et al.: Mission Research Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 2017 1 Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 13 [2017], No. 2, Art. 1 The views and opinions expressed in these articles are solely those of the original authors and do not necessarily represent those of Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. All authors assume full responsibility for the accuracy of all facts and quotations. JAMS Journal of Adventist Mission Studies Vol. 13, No. 2, Fall 2017 ISSN: 1553-9881 Editor: Bruce L. Bauer Associate Editors: Cristian Dumitrescu, Wagner Kuhn, Lester Merklin, Boubakar Sanou Managing Editor: Andrew Tompkins Regional Editors: Stefan Höschele, Sung Ik Kim, Kelvin Onongha, Olaotse Gabasiane Editorial address: JAMS, Dept. of World Mission, Berrien Springs, MI 49104-1565 Website address: www.jamsjournal.com Phone: 269.471.6505 Fax: 269.471.6202 Editorial e-mail: [email protected] Cover and Layout: Amy Rhodes Cover Photos: Lucian Poama, Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com JAMS is a peer reviewed journal, published in May and November by the International Fellowship of Adventist Mission Studies, Berrien Springs, MI 49104-1500 Copyright © 2005-2017 International Fellowship of Adventist Mission Studies https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol13/iss2/1 2 i et al.: Mission Research CONTENTS Editorial .................................................................................................... v On Epistemology of Missiological Research ............................................ 1 Petr Činčala Ethnographic Action Research in Missiological Research Design: A Pilot Proposal ........................................................................................ 9 EP An Exploration of the Relationship between Strategy and Structure to the Work of Starting and Supporting Church Planting Movements ..........................................................21 Laurence Burn Proposed Research Instrument for Establishing a Baseline Measurement of Buddhist Background Believers .................................. 39 Gregory Whitsett An Aging Church in an Aging Society: Averting a Possible Grim Future for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Russia ......................... 59 Yuri Drumi Family Resilience in Displacement: Defining Validity and Reliability in a Hermeneutic Phenomenology Inquiry ............................ 85 Regine Rimarzik The Seventh-day Adventist Church and “Growing in Christ”: From Ecclesiological Awareness to Missiological Engagement ........... 119 Michee Bade The Concept of Social Justice in the Social Sciences, in the Bible, and in Adventism ........................................................................... 132 Michelet William Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 2017 3 ii Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 13 [2017], No. 2, Art. 1 Window Shopping and Turf Control ................................................................ 153 W. Milton Adams Dissertation Abstract A Study of the Pokot Cultural Worldview: Missiological Implications for Seventh-day Adventist Witness Among the Pastoral Nomads of Kenya .......................................................................... 159 Haron Nyamweya Matwetwe https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol13/iss2/1 4 iii et al.: Mission Research Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 2017 5 iv Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 13 [2017], No. 2, Art. 1 Copyright 2014© Editorial This issue of the Journal of Adventist Mission Studies focuses on missiologi- cal research and is unique and does not contain the usual content for the journal. Over the last 144 years of Adventist mission history the church has had many able and exceptional missionaries; however, very few of them wrote of their experience, strategies, lessons learned, or failures. So instead of each generation building on what had been accomplished by prior missionaries, too often Adventist missionaries in various parts of the world were going through the same learning curve and repeating the same mistakes that previous missionaries had made. One of the original purposes of this journal was to provide a forum for missionary and cross-cultural research and to help build a body of litera- ture dealing with Adventist mission theory and practice. Therefore, this issue is focused on mission research with the hope that as readers around the world read the articles that illustrate the many ways of doing missio- logical research that they will also be encouraged to conduct research and write for future issues of the journal. Petr Činčala’s article outlines some of the differences between social science research and missiological research—important differences that students of missiology need to be aware of lest their research neglects the importance of leading to better and more contextual gospel presentations. Gregory Whitsett’s article describes his research dealing with Buddhist Background Believers and seeks to better understand how they come to faith, how they witness to others, and their distribution in the various churches in Southeast Asia. Gustavo Portes presents an additional research method that has been little utilized by Adventist missiologists—Ethnographic Action Research. This hybrid method offers several unique features that should produce positive results for Adventist field practitioners seeking to not only un- derstand what is taking place in a community, but also in developing in- terventions that will encourage the people in that community to become committed followers of Jesus Christ. Bruce L. Bauer, editor https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol13/iss2/1 6 v et al.: Mission Research Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 2017 7 Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 13 [2017], No. 2, Art. 1 Petr Činčala On Epistemology of Missiological Research After presenting a workshop at a European Adventist Youth Congress one young man said, “Petr, you just used the word missiology. Is that a word that exists or did you just make it up?” That question took me by surprise and helped me realize again that missiology is a fairly young discipline and is often shrouded in ignorance or misunderstanding not just by lay people, but even by pastors, missionaries, and faculty in many seminary departments. Recently a new Doctor of Missiology program started at Andrews University as well as at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines. For the students coming from various parts of the world to study in this program and the teachers it has been both an exciting and challenging experience. We are glad to present in this issue of the Journal of Adventist Mission Studies several articles by the DMiss stu- dents to demonstrate what missiological research is and the benefits it can bring. I have found after working with many students that there is a need to clarify several issues that generate most of the confusion as to what actually missiological research is and what it is not. Missiology Springing from Theology In some theological schools missiology is just one of the courses in the area of practical theology; however, in a growing number of seminaries missiology is viewed as a discipline with its own programs and depart- ment. Although there is still an ongoing discussion concerning exactly how to define missiology, it is more and more recognized as a discipline in its own right (Scherer 1987). Alan Neely defines missiology as “the con- scious, intentional, ongoing reflection on the doing of mission” (2000:632). Missiology has grown out of the theology of mission area. Theology https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol13/iss2/1 8 et al.: Mission Research 2 has always played a primary role in missiology and one would like to say that missiology has also impacted theology. But for a long time missiology has been a somewhat marginalized discipline and “missions have often been regarded as a by-product” (Blauw 1962:10). Yet, it is missiology that provides theology with its reason to exist. This has resulted in a somewhat ambiguous relationship between the two disciplines, for not all theology is mission driven nor is all missiology based on good theology. At times the two disciplines function as sisters, at other times like mother and daughter or daughter and mother. In any case, theology and missiology go hand in hand and are inextricably linked (Kirk 1997:50). Missiology is fueled by the realization that God is a “missionary God” (Bosch 1992:390-92). The deepest source of mission is God himself and his love. While God’s mission should be at the core of theology, God’s mis- sion is the heartbeat of missiology. If mission is the result of God’s initia- tive, rooted in his divine purposes to restore and heal creation (Guder and Barrett 1998:4), then missiology is like a dynamic, expanding river foster- ing God’s mission (Nehrbass 2015). The Interdisciplinary Nature of Missiology In the 1970s and 1980s Alan Tippet (1987:xiii) considered missiology a science standing on the three legs of anthropology, theology, and history; however, missiology has recently moved way beyond only standing on those three disciplines (Nehrbass 2015). The pivotal goal of missiology has been to further the Missio Dei— God’s mission in various contexts, circumstances of resistance, people groups, etc. For that reason it has become necessary for missiology to be informed by a growing number of disciplines other than theology. Mis- siology has become interdisciplinary in its nature, embracing the social