Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

1984

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Werner Vyhmeister

Second Advisor

Robert Johnston

Third Advisor

Arnold Kurtz

Abstract

From the beginning mankind has selected places for adoration in which to worship the Creator. There is little information as to the kinds of facilities used by true worshipers of God in Old Testament times, until the wilderness sanctuary was built. On the other hand there is no indication in the Scriptures that the sanctuary and, later, Solomon's temple were established as model places of worship for future generations. The New Testament mentions three major kinds of places of worship: the temple, the synagogue, and the house church.

This study discusses the characteristics of places of worship during selected periods of the Christian era. Theological and practical insights are gained from the Bible, the writings of Ellen G. White, and current Christian literature. This project also identifies one of the crucial problems that the SDA Church is facing in Latin America--the lack of means to provide places of worship for each congregation. On the other hand, it points out that the existing church buildings are generally inadequate to carry out the holistic mission of the Church. While recognizing that a place dedicated exclusively for worship seems to be the ideal, it calls for a realistic reappraisal of the current situation in the light of the New Testament experience and of contemporary,experimentation in some Christian circles.

The project concludes with a discussion of the multipurpose building as a practical way of satisfying the combined needs of (1) a place of worship, (2) a place for community service, and (3) a place for fellowship, thus helping the Church to carry out the holistic mission entrusted to it by the Great Master.

Subject Area

Church architecture--Philosophy; Seventh-day Adventists--Latin America

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dmin/706

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