Professional Dissertations DMin

Sean Lee

Date of Award

2025

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

Jiwan Moon

Third Advisor

James H. Park

Abstract

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s teaching on serving a vulnerable neighbor is a crucial foundation of the identity of church members as the disciples of Jesus. Therefore, each congregation needs to be aware of the needs of the community it serves. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify vulnerable neighbors and develop targeted strategies to address their specific needs and issues. According to government reports and media coverage on the issue of youth homelessness in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area, youth homelessness is an existing issue, even though resources are invested to address it. Moreover, research shows that the issue of youth homelessness is not limited to Minnesota. Nevertheless, it is a national issue that youth homelessness exists in most metropolitan areas. Some researchers even report that youth homelessness is growing in suburban and rural areas. Therefore, as a local church, finding opportunities to serve and encounter these young people cannot be overlooked. The challenge is that youth homelessness is, in many cases, invisible to many due to its complicated causes and broad impact on young lives.

Method

The Southview Seventh-day Adventist church partnered with a local youth homeless drop-in center, and the Southview volunteers visit the center to meet with young people who are seeking resources and help from the drop-in center. This encounter is crucial because it is not easy to spot individuals who experience homelessness at a young age. The Southview volunteers were interviewed and shared their perceptions before and after meeting with young people who volunteered at the drop-in center; they also discussed the changes in their perceptions. A qualitative research methodology was employed to evaluate the data and to examine the importance of engaging directly with and encountering vulnerable individuals.

Results

The results revealed that significant changes in perception occurred when volunteers met the homeless youth. First, the majority of the volunteers (the majority of the members of the Southview Seventh-day Adventist Church) were unfamiliar with youth homelessness; thus, volunteering and meeting at the youth homeless drop-in center was an enlightening experience for many. Second, many volunteers noted that it took a considerable amount of time to build trust with these young people. Furthermore, trust building is crucial, but it is not easy to build confidence during short-term visits. Finally, once some volunteers had visited the center for an extended period, it was beneficial for them in forming meaningful connections with the homeless youth.

Conclusions

Based on the volunteers’ experiences with meeting homeless youth, the importance of building meaningful connections with each individual experiencing homelessness is substantial. Therefore, although many local churches have limited resources to develop a youth homeless shelter program, it is feasible to make an impact on homeless youth’s lives by meeting with them regularly for the long term by partnering with local organizations for homeless youth.

Subject Area

Homeless persons--Minneapolis--Minnesota; Church work with the homeless; Southview Seventh-day Adventist Church (Eagan, Minn.)

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