DOCSLIB.ORG

Development of a Biblical Paradigm for Ministry to Unbaptized Seventh-Day Adventist Children

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Development of a Biblical Paradigm for Ministry to Unbaptized Seventh-Day Adventist Children Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertation Projects DMin Graduate Research 1987 Development of a Biblical Paradigm for Ministry to Unbaptized Seventh-day Adventist Children Seizou Wagatsuma Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Recommended Citation Wagatsuma, Seizou, "Development of a Biblical Paradigm for Ministry to Unbaptized Seventh-day Adventist Children" (1987). Dissertation Projects DMin. 240. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/240 This Project Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertation Projects DMin by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. INFORMATION TO USERS While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this manuscript, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. For example: • Manuscript pages may have indistinct print. In such cases, the best available copy has been filmed. • Manuscripts may not always be complete. In such cases, a note will indicate that it is not possible to obtain missing pages. • Copyrighted material may have been removed from the manuscript. In such cases, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, and charts) are photographed by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each oversize page is also filmed as one exposure and is available, for an additional charge, as a standard 35mm slide or as a 17”x 23” black and white photographic print. Most photographs reproduce acceptably on positive microfilm or microfiche but lack the clarity on xerographic copies made from the microfilm. For an additional charge, 35mm slides of 6”x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations that cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by xerography. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Order Number 87252S2 Development of a biblical paradigm for ministry to unbaptized Seventh-day Adventist children Wagatsuma, Seizou, D.Min. Andrews University, 1987 Copyright ©1987 by Wagatsuma, Seisou. A ll rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb RcL Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V . 1. Glossy photographs or pages_____ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print______ 3. Photographs with dark background____ 4. Illustrations are poor copy______ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page______ 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages_______ 8. Print exceeds margin requirements_____ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine______ 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print______ 11. Page(s)___________ lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. Page(s)___________ seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages numbered . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled pages____ 15. Dissertation contains pages with print at a slant, filmed as received_ 16. Other_________________________________________________________________ University Microfilms international Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary DEVELOPMENT OF A BIBLICAL PARADIGM FOR MINISTRY TO UNBAPTIZED SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHILDREN A Project Report Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Seizou Wagatsuma August 1987 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEVELOPMENT OF A BIBLICAL PARADIGM FOR MINISTRY TO UNBAPTIZED SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHILDREN A project report presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Ministry by Seizou Wagatsuma APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: d, Chairman Dean, SDA Theological Seminary ^ . jw-v. Richard M. Davidson -5? Kenneth A. Strand Date approved/ Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. (c) Copyright by Seizou Wagatsuma 1987 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT DEVELOPMENT OF A BIBLICAL PARADIGM FOR MINISTRY TO UNBAPTIZED SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHILDREN by Seizou Wagatsuma Chairman: Reuben A. Hubbard Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Project Report Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: DEVELOPMENT OF A BIBLICAL PARADIGM FOR MINISTRY TO UNBAPTIZED SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHILDREN Name of researcher: Seizou Wagatsuma Name and degree of chairman: Reuben A. Hubbard, D.Min. Date completed: August 1987 This paper represents an attempt to clarify the status of the unbaptized child in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and to implement an acceptable status. Problem Traditionally, Seventh-day Adventists have believed that children of Adventist parents are the "younger members of God's family." However, while the term "church" is often used synonymously with the term "God's family," children, who, on one hand, are recognized as part of God's family, are, on the other hand, officially excluded from church 2 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 membership. Their names are not listed on the church membership records— though they are recognized as members of the Sabbath School of the church. Because of this ambiguity, I believe the Seventh- day Adventist Church needs to clarify the status of children biblically and theologically in terms of their membership in the church and in God's family, defining what church membership really is. Method In Part 1, the biblical and theological bases for the status of children in the church are investigated through an exegesis of key Scriptural passages in light of recent scholarly research and discussion focusing particularly upon the issues of children's membership. Results Both in the OT and NT the status of the believer's children is clearly that they are incorporated into God's family. They are the children of God by birth through faith-relation with their guardians. To establish this status of children, Part 2 recommends that at the official child dedication service the names of the children be recorded in the church books as younger members of the church. (The service is based on the dedication of Jesus and the enrollment of His name in the Temple.) Though they are little, children may be Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4 Christians in accordance with their years. They would have to be baptized of their own will later on becoming mature Christians. The child-blessing service may be used for any children who are brought to Jesus. Participation in the church ordinances of footwashing and the Lord's Supper would help unbaptized child to understand more fully the mystery of God and so guide them toward Christ. Conclusion The names of church members' children should be recorded in the church record as younger members through the rite of child-dedication. m r Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NOTE This Doctor of Ministry Project-Dissertation falls under the category described in the Seminary Bulletin as Project II, a paper completed in fulfillment of require­ ments for an alternate curriculum plan under which the candidate prepares two related papers— a theological position paper addressing some issue or problem that exists in the Seventh-day Adventist church in a theological setting and a professional paper addressing this same issue or problem from the standpoint of ministerial practice. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. IN DEDICATION God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit All the Saints in Christ Our Lord tmr Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................... xii INTRODUCTION ...................................... 1 PART ONE: BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL SURVEY Chapter I. TOWARD
Load more

Recommended publications
  • This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G
    This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Recovering the Meaning of Baptism in Westminster Calvinism in Critical Dialogue with Thomas F. Torrance John Andrew Scott Doctor of Philosophy University of Edinburgh 2015 Declaration I declare that this thesis has been composed by myself, and that the work herein contained is my own. I, furthermore, hereby indicate that this thesis does not include work submitted for any other academic degree or professional qualification Signed Rev Dr John Andrew Scott January 2015 Abstract This thesis examines and critiques the doctrine of baptism in the theology of Thomas Torrance and utilises aspects of Torrance’s doctrine to recover and enrich the meaning of baptism in Westminster theology. Torrance’s doctrine of baptism has suffered from misunderstanding and has been widely neglected. This arises from Torrance introducing a new soteriological paradigm, that is claimed by Torrance, to be both new, and at the same time to be a recovery of the work of the early church fathers and Calvin.
    [Show full text]
  • Child Dedication at Open Table Church at Open Table Church We
    Child Dedication at Open Table Church At Open Table Church we dedicate infants/children instead of baptizing them. For questions regarding dedication instead of infant baptism, please see the next section. Child Dedication 1. What is child dedication? a. It is: i. A memorial, a marker ii. A public declaration, vow iii. A means of blessing the child and setting them apart (dedicating/consecrating them) to the Lord iv. A means of blessing, encouraging and commissioning parents v. An opportunity to call the church community to fulfill its role in creating a safe and loving environment where children will come to know Jesus. vi. Cf. Ps 127:3, Prov 22:6, Deut 6:5-7, 1 Sam 1:27-18, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 2:22 b. It is not an ordinance—i.e. a ritual commanded by Jesus. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (communion) are the only new covenant ordinances in Scripture. 2. Child dedication ceremony outline: a. Help parents and the church recognize that children belong first and foremost to God: The all-powerful God who created everything loves kids. Col 1:15-17 tells us that everything was created by Jesus and for Jesus. Every child was created by Jesus and for Jesus…so we come alongside these parents this morning as they dedicate, as they set apart their children to the Lord…as they say Lord, this child is yours and we want them to choose to live for you. b. Call parents to recognize their responsibility to raise their children in the ways of the Lord: Parents, do you commit to raise these children in the ways of the Lord Jesus, to love them well and to teach them in word and actions what it means to follow God? we do c.
    [Show full text]
  • God of My Youth: Infant Faith, Infant Salvation, and Covenant Nurture in the Psalter and Psychology
    GOD OF MY YOUTH: INFANT FAITH, INFANT SALVATION, AND COVENANT NURTURE IN THE PSALTER AND PSYCHOLOGY Introduction: Focusing the Questions Historical Background Our children are a gift from God, which means parenting is a form of stewardship. As John Calvin emphasized, every child is a special blessing from God and every birth is a divine visitation. Parents are given a tremendous task: they are to take these little bundles of blessing and help them grow to Christian maturity. But while virtually all Christian parents share a common goal for their children (Christ-like character), not all agree on the starting point or how to arrive at the desired destination. The Spiritual nurture and formation of our children are weighty, difficult issues. One key question revolves around the nature of the child’s relationship with God even from womb. More specifically, this is the question of fides infantum, or infant faith. The question of whether or not infants belonging to believing parents can have faith has been a troubling one in the history of the church. On the one hand, if we deny that they can have faith, we must either say that these children are lost if they die in infancy or that their salvation is an exception to the great Reformation principle of sola fide. (A further option is tendered by some Anabaptists who simply deny original sin. Infants are not yet sinners so they cannot be condemned. Of course, one wonders why they are subject to the curse of death at all if they are innocent!) On the other hand, if we affirm the possibility of infant faith, we have the difficult task of explaining how persons who lack intellectual and verbal abilities can enter into personal, trusting relationships with others.
    [Show full text]
  • The Foundational Principles and Policies of a Local Church Operations Manual
    LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY THE FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES OF A LOCAL CHURCH OPERATIONS MANUAL A Thesis Project Submitted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF MINISTRY By Daniel John Grabill Lynchburg, Virginia March, 1995 Copyright 1995 Daniel J. Grabill All Rights Reserved 111 LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY THESIS PROJECT APPROVAL SHEET GRADE MENTOR i / ! ~I~ (/ ~~/~READER lV ABSTRACT THE FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES OF A LOCAL CHURCH OPERATIONS MANUAL Daniel J. Grabill Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, 1995 Mentor: Dr. Paul R. Fink The administration of a local church often so occupies a minister's time that less than appropriate time remains for study of the Word. An administration manual that would objectify and standardize procedures would help alleviate this problem. The purpose of this project was to design a manual that would answer the need for what to do but would go beyond that to provide a theological base for the procedures. A comprehensive survey of Grace Brethren Churches was conducted to ascertain what has been done and what needs remain. This project has incorporated the best insights and hopefully met the remaining needs. Abstract length: 100 words. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author is deeply indebted to the many pastors and teachers who have influenced his life. One of those has been Dr. Paul F. Fink. One could not accomplish a project such as this without the support and encouragement of his family. For this support I am most grateful. A dear friend, Polly Lewis, has devoted many volunteer hours to typing this manuscript.
    [Show full text]
  • Paedobaptism and Baptismal Efficacy: Historic Trends and Current Controversies
    Paedobaptism and Baptismal Efficacy: Historic Trends and Current Controversies By Rich Lusk Historical Considerations The Decline of American Paedobaptist Practice In 1857, Charles Hodge wrote an essay in the Princeton Review lamenting the decline of the practice of infant baptism in America.1 Using statistics provided by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, Hodge pointed out that from 1812 onward, the number of children being brought for baptism was radically declining in relation to the overall number of communicants. In 1811, there had been 20 paedobaptisms per hundred communicants; by 1856, the ratio was just over 5 per hundred. Hodge sounded the alarm: “[M]ore than two-thirds of the children of the Church have been ‘cut off’ from the people of God by their parents’ sinful neglect, and by the Church’s silent acquiescence therein.” Hodge reported a similar downgrade was occurring in other ostensibly Reformed denominations. The Dutch Reformed ratio was only slightly better than the Presbyterian in 1856, at around 7 paedobaptisms per hundred communicants. Things were even worse in other bodies. The New School Presbyterians were leaving six out of seven children unbaptized. Paedobaptism was so rare among Congregationalists by the mid-1850s, Hodge could truthfully claim, “in the Congregational churches in New England, infant baptism is, beyond doubt, dying out.” Only the high church Episcopalians seemed relatively unaffected by the trend. What caused this sharp decline in the maintenance of covenant baptism? Why did the church’s historic practice lose so much ground in America so quickly? It is far beyond the scope of this essay to enter into all the theological and social forces that factored into the decline of paedobaptism in our culture.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 What's the Difference Between Infant Baptism and Child Dedication?
    What’s the difference between infant baptism and child dedication? * Q’s from the pews Sunday, September 8, 2019 * Langford Community Church * Graham Gladstone The question that we have to look at this morning is an important one and one that Christians through the ages have answered it in very different ways. This is definitely one of those areas where people who genuinely love Jesus have differed on the details of following Him. Here’s the question – what’s the difference between infant baptism and child dedication? And why do we do child dedications? Great question and uniquely relevant to us. Many of us probably grew up in traditions where babies were baptised and yet now here we are at Langford where we dedicate children rather than baptising them. And some of you may be wondering – well, what exactly IS the difference? And IS there a difference? And what makes Langford lean one way and not the other? All great questions and I’m glad to be able to explore them with you today. To be honest, every time I talk to parents about dedications, I’ve had this conversation in my own head, so it’s nice to get it out into the open, so that it can be helpful for you too. So let’s dive in and start with the question ‘What’s the difference between infant baptism and child dedication?’ And just a brief terminology thing – what do you call medicine for children? Paediatrics. What do you call a doctor for children? Paediatrician. So what do you think paedobaptism might be? The baptism of children? Paedobaptism is just a fancy word for baby baptism; I’ll try to stick with infant baptism but just in case, that’s what that means.
    [Show full text]
  • Baby Dedication Preparation Packet
    BABY DEDICATION PREPARATION PACKET TABLE OF CONTENTS BABY DEDICATION 4 WHAT IS INFANT BAPTISM? 4 WHAT IS A BABY DEDICATION? 4 ARE BABY DEDICATIONS BIBLICAL? 5 WHAT HAPPENS DURING A BABY DEDICATION? 5 HOW DOES A PARENT SCHEDULE A BABY DEDICATION? 6 BABY DEDICATION CEREMONY 7 PRECEDENT OF PURPOSE OF DEDICATION 7 COVENANT OF PARENTS 7 THE ACT OF DEDICATION 8 APPLICATION TO ADULTS 8 PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATE AND GIFTS 8 BABY DEDICATION INFORMATION FORM 9 ADOPTED JULY 31, 2019 BABY DEDICATION 2 Dear Friend: Your family is about to take one of the most important steps in your child’s life and we here at Bethel Church rejoice and celebrate with you. The materials enclosed in this packet will help you in preparation for this next step in your child’s spiritual journey. It is important that you to make full use of the information provided and jot down any questions you may wish to ask. This packet serves as a way for you to become acquainted with our theology about infant baptism and to provide some basic instructions about the baby dedication process. Please complete the "Baby Dedication Information Form” and return it to the Church Office. This provides us with information for a Dedication Certificate that we will mail to you. Please note dedications are not a sacrament of the church and may be done privately apart from the congregation on a Saturday afternoon or at other times in the family home. Parents may also schedule the dedication during the Sunday morning worship services. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
    [Show full text]
  • Lutheran Forum Vol. 43, No. 2, Summer 2009
    Free Sample Issue Special Edition LUTHERAN FORUM FREE SAMPLE IssUE SPECIAL EDITION FROM THE EDITOR HAGIOGRAPHY Still Life with Baptism St. Nenilava Sarah Hinlicky Wilson 2 James B. Vigen 27 OLD TESTAMENT GLOBAL LUTHERANISM The Trinity in Ezekiel Lars Levi Laestadius and the Nordic Revival Robert W. Jenson 7 Hannu Juntunen 34 NEW TESTAMENT BEYOND AUGSBURG The Lament of the Responsible Child Mennonites and Lutherans Re-Remembering the Past Elisabeth Ann Johnson 10 John D. Roth 39 AMERICAN LUTHERAN HISTORY DOCTRINE Exploding the Myth of the Boat The Prenatal Theology of Mark A. Granquist 13 Catharina Regina von Greiffenberg Joy Schroeder 44 LEX ORANDI LEX CREDENDI Longing for the Longest Creed PUBLIC WITNESS Robert Saler 16 Whether Lawyers and Judges, Too, Can Be Saved Humes Franklin Jr. 51 SEEDLINGS How to Revive a Dying Parish AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT Brad Hales 19 The Book That Cost a Cow: A Lutheran Testimony (Of Sorts) HYMN Piotr J. Małysz 55 “Jesus Christ, Our Great Redeemer” Martin Luther 22 COVER A Thousand Years of Catholics, Lutherans, and STUDIES IN LUTHER Revolutionaries in Strasbourg’s Cathedral Brother Martin, Augustinian Friar Andrew L. Wilson 64 Jared Wicks, S.J. 23 Please send editorial correspondence and manuscript submissions to: [email protected]. Editor All Bible quotations from the ESV unless otherwise noted. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson Subscribe to Lutheran Forum at <www.lutheranforum.com/subscribe> Associate Editors $19 for one year, $37 for two. Or try the Forum Package with the monthly Piotr J. Małysz, Matthew Staneck Forum Letter: $28.45 for one year, $51.95 for two.
    [Show full text]
  • Baptism and Infant Baptism from the New Testament Through Barth
    1 Baptism and Infant Baptism from the New Testament through Barth Baptism is one of the oldest Christian practices. Consequently, the church’s theologians have long reflected upon it. As with all other doctrines, one must understand baptism’s history if one is to reflect critically upon its present meaning and significance. Furthermore, familiarity with the doctrine’s history enables one to better recognize what is at stake in Barth’s criticism of infant baptism, coming as it does at a particular point in the doctrine’s development. In what follows, I will provide a relatively brief sketch of baptism’s history with an eye especially toward infant baptism’s role in that history. Aside from providing a general orientation, this material will identify the two primary arguments offered by Christian theology in support of infant baptism; the first associated with the theological synthesis developed by Augustine, and the second established primarily by the Reformed tradition in response to a modification in that synthesis.1 I call these the “sacramental” and “covenantal” arguments for infant baptism. Following this historical sketch, I will identify the crisis of infant baptism that emerged from the Protestant Reformation. This crisis grows from Calvin’s doctrine of baptism, bearing fruit in Friedrich Schleiermacher’s assessment of this practice and, definitively for this study, in Karl Barth’s rejection of it. Finally, I will turn to the reception of Barth’s work on baptism and the matter of locating my own work within that larger reception-history. 1. This is not to suggest that there are only two possible arguments to be made in support of infant baptism.
    [Show full text]
  • Child Dedication Brochure
    FAQs FAQs 1. How is a child dedication ceremony The church is God’s ordained organization different from baptism? The Bible teaches that intended to aid in spiritual formation (Ephesians belief in Jesus Christ for salvation always precedes 4:11-16). As a general rule of thumb, we would baptism (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 10:47-48). When Christ like to see you attend EBC for at least six months blessed the little children, He invited them to come before dedicating your child to the Lord in a public to Him, not to a baptismal service – in fact, there’s service. no mention of water anywhere in this passage. There is no doubt Jesus welcomes children. In 4. If I’m a single parent, can I have my child fact, He honors and loves children much more dedicated? Absolutely! This is a way for you to than we do, but there is a big difference between commit publicly to do all you can to raise your blessing and baptizing. child without the presence of a spouse. We do, however, encourage you to discuss child dedication At Edgewood, we do not practice infant baptism, with the other parent. We are committed to do all but instead, follow the clear teaching of Scripture we can to support single parents in helping to that baptism by immersion is only for born again provide a Christian foundation for your child. One believers (see the document, “Taking the Plunge” of our pastors would be happy to discuss this in Behold, children are a for more information).
    [Show full text]
  • ABSTRACT Evangelicals, Gay Persons, and Hospitality James
    ABSTRACT Evangelicals, Gay Persons, and Hospitality James Holmes Coston Faculty Supervisor: Kimlyn Bender, Ph.D. This project addressed how the evangelical Church can maintain biblical and theological integrity while showing intentional hospitality to gay persons. The qualitative research occurred in two phases. The first phase involved a survey of evangelical pastors ascertaining their church’s practices and attitudes toward welcoming gay persons into their churches. The second phase involved an intervention with a sample group of lay persons at First Baptist Church, Scottsdale, Arizona, to test a framework by which an evangelical Church might offer hospitality to gay persons. This included an initial assessment of their pre-existing attitudes, a course of study, individual interviews and a post-study assessment. Evangelicals, Gay Persons, and Hospitality A Culminating Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of George W. Truett Theological Seminary Baylor University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry By James Holmes Coston Waco, Texas May 2018 Copyright © 2018 by James Holmes Coston All Rights Reserved CONTENTS Index of Tables .................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE An Introduction to the Project ...............................................................................1 CHAPTER
    [Show full text]
  • Baby Dedication
    DISCIPLINE OF THE BIBLE METHODIST CONNECTION OF CHURCHES Published by The General Conference 2014 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter of Purpose .................................................................................................. 5 PART I – CONSTITUTIONAL LAW ................................................................ 7 Section I Introduction ................................................................................... 8 Section II Statement of Faith ........................................................................ 9 Section III Principles of Christian Living ................................................... 24 Section IV Special Directions ..................................................................... 31 Section V Membership and Leadership ...................................................... 43 Section VI Organization and Government .................................................. 47 Section VII Amending the Discipline ......................................................... 61 Section VIII Constitutional Glossary .......................................................... 62 PART II – STATUTORY LAW ........................................................................ 64 Section I – Organization of Official Bodies ................................................ 65 I. The Local Church ............................................................................. 65 II. The Regional Conference ................................................................ 80 III. The General Connection ...............................................................
    [Show full text]