Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Willie E. Hucks II

Second Advisor

Nelson Silva

Third Advisor

Joseph Kidder

Abstract

Problem

In the Seventh-day Adventist Churches Fundamental Beliefs, Fundamental Belief #13 The Remnant and Its Mission, pages 168-178 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual (Church Manual, 172), there is no mention pertaining to the closing versus of Matthew 28. Yet within the evangelism endeavors, there is a lack of the elements of intergenerational ministry to families in low-income housing as a methodology in which to fulfill this mission. While the adage "If we get the children, we will get the parents" has been used in attempts to do ministry among low-income households, the lack of a systematic intergenerational evangelistic method to reach the entire family in a low-income neighborhood is lacking. This ever-present struggle to minister to the families in these low-income households in urban America will continue to have negative impacts upon the growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the urban regions of the United States of America unless intergenerational ministry is conducted outside of the church.

Method

The project was completed in five phases. The first phase dealt with creating two intergenerational groups of six people each, with three males and three females in per group. Additionally, each group had a mixture of generations, which included Baby Boomers, Generation Xers (Gen X), and Millennials. The second phase involved a PowerPoint presentation to the Mount Carmel Seventh-day Adventist Church body for the purpose of intergenerational ministry in the church and as an effective tool for community engagement. The third phase involved the training of two small intergenerational groups of six people each, which are the two groups created from phase one, through the North American Division (NAD) training modules, entitled "Community Services and Urban Ministry Certification Program." The fourth phase of the project involved an intergenerational group of five people who were responsible for assessing the work being done with the families. This intergenerational focus group was comprised of four generations: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Generation Z. The fifth and final phase involved the small intergenerational groups of six going door to door as a unit into the low-income housing projects to locate families with which to work for a period of 30 days.

Results

The study revealed that intergenerational learning and ministry to families in low-income housing developments can be effective. Regarding the learning aspect of the groups, the generations were able to work and learn together in a manner that caused each person to have a shift in one's thinking, seeing ministry concepts from varying generational lenses and perspectives. Secondarily, the study revealed that when families in a low-income housing development are engaged by a family unit to be a family within a family and assist with basic needs, there is more friendship, connection, and positive synergy transpiring.

Conclusions

Each church functioning in an urban center among low-income residents should train their members in intergenerational small-group ministry to work with families in an intergenerational manner alongside partner families. Additionally, the church should research low-income housing neighborhoods near the church to effectively assign intergenerational small groups to various houses within that community.

Subject Area

Church work with minorities--New York--Syracuse; Church work with minorities--Seventh-day Adventists; Church work with the poor--New York--Syracuse; Low-income housing--New York--Syracuse; Intergenerational relations--Religious aspects--Seventh-day Adventists; Intergenerational communication--Religious aspects--Seventh-day Adventists; Mt. Carmel Seventh-day Adventist Church (Syracuse, N.Y.)

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