Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

1978

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Arnold A. Kurtz

Second Advisor

Donald C. Jacobsen

Third Advisor

Walter B. T. Douglas

Abstract

Problem

To develop a program specifically aimed at integrating new converts into the church family in the churches of the West Indies Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Method

The method employed in the prosecution of this project consisted of the following activities: (1) Review and evaluation of the relevant theological and instructional literature. (2) Organizing and structuring the relevant material in a training course design for ministers of the West Indies Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. (3) Conducting, first a pilot scheme in group leadership on the campus of Andrews University, and then conducting this training course on the campus of West Indies College in Mandeville, Jamaica. (4) Evaluating the course.

Results

(1) The high degree of group cohesion attained, both socially and spiritually suggests that the objective of the course was satisfactorily achieved in the development of that quality of fellowship that is referred to in the New Testament as koinonia.

(2) The total group response indicated positively the members' satisfaction as well as the fulfillment of group goals.

(3) The group members were unanimous in expressing their eagerness to implement the new concepts and group skills in their churches for a more effective ministry.

Conclusion

As a result of the formative evaluation and other instruments in the form of questionnaires administered in the project it seems reasonable to conclude:

(1) That the true spirit of koinonia can be developed among Seventh-day Adventist church members in this territory in a relatively short time.

(2) That within the context of a mutual member-to-member ministry, a genuinely caring ministry on the part of the old members towards new members could be satisfactorily developed under the guidance of pastors who have had the necessary training.

(3) That the Seventh-day Adventist pastors of this territory appear to be eager to cooperate with any genuine program that promises not only to increase evangelistic gains but also to enhance membership conservation by consolidating their evangelistic gains.

Subject Area

Seventh-day Adventists--West Indies; Group counseling; Church membership; Church work with new church members--Seventh-day Adventists;

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/214

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