Discipleship practices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Mindanao, Philippines

Abstract

This study delved into the discipleship practices of the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church in Mindanao, Philippines. It focused on spiritual disciplines, loving the community, faithful participation, spiritual identity, serving the community, sharing Jesus, and spiritual gifts. It aimed to understand the church members’ perceptions of these practices and how age, marital status, occupation, and membership span influence these perceptions. This study, conducted among 660 SDA Church members using a Likert scale questionnaire, revealed significant differences in perceptions depending on the number of years of membership. The results highlighted the importance of spiritual disciplines, love for the community, faithful participation, spiritual identity, serving the community, sharing Jesus, and spiritual gifts. The study discovered statistically significant differences in spiritual discipline scores and perceptions on love for the community among SDA Church members in Mindanao, Philippines based on their years of membership. Members with 25-40 years of membership demonstrated the highest perception of spiritual disciplines and love for the community. Furthermore, the study revealed significant differences in the perception on faithful participation among members depending on their occupation, with pastors and missionaries exhibiting the highest perception. Additionally, perceptions on spiritual identity, serving the community, sharing Jesus, and spiritual gifts varied significantly based on membership duration. Members with 25-40 years of membership consistently showed the highest perception in these aspects of discipleship practices. The practical implications of the study suggest the need for SDA Churches to enhance spiritual growth and discipleship by addressing these key areas. Recommendations include developing tailored discipleship programs for different demographic groups and emphasizing the significance of spiritual gifts in discipleship practices. Future research avenues could explore discipleship practices in other regions or assess the effectiveness of discipleship programs in fostering spiritual growth among SDA Church members.