If the good news for the Seventh-day Adventist Church is its remarkable membership growth -- more than 5 million baptisms and accessions to membership in the past five years -- the bad news is that in the same period, nearly 1.4 million people were droppe
If the good news for the Seventh-day Adventist Church is its remarkable membership growth—more than 5 million baptisms and accessions to membership in the past five years—the bad news is that in the same period, nearly 1.4 million people were dropped from church rolls. In popular language, such departures are termed as “exiting through the back door of the church.”
An afternoon presentation at the 58th General Conference Session of the Adventist Church was aimed at helping to close that back door. Led by world church general vice president Mark Finley, and supported by fellow vice president Michael L. Ryan, and veteran missiologist Patricia Gustin, the session asked questions about membership retention, gaining answers from a variety of delegates.
The need for such a discussion is plainly evident, Finley, an evangelist whose meetings around the world have brought tens of thousands into the Adventist Church, noted. The worldwide “loss-gain ratio” for the movement is, sadly, increasing, he said. Where it was only 20.39 percent in 2000, it was up to 33.89 percent, globally, in 2004.
The church’s South American region, whose own year 2000 loss-gain ratio was 33 percent, has seen that number fall to just 18 percent over the last four quarters. “The implementation of a small group [Bible study] strategy throughout the [church region] has made a significant difference,” Finley said.
While a variety of reasons were cited for such departures—fallen-away members may leave over personal conflicts with a pastor or another member, discouragement over personal problems or a lack of friends within the faith—a lack of spiritual feeding, or nurture, is often cited, specifically a weak biblical foundation for their faith or a perception that the church is no longer relevant to the member’s needs.
“We have to constantly remember that evangelism is not an event, it is a process,” Gustin told delegates. “The nurturing process is ongoing, even for us today. We must never give the impression that once someone comes into our fellowship that it’s all over.”
Ryan added that a difference between areas where new congregations thrive and those where the local churches falter, is that in successful areas, “there has been developed a culture of nurture… not only are the members retained, but that congregation will grow, and you can see it as a very prominent trait in some areas of the world.”
Several delegates noted that a lack of church buildings or the lack of a pastor in an area after an evangelistic effort is a hindrance to member retention. Lay member Robert Paulsen of the North American church region suggested a U.S. $1 million challenge from the world church to raise money for church construction: “They need houses of worship,” he declared.
At the same time, said Paul Tompkins, a delegate from the Trans-European region, youth who leave in their teens or early adulthood are rarely contacted by pastors and members; we need to “develop a strategic plan to reach out to [these] Adventist prodigals,” he said.
Improving the quality of worship for members captivated by the large, dynamic fellowship of a citywide event was mentioned as a retention strategy by Artur Stele, president of the Euro-Asia church region.
“We need to work on how we worship on Sabbath. When people come to our worship, they must experience something going on that is real, that the Lord is present, that they are worshipping in a live[ly] manner. Too often our services remind me of funerals,” he declared.
West African region delegate Onaolapo Ajibade was one of several speakers who noted that the church should measure growth by the number of disciples created, not just baptisms.
There is, he said, an “atmosphere in a [local] church [that] contributes to apostasy. When a new convert comes into the church, they become disappointed: [and wonder] how can people have such good doctrines and be so lukewarm?”
A delegate from the Euro-Africa region, Fatiha Benazza, who had been a Muslim and had to lobby a pastor for baptism, expressed a heartfelt thought. Now an Adventist, Benazza said, “I love Jesus Christ and want to be with Jesus for all of my life.”
But, Benazza added, “When someone comes into the church, we have to be very patient. When someone gives their heart, we need to see their spiritual gifts.”
The presentation on the church and apostasy is the third of five issues-oriented programs that are part of the quinquennial business session.