church planting should be considered or how it should be accomplished.

Empirical data are gathered from various denominations, including the Adventist denomination, regarding the relationship of new church development and membership growth. With positive …

The Introduction Of Management By Objectives Into The Buchanan, Michigan, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Oliver Lawrence Johnston Sr.

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The most urgent concern of the twentieth-century church is building an effective working team composed of pastor and laymen (or lay people) that will be responsive to the commission of carrying the gospel to the world. Methods must be discovered so that intentional pastors can help bring intentional congregations into being. In the context of management by objectives, self-assessment and goal setting may be the means by which intentional congregations are created. If this is true, the pastor needs to know how to apply the concept of management by objectives to his ministry.

To develop guidelines for the introduction of …