With a deeper reflection on the case of Fr. Haibo Wang and based on my personal experience and research, this essay aims to explore the urgent need of continuing formation of priests in China by looking into the historical background of the Church in China and inadequate seminary formation; giving some theological reflections; and then suggesting a pastoral plan.

This thesis is a limited expression of many years of interest in and love for the Kingdom of God in Japan. It is offered as a lay critique of the bases from which have developed trends toward unity in state and religion. It has been difficult not to descend to the level of a biased judge on the one hand or to scale the heights of the prophet on the other-, what with the alarming amount of misinformation available suggestive of the possibility of dramatic pronouncements based on half-truths. The Clan System, Shrine worship, war records, and the supposed reasons for the reported present-day trend away from the United Church of Christ in Japan have been omitted since each deserves fuller and abler treatment than is possible here.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century missionary leaders have become aware of the national church as the focal point of their difficulties. The church on the mission field is a victory in itself, but with it comes an awareness of problems both new and old. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and analyze these problems and draw certain conclusions. The procedure will follow this outline: (1) Definition (2) The Problems Involved (3) Origin of the Problems (4) Efforts Toward Resolution of the Problems.

This fictional novella takes place during the narrator Smoot's two-year mission to Melbourne, Australia. It chronicles the intertwining of the lives and destinies of three main characters: Smoot, a Utah native who struggles with carnality and lack of conversion and spirituality; Babakian, an Australian convert who used to be a punk rocker and has become frustrated with Mormonism's blandness and conformity; and Samantha, a nonmember part-Tongan Utahn with whom Smoot was involved before his mission. Speaking generally, the novella is about how Babakian misuses his creative powers of art and sexuality, how Samantha explores the gospel and changes her life, and how Smoot matures spiritually and learns to sacrifice.

Over the past 150 years, Evangelicals have established a social infrastructure of organizations in Russia. Through an exploration of Evangelical engagement in Russia, this thesis asserts that evangelical salience will increase as other players in society -- namely, the federal government and Russian Orthodox Church -- continue to fail to address issues in society. This thesis traces evangelical presence in the region, first in the Russian Empire, then during the Soviet Union, and finally in today's Russian Federation. The concluding chapters dwell on a critical growth period for Evangelicals at the fall of the Soviet Union, during which the totalitarian communist regime was replaced with western political and economic systems, while few formal networks in the new Russian social sector emerged. In this social vacuum, Evangelicals filled and continue to fill a unique role with their well-developed organizational model that simultaneously addresses social and spiritual issues on an intimate level with the Russian people. Indeed, while the general population of Russia decreases, and the number of Russian Orthodox believers remains steady, Evangelical Russians are increasing annually. What is behind Evangelicals’ continued growth? With a focus on their non-religious functions in Russia, this thesis sets to find out.

Francis Xavier is of historical importance in two respects: (1) he was one of the small band of men who, led by Ignatius of Loyola, founded the Society of Jesus, and (2) he was the first Christian missionary to Japan. In addition to these major points of importance, he life and work are in close relation to the historical events, both ecclesiastical and secular, of the first half of the sixteenth century. A more complete biographical study of Xavier must bring in the names and offices of numerous leaders of church and state in many countries. It must also, at least to some extent, sketh the outlines of the condition of religion, of international rivalries, and of colonial expansion in his time. Our goal in the present study is a more modest one than such a biography. It concerns especially the mind of Francis Xavier in relation to his mission. Nevertheless, some attention to these broader aspects of the state of the world in Xavier's times have been found necessary as we have proceeded with our subject...

The "History of the Southern States Mission, 1831-1861," traces the development of a system of proselyting in the southeastern United States, and its effect on the lives of both missionaries and converts who embraced the principles of the restored gospel taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.This study includes an examination of twenty-eight personal missionary journals, and consequently gives a valid picture of Latter-day Saint objectives and the sacrifices necessary to achieve them. Their objectives were to carry the message to the world and build up the Kingdom of God.To reach their goal, the Mormons developed an enthusiastic and extensive proselyting system. As members joined the movement and caught the spirit of the Kingdom, they were zealous to carry the message to their friends and relatives. The free-lance method developed into a system wherein definite calls were made to a particular field of labor.One of the earliest and most fruitful fields of Mormon proselyting activity became known as the Southern States Mission – an area of thirteen southeastern states.The South was first contacted by two Mormon missionaries in June, 1831. Each succeeding year, the number of laborers increased. By 1861, at least 230 missionaries had served in the South. Some of them returned again and again, as many as five times, to spread the gospel. Even the threats of mobs did not stop their work. They not only preached the gospel, but also collected money to finance the temples and help the poor, sold subscriptions to L.D.S. newspapers, campaigned for Joseph Smith as a presidential candidate and organized Saints for emigration.The mission was a field of training for leadership. Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Jedediah M. Grant, George A. Smith and others received valuable training for Church responsibilities.The hospitable and religious nature of the Southerners made success possible. Approximately 2000 Southern converts joined the Church during the thirty year period. They came from the various strata of society--from Negro slaves to the wealthy plantation owners. They responded to their profession of faith by contributing their time, talents and money to the Church.As soon as the number of converts in a locality justified an organization, they sustained a local member as president of their "branch." The first branch was established in Cabell County, Virginia, in 1832. A larger ecclesiastical unit composed of branches, was developed into a "conference" in 1836.When Joseph Smith designated ‘gathering places’ for his followers, approximately fifty per cent of the Southern Saints joined the emigration movement to Missouri, Illinois and Utah.Proselyting activities focused on Texas after the body of the Church moved to Utah in 1847, and hundreds of Texans were affected by the "spirit of gathering." They had a long distance to travel, and experienced much hardship and discouragement.The "History of the Southern States Mission, 1830-1860," shows the effect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the lives of men. It reflects the successes, joys, sorrows and satisfactions that came to those who embraced the Latter-day Church. For thirty years, before the outbreak of the Civil War, the South was a fruitful missionfield. However, in 1861, the war brought a cessation of missionary work and ended the first era of the Mission's history.

During most of the 1830's, the Church was headquartered at Kirtland, Ohio. The thrust of her missionary effort toward the populous east came from that center. The impact of that proselyting work on Ohio's neighboring state, Pennsylvania, is the subject of this thesis. This study is concerned with the background and history of the missionary work in Pennsylvania as a part of the greater history of the Church in the 1830's. This thesis is also concerned with the results of that missionary work. Pennsylvania provided missionaries to teach in New York, New England, Canada and elsewhere and laid the foundation in Philadelphia for the missionary work along the east coast. Some of her native sons were the converts who settled in Missouri and joined in the march of Zion's Camp. The impact of the Church in an area so close to Kirtland is interesting to observe. Over fifty missionaries taught thousands and recorded the baptisms of over eight hundred souls during the decade. Converts from the state include Edward Hunter and Jedediah M. Grant. Pennsylvania missionaries counted Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball among their baptisms.

The number of senior missionaries serving missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has increased in recent years. Many of these volunteers travel overseas and are therefore immersed in a different culture. Some of them adjust successfully and others do not. The purpose of this research was to assess senior missionaries' perceptions of the type of preparation they made and training they received before departure, the expectations they had of their assignment, the people and way of life in the islands, and the accuracy of those expectations, the challenges they faced, the factors that they felt helped them adjust to these challenges, the advice they would give to future senior missionaries, and the recommendations if any they would give to improve their training. Participants consisted of 37 senior missionaries currently serving on the islands of Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, and Kiribati. The instrument used in this study was a questionnaire containing both quantitative and qualitative questions. Analysis of the quantitative data showed that subjects identified their previous experience living in the country and conversations with other Americans who had been to the country as the most helpful way to prepare for their assignment. The subjects felt that the most helpful aspect of the formal training was training that focused on their specific area of responsibility. The subjects reported having some challenges with the climate, the people, and the language barriers they encountered. Factors that were identified as being very helpful to participants in adjusting to the challenges included spiritual factors (such as prayer and scripture study), building good relationships with the local people and other missionary couples, maintaining contact with home, maintaining a positive attitude, striving to be tolerant, support from non-native supervisors, and staying active/busy. Analysis of the qualitative data showed that the participants felt that learning some of the host language, and learning more about the host culture prior to departure would be particularly beneficial. They also indicated that although training was provided prior to departure, the training needed to be more specific to their individual assignments, and it needed to involve some language and cultural training. In addition, it was also apparent that regardless of whether or not the missionaries had had previous experience living overseas, most of the subjects had a good idea what they where undertaking before they left home.

The purpose of this work is to summarize the history of the Netherlands Mission from its beginning in 1861 to 1966 and to give an account of the proselyting activities of the Mormon missionaries and the effects of their message on the growth and development of the mission and the Church in Holland.