Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Jeanette Bryson

Second Advisor

Donald C. James

Third Advisor

Boubakar Sanou

Abstract

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a worldwide denomination, but it is one of the smallest in Imo State, Nigeria, even though 90% of the population is Christian, Protestant and Catholic, with only 2% Muslim. Since most of the population of Imo State is Christian, the common belief in God should open the opportunity to present the unique teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church; namely, the message of the Three Angels of Revelation. However, numerous approaches to evangelism do not seem to have been successful in producing changes in the lives of the citizens.

Method. This project document followed a descriptive research method and includes a review of literature related to persuasion, a presentation of the historical context of cultural persuasion in Imo State, Nigeria, and a study of models, procedures, and principles involved in incorporating a biblical model of persuasion, followed by a model developed specifically for Imo State.

Projected Results. Based on a biblical model of ministry to meet the needs of the community, holistic methods will be incorporated into outreach, such as a food pantry, health lectures, and home visits. The hope is that Seventh-day Adventists living in Imo State, Nigeria can learn to persuade others of their authentic faith in God and the message of the Three Angels of Revelation.

Conclusions. Christian outreach often involves coercion, a compliance-gaining approach. Forceful persuasive strategies can be replaced with a biblical model of persuasion, even though coercive strategies are still being used globally, as well as by the leaders of Imo State, Nigeria. An article published by Scalia (Scalia, 2012) suggests that evangelism is meant to persuade and not provoke. It is thought that a biblical model of persuasion will change the declining growth pattern.

Subject Area

Evangelistic work--Nigeria--Imo, Missions--Nigeria--Imo

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dmin/92/

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