Reviving Family Worship In The Rocky Mountain Indonesian Seventh-day Adventist Church

141 Pages·2017·2.95 MB·English

by  Purasa Marpaung

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Dissertation Projects DMin Graduate Research
2016
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Purasa Marpaung
Andrews University
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Marpaung, Purasa, "Reviving Family Worship In The Rocky Mountain Indonesian Seventh-day Adventist
Church" (2016). Dissertation Projects DMin. 386.
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ABSTRACT

REVIVING FAMILY WORSHIP IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
INDONESIAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

by
Purasa Marpaung

Adviser: Vic Louis Arreola
ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH
Project Document

Andrews University
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Title: REVIVING FAMILY WORSHIP IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
INDONESIAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

Name of researcher: Purasa Marpaung

Name and degree of faculty adviser: Vic Louis Arreola, PhD

Date completed: March 2016

Problem
Seventh-day Adventist immigrants struggle to maintain Indonesian Adventist
family worship practices in the process of assimilating to the United States culture. In
particular, the family worship practices of the Rocky Mountain Indonesian Seventh-day
Adventist Church have been adapted to fit the American environment and lifestyle. The
practical family worship activities that were an essential component of the culture and
identity of the people of Indonesian heritage are disappearing through exposure to new
ideas and methods of worship. This lack of family worship in immigrant families must be
addressed through cultural as well as theological perspectives.
Method
Couples, with at least one partner being an Indonesian immigrant, were invited to
attend the pilot family worship seminars. Questionnaires on worship satisfaction were
distributed before and after the seminars to members who were at least 16 years old.
Analysis of the data allowed the researcher to determine the effectiveness of the seminars
on encouraging the practice of family worship.
Results
Practical and theological reflections on family worship were formed based on
biblical themes. Family worship was defined and examined, specifically in spiritual,
historical, and cultural contexts. The topic of family worship was discussed in part
through the lens of Indonesian Adventists who have immigrated to the United States.
An oral evaluation survey was given to the 75 participants. The majority of
comments were positive regarding the effectiveness of the .the presentations in
strengthening their family worship activities and perspective on family worship. Sixty-
five of the 75 participants also indicated that they have done, have started, and/or will
continue conducting family worship services at home.
Conclusion
The goal of the seminar presentations was to assist attendees in making family
worship more valuable and vibrant, even in their transition to a new life and culture. The
presentation of family worship through the seminars motivated attendees to accept the
holistic concept of family worship that transcends cultural boundaries. The seminar also
led them to make family worship an important part of their children’s spiritual life and
allowed them to use the practical methods for having family worship.
Andrews University
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

REVIVING FAMILY WORSHIP IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
INDONESIAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

A Project Document
Presented in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Ministry
by
Purasa Marpaung
March 2016
©Copyright by Purasa Marpaung 2016
All Rights Reserved
REVIVING FAMILY WORSHIP IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
INDONESIAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

A project document
presented in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Ministry

by

Purasa Marpaung

APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE:

_______________________________ ______________________________
Adviser, Director, DMin Program
Vic Louis Arreola Kleber Gonçalves

_______________________________ ______________________________
Jeanette Bryson Dean, SDA Theological Seminary
Jiří Moskala

_______________________________ ______________________________
Boubakar Sanou Date approved
TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................. vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................... vii
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1

Statement of the Task ...................................................................... 4
Statement of the Problem ................................................................ 5
Importance of the Problem .............................................................. 5
Description of the Project Process .................................................. 6
General Overview of the Project Document ................................... 7

II. BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF FAMILY WORSHIP ....................... 9
Introduction ..................................................................................... 9
Definition of Worship .............................................................. 9
God’s Plans, Design, and Purposes of Worship .............................. 10
God’s Plans for Worship .......................................................... 11
Design for Worship .................................................................. 13
Purpose of Worship.................................................................. 14
Examples of Worship From Biblical Families ................................ 16
Family Worship in the Old Testament ..................................... 16
Family Worship in the New Testament ................................... 20
Family Worship in Ellen White’s Writings .................................... 22
Family Worship as Daily Activity .................................................. 22
Responsibility of Parents ................................................................ 23
Influence of the Father on Family Worship ............................. 24
Role of the Mother in Family Worship .................................... 25
Role of the Pastor in Family Worship ............................................. 25
Summary ......................................................................................... 26

III. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 28
Introduction ..................................................................................... 28
Family Worship in the First Christian Centuries ............................ 28
Family Worship During the Middle Ages ....................................... 29
Family Worship During the Reformers’ Time ................................ 31
iii
Influence of Family Worship on the New World............................ 34
Family Worship in the Seventh-day Adventist Church .................. 35
Family Worship Based on Indonesian Culture ............................... 36
Asian American Family Worship Structure .................................... 38
Models, Styles and System of Practices .................................. 39
Worship Styles ......................................................................... 40
System of Practices .................................................................. 41
Worship in America Based on the Asian Culture ........................... 42
Theological Discovery ............................................................. 43
Summary ......................................................................................... 44
History of Family Worship ...................................................... 44
Indonesian Family Worship ..................................................... 46

IV. METHODOLOGY AND IMPLEMENTATION NARRATIVE .......... 49

Introduction ..................................................................................... 49
Procedure......................................................................................... 49
Findings ........................................................................................... 50
Introduction to the Congregation .................................................... 54
The History .............................................................................. 54
Internal Statistics and Trends ................................................... 55
Ministry Overview .......................................................................... 59
Community Context ................................................................. 62
Situation Analysis of Congregation ......................................... 63
Summary ......................................................................................... 69

V. NARRATIVE OF INTERVENTION IMPLEMENTATION ............... 72

Introduction ..................................................................................... 72
Seminar Progression ....................................................................... 73
Narrative of the Seminar ................................................................. 74
First Session – The “Reason” .................................................. 75
Second Session – The “Righteousness” ................................... 75
Third Session – The “Commission” ........................................ 75
Fourth Session – The “Hope” .................................................. 76
Conversing With the Participants.................................................... 76
Execution of the Seminar ................................................................ 77
Evaluation of the Presentations ....................................................... 77
Results of the Final Evaluation Survey .................................... 78
Summary of the Project ................................................................... 80
Purpose of the Project .............................................................. 80
The Problem ............................................................................. 80
Review of Literature ................................................................ 81
Conclusion ...................................................................................... 82
iv
Recommendation............................................................................. 84
Appendix

A. FAMILY WORSHIP QUESTIONNAIRE ............................................... 87

B. FAMILY WORSHIP PRESENTATION ................................................. 99

REFERENCE LIST .................................................................................................. 120

VITA .................................................................................................. 127

v