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A Strategy for the Adventist Church to Reach the Increasingly Secular and Postmodern Danish Population

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A Strategy for the Adventist Church to Reach the Increasingly Secular and Postmodern Danish Population Please HONOR the copyright of these documents by not retransmitting or making any additional copies in any form (Except for private personal use). We appreciate your respectful cooperation. ___________________________ Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) P.O. Box 30183 Portland, Oregon 97294 USA Website: www.tren.com E-mail: [email protected] Phone# 1-800-334-8736 ___________________________ ATTENTION CATALOGING LIBRARIANS TREN ID# Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) MARC Record # Digital Object Identification DOI # Dissertation Approval Sheet This dissertation entitled A STRATEGY FOR THE ADVENTIST CHURCH TO REACH THE INCREASINGLY SECULAR AND POSTMODERN DANISH POPULATION Written by BJORN OTTESEN and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned reader: _____________________________________ Michael D. Pearson _____________________________________ Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: November 11, 2014 A STRATEGY FOR THE ADVENTIST CHURCH TO REACH THE INCREASINGLY SECULAR AND POSTMODERN DANISH POPULATION A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFULLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY BJORN OTTESEN NOVEMBER 2014 ABSTRACT A Strategy for the Adventist Church to Reach the Increasingly Secular and Postmodern Danish Population Bjorn Ottesen Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2014 The goal of this study is to understand changes that have taken place in Danish society and find better ways for the Seventh-day Adventist Church hereafter Adventist Church) to conduct its mission and witness. Immense changes have taken place in Denmark since the Adventist Church started its ministry there in 1878. From the 1960s people’s relationship to traditional Christian values and faith has changed with increasing intensity. Within the last twenty years the industrial society has been replaced by an information society. Public life has become more secular with few references to religion. The Church is doing its mission in an increasingly secular, individualistic and postmodern culture. These major shifts pose challenges and opportunities. The focus of this paper will be on methods for evangelism and mission. Part One begins with a literature review, goes on to describe recent changes in Danish culture and analyzes how these changes present challenges for, but also offer opportunities to, the Adventist Church. Particular attention is given to the population’s changed attitudes to faith, religion and relationships. An introduction to the Adventist Church follows. Part Two is a theological reflection, with an emphasis on what Ephesians and Acts teach on the Church and its mission. Furthermore there is a reflection on the Church’s approach to cultural change. The third part of the dissertation draws conclusions from the research and proposes a model for ministry that may be helpful in the new cultural context in Denmark. The main thesis of this dissertation is: Given the increasing relational and experiential nature of learning and spirituality in Danish culture, local congregations within the Adventist Church will be more fruitful in evangelism if they intentionally develop holistic small groups and networks in which the gospel can be both embodied and proclaimed. Content Reader: Michael Pearson, DPhil Words: 293 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To research for, and write, this dissertation has been a significant learning experience. Together with the course work at Fuller it has provided for an academic and spiritual walk. Thanks to God and to godly leaders and professors at Fuller who have guided me. My best friend and wife, Maj-Britt, has given me support and been patient with me through times of hard work. I am indebted to her, and also to the leadership of the Trans-European Division of the Adventist Church who has sponsored my DMin program and given me this opportunity for personal and professional development. Michael Pearson, supervisor and mentor, has brought a lifetime of teaching experience and academic excellence to our deliberations. That has been immensely helpful. Thanks also to James Love, Margaret and Phillip Whidden who have proof-read this document. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii INTRODUCTION 1 PART ONE: MINISTRY CONTEXT Chapter 1. LITERATURE REVIEW 8 Chapter 2. CHANGES IN DANISH CULTURE AND SOCIETY - I 24 Chapter 3. CHANGES IN DANISH CULTURE AND SOCIETY - II 52 Chapter 4. THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN DENMARK 76 PART TWO: THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION Chapter 5. A THEOLOGY OF THE CHURCH AND ITS MISSION 104 Chapter 6. THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CHANGE 130 PART THREE: MINISTRY STRATEGY Chapter 7. REACHING THE CURRENT DANISH POPULATION 151 Chapter 8. A SMALL GROUP MINISTRY IN THE SDA CONTEXT 163 BIBLIOGRAPHY 185 iv INTRODUCTION Immense changes have taken place in Danish society since the Seventh-day Adventist Church (hereafter Adventist Church) started its ministry there in 1878. Some have affected the Church significantly. In the 1950s and 1960s people’s relationship to traditional Christian values and faith altered dramatically. Within the last twenty years the industrial society of the twentieth century has been replaced by an information society. Public life has become more secular, with few references to religion. Statement of the Problem The major shifts in society pose new challenges and opportunities to the Adventist Church. The goal of this dissertation is to analyze recent cultural changes in Danish society and understand how they represent challenges to—and opportunities for—the mission of the Adventist Church. The main thesis of this dissertation is given the increasing relational and experiential nature of learning and spirituality in Danish culture, local congregations within the Adventist Church will be more fruitful in evangelism if they intentionally develop holistic small groups and networks in which the Gospel can be both embodied and proclaimed. Purpose This dissertation deals with the challenges the Adventist Church in Denmark faces in evangelism. This Church, like most other Christian organizations, is experiencing difficulties in attracting people to its community, programmes and initiatives. The goal of 1 this study is to identify, analyze and suggest better ways to reach the Danish population with the message of Jesus as understood by the Adventist Church. Significance of the Study The significance of this study lies in several areas. It will provide useful insights for the leaders and pastors in the Adventist Church in Denmark. Church elders and others in positions of responsibility may also profit from the findings. Since many other denominations face the same issues and challenges as the Adventist Church, the observations, analyses and conclusions reached here may be useful to Christian leaders in other denominations—in Denmark and also beyond its borders. I have a strong personal interest in finding answers to the questions posed here. When I started work on this dissertation, I was the national leader for the Adventist Church in Denmark. My interest in this topic was for obvious reasons. In the meantime I have accepted another position and am currently teaching ministerial students in a Western European context at Newbold College of Higher Education in England. The insights this study brings will be of importance for the environment where I am now, and also in the many local fields where students later will work. This dissertation will, I trust, contribute to the growth of the Kingdom of God and the fulfillment of the mission Jesus Christ gave to His Church. Methodology The discussion and analysis in this dissertation is based mainly on literature describing recent changes in Danish culture (and Northern European culture in general). It draws lessons from studies of people and society, from both secular and religious 2 points of view. There are lessons from Adventist history and particularly from two local Adventist churches where growth has been closely connected to a strong personal ministry and the use of networks and small groups. This dissertation deals more theoretically with the issue than would a DMin final project. The dissertation is divided into three parts totaling eight chapters, with the addition of an introduction. Part One concerns the Adventist Church and its Danish context. Chapter 1 provides an overview of significant literature on changes in Danish society and countries with similar cultures. Important insights are given through qualitative and quantitative studies conducted in the Nordic Countries. In addition, some larger European research projects are used as evidence. This chapter reviews literature on the mission of the Adventist Church in Western countries and beyond. There has been only limited research done in Denmark on issues related to the Adventist Church, so this chapter takes into consideration research from countries with similar cultures. Chapters 2 and 3 give a description of recent changes in Danish society. An attempt is made to describe alterations particularly related to spirituality, faith and religiosity. Furthermore, these chapters analyze how these changes have influenced the population’s relationship to Christian faith and to the Church. The purpose of Chapter 4 is to provide an introduction to the Adventist Church as a backdrop for the discussion in the following chapters. It makes a short
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