Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Kenley D. Hall

Second Advisor

Larry Herr

Third Advisor

John Matthews

Abstract

Problem. Seventh-day Adventist teenagers are familiar with church doctrines but many do not understand how these doctrines relate to a relationship with Jesus Christ and the student’s daily lives. This study was to determine the effectiveness of a narrative sermon series to help academy-aged students understand the centrality of Jesus Christ to Seventh-day Adventist doctrines and how these doctrines relate to daily living.

Method. This study included two researcher developed surveys and group interviews. The surveys gathered qualitative and quantitative data, which measured understanding of, and attitude towards, Seventh-day Adventist doctrines. Forty-four students from Parkview Adventist Academy in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, of both genders, aged 15-18, took part in the study.

Results. Both student understanding of, and attitude towards Seventh-day Adventist doctrines improved over the four month period between surveys. Student response to the series was mixed; though more positive than negative. There was a correlation between attendance at the series and improved survey scores.

Conclusions. The narrative sermons were able to teach doctrine. However, growth in doctrine knowledge and spiritual faith are best supported by a broad range of preaching, teaching, and discipling strategies. The strength of narrative preaching lies in the long term impact on the listener and narrative’s ability to address difficult questions.

Subject Area

Seventh-day Adventist high school students--Spiritual life, Seventh-day Adventist high school students--Canada--Alberta, Church work with students--Seventh-day Adventists, Preaching

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dmin/106/

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