"You are here because of what you bring to this [assembly]," Pastor Jan Paulsen told delegates to the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Annual Council meeting, held at the world headquarters. The first business session commenced on Sunday morning, Oct. 10, w
“You are here because of what you bring to this [assembly],” Pastor Jan Paulsen told delegates to the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Annual Council meeting, held at the world headquarters. The first business session commenced on Sunday morning, Oct. 10, with delegates voting statements of values and vision for the 13.6-million member church, where 25 million worship weekly.
Although the primary purpose of the meetings is the business affairs of the church, Paulsen emphasized in his opening comments that morning sessions of the council would be devoted to mission, which he said is the chief task of the church.
This being the last such gathering before the 2005 General Conference Session in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, Paulsen said, “there are many, many far-reaching issues that are before us, and they are reflected in the agenda that we have.”
Among those to be discussed in coming days is a new fundamental statement of belief relating to a Christian’s spiritual growth. Paulsen told delegates the matter was of great importance as the church moves forward: “If we are indeed, as we have been told in council, that in the year 2020 the Adventist community, at its current rate of growth, is likely to number 50 million; [of which] 12 percent only of whom have been members in the year 2000, it becomes quickly a first-generation church. How do we make sure that we hold this family together? How do we make sure that the identity, the vision, that which we value highly, our faith, our doctrine, our spiritual values, remain intact?”
Already, in opening-morning actions, Adventist leaders voted revised wording for the church’s mission statement and a values statement.
The amendments to the mission statement (see related text link) talk about the everlasting gospel “of God’s love” in the context of Rev. 14:6-12 “and as revealed in the life, death, resurrection and high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ,” and leading them to accept Jesus as personal Saviour “and Lord.” The mission statement now calls for people to unite with Christ’s “remnant church” and for the church to nurture “believers as disciples” in preparation for His return.
The values statement (see related text link), which was approved, although its wording will continue to be studied by leaders, emphasizes that “Advent values are rooted in the revelation of God provided through the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ.” The statement affirms “every person is gifted for, and needed in, the diverse activities” of the church.
“Our respect for diversity, individuality and freedom is balanced by regard for community,” the statement adds.
Most of the morning session was devoted to specific mission-related and strategic initiatives of the church. Mark Finley, director of the Center for Global Evangelism at the church’s world headquarters, and speaker/director of It Is Written, underscored the practical aspects of the Center’s services as they relate to evangelism. “Training and motivation are of primacy to our task,” he said. He refers to pastors involved in evangelism as “evangelistic pace setters,” and in one specific program, groups of young pastors will receive mentoring in the art of public evangelism. In Finley’s words, “our passion is to motivate church leaders, pastors and lay people to embrace a greater vision of God’s longing to reach lost people.”
Michael L. Ryan, a general vice-president of the world church, who introduced the mission-segment of the council meeting, said that mission is what the church focuses on. “This sense of mission is driven by the realization that every person, regardless of circumstances, is of infinite value to God. We have a God-given mission to reach the world with His love. But do we have a plan to reach the world?”
Presiding over the denomination’s strategic planning, Ryan connected the strategic plan to mission objectives of the church. He asked: “What are the goals we must work toward? What should be our vision for the church of 2010? Our vision is clear: to invite every person in the world to respond to the good news about Jesus and His soon coming. This is the mission for which we exist. This is the mission that must occupy our time, energy, and resources.”
As the church moves into the next five years, the mission focus is on three key strategic values of growth, unity, and quality of life. “These values are not new. They reflect the essence of Adventism. They reflect the Adventist heritage. They reflect the way the Adventist Church operates,” Ryan emphasized.
The council participants were also presented with a report on the recently adopted mission initiatives, as well as plans for new and creative involvement of laity in mission activities, including the Elijah Project, a collaborative effort of church and lay ministries to involve Adventist youth in the presentation of a comprehensive evangelistic program.
Harold Baptiste, chairman of the Sow 1 Billion initiative and a church general vice-president, referred to the global campaign to distribute 1,000 million Bible study invitations as “an extraordinary initiative—a plan to blanket the world.”
In the last 12 months, each region of the church has taken up the Sow 1 Billion challenge and adapted the invitations to study the Bible in ways that both reflect the identity of the church in that region, and which fits with the culture in which they are operating. “We praise God for the stories that are flowing in of people who have responded to this invitation to study the Bible,” Baptiste reported.
According to Baptiste, the Sow 1 Billion initiative has given a new impetus to Bible Correspondence Schools around the world. “There are 140 Bible Schools in 130 countries, with Bible lessons in more than 70 languages. These schools are an integral—and very effective—part of our church’s outreach ministry. Sow 1 Billion has made it abundantly clear that we need to support and maintain this vital worldwide network… [and] has also helped prompt the expansion of local church-based Bible schools. In North America, for instance, there have been more than 300 new church-based Bible schools added over the past year,” he said.
Another legacy of Sow 1 Billion is a new spirit of cooperation—a new dynamic—that has been forged between different church entities. Sow 1 Billion may have been a simple plan to print and distribute Bible study invitations, but it is a plan that has mobilized an extraordinary range of people, ministries and institutions worldwide to work together toward this common goal.
Baptiste also cited HopeTalk.org—an international Bible study Web site that was developed to help provide online Bible studies for Sow 1 Billion. HopeTalk relied on the active support of hundreds of Bible Schools around the world, along with the involvement of many lay Internet ministries.
Also voted Sunday morning was the proposal to expand distribution of the Adventist Review, the official church paper. This 32-page, English-language magazine is expected to reach members in the ten world church regions where English is a major language, and it is hoped that other regions would translate articles into other languages for local use, leaders said.
According to Dr. Paulsen, the program would “make it possible for one issue of the Adventist Review to be distributed at no charge…. I expect over a million copies and it may well grow beyond that, depending on the demand from the world church.”
According to Dr. William G. Johnsson, editor of the Review, the plan would be to incorporate content that is aimed at building faith and understanding of church doctrine and mission. Regular articles would cover doctrinal topics, and contributors would largely be drawn from outside of North America. The new publication would be called “Adventist World” and “would be designed to foster the unity of the world Adventist family.”
The magazine’s text would also be available via the Internet, effectively joining other church outreaches via satellite television and the Internet, each aimed at strengthening member participation and retention.
Johnsson estimated the cost of the new venture at between U.S. $2.2 million to U.S. $2.4 million each year, with a target launch date of September or October of 2005.
“We think it is critical to the church, to the church’s witness, to the unity of the church that we have a voice that can speak to the whole world church, with the same message to all,” Paulsen said.