Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

1979

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

D.Min

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Arnold Kurtz

Second Advisor

Roy E. Graham

Third Advisor

Roy E. Hartbauer

Abstract

The Milwaukee Central Seventh-day Adventist Church is a congregation of approximately 350 members. The purpose of this project was to assist the church members to design and develop their own corporate ministry. Based on a word study of "ministry" in the New Testament, ministry is recognized to be the function of every Christian, and is not limited to ordained and employed professionals. The project examines the relationship of the Minister to the members of the congregation as ministers, and summarizes his job as four-fold: 1. Enabling 2. Coordinating 3. Preaching 4. Envisioning

The church board appointed a steering committee which led the congregation through the process of Mission clarification and goal development, and into more active ministry to itself, the community, and the world. During the course of the project attendance for both Sabbath School and Worship increased by 8%, while church membership remained constant in the face of a decline over the previous decade. The project includes a study of the Minister's enabling role, with emphasis on research into a congregation's job needs and resources, development of responsibility descriptions, recruitment, and training for ministry. The conclusion contains a brief discussion on the relationship between organizational renewal and revival, showing that both must receive attention. Included are several recommendations for the future of the congregation, additional study, ministerial training, and denominational support for the development of congregational intentionality. The appendices contain much detail about the process of self analysis and the creation of a sense of mission and intentionality. These materials provide useful assistance for the pastor or church member who wishes to guide his/her congregation into more useful ministry.

Subject Area

Church management, Group ministry, Andrews University -- Theses -- Church management, Milwaukee Central Seventh-day Adventist Church (Wis.)

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/297/

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