Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Skip Bell

Second Advisor

Jeffrey Brown

Third Advisor

S. Joseph Kidder

Abstract

Problem

Often in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as in many other Christian churches, while there is a lot of talk about transformation and growth, spiritual and numerical growth seems lacking. There is a tendency to try new programs and methods that may seem to lead to success or growth, yet many of those projects use the resources and energy of the church with no real lasting results. This often leads to frustration and lack of hope for real change. Growth in the first-century church and in other times throughout history was real, and such growth is still possible.

Method

At the beginning of 2011, a project was launched in the Lexington Seventh-day Adventist Church using prayer as the basis for effective spiritual transformation. Desired results and activites were identified. Data, as well as input and interviews with local church members, contributed to vision, goals, and activities. The project ended in December 2016.

Results

According to the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, local church leaders and members, the Lexington Seventh-day Adventist Church has had a history of slow to no growth that has led to a lack of trust in evangelism and most other methods for growth. This church, as with other churches, has had its share of local conflicts and tensions. Within the six years mentioned above, this prayer approach transformed the church from very little growth to visible growth, both spiritual and numerical, and also to unity devoid of conflict. Before the implementation of the project, 15-20% of the membership were actively working in the church. After the implementation of the project, this figure increased to close to 85%. Church attendance also improved from an average of 43% to about 80%, plus a visible increase in the number of weekly visitors. Members now express joy in attending and serving the church, and even visitors express joy in participating in church activities.

Conclusion

The study underlined the need for real spiritual growth as the basis for all other types of growth and transformation. Implicitly, the study highlighted prayer as the basis for such growth.

Subject Area

Revivals--Kentucky--Lexington; Spirituality; Seventh-day Adventists--Kentucky--Lexington; Spiritual formation

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