The Perceptions of Ghanaian Adventist Youth on the Use of Hymns in Worship

( Josiah B Andor ) 삼육대학교 선교와사회문제연구소 2012 Asia-Africa Journal of Mission and Ministry(AAMM) Vol.6 No.-

This paper sought to find out the perception of Ghanaian Adventist Youth on the use of hymns in the church. The areas of concern were on what they think about the use of hymns at irregular times, their use at the Divine Service and their use during song services. With the views of a proportionate representation of age bracket, gender, ranking in the youth ministry, and district, a number of conclusions may be drawn from the responses to the questionnaire. The majority of the youth think that the singing of hymns between Sabbath School and Divine Service, while waiting for a preacher, while waiting for a technical problem to be resolved, and while waiting for Sabbath afternoon program to begin is very good. In addition, they think that it is good to sing hymns in the midst of an ongoing program. The study also revealed that a majority of the youth believe that the suggestions of organising a Divine Service made of hymns throughout, increasing the number of hymns in the Divine service, and maintaining the number of hymns in the Divine Service are very good, On the other hand, the suggestions of organising a Divine Service without hymns and reducing the number of hymns in the Divine Service were rated as very bad and bad respectively. Concerning the song services, the paper reveals that the majority of Ghanaian Adventist youth will strongly agree that members should be allowed to request for their favourite hymns to be sung. Many also agree that the leader in the song service should lead out with the singing of the hymns thematically. Conversely, the majority of the youth strongly disagree with the suggestion that there should be no hymns in song services. The paper therefore postulates that hymns are very important to the youth of the church and hence should be made an integral part of the worship.

2015 General Conference Session in San Antonio: A Study of the Interest Hype among Adventists in Southern Ghana

( Josiah B. Andor ) 삼육대학교 선교와사회문제연구소 2016 Asia-Africa Journal of Mission and Ministry(AAMM) Vol.13 No.-

This paper examined the Interest or Hype among members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Southern Ghana in the 2015 General Conference Session which took place in San Antonio. The focus of the study was to identify reasons why most Adventists in Ghana became interested in the San Antonio GC Session, unlike with previous GC Sessions. Using questionnaires to sample views from 158 randomly selected members from three conferences in the Southern part of Ghana, this study discovers that a majority of members who, until 2015, didn’t know much about GC Sessions and had no interest in GC Sessions, became interested in the 2015 GC Session because of the issue of women’s ordination that was on the agenda. This subject kept them continuously interested and it made them to follow proceedings at the session. The study also shows that the interest of members was kept alive due to the rampant discussion of the session and the issue of women’s ordination on social media. The paper recommends that to keep members interested in future GC Sessions, the agenda should include engaging subjects that members will be keen to follow. Also, church leaders can resort to the use of social media to get members actively involved and interested.

The Role of the Pastor`s Wife in Ministry

( Josiah B Andor ) 삼육대학교 선교와사회문제연구소 2013 Asia-Africa Journal of Mission and Ministry(AAMM) Vol.8 No.-

This article sought to find out the roles that pastor`s wives play in their husbands` ministry that have made them seem indispensable in the ministry. The pastor`s wife is viewed as a woman and as a helper. Three types of pastors` wives are identified; the detached, the supportive, and the incorporated. Each of these has ways in which it affects the pastor`s ministry. The paper postulates that roles of pastor`s wives can be divided into domestic roles (roles at home), spiritual roles (roles at church), social roles (roles in the community), and occupational roles (roles at work). Finally, the paper compares the results of a survey conducted among pastors` wives in Ghana and the roles they perform in their husbands` ministries. The paper concludes that pastors` wives are great helpers in the ministry of their husbands.ABSTRACT-This article sought to find out the roles that pastor`s wives play in their husbands` ministry that have made them seem indispensable in the ministry. The pastor`s wife is viewed as a woman and as a helper. Three types of pastors` wives are identified; the detached, the supportive, and the incorporated. Each of these has ways in which it affects the pastor`s ministry. The paper postulates that roles of pastor`s wives can be divided into domestic roles (roles at home), spiritual roles (roles at church), social roles (roles in the community), and occupational roles (roles at work). Finally, the paper compares the results of a survey conducted among pastors` wives in Ghana and the roles they perform in their husbands` ministries. The paper concludes that pastors` wives are great helpers in the ministry of their husbands.

Ecological Sanitation in Deuteronomy 23:10-15

( Andor Josiah B ) 글로벌기독교세계관학회 2012 학문과기독교세계관 Vol.6 No.-

This paper explores the roles of technology and religious morality in ecological sanitation as presented in Deuteronomy 23:10-15. The travelling Israelites were admonished to designate a place outside their camp for defecation when they went out to war. They were also asked to dig before they defecate and to cover it before leaving it behind. The reason given in the text for such a command is the fact that the Israelites were to be aware of the presence of Yahweh in their midst. By a literary reading of the text, the paper proposes that if the ecological sanitation that was commanded to be observed in the camps of the ancient Israelites was successful, it was as a result of their morality and awareness of the presence of God. Hence, morality has a role to play in the preservation of ecological sanitation. The text seems to reiterate the message: cleanliness is next to godliness. In addition, their observance of ecological sanitation was successful because of the technological development of the period. The paper postulates that the adjustments of the war implement to enable digging can represent today`s technological advancements within our ranks. Thus, from the context of Deuteronomy 23:10-15, the implementation of ecological sanitation in our world today can be achieved through the use of religious morality and available technology.

The Place of Psychology in the Counselling Ministry of Adventist Pastors in Southern Ghana

( Josiah B. Andor ),( Evelyn Owusu ) 삼육대학교 선교와사회문제연구소 2017 Asia-Africa Journal of Mission and Ministry(AAMM) Vol.15 No.-

This study was conducted to assess the place of psychology in the counseling ministry of Adventist pastors in southern Ghana. The researchers sought to find out the role psychology plays in counseling among the pastors, unearth the top three issues that members confront pastors with, and how pastors use psychological techniques to minister to these members. It was revealed that psychology is very essential in the counseling ministry of pastors. The study concludes that marital issues, work and career related issues, as well as spiritual issues accounted for the top three most common problems among church members. It was also revealed that pastors use various techniques to minister to members who confront them with their needs but the techniques mostly used are providing encouragement, listening to members, helping members make their own decisions, and offering prayers. Since the majority of pastors have had a minimum of a Bachelors degree, most of them had taken a course in psychology as part of their training but a majority of them acknowledged that they have not taken any additional workshop or short course training in psychological counseling. The researchers therefore recommend that pastors should be helped to take courses in Psychological counseling so as to improve their skills in the counseling ministry.