Saberes e práticas pastorais: um estudo sobre a formação da identidade do Ministério Adventista

Abstract

In recent decades, social, economic, technological and geopolitical transformations on a global scale have profoundly impacted the ways of being and acting of individuals, generating a context marked by transience and triggering an identity crisis. This reality is also manifested in the Seventh-day Adventist Church – a Protestant Christian denomination that emerged in the context of the Millerite movement in the 19th century, promoting biblical faith and integral well-being through education, health and humanitarian mission. The life of the church depends on the dedicated and selfless work of pastors, whose ministerial identity is shaped by a historical legacy left by the pioneers and by a clear and contemporary ministerial policy, widely presented in the Bachelor's Degree Courses in Adventist Theology. This study investigates the historical foundations of the identity of the Adventist ministry. The aim of this study is to recover the identity principles defended by the denomination, taking as its research object the historical space of construction of the Adventist ministerial identity and relating it to the initial training processes of candidates for pastors in Adventist Theology colleges in Brazil, through the analysis of the Pedagogical Projects of the Course (PPC). The research problem that guides the work asks: what characteristics of the Adventist ministerial identity are preserved in the elaboration of the curriculum of the Bachelor's Degree in Theology courses (SALT/UNASP-EC, SALT/UNIAENE, SALT/FAAMA, SALT/FAP)? The empirical material was composed of the Political Pedagogical Project of the Bachelor's Degree in Theology courses of the Adventist Seminaries in Brazil, namely: Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo (SALT/UNASP-EC), Faculdade Adventista da Bahia (SALT/UNIAENE), Faculdade Adventista da Amazônia (SALT/FAAMA) and Instituto Adventista Paranaense (SALT/FAP). The theoretical framework of the thesis is based, firstly, on classic and contemporary works that deal with the historical formation of the Adventist ministry, pastoral identity and theology courses in Brazil. The research dialogues with historical contributions from Richard W. Schwarz, Floyd Greenleaf, Ellen G. White and other authors, such as Wellington Vedovello Barbosa and Russel Burrill. Secondly, it explores sociological and psychological perspectives of scholars such as Stuart Hall, Zygmunt Bauman, Manuel Castells, Claude Dubar and George Herbert Mead, to address the construction and challenges of pastoral identity in contemporary times. This documentary research is based on Laurence Bardin's content analysis methodology. The results indicate that the theology courses mentioned follow the National Curricular Guidelines, aiming to prepare pastors and missionaries committed to serving the Church, with an emphasis on evangelism, training members for mission and pastoral care. Furthermore, the results highlighted the need for training that is more attentive to multicultural urban contexts, as well as the proposal to expand the course to five years, including a pastoral internship focused on caring for the church community and improving biblical preaching. These approaches aim to align academic training and ministerial practice with contemporary demands and the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.