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How To Have A Christ-Centered Youth Ministry In A Small Church Using Mentoring, Missions And Meetings, Kris R. Eckenroth

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

As of 2005, there was only one Seventh-day Adventist church within the Pennsylvania Conference that was providing consistent youth ministry. Many of the churches have seemed to have had difficulty finding individuals who have both the experience and the necessary training to lead a local church youth program. Due to the absence of local church youth ministry, the needs of the youth are being unmet and many are leaving the church.

Method

The method used to address this problem began in 2005. Training sessions were provided to potential leaders within the churches in the Pennsylvania Conference. There were five …

Recruiting And Equipping Postmodern Immigrant Youth Preachers In Emmaus, Christian Fellowship, And Community Tabernacle Seventh-Day Adventist Churches, Anthony L. Usher

Doctor of Ministry Projects

After spending over six years at Emmaus SDA church, on January 1, 2004, the author was assigned to Christian Fellowship SDA Church and Community Tabernacle Mission. He observed that the fierce shifting winds of postmodernism have fueled the retardation of youth evangelism. If the trajectory of this dreaded trend goes unchecked, youth preaching in these churches will spiral downward into the obscure corridors of oblivion. A relevant profile, as well as a specific demographic composition of all three congregations, enhanced the development of an empowering argument that potentially could reverse the momentum of this encroaching tide back to God’s side. …

Analisis De Razones Por Las Que Los Jovenes Abandonan La Iglesia Adventista Del Septimo Dia En Argentina, Jorge De Sousa Matias

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. A 65% of the new Church members in the Argentinian Union Conference (UA) are below 30 years old. However, 35% of them leave the Church annually. This generates the following question: what are the reasons by which such a high%age of young people leave the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDAC) in the UA?

Methodology. Three surveys were conducted. The first survey was applied to 146 distrital pastors, the second one to 319 young Adventist members, and the third one to 52 apostate young members.

Results. The pastors that answered the first survey recognized that they do not have a permanent …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Summer Day Camp In The Local Church As An Opportunity To Encourage Youth In Their Spiritual Growth, Church Identity, And Service, Michael J. Stevenson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Large amounts of time and effort are expended by youth directors in providing camp related opportunities for employment. It is widely hoped by these youth directors that the experience of being a camp staff person will increase spirituality among the staff, that it will strengthen their identification with the Seventh-day Adventist church, and that, in the future, these same staff members will desire more opportunities to serve in the mission of the church. The purpose of this project is to qualitatively study whether staff are affected positively or negatively in the ways mentioned above, by being staff members of …

Bringing Home Our Adventist Prodigals: A Strategic Plan To Reclaim Youth In The Trans-European Division, Paul David Tompkins

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist church is losing far too many of its young people. This trend is hurting the world-wide church, the local congregation, and individual families. Yet very little is being done about it! The purpose of this study is to address this issue and to specifically formulate a Strategic Plan for reclaiming inactive youth in the Trans-European Division (TED).

Method

The TED territory is extensive, covering over thirty-five countries, therefore, a local pilot project was conducted. This involved identifying young people who the local church listed as inactive, or non-attending, and then contacting them with a questionnaire as …

Strengthening Young Adult Chinese Adventists In Malaysia In Christian Living, Yat Yau Ang

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Progress of the gospel work among the Chinese in Malaysia has been slow. Church growth is insignificant. An important asset of the church—the young people— could be a driving force for church growth. Church leaders need to start a pilot training program catered to the needs of young people, especially helping them to grow in various aspects of their lives, and equipping them to do God’s work.

Method

An ethnographic approach will be used to review current literature including books, articles, interviews, and questionnaires. For the benefit of the Project Director, the Malaysian culture and the needs of young …

A Preaching Program To Instill Social Consciousness In African-American Churches In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, Willie Edward Hucks Ii

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In Adventist African-American churches in the Dallas/Fort Worth (D/FW), Texas, Metroplex, there has been a dearth of preaching to issues pertaining to social consciousness. This dearth is due to the utilization of preaching models that are incapable of addressing all the needs of African-Americans who are constantly buffeted by the stresses of life. The primary focus of preaching has traditionally been upon longterm salvation and spiritual formation, as opposed to community concerns—especially as they relate to preaching in the African-American communities of the D/FW Metroplex. As a result, many Blacks in this region are not being reached as effectively …

Revitalizing Youth Ministry: A Spiritual Strategy To Minister Effectively To The Millennial Generation, Gustavo Squarzon

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The number of young people dropping out of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has increased 50 percent in the last ten years. Fifty-seven percent of those who left indicated the primary reason was not doctrines or theological issues, but the lack of relevance of the church to their lifestyle, spiritual needs, and everyday challenges. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify the spiritual, emotional, and relational needs of a specific generation, such as the millennial; and to develop a biblical spiritual lifestyle strategy to help today’s churches to reach and effectively minister to the members of that generation.

Method …

A Model For Reaching African American Males In Southeast Atlanta With Seventh-Day Adventism, Ralph P. Peay

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Churches in America are on average 60-70 percent female. Attracting and integrating African American males into church life is a grave challenge. This study focuses on African American males in Southeast Atlanta and seeks to design a model for addressing their sociological and spiritual needs in anticipation of their accession into church membership.

Method

The setting for this study is the Atlanta Boulevard Seventh-day Adventist Church in Southeast Atlanta. The method employed in this project is an exploratory research approach that is designed to identify the social, economic, and other needs of African American males. In order to ascertain …

A Twenty-First-Century Approach To Empowering The Youth Of The Brooklyn Temple Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Newton Upanton Cleghorne

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In several churches in the Northeastern Conference and, in particular, the Brooklyn Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church, the adult membership has dominated the positions of leadership. Most of the potential youth leaders have painfully become spectators rather than players and leaders in the church. The goal of this dissertation, therefore, is to develop and implement a program to empower these youth through training, mentoring, positioning, and liberation.

The Method

Any theology that does not have a biblical foundation is suspect and, therefore, humanistic. A theology of youth ministry was developed within a biblical context. The intent of the study was …

Un Programa De Retención De Miembros En La Iglesia Adventista De Pueblo Nuevo, Solistahuacán, Chiapas, Moises Espinoza

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The goal of the Gospel Commission is to make disciples, not only to baptize them. Making a disciple out of a new convert requires the participation of the pastor and of mature church members. This results in the design and implementation of a program to retain members. The Bible emphasizes the retention of church members, using different Greek terms. The most common is mend. The Bible also presents examples of church leaders who affirmed the believers. Ellen G. White asks members and pastors to retain those who are new in the church. She suggests different methods. She speaks of the …

Un Estudio Sobre La Vida Espiritual De Los Jóvenes Adventistas En Tabasco, México, Ervin A. Gonzalez Esteban

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Bible gives great attention to youth. Important Bible characters acted under divine direction, leaving teachings regarding leadership and obedience. The biblical terms most used in reference to young people are na 'ar, a young man possessing strength and vigor, and neos, a person full of youth and inexperience. Paul advised Timothy: “Let no one despise thy youth” (1 Tim 4:12). John saw young people as being strong through the word of God and overcoming the wicked one (1 John 2:14). Research of young people shows that in today’s society, generations follow each other approximately every twenty years. Each one …

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

Doctor of Ministry Projects

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 …

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

Doctor of Ministry Projects

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 …

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

Doctor of Ministry Projects

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 …

Development Of A Series Of Bible Study Guides To Prepare Preteens For Baptism And Membership In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Francois J. Sarault

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

According to the 1992 Valuegenesis Study, a survey of Adventist youth in grades 7-12 showed that 77 percent wanted a deeper relationship with God, and 66 percent were interested or very interested in Bible study. Yet, an informal survey of existing materials created to lead SDA youth into a deeper relationship with Christ through Bible study, baptism into Christ, and active membership in the Adventist Church points to these existing materials as being inadequate in approach and content. Preparing preteens for baptism and active membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church must include something more than simplifying adult Bible studies …

A Church Growth Study Of The Chachkapi Church In Bihar State Of India, Manohar Kujur

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Chachkapi Church is the only growing church in its pastoral district. However, its growth is very slow. Adventism first came at Chachkapi in 1957 and by 1998 it had grown to 161 members. This shows its potential for growth. The church members are Oraon and the majority of the people who live around the area belong to the same community. Oraons were the first to accept Christianity in Chotanagpur South Bihar. Growth was by a people movement. According to present trends, churches among the Oraons are growing slower in comparison to the other tribals in Chotanagpur.

In an attempt to …

The Development Of A Worship Education Program, Neal Maynard Matson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has never developed a theology of worship. Therefore, the members are unacquainted with the biblical principles of worship. Too often their patterns of worship renewal are often influenced more by sociological factors and methodology than by theology. There is a definite need of a worship education program for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Method

A syllabus was produced for a seminar presentation on the biblical principles of worship. The seminar was presented over a thirteen-week period. Worship patterns of the College Place Village Church were discussed. A survey employed to discover members’ worship knowledge and preferences …

Developing Bible Lessons To Reach Hindu Youth, Roy Jemison Injety

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The large number of non-Adventist youth who attend Seventh-day Adventist schools have a limited exposure to biblical teachings and, therefore, are unable to make a decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Method

Bible study lessons were developed to provide youth with a more complete understanding of the Bible and lead them to take a decision for Christ. The lessons address issues relating to youth needs and topics that are common to the Hindu and Christian faiths. A survey questionnaire provided information about the needs, moral development, and Bible knowledge of the target group. A variety of teaching …

Development And Implementation Of A Youth Prayer Fellowship In Madras, Swamidass Johnson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Many youth in the Adventist Church in Madras do not participate regularly in church activities. Additionally they suffer from the effects of poverty, unemployment, and family tensions.

Task

The task of this dissertation was to develop a youth prayer fellowship that would address the problems of youth in the Madras Adventist Church.

Method

The biblical concept of prayer groups was studied to establish a basis for the prayer fellowship. In addition, the organization and effects of five Indian prayer fellowships were studied: Friends Missionary Prayer Band, Indian Evangelical Mission Prayer Fellowship, Christian Missionary Society Prayer Band, New Assembly Prayer …

Creative Bible Teaching For Seventh-Day Adventist Youth Ages 13-18, Michael Kwaku Owusu

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Studies regarding how adolescents learn have found that the traditional approach of teaching as information or knowledge to be passed on with an emphasis on the mastery of content is not very effective. In view of this, many Christian educators and youth ministry specialists recommend a shift from the traditional methods of teaching the Bible to creative ways of teaching with a focus on active student participation in the teaching-learning process, and on meaning of Bible truths.

Method

The method used to complete this project was a review of representative literature dealing with theories and concepts of teaching and …

Teamnet Ministries: An Empowerment Paradigm For Every-Member Ministry In The Hamlet Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Amelia, Ohio, Loren L. Fenton

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Hamlet Seventh-day Adventist Church, located near Amelia, Ohio, experienced a period of significant congregational decline during the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. Several contributing factors converged during this time frame to cause much discouragement and burn-out among the church members. Many left to join other congregations, or simply dropped out completely. Attendance dropped from the 120-150 range to an average of 35-40 at worship each Sabbath. By 1992 there was a serious leadership vacuum, coupled with a high level of mistrust, misunderstanding, and factional splintering permeating the church.

Method

In May 1992, I arrived as senior pastor for …

Strategic Church Planting In The Central Zimbabwe Conference: Towards A Paradigm Shift In Church Growth, Nkosiyabo Zvandasara

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

This dissertation focuses on church planting in the Central Zimbabwe Conference. While impressive results have been achieved in evangelizing the lower classes of the society, there has been meager success in reaching the upper classes of the Black community as well as the White, the Indian, and the Colored minorities. A strategic church-planting approach to church growth hopes to not only target the least promising population segments served by the Central Zimbabwe Conference, but also to increase the effectiveness of the other church methods currently being employed to reach the more responsive classes in that conference.

Method

A diachronic …

Reaching The Unchurched: An Evaluation Of And Recommendations For Florida Hospital Seventh-Day Adventist Church's Downtown Community, Raymond Andrew Mcdonald

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Task

The task of this project was to evaluate and make recommendations for the future of Downtown Community, the Florida Hospital Seventh-day Adventist Church’s contemporary, ongoing evangelistic ministry to reach the unchurched.

Method

After establishing the philosophical basis for the ministry, a careful review of the preparation for and initiation of Downtown Community was conducted. The effects of the ministry were ascertained by observations, focus groups, and surveys. In addition, comparisons were made with other area churches.

A number of unexpected effects from the ministry of Downtown Community were reviewed. This study is highly dependent on observations, testimonials, and opinions, …

A Strategy For Public Evangelism In Russia, Mikhail K. Morar

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

After Perestroika ushered in new opportunities for public evangelism in Russia, local and foreign evangelists have been baptizing thousands of new converts every year. The rapid growth resulting from these crusades has brought about new challenges. This study analyzes some of the challenges associated with public evangelism in Russia and suggests a strategy to improve the longterm results of these campaigns.

Method

A descriptive analysis of John Carter's 1992 evangelistic campaign in Nizhniy Novgorod city was conducted in order to suggest ways to improve long-term results from public campaigns. The strengths and weaknesses of evangelistic campaigns in Russia are …

Toward A Theology Of Youth Ministry And Its Praxis In The Local Church, Luis Fernando Ortiz

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In many Seventh-day Adventist churches in North America patterns of non involvement among the youth were observed. Young people were attending church on Sabbath, but almost none of them were leaders. The objective of this dissertation was to identify biblical principles for the development of a youth ministry in which leaders build responsible servant leaders and encourage young people to grow, learn, and use their gifts in Christian ministry.

Method

The Scriptures were searched for a biblical background for youth work and principles for successful youth involvement. The word “youth” was analyzed in the Old and New Testaments together …

Baby Boomers And The Church: A Seminar Towards Understanding, Gary E. Russell

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. As one looks at the membership of the Seventh-day Adventist church today, it is apparent that a large segment of the baby-boom generation, those people born from 1946 to 1964 inclusively, is missing. This study was done to determine what can be done by the church to reclaim and/or evangelize baby boomers.

Method. A study of the literature provided material used to gain a general understanding of the baby-boom generation. A survey was conducted of the graduating classes of Adelphian and Cedar Lake academies for the years 1967 and 1968. The results of this survey provided insights into an …

A Design For The Establishment Of A Resource Center For Pastoral Skills Development In The Carolina Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists: Based Upon A Pastoral Skills Needs Inventory, Ralph Arthur Hollenbeck

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The drop-out rate for pastors is and has been alarming. One reason for pastors leaving the ministry is their lack of opportunity and the knowledge of knowing where and how to enhance their pastoral skills. The objective of this project is to develop a design for the implementation of a resource center for pastoral skills development based upon a pastoral skills needs inventory.

Method

Methods used in this project varied. A research of literature was conducted. A personal interview with Mark Rouch resulted in the possession of the mailing list of the "Society for the Advancement of Continuing Education …

A Needs Assessment Of A Continuing Education Program For Korean Pastors In The North American Division Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Kei Hoon Shin

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Continuing education for NAD Korean SDA pastors' ministry has been conducted since 1981. To make this continuing education program relevant a needs assessment was necessary. This study attempted to assess the specific needs of Korean pastors in knowledge and professional skills. Method All Korean SDA pastors in the NAD were included. Data were gathered through a written questionnaire. A graphic comparison method and other complementary instruments were adopted in terms of a discrepancy model.

Results

Among ten general subject-matter areas, the results from the survey show the area of biblical knowledge as most in need of continuing education. This …

Practical Guidelines For Supervisors And Interns Within A Biblical Perspective Of Ministry, Mendel Reid

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The purpose of this project is to develop a program to guide ministers in the task of supervision and training of Seventh-day Adventist ministerial interns in the West Indies Union of Seventh-day Adventists. The project will deal with issues relating to the "apprenticeship" model rather than the "supervisory" model. While the latter does in some instances justify priority over the former, the present lack of resources and personnel and the average number of churches comprising a pastoral circuit could not make this program workable at this point in time; nor could it meet the most urgent needs of the territory.