| dc.description.abstract | The Christian church exists for a mission. However, the attempts made by
Christians and the Seventh-day Adventist Church to reach Muslims have not been
relatively successful because of the historical, political, military, cultural, and doctrinal
frictions between the two Abrahamic faiths across the centuries. There needs to be
awareness and contextualization of these elements. Consequently, there are unentered
Muslim territories because of hostility toward any open attempts to convert Muslims to
Christianity. Further, literature shows a dearth of studies that have developed a
framework for contextualized Adventist-Muslim ministry. Therefore, this study aimed to
develop a distinctively Seventh-day Adventist framework for Muslim ministry as a guide
for contextualized ministry in Salamex.
To address the research gap, a qualitative case study was conducted. A purposeful
sample of 23 participants was selected. The data were collected through in-depth
interviews and a focus group discussion. The transcribed interviews and focus group
discussion served as valuable primary data for the study. In addition, relevant documents
were examined for triangulation. To code and classify codes representing themes in the
context, for data analysis, I worked with HyperResearch qualitative data analysis
software. From the data analysis, 13 main themes emerged: change of heart, community
relationship, methods of witnessing, Muslim behavior toward contextualized members,
Muslim-background Adventists’ practices, global mission pioneers, discipleship,
Muslim-background Adventists’ fundamental knowledge, identity, worldview,
administrative structure, challenges, and opportunities.
The outcomes of this study revealed that the context in Salamex presents a
spectrum, from very conservative Muslim communities to open communities. Conversion
or change of heart happens and different methods are applied. Furthermore, the
participants’ understandings of contextualized ministry were confused. However, the
participants kept both Adventist and Islamic beliefs and practices. Moreover, the study
revealed challenges and opportunities for contextualized Adventist-Muslim ministry in
Salamex. Therefore, these findings supported strong recommendations to Seventh-day
Adventist Church administrators and practitioners and for further research. This study’s
findings had several important implications for future contextualized Muslim practice. | en_US |
