Practical Theology Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

Role Conflict And Role Ambiguity Applicable To The Local Pastor In The North Pacific Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Michael G. Mcbride

Doctor of Ministry Projects

In recent years much has been written in non-Adventist and non-clergy literature concerning role conflict and role ambiguity. Adventist perceptions of role and the importance Adventists attribute to such roles in ministry may differ from the perceptions of non- Adventist clergy and writers. Hence, a specific study of Adventist clergy was necessary to determine if such a problem exists in Adventism and if the conclusions of other studies are applicable in an Adventist context.

It was proposed that an evaluation of the current status of Adventist clergy in the North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) regarding role function and performance would …

An Evaluation Of Current Procedures Of Local Conference Constituency Sessions With Recommendations For Possible Improvement, Jere D. Patzer

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

There is a growing dissatisfaction being openly expressed toward the current procedures pertaining to constituency sessions. The perception o f many constituents is that these meetings are held for the purpose of "rubber stamping" what has already been decided.

Method

In cooperation with my major professor and the Andrews University In s titu te o f Church Ministry, I decided that an evaluation instrument in the form of a survey would be sent to a sample of the delegates present at the 1980 Upper Columbia and Idaho conferences and the 1983 Upper Columbia conference constituency sessions. Some of the …

Towards A Theology Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Meeting Place, With A Study Of Practical Implications And Applications Thereof, Eduardo Zurita

Doctor of Ministry Projects

From the beginning mankind has selected places for adoration in which to worship the Creator. There is little information as to the kinds of facilities used by true worshipers of God in Old Testament times, until the wilderness sanctuary was built. On the other hand there is no indication in the Scriptures that the sanctuary and, later, Solomon's temple were established as model places of worship for future generations. The New Testament mentions three major kinds of places of worship: the temple, the synagogue, and the house church.

This study discusses the characteristics of places of worship during selected periods …

An Interpersonal Relationship Workshop Designed For Seventh-Day Adventist Congregational Use, David Emery Greenlaw

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Seventh-day Adventist church has entered the field of human relations to help members within its communities function more harmoniously. As problem areas have arisen the church has endeavored to meet them. Somehow, the area of interpersonal relations has not been broached on the congregational level. Due to this lack of involvement materials have not been readily available. These are essential so that fellowship and growth might be constant.

To develop materials for presentation in a workshop for congregational use, five areas were explored:

1. Self-worth. This subject is examined from a biblical perspective. Self-worth effects our ability to interact …

Developing And Implementing A Program Of Instruction For Church Administrators And Ministers Of The Antillian Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists To Enlarge Their Understanding Of The Doctrine Of Spiritual Gifts As It Relates To Their Roles And Functions, C. Dionisio Christian

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Due to the lack of opportunity of administrators and ministers of the Antillian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to take full advantage of the materials that can be found in the English language on the doctrine of spiritual gifts, there is not a clear understanding of spiritual gifts among the majority of the church administrators and ministers. There is a need for them to understand how spiritual gifts relate to their roles and functions.

Method

The steps utilized in the project were: (1) a theological presentation of the doctrine of spiritual gifts; (2) studies presented by means of sermons, …

A Study Of Productivity In Ministry As Related To South America Division, Itamar Sabino De Paiva

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This study is concerned with the attributes of the ministry as depicted in the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White as well as with an evaluation of ministerial productivity in selected unions of the South American Division (SAD). Those who have dealt with the problem of evaluation have focused mainly on the numerical achievements or quantitative aspects of ministerial productivity. Although evaluation of qualitative characteristics may be more difficult than that of quantitative characteristics, failure to include both aspects of the minister's work may well result in an inaccurate and unbalanced profile of his accomplishments. Consequently, there is …

The Cultural Shape Of Preaching: A Rationale For A Course In Biblical Preaching Emphasizing Culturally Contextualized Proclamation In East Africa, Per W. Naesheim

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project seeks to set out a rationale for culturally contextualized preaching in East Africa, with a specific focus on Kenya, and on this basis develops a syllabus for a college course in Biblical preaching. A survey of contemporary East African culture shows it to be still largely based on traditional African patterns but modified by many outside influences. When compared with the cultural context of the Bible or with Western society, East African culture shows significant differences. An understanding of this is necessary in order to preach effectively in Kenya.

Many preachers, both missionaries and East Africans 2 3 …

A Proposed Order Of Worship For The Seventh-Day Adventist Church Informed By The Theological Presuppositions Implied In The Genesis Account Of The Creation And Fall Of Man And The Covenant Promise Of Genesis 3:15, Oliver Kang-Song Koh

Doctor of Ministry Projects

It is the thesis of this research project that the theological foundation for Christian worship was laid in the beginning chapters of Genesis in the context of the Creation, the Fail of Man, and the subsequent gospel covenant of Gen 3:15. The basic structure of worship which involves God, man, and their relationship is present at the beginning. Through this basic structure, worship is seen as an intentional act of man's adoration and commitment to God and is always in response to divine initiative.

As an intentional act of adoration of God, man's worship is circumscribed by the theological presuppositions …

A Proposed Psycho-Social Support System For Ministers' Wives Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In North America, John David Watts

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This study reports and evaluates problems and needs of the wives of Seventh-day Adventist ministers in North America, and proposes a psycho-social support system for them. Support units comprising the support system focus upon normal rather than pathological needs of wives, prevention rather than cure, multi-resources, and a whole population of wives in North America.

Literature and survey analysis reveals that Seventh-day Adventist ministers' wives have needs very similar to those of wives of other Protestant ministers, indicating that problems faced by them are inherent in the role of minister's wife. Problems experienced by the former group are: high mobility, …

A Proposed Training Program For Seventh-Day Adventist Ministerial Interns In The Scandinavian Countries, Rolf H. Kvinge

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Wherever the Seventh-day Adventist Church with its professional ministry desires to improve its effectiveness, the matter of field education for interns as well as theological education is of importance. Somehow, guidelines and formative education for the ministers in the field has been lacking in the Scandinavian countries. Due to lack of orientation and the absence of supervised education in the practice of ministry, ministerial interns have often felt inadequate when taking up their own responsibilities for the work in their national environment. For the development of a field practicum that may change the situation stated above, this study has been …

A Functional View Of Human Motivation In The Local Seventh-Day Adventist Church Based On Theological And Psychological Principles, Willmore Duncan Eva

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The hypothesis o f the study states that an internalized grasp of the pardoning love of God revealed in Jesus Christ will tend to motivate Christians to a life of Godly activity . At the same time it is recognized that the human being is motivated on the basis of certain natural needs, the need for a sense o f belonging, esteem, and self- fulfillment. The study shows how the motive force o f God's forgiveness through Christ affects the natural motivational drives of humanity in the local church setting . The possible effect on the local church of intentionally …

A Description And Analysis Of The Role Of The Local Seventh-Day Adventist Conference Communication Director In The United States, Daryl Louis Meyers

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Although the General Conference Communication Department has a plan of action outlined for local conference communication directors, a clearly stated rationale for this department as to its place in the evangelistic strategem of the church has yet to be developed. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to provide the laity, church pastors, local conference communication directors, and conference presidents with a better understanding of the place for and duties of a trained conference communication director in an evangelistic context.

Method

Interviews with several professionals in communication, a study of the General Conference role description for conference communication directors, …

Toward A Theology Of Christian Worship And The Improvement Of Worship Participation In Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In Africa, Andre H. M. Stijnman

Doctor of Ministry Projects

In the typical mission station in West Africa in the nineteenth and even in the early twentieth century, life was routinely patterned after the Western mode, hardly reflecting at all the life and routine of the surrounding villages. This was particularly true of their worship. It is the thesis of this doctoral project that an effective approach to promoting and advancing African Christianity is to proclaim the basic principles of Christian worship and faith in such a way that these principles can be understood and lived in any society or culture. Christian worship must be seen as transcending ethnic and …

A Ministry Of Reconciliation, Graeme Stanley Loftus

Doctor of Ministry Projects

There has been a growing need in the Seventh-day Adventist Church to ground pastoral ministry on an undergirding theology that provides an integrating matrix for all of its tasks. Too often there has been a dichotomy between "pure theology" and "applied theology". Pragmatic and immediate concerns, rather than theology, have usually guided and determined the implementation of most tasks of ministry.

The thesis of this study is that the work of God Himself in ministering to human needs forms a fundamental paradigm for men to construct such an undergirding theology of ministry to their fellows. This concept is pursued specifically …

Church Discipline As Restoration: Guidelines For Its Implementation In The Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In The Caribbean Union, George Montaque King

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Church discipline is an important function of the church. In the Caribbean Union of Seventh-day Adventists there is the need to administer discipline in such a way that the restoration of the erring member is ensured. This is expressed by the presidents and some ministers of the conferences there. It was the purpose of this study to develop some guidelines that will facilitate the restoration process. It is hoped that this study will assist in the development of an understanding of discipline as restoration and the providing of guidelines for its implementation, especially in the Caribbean Union.

Method

A …

Urban Evangelism In India: An Evangelistic Project Conducted In The City Of Poona, John Willmott

Doctor of Ministry Projects

After two thousand years in its advent to India, Christianity still remains an unknown entity to the main core of the population. There are more than 3,000 cities and 550,000 villages in India with a population of 683,810,051 people. The urban development in India presents the greatest challenge to the church. It must discover ways of employing effective methods of evangelism to reach the massive population. Guidelines for evangelistic outreach in the cities of India were drawn from certain theological implications for evangelism under the headings: evangelistic priority, participation, incarnation, and proclamation. An actual evangelistic project was carried out in …

New Testament Principles Governing The Relationship Between The Christian And Civil Authorities And Their Elaboration In The Writings Of Ellen G. White With Their Reflection In The Adventist Church In Romania, Mihail S. Popa

Doctor of Ministry Projects

No Abstract.

This Doctor of Ministry Project report falls under the category described in the Seminary Bulletin as Project II, a paper completed in fulfillment of requirements for an alternate curriculum plan under which the candidate prepares two related papers—a theological position paper addressing some issue or problem that exists in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in a theological setting and a professional paper addressing this same issue or problem from the standpoint of ministerial practice.

A Study Of The Growth Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The Metropolitan Area Of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Joel Sarli

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Over seventy-two years have passed since the first Adventist church was organized in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, Brazil. During those years the church leadership has noted that the rate of Adventist Church growth there has been one of the highest in the world. In spite of this unique phenomenon of growth, no serious research has been undertaken to determine what the factors are that have helped the people to make their decision to accept the Adventist message. An evaluation of the Seventh-day Adventist outreach during the last five years (1975-1979) is necessary to determine which methods should …

A Process Of Self-Assessment And Goal Setting For A Latin American Local Congregation As A Possible Means To Create The Necessary Conditions For Church Renewal, Fruitful Evangelism, And Effective Nurture, Ruben Pereyra

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Dropouts from church membership have increased during the 1960s among Christian denominations. Abundant literature has been circulating analyzing possible causes and suggesting remedies. The. picture is not yet clear. Meanwhile, several types of solutions have been proposed and tried with different degrees of success or failure. As the issue is also a concern among Seventh-day Adventists, a program considering the particular situation of this denomination, in a Latin-American setting, is presented. One way to a renewal experience that would help confirm members and thus prevent dropouts is suggested.

Method

As a first step, a review of the current literature …

The Church As Family: A Study Of Viability In The Smaller Local Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Kerry H. Hortop

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Small churches form such a large part of the Christian church, and of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination in particular, that it was felt desirable that the viability of the small church should be examined. An examination is made of current theological thought relevant to the small church. This was followed by a study both of family-style motifs and family-style practice by the church in the New Testament. Sociopsychological factors which effect and also explain the operation and "personality" of the small church are noted from relevant recent literature and studies.

Some church-growth and organizational projects involving small churches are included …

Toward The Development Of A Theological Critique Of Church-Growth Principles From A Seventh-Day Adventist Perspective, Terence G. Joshua

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church perceives itself as having a unique eschatological mission. Numerical growth is an important part of the objective of the SDA Church. To attain this aim, the principles of the church-growth paradigm developed primarily at the "School of World Mission and Institute of Church Growth" at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, has begun to be incorporated into the North American SDA mind-set.

There is minimal documented theological reflection upon church growth done from an SDA perspective. The analysis of the distinctive issues involved yields some concepts that are theologically consistent and some that are inconsistent with …

A Strategy For The Presentation Of The Principles Of Christian Stewardship To The Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In South America, Roberto R. Roncarolo

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In the SDA Church in South America there are deficiencies in three clearly defined aspects of the educative phase of stewardship campaigns: (1) in the unilateral presentation of the doctrine of stewardship, (2) in the methods and procedures used in that presentation, and (3) in the persons that receive the benefits of said presentation. In this project, the problem of how to improve the efficiency of stewardship education is discussed.

Method

The purpose of this research is to develop and evaluate a series of Christian stewardship meetings that differs from the series now in use in South America in …

An Analysis And Evaluation Of The Program Of Pastoral Field Education In The Inca Union Seventh-Day Adventist College Against Selected Criteria On Ministerial Functions, Julio Diomedes Huayllara

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In the territory of the Inca Union, served by Inca Union College, the Seventh-day Adventist church is experiencing accelerated growth. Since there is a shortage of pastors, it is usually expected of the graduates that they assume the pastorate of a church without the necessary time for an internship year. For this reason the theological education program of Inca Union College was readjusted in 1973 to provide more practical and experiential training to theology students. This study is an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the pastoral field-education program as it has been conducted from 1974 to 1977.

Method …

Koinonia In The New Testament With An Investigation Of The State Of Koinonia In Seven Korean Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In United States, Hyun Chul Shin

Doctor of Ministry Projects

It is the purpose of this study (1) better to understand the New Testament concept of koinonia: the Biblical and theological meanings, as well as the experience of koinonia in the life of the saints in the New Testament community; (2) to contribute to the understanding of the meaning of Biblical fellowship, communication, participation, sharing, contributions, and common life as the meanings of Biblical koinonia; (3) to discover the life style of true Christian community as it relates to divine fellowship, liturgy, and sharing on the human level within the church, the body of Christ; and (A) to point out …

Suggestive Guidelines For The Ministerial Internship Training Program In The West Indonesia Union Mission Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Boaz J. Dompas

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The ministerial internship program is an important part of ministerial education in the West Indonesia Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists. The absence of official guidelines for the ministerial internship training program in this area has resulted in the uncertainty of some, if not many, of the supervisors and the supervisees regarding their proper roles in the internship program.

Method

For the development of guidelines for ministerial internship training, data and information from the following areas have been studied: (1) The undergirding philosophy and the theological principles of supervision based upon the Bible and the relevant literature on field education; …