Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Missiology

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Missiology DMiss

First Advisor

Andrew Tompkins

Second Advisor

Petr Činčala

Third Advisor

Boubakar Sanou

Abstract

The presence of Seventh-day Adventists in Suriname dates to 1894, but there is no evidence, either in literature or field research, of any specific plan or missional thinking focused on the Adventist mission among East Indian Muslims in Suriname. The field research highlights some significant missiological challenges faced by the Seventh-day Adventist mission in Suriname that account for its slow numerical growth. These missiological challenges include: (1) a lack of committed and dedicated indigenous leaders; (2) inappropriate training given to the indigenous people for the mission in Suriname's multicultural and multilingual dynamics; (3) unsuitable missional methods for Suriname’s multicultural and multilingual context; and (4) the dominant presence of foreign leaders who were totally foreign to the culture of Suriname and unable to speak the languages of the people of Suriname.

The Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, as the parent body of the Suriname Mission, attempted to develop the workforce in Suriname by training indigenous individuals for pastoral leadership, aiming to reduce or eliminate dependence on foreign missionaries. As the parent body, they understood they had to maintain a workforce in Suriname for missions. However, they did not understand the need to create a multifaceted indigenous workforce by providing training tailored to the various ethnic groups, each with its unique culture and language. Consequently, one can surmise this may be a reason for the slow growth of the Seventh-day Adventist mission in Suriname, as noted by Roseval and Blackman.

Coupled with these challenges, the field research reveals that the general Seventh-day Adventist populace is uninformed of the fundamentals of Islam and that there is no natural relationship between the Seventh-day Adventists and the Muslim communities in Suriname. Notwithstanding this, the Seventh-day Adventist population in Suriname is ready and willing to accept appropriate training to conduct the mission among Suriname's East Indian Muslims. Hence, in this dissertation, a biblically faithful and contextually relevant mission model has been proposed to motivate the Seventh-day Adventists in Suriname to conduct mission among East Indian Muslims. This model is undergirded by four biblical and missiological principles that will be executed in three phases as part of the plan designed for mission among East Indian Muslims in Suriname. These principles include (1) the Incarnational Methodology, (2) the Friendship Relationship, (3) Indigenous Disciple Makers and Leaders, and (4) the Structured Contextualized Discipleship Program.

Subject Area

Missions--Suriname--Kwatta; Missionaries--Training of--Suriname; Seventh-day Adventists--Missions--Suriname; Missions to Muslims--Suriname; Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventrists; General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Inter-American Division. Caribbean Union Conference.

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