Practical Theology Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Preaching To An Institutional Congregation: An Analysis Of The Needs And Expectations For Preaching In The Newbury Park Adventist Church, Daniel G. Smith

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Purpose

The impetus for the research was a transfer from a rural parish to the Newbury Park Seventh-day Adventist Church on the campus of Newbury Park Adventist Academy. Because a majority of the congregation are employed by denominational institutions, it was presumed that the institutional character of the congregation would influence their needs and expectations for preaching. Therefore the research was designed to ascertain those needs and expectations, and to find any difference between institutional and noninstitutional members.

The Case for a Congregational Analysis

The study presents a case for congregational analysis. The first line of argument is based upon …

A Design For Learning And Developing Skills For Handling Interpersonal And Substantive Conflict In The Ardmore, Oklahoma, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Jan Gary Johnson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

While a great deal of attention has been given in conflict literature to the role of intra-church structures and the political/managerial processes and strategies for conflict intervention and/or management, this project is more concerned with relational matters. That is, the problem addressed in this project is the teaching of certain skills that would help church members preserve their interpersonal relationships even though engaged in conflict. The thesis is that an enlightened understanding of conflict and the development of certain communication skills can significantly affect how the parishioner perceives conflict and thus how he/she will behave in conflictive situations thereby …

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 …

A Study Of The Meaning Of "Works" In The Book Of Revelation With A Syllabus For Applying The Findings In Religious Instruction, Vel Eric Kotter

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This paper represents an attempt to clarify the significance of the term ergon ("work") in the book of Revelation. The first part investigates the word group ergon ("work") as used throughout the Scriptures, and especially in the book of Revelation. Special attention is given to the word as used in the Gospel of John, since this study accepts John, the Son of Zebedee, as the author of both the Gospel and the Revelation. The second part presents five studies representing a practical application emerging from the investigation. Not only is there a lack of discussion of the word ergon in …

Development, Teaching And Evaluation Of A Course In Church Leadership And Administration For The Theological Seminary, Marienhoehe, Germany, Johann H. Gerhardt

Doctor of Ministry Projects

One of the most important concerns of the clergy and the laymen of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany is the future of the local congregations. There may be many reasons for the dwindling of a church's attractiveness and relevance in a given situation. One is how the local church lives its organizational life. Adequate church leadership and administration proves to be an important instrument for a healthy development of a congregation. That is why prospective ministers need special training in this field.

It was the purpose of the present study to develop adequate administrational strategies and to apply them …

Selected Variables Related To Alienation From Religion Among Church-Related High School Students, Carl Robert Laurent

Dissertations

Problem. One of the most important concerns of parents and church leaders is alienation from religion among church-related adolescents. This research was conducted to discover relationships that might exist between alienation from religion and other selected variables.

Method. Three hundred and ninety students were selected by a stratified random method from among all students attending three church-related youth conferences. Each teenager was asked to respond to an inventory which consisted of 162 statements divided into eighteen attitude scales. One scale measured alienation from religion, while the other seventeen measured the independent variables. The major statistical method used in analyzing the …

A Comparison Of Receptivity To The Deductive And Inductive Methods Of Preaching In The Pioneer Memorial Church, Dwight K. Nelson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. There are two basic methods into which all preaching falls, deduction and induction. Homiletical literature advocating either method extols the virtues of the one over the other. However, such literature offers little supportive data based upon listener responses and preferences. An historical survey of preaching reveals that the preaching of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament was dominantly inductive, whereas the preaching of the post-New Testament church has been generally deductive. Therefore, it was the task of this project to seek listener response to deductive and inductive preaching in the Pioneer Memorial Church in order to ascertain …

Premarital Preparation Within The Home, School, And Church As Perceived By Adolescents In The Lake Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Ernest James Stevens

Dissertations

Problem. In today's society increasing stress and problems face the traditional Judeo-Christian marriage and family. Adolescents are being confronted with these problems as a result of the continuing rate of divorce and internal stress within family relations. The Seventh-day Adventist church has historically emphasized the importance of marriage and the family. However, as the Christian marriage and family face changes in today's society, there is a need for greater awareness of the factors which influence the premarital preparation of adolescents. The purpose of this study was to research adolescents' perceptions of their premarital preparation. The primary hypothesis of this …

The Saviour's Rest And The Sabbath, Samuele Bacchiocchi

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Questions People Aren't Asking, Donald Gene Jacobsen

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Christ The Lord All Power Possessing (Hymn), C. Mervyn Maxwell

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Factors Related To The Numerical Growth Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Iceland From 1950 To 1980, Steinthor Thordarson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The rate of growth in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Iceland has not been previously analyzed. This study was undertaken to discover, through historical and numerical analysis, what may have contributed to or hindered growth in the church since 1950, and to analyze the programs of the church and the patterns of growth.

Method

A survey of records of the Iceland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, i.e., the church paper, executive minutes, constituency reports, membership lists, and accounts of outreach emphasis for several decades, presents a clear picture of the methods used in an attempt to achieve church growth. In …

A Biblically Based Instruction Program In Preaching For Local Church Elders And Lay Preachers In The Philippines, Archibald P. Tupas

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project sought to develop programmed instruction materials designed to guide laity of the Philippines in independent study in the art of preaching. Preaching is especially challenging to Filipino lay people-- particularly to the church elders--because of the lack of ordained ministers. Preaching the Gospel and nurturing members rest largely on lay shoulders. Unfortunately, the laity who do the bulk of the work in the Philippines are handicapped by lack of formal ministerial training. Thus Seventh-day Adventist church leadership is challenged to equip and instruct the laity to preach more effectively to meet the demands of a rapidly growing membership. …

Study Of The Attitudes Concerning Church Standards Expressed By Seventh-Day Adventists In Relation To Selected Personality Traits, Hampton Eugene Walker

Dissertations

Problem. This study attempted to explore whether or not traits of personality accounted for differences among Seventh-day Adventists, predicting attitudinal tendencies of either strict or lenient adherence toward traditional church standards.

Methodology. This study utilized the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, Form C for measuring personality variables, and a Likert-type scale which was developed to measure attitudes of adherence to six Adventist church standards within a sample of 447 Seventh-day Adventists. The relationship between the sixteen personality variables and each of the six attitudinal variables toward selected church standards (i.e., diet, dress, entertainment, Sabbath keeping, sexual activities, and divorce and remarriage) …

Competencies Needed By Administrators As Perceived By Officers And Committee Members In The North American Division, Roger Dudley, Lloyd Erickson

Human Subject Research Archive

No abstract provided.

The Gift Of Peace, Samuele Bacchiocchi

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.