Mancebo, L. A. (2020). Exploring the influence of racial diversity on church growth: A case study of Buffalo Suburban Seventh-day Adventist Church in Lancaster, New York (Publication No. 1747) [Doctoral Dissertation, Andrews University]. Digital Commons.
There is a growing phenomenon in the United States of America: multiracial churches. While earlier research indicates that church growth typically happens in more homogenous congregations, more and more multiracial churches are growing. This case study focused on the growth of Buffalo Suburban Seventh-day Adventist Church (BSSDAC), a multiracial church in Lancaster, New York. Data collection was done through focus groups of church leaders and members and a review of available church and membership records.
BSSDAC started as a White congregation in Buffalo in 1885 and moved to the suburbs in the 1980s, where the initial transition toward diversity began. After 2000, as Buffalo neighborhoods assimilated refugees, church leaders intentionally opened its doors for the membership to become racially diverse. The church grew from 300 members in 2007 to 575.
This study identified several elements that contributed to the growth of BSSDAC as a multiracial congregation from the perspective of church leaders and members. It is only as BSSDAC continues to learn to be an intentionally inclusive community that it will continue to grow among multiracial realities.
Dart, Jr., G. C. (2021). Marketing Adventist higher education in North America: College choice—motivators and barriers (Publication No. 1757) [Doctoral Dissertation, Andrews University]. Digital Commons.
It is estimated more than 75% of Seventh-day Adventist college-bound students (rising freshmen) who live in the North American Division (NAD) do not attend an Adventist college/university. This is a major challenge for the NAD colleges/universities. Discovering motivators and barriers for Adventist college-bound students is vital in understanding what influences this population in their college choice selection.
Rising freshmen who selected to attend a non-Adventist college considered quality of education and price/cost as important criteria in college choice selection. Rising freshmen who selected to attend an Adventist college considered spiritual life on campus and quality of education as the important criteria in college choice selection. Lack of awareness of NAD Adventist colleges/universities is a major obstacle. Students who do not attend an Adventist academy and chose to attend a non-Adventist college, are more than two times less aware of Adventist colleges/universities than students who do attend an Adventist academy. The lack of awareness correlates to these students reporting low or no recruitment activities from Adventist colleges/universities. It appears the lack of a database of school-age church members is a major barrier.
Santos, Jr., O. S. (2022). Strengthening mission through strategy: An analysis of the mission-driven excellence strategy (Publication No. 1779) [Doctoral Dissertation, Andrews University]. Digital Commons.
The Office of Strategy and Research for Seventh-day Adventist churches in the North America Division (NAD) is beginning to implement a new strategy that focuses on mission. The purpose of this study was to suggest strengths and improvements to the Mission-driven Excellence (MdX) strategy by seeking to better understand how the participants in the NAD pilot churches perceived the MdX strategy through its strengthens and weaknesses and how it could be improved.
This study used a qualitative method design and formative research methodology to focus on what worked well and what did not work well and to gather suggestions for improvement on the MdX phenomena. The study’s population is found within the 67 pilot churches involved with the MdX implementation in the NAD. The study found that MdX, besides being a unique NAD and Adventist strategy, is a step-by-step strategy that provides clear direction to the churches, focusing on goals versus outcomes. Participants urged that MdX should not be optional and should provide more training for the leaders. The MdX strategy can be used by any church as a model or tool for implementing their local strategies. As a theoretical strategy, MdX needs to be periodically re-evaluated to maintain the theory’s relevancy, refinement, and improvement.
Williams, H. (2022). Church planting: Exploring the actual experiences and stories of four church planters of the Plant1000 Evangelism Initiative in the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Publication No. 1769) [Doctoral Dissertation, Andrews University]. Digital Commons.
Plant1000 was launched in 2016 by the North American Division (NAD), the fifth largest of 13 divisions of the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist Church. Since then, it has been reported that over 1,000 new church plants have been started, but we do not really understand how healthy most of these are. This dissertation focuses on the stories of four selected church plants that may be able to help us understand those dynamics that, at the moment, are little understood. The research was designed as a qualitative, descriptive case study.
The study results confirmed that Plant1000 has been a catalyst for some amazing church plants that are reaching their communities creatively. It also became clear that church planters favored creative over traditional approaches to worship and ministry. This was reinforced when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented parishioners from attending churches across the nation. The common thread from the five individuals interviewed was that we need to think of entrepreneurial methods of church planting and new ways of determining growth, which may be the answer in the 21st century’s chaotic environment and economy. Other crucial findings related to issues such as (a) the drying up of financial assistance, (b) the information wilderness experienced by planters, (c) the centrality of community outreach, and (d) the crucial importance of worship and fellowship.
Chen, J. A. (2023). Job stress and spiritual well-being as correlates of quality of life among K-12 administrators in Seventh-day Adventist schools in the North American Division (Publication No. 1789) [Doctoral Dissertation, Andrews University]. Digital Commons.
Research shows that K-12 administrators experience a great deal of stress. Some suggest improved spirituality and quality of life can alleviate or manage stress. This study examines the interrelationship between job stress, spiritual well-being, and quality of life among principals in Adventist elementary and secondary schools. The literature shows that not all principals experience the same degree of stress or that the same factors influence their stress levels. Stress can vary by school level, gender, and age levels. The goal of this study was to fill a gap in the research on the interrelationship of job stress and spiritual well-being as correlates of quality of life among Adventist educational leaders in relationship to other contributing variables (gender, age, experience, etc.).
Several findings stand out. First, the stress of Adventist principals was moderate, the quality of life was also moderate, and the spiritual well-being was relatively high. Second, it was expected that spiritual well-being would play a moderating influence on stress. Third, because female principals report significantly more stress than males, more support and more resources for these principals are necessary. Fourth, job stress and spiritual well-being were significant predictors of quality-of-life satisfaction. However, job stress and spiritual well-being did not significantly predict quality-of-life importance.
Gayle, M. S. (2023). Teaching Shante Curtelia Dominique Ophelia Brown Johnson: An autoethnography of a Black male, Seventh-day Adventist, jazz avant-garde artist (Publication No. 1800) [Doctoral Dissertation, Andrews University]. Digital Commons.
The purpose of this study is to describe and explore leadership experiences of a Black male from the Seventh-day Adventist Christian tradition who is a jazz avant-garde musical artist. This study sought to resonate and amplify voices of Black leaders by employing creative methods to understand practice in the contexts of society and culture. The study examined multifaceted, intersecting identities through layered accounts of his experience, poetry, and music. This research represented the complexities of cultural identity in ways that are, at the same time, personally reflective and accessible for wider audiences—especially those that might otherwise see themselves as undervalued (if not devalued) in traditional academic discourses.
The findings share artistic articulations and performances that serve as a reflective chamber for self-examination and leadership growth. Other leaders may find in this study creative research methods and avenues of thinking about identity and culture that prompt positive possibilities for leadership growth in education and other fields.
Mejía, M. C. (2023). Impact of the regionalization of Universidad de Antioquia in the development of human capital and improvement of the equity in the region of Urabá (Publication No. 1783) [Doctoral Dissertation, Andrews University]. Digital Commons.
In Colombia, higher education plays a relevant role in developing human capital and equity, giving everyone the opportunity to access higher education. In particular, the government has been supporting public and private universities to open campuses in rural areas where guerrillas, the mafia, and paramilitary groups were fighting the government to dominate the territories. In 1995, the government of the state of Antioquia officially established the regionalization of higher education as a strategy to promote higher education in disadvantaged regions. The Universidad de Antioquia adopted that strategy as part of its development plans during the last 28 years. It was in the University’s best interest to measure the results of the regionalization of higher education in the regions, particularly in the region of Urabá. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to find whether the regionalization of higher education contributed to human capital development and improvement of equity in the region of Urabá. Based on the results of this study, the Universidad de Antioquia and its project of regionalization of higher education has been a factor of development for the region of Urabá.