Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

2005

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Clifford Jones

Second Advisor

Bruce Bauer

Third Advisor

Richard Sylvester

Abstract

Problem

Churches in America are on average 60-70 percent female. Attracting and integrating African American males into church life is a grave challenge. This study focuses on African American males in Southeast Atlanta and seeks to design a model for addressing their sociological and spiritual needs in anticipation of their accession into church membership.

Method

The setting for this study is the Atlanta Boulevard Seventh-day Adventist Church in Southeast Atlanta. The method employed in this project is an exploratory research approach that is designed to identify the social, economic, and other needs of African American males. In order to ascertain basic information for this study, I pursued a number of steps. I designed an African American Male SDA Membership Questionnaire. I administered the questionnaire to all the males (115) in the Atlanta Boulevard Church. I collected and analyzed the questionnaires before developing the African American Male Study Guides. Members shared the study guides with relatives and friends and reported on responses to the study guide prospects. The research method facilitated the development, implementation, and evaluation of a model mandated by both the African American Male SDA Membership Questionnaire data and my overall findings.

Results

Forty-nine members received study guides to share with relatives and friends. A total of seven students completed the series of twenty lessons. Five of the seven indicated an interest in Seventh-day Adventist membership. Two persons have been baptized. This ratio of baptisms to study guide completion is 28 percent. It appears that African American males will respond positively to the Gospel when approached by friendly, affirming persons with culturally sensitive materials addressing the Black man’s needs for physical survival.

Conclusions

This document describes and records the development, implementation, and evaluation of a model for reaching African American males in Southeast Atlanta with Adventism. It has been evaluated as to its practicality and potential for successful evangelism among Black males. The result is the conclusion that the African American Male Study Guides achieved their intended purpose. This model is an approach that complements rather than competes with other methods to draw males into the congregation. The experience of the Atlanta Boulevard Church is one that may be adapted to the needs of other congregations with customized revisions.

Subject Area

Seventh-day Adventists--Georgia--Atlanta; African American men--Georgia--Atlanta--Religious life; Evangelistic work--Seventh-day Adventists--Georgia--Atlanta

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/415/

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