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The Challenges Of Emancipatory Theological Education For Churches In The Third World, Nestor C. Rilloma

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

A Strategy For Pastors To Mobilize And Equip Lay Members For Evangelism In Tanzania, Herry Mhando

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist church membership in Tanzania is only over 200,000 while the population is more than 32 million. There is a need of a strategy to reach these millions with the gospel. Second, there are about 250 pastors, each taking care of an average of six to ten churches. This heavy pastoral responsibility makes it difficult for them to fulfill their evangelistic responsibilities. The only solution appears to be motivation and equipping of the lay members for evangelism.

Method. With the help of biblical resources and selected literature on the subject, this project focuses on the theology, theories, …

Syncretism, Erich Baumgartner

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Seventh-Day Adventist Understanding Of The Church And Its Mission, Viesturs Rekis

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The purpose of this study is to investigate the biblical background of the Christian church and its mission, in order to better understand the implications for Adventist mission in the Baltic countries. This study is intended to equip ministerial students with basic knowledge and to stimulate further studies of the church and its mission. Implications are drawn from the findings of the investigation to stimulate the mission of the church in the Baltic Union Conference.

The first part of the dissertation deals with the origins, nature, and functions of the Christian church within a biblical and theological perspective. Consideration of …

A Suggested Methodology For Establishing Evangelistic Contact With The Upper Classes In Jamaica, Denton W. Rhone

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist Church was established in Jamaica in 1903. Since then, the church has grown with membership totalling 162,831 by 1995. In 1995, there were 2,500,000 inhabitants in Jamaica, with 1 in 15 claiming to be a Seventh-day Adventist. Jamaicans can be divided into nine social classes; the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been successful in reaching mainly two of these classes, the poor and the lower-middle. Presently the SDA Church and the upper classes are insulated from each other. This dissertation suggests an approach to establish contact with the upper classes so that they can be reached with …

Understanding And Dealing With Ancestral Practices In Botswana, Stanley P. Chikwekwe

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Ancestral and other traditional practices continue to trouble the Seventh-day Adventist Church in several parts of the world. It is not uncommon for believers to seek ancestors' mediation whenever they are faced with problems. Most church members deny that ancestral and other traditional practices exist within the church, whereas others do not want to discuss the issue o f traditional practices because of fear of being labeled superstitious. The denial is due to the way the church has handled ancestral practices in the past. Because most members do not know what to do when problems come, they revert to …

Understanding The Folk Islam Of The Dagbani-Speaking People: A Prerequisite To Evangelism In North Ghana, Sampson Kenneth Twumasi

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. At the beginning of this century Islam was confined to some geographical areas in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Dr. Samuel Zwemer in his writings claimed that Islam was a dying religion because it had within it “the germs of death." This claim is no longer valid as Islam has experienced a resurgence and grown proportionately well in other parts of the world. Islam, along with animism, has gained roots in Africa, especially in North and West Africa. Both religions have grown tremendously among some of the people groups in North Ghana where Islam is mixed with hundreds of superstitions …

Strategy To Evangelize The Ahanta Middle Class, Andrews Laurence Ewoo

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Seventh-day Adventist Church appears to have grown dramatically in Ghana. Of the four fields in Ghana, the Central Ghana Conference was organized in 1933 and has a membership of 88,380. The South Ghana Conference, organized in 1987, has a membership of 38,573. The North Ghana Mission, organized in 1968, has a membership of 157,532, Ahantas form 1.9 percent. Not even 5 percent of the total union membership is of the middle class who control the economy of the country.

This Doctor of Ministry dissertation suggests a Sequence Evangelism Seminar as a viable strategy for reaching the rich Ahanta middle …

The Establishment Of Asi Chapters In Tanzania, Israel Mangore Magesa

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Statement of Project. The purposes of this project were first, to study the multifaceted aspects and the importance of ASI (Association of Privately Owned Seventh-day Adventist Services and Industries) in the United States of America, and second, to develop an approach for the establishment of ASI chapters in the Tanzania Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists.

Method. To accomplish the above purposes, primary sources of information were consulted, such as a survey of ASI and other relevant literature including ASI audio and video tapes in order to discover the historical background and cultural setting of ASI. The development of the self-supporting …

Ashram: A Contextualized Model For Discipling The Hindus Of Tamil Nadu, Poovelingam R. Solomon

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. "Make disciples of all nations" is the commission Christ gave His disciples before His ascension. In obedience to this command, the gospel has been preached in India since the arrival of Apostle Thomas in A.D. 51. For the past four hundred years Christian missionaries have tried various methods to reach the Hindus, with little success. According to a recent census, 82.64 percent of the population of India still remains Hindu, with only 2.43 percent adhering to Christianity. Therefore, discipling Hindus still remains a great challenge to the Church in India. The institutional and social-gospel approaches followed by Christian missionaries …

Validation Of Goals For Pre-Departure Missionary Orientation, Donna M. Worley

Dissertations

Problem

Cross-cultural orientation programs facilitate missionary preparedness. Orientation is more effective if driven by valid and suitable goals determined before methods are selected and programs implemented. This study attempted to identify valid goals for pre-departure programs and develop a framework for selecting them.

Method

The goals of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Institute for World Mission (IWM) were selected for validation. IWM is a 4-6 week pre-departure orientation program that started in 1966 and had effectively prepared 2,500+ cross-cultural missionaries by 1993. Their goals are broad areas suitable for establishing sub-goals and objectives. The validation process comprised four phases: identification and …

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Latin America And The Caribbean [Review] / Floyd Greenleaf., Alberto R. Timm

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review

Book Review Of The Problem Of Poverty, By Abraham Kuyper; Edited And Introduced By James W. Skillen, Miroslav Kis

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Seventh-Day Adventist Tentmakers--The Key To Evangelizing Restricted-Access Countries And Unentered Areas, Stenio Gungadoo

Doctor of Ministry Projects

In 1990, the Seventh-day Adventist Church set itself the goal of establishing a presence in each of the 2,313 unentered population segments of one million people. This task, which it intends to finish by the year 2000, constitutes a great challenge that can be met on the condition that the right approach is used. This project report suggests tentmaking as a viable strategy for reaching that goal.

Part One of this project lays the foundation for the involvement of lay people in tentmaking ministries by analyzing:

1. The gospel commission in biblical and theological perspectives

2. The biblical and theological …

A Training Program In Pastoral Responsibilities For Church Elders In Lusaka, Zambia, Pardon Kandanga Mwansa

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Elders in Lusaka mission districts, Zambia, perform pastoral duties because there are only four paid pastors in charge of over 35 organized churches and 20 companies. This presents a problem because the elders have no training in these tasks.

Method. In this study a theological basis for lay participation in ministry was developed. A biblical study of the duties of church elders was pursued to ascertain the qualifications and duties of elders. A Seventh-day Adventist perspective on the duties and qualifications of elders was studied. A survey was conducted in Lusaka to find out from the pastors and the …

A Doctrinal Training Program Adapted To The Current Chinese Setting, Robert C. Wong

Doctor of Ministry Projects

China is a country with the largest population and second largest territory in the world. During the past millenniums she has not had a considerable Christian background, but was strongly influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. In addition, from 1949 to 1990, atheism and evolutionism have been rampant under the Communist regime. By God’s grace and power, and through His faithful children’s witness, the Chinese church (including the SDA church), though experiencing severe trials, has not only survived but thrived. Church membership has increased dramatically.

The future of 200,000 SDAs and the progress of the Three Angels’ Messages in modem …

James Malinki Of Malawi: Church Leader In Cross-Cultural Ministry, Jaspine D. Bilima

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist Church was established in malawi at the turn of the century (1902). Since then, stalwart Malawian workers have made immeasurable contributions to the development, growth, and expansion of the church in Malawi and the neighboring countries of Zambia, Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Rwanda, and South Africa. James Malinki was probably the most outstanding early cross-cultural worker in the Adventist Church in Central Africa. As yet there has been no significant written account of his life and ministry.

Topic. This study examined the life and work of James Malinki of Malawi (1893-1982), whose ministry of nearly …

Polygamy In The Bible With Implications For Seventh-Day Adventist Missiology, Ron Du Preez

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem Polygamy, or marriage to more than one spouse at the same time, is a worldwide practice that still affects the lives of many people. As such it must be given serious attention by any Christian group involved in mission work. As a denomination with a global mission emphasis, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is often confronted with the issue of polygamy. The question as to how these practicing polygamists should be treated must be approached from a biblical perspective.

Method Accepting the Bible as the authoritative revelation of the will of God, this project set out to make a hermeneutically …

A Discipleship Strategy For The Local Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In Korea, Un Bae Kim

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. An evaluation of my past ministry in Korea revealed that there is a tremendous need for change in the role of the laity in fulfillment of the gospel commission. The issue of the layperson is emerging as an important matter of concern for the church in Korea today. This project was to examine the significance of the layperson's role in the church and to study the importance of discipleship training from the biblical perspective with the purpose of devising a strategy for implementing discipleship through small groups in the local Seventh-day Adventist church in Korea.

Method. The project consisted …

A Design For Spiritual Formation During The Academic Life Of The Adventist Seminary Students At Collonges-Sous-Saleve, France, Bruno R. Vertallier

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. This project report addresses the problem of lack of practicum of a spiritual formation for students at the seminary of Collonges-sous-Saleve, France.

Method. The project report is developed in four stages as follows: First, it investigates how spirituality was approached in the Roman Catholic as well as the mainline Protestant milieu. Second, it explores the Seventh-day Adventist background of spirituality. Third, it focuses on the Pastoral Epistles with regard to Paul's spiritual concerns for the leaders of the church. Four, it recognizes other needs of seminary students that must be considered in the light of spirituality.

Results. This report …

An Evaluation Of The Concept Of Seminary In Mission With Reference To The Latin American Adventist Theological Seminary, Juan Millanao Orrego

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This study dealt with the Seminary in Mission (SIM) concept held by the Latin American Adventist Theological Seminary (LAATS), its current perception, and its degree of application in the five LAATS campuses. The creation of LAATS by the South American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in 1979 resulted in a reorganization and maximization of theological educational resources, including those at the undergraduate level. The SIM concept, adopted by LAATS at that time, indicates that faculty will carry out on-campus academic activities as well as off-campus field work with students on a weekly basis. The implementation of this concept …

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 …

A Manual For Sda Ministers Of South Brazil To Train The Laity In Understanding How To Evangelize Roman Catholic Basic Ecclesial Communities, Jose Miranda Rocha

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Roman Catholic Basic Ecclesial Communities in Brazil have been a socio-religious phenomenon during more than two decades. As militant Catholics, members of the communities share four fundamental premises, i.e., a new way of seeing reality, a new way of being the Church, a new way of approaching Scripture, and a new way of doing mission. These premises challenge Seventh-day Adventists to develop new strategies when attempting to evangelize Basic Ecclesial Community membership. To date, no specific study by SDAs addresses the evangelization of Basic Ecclesial Community members. This raises the question of how Basic Ecclesial Communities can be evangelized. …

A Health-Education Program For Seventh-Day Adventists In Japan Based On The Dynamics Of Psychosomatic Relationships, Keith Yoskikazu Watanabe

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Current interest in health caused by a recent increase in information on the intimate relationship between degenerative diseases and lifestyle presents a challenge to Seventh-day Adventists in Japan, who have been entrusted with the health-reform message. A lack of proper health education programs based on a holistic understanding of the human person led the author to study the Biblical, philosophical, and scientific data relevant to the psychosomatic relationship and to design a health education program to be implemented by the SDAs in Japan.

Method. Scriptural study on psychosomatic relationships was attempted with exegetical study of seven selected passages, viz., …

Spiritual Formation: A Program To Be Incorporated Into The Theological Education Curriculum At Solusi College, Zimbabwe, Zacchaeus Abram Mathema

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The problem addressed by this developmental project is inadequate spirituality among Adventist ministers in Zimbabwe as observed by the researcher and expressed by other colleagues in the ministry. The study pursued is not simply academic, but is designed to meet the need for enhanced spirituality in the lives and practice of Adventist ministers in Zimbabwe, and is to be tested and refined by use in an actual program of ministerial formation.

Method. The study is developed in three stages as follows: First:, it investigates appropriate forms of spirituality as they are revealed and alluded to in the New Testament …

Religion, Culture, And Modernity : Some Missiological Implications Of The Process Of Secularization In East Asia, Gan-Theow Ng

Dissertations

This study investigates the outcome of the process of secularization in three modernized urban Chinese societies in East Asia and seeks to describe the resultant patterns of change and continuity. Some missiological implications are drawn from the findings of the investigations. Chapter 1 is an account of the historical development of secularization in Western societies and the effects of secularization on religion, society, and the individual. The focus in chapter 2 is on worldview and worldview change and the functions of these in the process of secularization. A five-part theoretical paradigm of the traditional Chinese worldview analyzed vis-à-vis the themes, …

An Approach To Seventh-Day Adventist Radio Evangelism In Ghana, Ebenezer Obodai Sackey

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Since Ghana gained independence from colonial rule, religious broadcasting has undergone self- and governmental censorship. Post-independence governments have either clamped down on the activities of church organizations by disagreeing with them or have intimidated them in numerous ways to tone down some aspects of their activities that the government considers unacceptable. In recent times, both individual Ghanaians and government functionaries, especially, have looked at the Christian church with suspicion and skepticism. Many of them consider the Christian message, at least in the way it is presented, out of touch with, and irrelevant to the everyday needs and realities of the …

History And Analysis Of The Relationship Between The Seventh-Day Adventist Church And Several Independent Churches In The Kasai Province Of Zaire, 1972-1985, F. Duane Mckey

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Religious ferment in the Kasai Province of Zaire in the decades preceding and following independence gave rise to a number of independent religious movements, some of which were overtly political. In an effort to control these movements, the Zairian government passed a law in 1971 which restricted the religious practice of these independent groups. As a direct result of these legal disabilities, a considerable number of independent movements in the Kasai sought affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This study surveys the history of the relationships between the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the above independent churches from 1972 to 1985 …

Training For Evangelism Among The Yorubas Of Nigeria, Joseph Adebisi Ola

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. When the Seventh-day Adventist church came to Nigeria in 1914, the Yorubas were the first people exposed to the church's message; today, Yorubas are the least receptive to Adventism when compared to the growth of Adventism in other parts of the country. Urban development in Yorubaland today presents the greatest challenge to the church; Yorubas forming one-fifth of the 100 million people in Nigeria. Most converts among Yorubas are from other denominations, for traditional religionists seldom attend Adventist crusades and are never converted to the Adventist faith. Since evangelistic campaigns lack efficient coordination within the whole church, the responsibility …

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 …