Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

1999

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Ricardo Norton

Second Advisor

Atilio R. Dupertuis

Third Advisor

Alfonso Valenzuela

Abstract

The Christian Church has the duty of evangelizing all nations. This task requires that all church members participate actively in evangelism. However, not all church members get involved because they do not know how. This research initiated and evaluated a project to train the members of the Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with the purpose of enabling them to evangelize the city.

The project was developed in five different seminars during five consecutive weekends. The topics covered were the following: the priesthood of all believers, how to present the gospel in a Christ-centered fashion, the art of giving Bible studies, how to obtain decisions for Christ, and how to obtain decisions for baptism. A total of thirty- eight members participated in the seminars.

As a result of the project, seventeen new members were added to the church, which represents a 19 percent increase in membership. This study proved that the accomplishment of the Great Commission is facilitated when church members get involved in preaching the gospel. Lay participation is more effective when pastors train them and provide them with the right tools and knowledge to do the work. The best method for evangelizing and instructing lay people was exemplified by Christ. The study also demonstrated that when church members along with their pastors combine and unite their efforts in spreading the gospel, the local church grows both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Subject Area

Church growth--New Jersey--Atlantic City--Seventh-day Adventists; Lay ministry--Seventh-day Adventists; Evangelistic work--Seventh-day Adventists

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dmin/707

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