Religion Commons^™

Lessons On Spiritual Growth And A Pilot Test Of Their Effectiveness, Delbert W. Dunavant

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

A congregation's primary expectation of their pastor is his/her ability to provide competent guidance in spiritual formation. My education never offered me a class in spiritual formation and this deficiency has not been eliminated since my formal theological education. Therefore, I felt inept when I tried to provide spiritual guidance.

Method

This study began first with the Bible and included literature on spiritual formation. The selected materials were summarized into seventeen lessons. The ii first eleven lessons explain the obstacles to spiritual formation, the holiness of God, and how Christians can experience holiness. The last six lessons explain the …

Strategy For Holy Week Incarnational Evangelism For The West Puerto Rico Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Efren Pagan

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Most of the people living in Puerto Rico claim or are claimed to be Catholics by the Catholic leadership of the Island. Most of them have only a form of religion, having lost sight of the power of Christ's religion. They need to be led back to Christ, even though they are unconscious of their situation or of their spiritual need.

Method

Each person is unique, but some characteristics are similar to most of the people in a specific group. Catholics constitute a large group in Puerto Rico. To reach them, one must understand them and approach them in …

Occupational Choice And Academic Planning In The Colombia-Venezuela Union Of Seventh-Day Adventists : A Needs Assessment, Leonardo Suescun Franco

Dissertations

Problem. In Colombia and Venezuela the number of students demanding higher education commonly surpasses the capacity of their educational systems. Furthermore, the academic programs may not match the occupational needs of the region. When academic planning occurs without systematic needs assessment, resources are wasted and graduates are ill prepared tor the labor market.

The Subjects. The subjects included senior high-school students attending SDA institutions, teachers serving those schools, the students’ parents/representatives, school and church administrators, and SDA members within Colombia and Venezuela.

The Method. A design for needs assessment was developed upon the implementation of a Data Flow …

Warren Eugene Howell, Seventh-Day Adventist Educational Administrator, John Francis Waters

Dissertations

Problem. Warren Eugene Howell served the Seventh-day Adventist educational system as an administrator and teacher for thirty-four years. He pioneered in two important Adventist educational institutions and led the General Conference Education Department during a critical period in the history of Seventh-day Adventist education. Notwithstanding Howell's contribution to Adventist education, no comprehensive study of his administration has been attempted.

Method. In this study a historical-documentary method of research has been used. Correspondence collections; minutes of boards, committees, and faculty meetings; church periodicals; transcripts of lectures; and miscellaneous archival materials have provided primary source materials. These sources may be found …

A Study Of The Religious Attitudes And Behaviors Of Seventh-Day Adventist Adolescents In North America Related To Their Family, Educational, And Church Backgrounds, Janet Leigh Kangas

Dissertations

Problem. Why are Seventh-day Adventist youth leaving the church in North America? This study, the first report of a 10-year longitudinal research project, sought to identify attitudes and behaviors of Adventist adolescents and examine possible correlations with the religious backgrounds and influences of their homes, churches, and schools.

Method. One church was randomly chosen for every 1,000 members within each local conference of the Seventh-day Adventist church in North America which totaled 695 congregations. Eventually 659 of the 695 church clerks responded, producing the names of 2,429 eligible baptized 15- and 16-year old youth. A questionnaire designed to report their …

A Study Of Group Attitudes Toward The Professional Status Of Teachers In Selected Adventist Elementary And Secondary Schools, Edward Joseph Kunitz

Dissertations

Problem. It was not known to what extent groups associated with Adventist education supported the professional role orientation of teaching which in turn affected the work behavior and morale of teachers.

Method. A Professional Role Orientation Scale (PROS) was responded to by 701 randomly selected subjects. The scale contained four criteria identifying professional aspects of teaching as a profession. Responses to the instrument were item weight analyzed and judged for point multiserial reliability before insertion into a BMDP statistical program. Four null hypotheses were tested using two-way ANOVA with the Scheffe test for multiple mean comparisons. Stepwise multiple regressions were …

The Problem Of Synoptic Relationships In The Development And Testing Of A Methodology For The Reconstruction Of The Matthean Community, Robert K. Mciver

Dissertations

Problem. The problem faced in this study was to discover a method of obtaining data concerning the Matthean community in a way that does not pre-suppose a solution to the problem of Synoptic relationships. To find such a methodology has become desirable because of the recent reopening of the question of Synoptic relationships.

Method. By comparing the Synoptic Gospels it is possible to detect patterns of differences between them. Particularly helpful is the material unique to the Gospel of Matthew. This is examined to discover the characteristic emphases of the Gospel. Further investigation showed that the sequences of events were …

Preparation And Practice Of Ministry : A Study Of Seventh-Day Adventist Ministerial Education In The Philippines, Crisolito Vasquez Dela Cruz

Dissertations

Background and purpose of the study. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the present undergraduate ministerial degree offered at Philippine Union College is able to prepare the ministry adequately to meet the demands in the North Philippines. This study surveyed the opinions of administrators/departmental directors, pastors, religion and seminary faculty, and selected laymen.

Methodology. Societal background and statistics of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Philippines were collected and organized from existing sources. Information concerning the graduates were obtained by aquestionnaire with two five-point scales. Data were analyzed and rankings were developed for levels …

Orthodoxy And Heresy In Hans Küng: An Analysis And Critique Of His Criteria And Norms Of Christian Truth And Error, C. Enrique Espinosa

Dissertations

This investigation deals with the concepts of orthodoxy and heresy in the thought of the Swiss theologian Hans Kung.

Chapter I sketches the broad outlines of the development of Christian orthodoxy and, by implication, of the heresy which opposed it, starting with the New Testament times. The most relevant elements constituting the structure of the orthodoxy-heresy antithesis are identified, described, and analyzed. The attention is thus focused on the traditional and modern principles, criteria, norms, and theological issues which have interplayed in the church's efforts to understand the Christian message correctly.

Chapter II shows that the pastoral concerns which constitute …

Ancestral Beliefs And Practices: A Program For Developing Christian Faith Among Adventists In Zimbabwe, Zebron Masukume Ncube

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Every Seventh-day Adventist pastor in Zimbabwe at one time or another has had to deal with a situation where church members consult their ancestors when threatened by sickness, death, misfortune, or a series of tragedies. The Adventist church correctly takes a strong stand against ancestral practices. Despite such a stand the ancestral practices have persisted among many Adventists. Paradoxically, while church members are given the correct teaching before baptism, many continue to regard the ancestors as the court of appeal in times of crisis. This study is undertaken to understand the nature of this traditional religion in order to …

Reaping The Harvest, P. Gerard Damsteegt

Faculty Publications

The reaping of the harvest through baptism is a highlight in the life of God's church. When the new Christian confirms his spiritual marriage to the Lord in baptism, we witness the outcome of a long, painstaking process wherein humans, as coworkers with God, have unselfishly worked to gain the victory over the devil. At the moment of reaping, we rejoice, exclaiming, "It was worth all the effort!"

Divine Judgments Warn Of The End, Samuele Bacchiocchi

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Is Christ's Coming Near?, Samuele Bacchiocchi

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of Deliverance In The Psalms: Messages Of Hope For Today, By Hans K. Larondelle, Richard M. Davidson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of Who Said Life Is Fair?: Job And The Problem Of Evil, By Jerry A. Gladson, Jacques R. Doukhan

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lesser Gods Of The Ancient Near East And Some Comparisons With Heavenly Beings Of The Old Testament, K. Merling Alomia

Dissertations

This study examines the concept and imagery of heavenly beings as they appear described and depicted in the texts and iconography of the Ancient Near East, and compares the variegated concept and imagery with the angelic realm in the Old Testament.

Utilizing motifs commonly repeated in the mytho-epic literature of the Fertile Crescent--such as the divine assembly and its diverse constituency, the protector gods, the messenger gods, the sons of the gods, the warrior gods, the demonic gods, etc.--the study exposes the diversity among heavenly beings and their place within the divine realm or the hierarchical pantheon. The study abounds …

A Program For Training In Personal Christian Witnessing To The Muslim Of Indonesia, Dumas Tambunan

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project was designed to develop a program of instruction for training layman in their personal Christian witnessing to the Muslims of Indonesia. The lay people involvement is very important at this time. Sharing Christian witnessing is a challenge to the lay people of Indonesia. They need to give their countrymen the good news of Jesus Christ. They need instruction to equip them for this great and rewarding service. The first chapter reviews passages from Scripture and from the writings of Ellen G. White about the functions of lay people in the church. The participation of the laity in the …

Designing And Implementing A Curriculum For Developing The Prayer Life Of The Piedmont Park Church Congregation, Frank Albert Tochterman

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

While prayer is vital to every aspect of the Christian life, both laity and clergy fail in its practice. This may be due, in part, to a lack of understanding its importance, potential, and meaning. A study of the nature of prayer reveals that its primary intent is communion with God, not merely the means of registering requests. The task of this project was to lead the members of the Piedmont Park Church into developing stronger habits of personal prayer. To achieve this objective, a curriculum was designed and implemented to communicate four aspects of prayer: importance, meaning, potential, …

A Biblical Preaching Strategy For The Ministers Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Central Dominican Conference, Ramon Araujo C.

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The problem of preaching in the Central Dominican Conference seems to be one of sermon content. Weaknesses in hermeneutical principles as well as rules applied to the biblical sermon can be detected. Even when preachers quote the Bible and try to explain the message, the biblical text is not properly discussed or explained. This situation results in poor sermon content. To correct this anomaly, this study provides a guide on Biblical Preaching to help the minister produce a better sermon to feed the church.

Method

In order to investigate the content of sermons and the principles applied to preaching …

A Program For "Caring Church Ministry" In The Eugene, Oregon, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Robert L. Heisler

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Caring Church Ministry is a strategy for church growth which was developed by the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. How that strategy might be implemented in the Eugene Seventh-day Adventist Church was the basic concern of this research project. How theology and management philosophy inform a caring church membership, how to implement a program involving the church membership, and dynamics of that church which favored or inhibited church growth were questions that had to be addressed.

Method

A theological investigation and an examination of contemporary concepts of caring in management literature form a basis for the study. Two …

Towards A Model Of Congregational Evangelistic Campaigns In The Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In West Germany, Ekkehardt Muller

Doctor of Ministry Projects

In the Western world it is a great challenge for churches to reach secular persons. This is true especially for West Germany where only an almost insignificant percentage of the population attends church regularly. Traditional methods to win people for Christ usually focus on this small percentage of people instead of on the vast majority of the unchurched people. Reaching the unchurched is a situation in which the laymen of the church are of special importance, for they are able to be in touch with persons clergymen will almost never reach. Thus laymen need to have a larger sphere of …

An Experiment In Ministering To Felt Needs Of A Small Church Through Contemporary Sabbath Services, Dwayne Toppenberg

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Jesus came to give fullness of life and yet people leave the church because of unsatisfying interpersonal relationships. It was the task of this project to measure the effects of Sabbath services upon the interpersonal relationships between church members.

Method

Ten Sabbath services were specifically designed to improve the interpersonal behaviors of inclusion, control, and openness, and to stimulate the interpersonal feelings of significance, competence, and love. The Schutz Measures instrument was administered before and after the ten services to determine whether these behaviors and feelings had improved.

Results

The scores on the Schutz instrument revealed that improvements were …

Allusions, Exegetical Method, And The Interpretation Of Revelation 8:7-12, Jon Paulien

Dissertations

This dissertation attempts to overcome a significant obstacle to the development of a comprehensive exegetical method that can enable an interpreter to unlock the meaning of such difficult apocalyptic passages as Rev 8:7-12.

The first chapter utilizes a survey of previous research to explore four issues whose resolution is vital to the interpretation of the book of Revelation: (1) the sources of the Apocalypse, (2) how the Revelator used them, (3) the language and text tradition of the Old Testament that he used, and (4) the nature and location of his allusions to earlier literature. The literature survey indicates that …

Correlations Between Old Aramaic Inscriptions And The Aramaic Section Of Daniel, Zdravko Stefanovic

Dissertations

Problem. In scholarly debates on the origin of DA, the corpus of OA texts has not received full attention. Thus, there is a lack of comparative studies between DA and OA. This type of study serves a twofold purpose: It contributes to providing an answer to the questions of origin of DA, and it provides fresh insights into both OA and DA.

Method. This study of OA texts has been organized into seven sections which pertain to the literary and linguistic character of every one of the inscriptions: Description, Nature, Structure, Vocabulary, Orthography and Phonology, Morphology, and Syntax. The discussion …

The Empirical Development Of A Curriculum To Train Sda Professional Youth Leaders, Steve Case

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to meet the need for SDA youth ministry training by empirically developing a curriculum to train church youth leaders.

Method. The instructional product development of Baker and Schutz (1971) was utilized for this research. After the need for the product was established, instructional specifications were established by means of behavioral objectives. Criteria for these objectives were rooted in current youth ministry literature. Strategies to promote affect were included.

The curriculum was prepared in the form of a weekend seminar. Mastery was set at 80% of the participants scoring at least 80% on each …

James White And The Development Of Seventh-Day Adventist Organization, 1844-1881, Andrew Gordon Mustard

Dissertations

The Seventh-day Adventist Church emerged from the Millerite movement of the 1840s. After the Disappointment of 1844 the unique features of Sabbatarian Adventism emerged--in particular, the seventh-day Sabbath and the ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary--and were consolidated among scattered groups of believers by the end of1848.

This study describes the development of Seventh-day Adventist organization between 1844 and 1881, examines its theological and biblical foundations, and evaluates the influence of James White, the leading figure in promoting church order.

Chapter I presents the aims and purposes of the work, the methodology followed, the sources considered, and a biographical …

The Vision Of Daniel 8 : Interpretations From 1700 To 1900, Samuel Núñez

Dissertations

This study attempts to trace the history of the interpretation of the vision of Dan 8, particularly its five animal symbols, the temporal phrase of the 2300 "evening-mornings," and three cultic expressions, from about 1700 to 1900. The main objective is to discover different interpretations, the exegetical and/or historical arguments that were offered, and the approaches that were used.

In the period 1700 to 1800, interpreters of the preterist and historicist schools were more involved in the interpretation of Dan 8 than any other school of interpretation. It was in this century that the traditional historicist view of the little …

Rationale And Suggested Program For Workshop On Congregational Singing For Use In Local Church Or District, Christopher Ederesinghe

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Congregational singing represents the part of corporate worship in which the entire group of worshipers present participates. It is therefore a vital and integral part of public worship. However, despite the availability of broad general guidelines at denominational level, these have not always been implemented in an effective manner at the level of the local church or pastoral district.

Method

This project report is presented in two parts. Part 1 comprises a position paper which which serves as the theo retical component of the project. This includes a biblical/ theological rationale for congregational singing, a denominational perspective, an historical …

Nurturing The Pastor's Spiritual Discipline Of Prayer Through The Dynamic Of Spiritual Direction, Derek John Morris

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Current research demonstrates that we cannot assume that seminarians have received sufficient guidance in spiritual formation prior to the completion of their Seminary training. Therefore, there is a great need to explore ways of nurturing spiritual formation for those involved in pastoral ministry. It was the purpose of this present study to explore the potential of spiritual direction as a dynamic for nurturing the pastor's spiritual discipline of prayer.

Method

A spiritual friend, who had received training in spiritual direction, was selected with guidance from Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. A twelve-month case study was established with the author …

A Study Of Creative Conflict Management And Christian Reconciliation With A Proposed Seminar For Seventh-Day Adventist Ministers In The Caribbean And West Indies Unions, Winston Anthony Richards

Doctor of Ministry Projects

An important field of expanding interest is the management of differences in the church. Changes have taken place which challenge the very existence and fibre of organizational structure and relationship growth in the church setting. There are several reasons for the increasing need for efficiency in the field of conflict management. One basic reason is the potential for dysfunctional and functional effects that conflict can have on any congregation. Adequate conflict management can prove to be a critical skill for the healthy management of differences. Consequently, potential and practicing ministers need special and continuing training in this field. It was …