Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Marcos De Benedicto

Second Advisor

Ricardo Norton

Third Advisor

Wagner Kuhn

Abstract

Problem

The Brazilian Publishing House (CPB) is one of 60 publishing companies that belong to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. With 120 years of history, CPB is dedicated to providing literature in accordance to the distinctive mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Consequently, the publishing house expanded in different directions in order to feed the church and produce devotional, theological, and evangelistic materials and textbooks. Committed to publish material with not only technical quality but above all doctrinal fidelity, the institution has continuously invested in procedures and guidelines that guarantee the theological integrity of its products. Committees responsible for evaluating materials and choosing book titles and covers have, for years, relied on principles that were culturally established and transmitted loosely in instructive materials such as books and textbooks distributed among different publishing houses. Despite being one of the largest publishing houses of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, CPB lacked a specific philosophical manual. Faced with this need, and considering the complexity of the work undertaken by the publishing house, it is the purpose of this dissertation to answer, in theoretical and practical ways, the following question: How can a philosophical manual help to guide the editorial production of CPB?

Methodology

This dissertation followed the steps proposed by the action research methodology, a concept based on cyclical improvement, in which action and research work simultaneously. In this case, this process was developed in three phases, with two stages each. In the initial phase, observation and analysis allowed the research problem to be defined so that the investigation could proceed based on correct assumptions. In the developmental phase, comprising the research and writing stages, the manual was structured and written on a consistent theological foundation and with the advice and guidance of experienced professionals who enriched the elaboration of the document. Finally, in the evaluation phase, which involved internal and external stages, the manual was analyzed by 14 professionals of different backgrounds, allowing the suggestions to shape the document so as to benefit the entire editorial group and reflect a larger and the more thorough perspective of the philosophical issues that permeate Seventh-day Adventist editorial production.

Results

The evaluators appreciated the manual, highlighting as essential characteristics its clarity, objectivity, concision, good theoretical foundation, structure, relevance, biblical and denominational alignment, and convergence with daily editorial work. In addition, they acknowledged the relevance of the material to promote reflection, growth, transformation, agility, and unity in editorial practices. Some stressed the role of the manual as a tool to shape editorial production according to the biblical and Adventist worldview. Others appreciated the pioneering initiative and highlighted the need for training the editorial group based on the contents of this manual. Suggestions were also made for the use of the material by other Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses and media companies.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated that the philosophical manual can be an important tool for editorial processes that strive to be aligned with the mission of CPB. The positive assessment from the evaluators indicates that its content is relevant, contextualized, and applicable to daily editorial work. Considering the scarcity of studies on Adventist editorial processes, we recommend further studies that focus on aspects such as the role of editors in the development of Christian and Adventist literature, the use of literary styles in Scripture and its implications for the establishment of contemporary editorial principles, and the need to formulate manuals for other areas of Seventh-day Adventist communication.

Subject Area

Brazil Publishing House; Publishers and publishing--Brazil--Handbooks, manuals, etc. ; Publishers and publishing--Seventh-day Adventists--Handbooks, manuals, etc. ; Editors--Brazil--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Download

Share

COinS