The Seventh Day Adventist Pastor in a multicultural congregation: Coventry Central's expectations of their Pastor

Palmer, Steve Bruce (2017). The Seventh Day Adventist Pastor in a multicultural congregation: Coventry Central's expectations of their Pastor. University of Birmingham. M.Phil.

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Abstract

This thesis aims to ascertain the expectations that three different cultural groups in the Coventry Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church (S.D.A.) in Radford have of their Pastor. The S.D.A. church in Britain in general and Coventry in particular have experienced changes in their social composition over recent years, as migrants from various countries have made the church more racially and culturally diverse. This investigation aims to explore whether these diverse cultural groups have varying expectations of the way their Pastor functions in his role and relationship with them, using questionnaires directed at the three largest groups in Coventry Central: Zimbabwean, Filipino and 'White' English. From the replies I attempt to discern what attitudes, practices and expectations shape these different group's feelings and perspectives on worship, preaching and the cultural norms of the church.

Before conducting the research I thought that these groups would have the same attitudes towards and expectations of the Pastor. However, the research has revealed that although these different cultural groups share a powerful common identity and uniformity in doctrinal beliefs; the product of the global S.D.A. Church's training and teaching programmes. Deeper analysis and reflection, however, reveal that there is a complex interplay between doctrinal beliefs, practices and the social context in which they are worked out. In the end I came to the conclusion that whilst the S.D.A. Church has common teaching and educational material for ministers and congregations across the world, it is the interpretation of those beliefs and norms that means that ministers have to be sensitive to the variety of cultures in a specific context. In the end all Christian ministry is contextualized and that affects the way a Pastor has to operate.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.Phil.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.Phil.

Supervisor(s):