Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Baraka G. Muganda

Second Advisor

Jeanette Bryson

Third Advisor

Calvin Joshua

Abstract

Problem

Young people comprise two-thirds of the 1,500 members of the Bantama I Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ghana. Despite a continuing increase in the number of young people, only a few of them attend youth activities. It appears that there may be a lack of formal programming or clear directions for youth ministry in the church. The result is a lack of spiritual connections between the youth and the church. In addition, there are behavioral problems among the young people when they are left to their own activities; consequently, parents are not allowing their children to attend youth-initiated activities, resulting in friction in the homes.

Method

This is a qualitative descriptive study. An inductive approach was followed: observations and informal interviews revealed areas of concern. The researchers own experience also contributed to the exploration of contributing factors. Previously published literature on the topic of youth ministry and a study of Scripture formed the basis of establishing a biblical foundation for working with youth within the context of the church in Bantama, Ghana. Identifying definitions, such as the use of the term youth, were examined in both the Old and New Testaments. --

Results

Some problems deterring youth from involvement and participation were discovered, and an incamational model demonstrated by Jesus was offered for a possible solution. The principles of an incamational ministry model were made clearer for youth pastors, parents, and church leaders in order to provide an effective youth ministry based on Scripture. Throughout the Scriptures, there ate examples of how God used young people for ministry. As a result of this study, training programs based on biblical principles have been developed to train church leaders, pastors, parents, and adults. A better understanding of how cultural practices might be in conflict with these principles and how a change of cultural mentalities was needed led to better relationships between youth and adult members of the church. The restructuring of youth ministry in the Bantama Church has established greater enthusiasm on the part of the youth towards involvement and participation.

Conclusion

Whenever young people attend a church and are in search of a spirit-filled experience, the incamational ministry is one of the most viable options for adults to consider. This is a paradigm shift from adult leadership to the calling, training, and empowering of youth that involves them in the leadership roles. The spirit of teamwork work among adults and youth creates a harmonious approach to ministry. The Bantama Church has experienced this paradigm shift. There is greater adult support for the youth, which gives focus to the youth ministry.

Subject Area

Church work with youth--Seventh-day Adventists; Church work with youth--Ghana; Bantama Seventh-day Adventist Church (Bantama, Ghana)

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/634

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