As many recalled, the last annual council was at the time of the September 11 attacks. He noted that "even as God's people in an unstable and confused world, we ourselves are not sheltered from the instability and everyday pain that comes to us all."
From the outset, the GC president spoke of mission. "As a community of faith we have discovered that we do best when we think 'mission,' i.e., we think in terms of the good we can bring to others; and we do so with a specific awareness of the times in which we live." Yet there was also recognition of the many challenges now facing the church:
"We have held, and we hold, that our mission agenda has to be accomplished in fragile and risky times as well as in stable situations. That is our role. We cannot step out of it."
Paulsen emphasized the need for the church to be relevant in society. Without such relevance, he affirmed, it was not useful to God. "We would fail as a church if we become indifferent to the suffering of this world, or become so wholly 'other-worldly' in our thinking that we are insensitive to the suffering of humanity and cannot be bothered."
Not that he was promoting a "social gospel," he countered. Rather, "we just need to make sure that our mission agenda is large enough and inclusive enough to reflect the breadth and depth of Christ's care for suffering and lost humanity."
Paulsen pointed to two personal concerns including "Adventist mutations" and preoccupation with numbers-measuring growth only in numerical terms. "When I hear that 80,000 names have to be deleted from the records of our church in one country simply because they came in en masse, they cannot be traced, they do not come to church, they may not even exist--that troubles me greatly. When I learn that after one of these mega-campaigns with an imported team they don't even bother to write down the names of those who are baptized-'we'll do it after they have been baptized for the third time'-something is wrong. Evangelism in these circumstances becomes a carnival."
Paulsen also noted the lack of growth in developed countries, "where things seem to have stopped for us as a church… In so many parts of the industrialized and developed world on almost every continent, we as a church with a mission seem to be having little effect."
World Survey: Inspiring and Disturbing
In a departure from traditional programming, the first afternoon session was dedicated to the "larger picture" facing the church. GC Executive Committee members listened to a major new study commissioned to determine exactly how "the church" was performing around the world. Under the three major themes of unity, growth, and quality of life, the world survey identifies issues of interest and concern to every Adventist member.
Roger Dudley |
Introduced by GC vice-president Gerry Karst, the session was both inspiring and disturbing as it revealed the state of the church in stark detail. Explaining the choice to study the church as depicted by the three strategic issues, Karst said "we are already involved in these areas; we need to develop coordination to make sure we are working together."
Michael Ryan, director of the GC Office of Global Mission, added, "This survey is a picture taken on how well we are doing in these three areas. We will also present the different division plans of actions that spell out how the strategic issues will be addressed. This is a frank and honest discussion on the health of our church. The strategic plan is a measure of the organization's vision, its intention and determination, and how well it coordinates mission-directed resources."
Roger Dudley of Andrews University, chief researcher for the study, explained the questionnaire and methodology, followed by doctoral student Petr Cincala who analyzed the data.
The conclusions are blunt. For example, on quality of life:
"Members of the world church seem to be doing their best in their subjective experience of the Christian life and the joy of salvation. They are also near the median position in corporate Sabbath worship. But then the percentages begin to trail off. They report only about a third are involved in spiritual gifts, nurturing other members, active witnessing, or participating in the world-wide work of the church."
Doctrinally, the survey reveals the church is strong. But in terms of being part of a global community-an aspect of the unity area-the results are less satisfactory:
"There is strong support for fundamental Adventist doctrines. About three-fourths also affirm the structure, polity, and financial policies of the church. But only about half seem to be active in building all-inclusive community."
Similar findings are seen in the area of growth. Though there is much growth (57 percent indicate membership increases in their churches in the past two years) "only about a third are active in witnessing and are making a positive impact in the community."
In discussion, a number questioned the methodology and results. For example, GC associate education director Garland Dulan raised problems of perception, since the survey questions asked pastors and lay leaders to consider their impression of their church/members.
Lay member Mack Tennyson of North Carolina highlighted the "problems of math" since the number of questions in the groupings determined which may be the "weakest" objective and "tends to skew the percentage down." Consequently "we need to be careful in interpreting these numbers." However, he commended the initiative, saying "This is tremendous… I am almost struck silent!"
GC Sabbath school and personal ministry associate director Jonathan Kuntaraf asked about variation in results according to divisions. The response was that these are to be given to representatives of the different world divisions.
A crowd of witnesses.
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Ryan pointed to the ongoing need to determine whether the church's programs are still relevant. "We also need to assess our programs in the light of the data and strategic issues we have voted. As we examine the division actions plans, we will see how we intend to put the strategic plan into action. As we increase grass roots awareness and implementation, we will be focusing on the three strategic values and expected outcomes. But this will depend on the will of members and leaders."
Ryan said he was very concerned with some results of the survey that showed less than 50 percent involved in Bible studies and worship on a regular basis; less than 40 percent involved in witnessing training or soul-winning activity; and less than 30 percent involved in any kind of community activity.
Identifying the results of the survey as "a wake-up call for all of us," Karst then moved that a taskforce be set up by the General Conference Administrative Committee to deal with the three issues of greatest concern-to increase those participating in regular Bible study and prayer, to better train and involve members in evangelism, and to increase involvement in community projects. Voted by the delegates, the plan will be reviewed at
Spring Meeting 2003.
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Jonathan Gallagher is the United Nations liaison director for the General Conference.
peaking in his opening address, General Conference president Jan Paulsen gave a review of Adventist activity around the world, a "state of the church" panorama that included both successes and challenges.
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