Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertation Projects DMin Graduate Research 2010 Transforming West Zambia Field of Seventh-day Adventists to Conference Status: A Case Study Passmore Hachalinga Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Part of the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Hachalinga, Passmore, "Transforming West Zambia Field of Seventh-day Adventists to Conference Status: A Case Study" (2010). Dissertation Projects DMin. 639. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/639 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]. ABSTRACT TRANSFORMING WEST ZAMBIA FIELD OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS TO CONFERENCE STATUS: A CASE STUDY by Passmore Hachalinga Advisor: Skip Bell, DMin ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: TRANSFORMING WEST ZAMBIA FIELD OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS TO CONFERENCE STATUS: A CASE STUDY Name of researcher: Passmore Hachalinga Name of advisor: Skip Bell, DMin. Date completed: August 2010 Problem The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Southern Africa-lndian Ocean Division (SID) experiences annua] baptized membership growth of 5 — 7 percent. This membership growth rate however has not resulted in church organizational self- support. Efforts implemented by the SID administration to bring local fields to the required level of self-support, or conference status, in a timely manner failed to yield expected results during the 2005 - 2010 periods. This study project seeks to address this challenge by conducting a case study of West Zambia Field of Seventh-day Adventists. Method An assessment was conducted in the West Zambia Field of Sev enth-day Adventists using both quantitative and qualitative methods to find out why West Zambia Field has not attained conference status. The assessment evaluated the six field administrators' understanding of what constitutes conference status and what challenges hindered the mission field from attaining conference status in a timely manner. Results The assessment results revealed a lack of understanding by th e field administrators with regard to what constitutes conference status. Field administrators were implementing strategies which failed to yield the required results. The study also revealed that the West Zambia Field region experienced socio-economic disruptions during the colonial and post-independence periods which are mirrored in the operations of the field. Conclusions This study project recommends strategic steps for transforming West Zambia Field to conference status in a timely manner. When the field becomes a conference it will strengthen the Adventist church organization in Zambia Union and SID respectively while hastening the soon coming of Jesus Christ. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary TRANSFORMING WEST ZAMBIA FIELD OF SEVENTH- DAY ADVENTISTS TO CONFERENCE STATUS: A CASE STUDY A Dissertation Project Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Passmore Hachalinga August 2010 ©Copyright by Passmore Hachalinga 2010 All Rights Reserved TRANSFORMING WEST ZAMBIA FIELD OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS TO CONFERENCE STATUS: A CASE STUDY A project presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Ministry by Passmore Hachalinga APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES..........................................................................................................vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................................viii Chapter 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION..............................................................................1 Statement of the Problem......................................................................................3 Justification for the Project...................................................................................3 Expectations from this Project.............................................................................4 Delimitations..........................................................................................................5 Limitations.............................................................................................................6 Methodology..........................................................................................................6 Design of the Project..............................................................................................7 2. THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION FOR CHURCH ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION........................................................................................... 9 Introduction ....... ,................................................................................................... 9 The Development of the New Testament Church Organization ..................... 10 Jesus the Founder of the Church .................................................................... 10 The Church as a Regional Body of Congregations.......................................12 Church Organizational Structure for Mutual Financial Support.......................13 Theological Foundation for the Adventist Church Organization.....................14 The Use of Models/Images to Define the Church.........................................14 Pragmatic Reasons for the Establishment of the Adventist Church ........... 16 Some Major Biblical Images of the Church ...................................................... 17 The Church as the Body of Christ .......... :......................................................19 The Church as the People of God.................................................................. 20 The Church as a Family..................................................................................22 The Church as the Temple ............................................................................. 23 The Church as the Bride of Christ................................................................. 24 The Images as Presented by Some Theologians ........................................... 25 The Role of Biblical Images for Church Organizational Flexibility..............26 The Church as an Organism or Dynamic System ....... >............................... 26 Changing People as a Means for Changing Organizations .............................. 27 Conversion as an Aspect of Human Change..................................................27 Conversion/Human Change as a Prerequisite for Organizational Change............................................................................................................. 29 Conclusions ......................:..................................................................................30 iii 3. LITERATURE REVIEW ON ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION................................................. 33 Introduction..........................................................................................................33 A Need for the Organization of the New Testament Church .............. .............35 New Testament Church Leadership....................................................................37 New Testament Temple, Synaeoeue, and House-church Congregation Models................................................................................................................ 38 New Testament Regional Church Units.............................................................38 The New Testament Church General Assembly ............................................... 39 The Establishment of the Adventist Church Organization...............................40 Contemporary Need for Church Organization ............................................... 41 Why Organizations Lose Effectiveness..............................................................43 Fundamental Beliefs as a Basis for Church Organizational Identity .......... 43 Declension of Church Growth and Effectiveness..........................................44 The Role of Leadership in Organizational Effectiveness Renewal ............ 46 The Southern African Social, Economic, and Political Context ..................... 47 The Impact of Economic Refonns on Zambia .............................................. 49 Resource Management Reforms for Church Organizations ........................ 50 Comparative Analysis of Theoretical Models for Implementing Organizational Change.........................................................................................51 Biblical Images of the Church as a Model for Church Organizational Transformation ...................... ............................................................................. 53 The Role of Human Change in Organizational Transformation ................. 54 Sendee as Motivation for Church Organizational Transformation ................55 Conclusion...........................................................................................................57 4. HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE WESTERN PROVINCE OF ZAMBIA.........................................................................................................60 Introduction..........................................................................................................60