t happens every spring. The General Conference Executive Committee's Spring Meeting (held this year April 14 and 15) is one of two annual business meetings of the Adventist Church's highest administrative body between GC sessions. Spring Meeting is when administrators from the Adventist Church's 13 world divisions review the yearly audited financial statements, hear reports, and vote resolutions and statements.*

During the meetings it's common to hear various statistics. This year's include: The church numbers nearly 13.5 million, with a projected future membership of more than 20 million by the year 2010; a combined tithe income of $72,766,931 was received in 2003; a proposal is in development to establish 30,000 new Adventist congregations between 2005 and 2010.

The underlying meaning behind the numbers is that the Adventist Church continues to grow rapidly. Unfortunately, the enormous growth, while gratifying, has enormous challenges, and church leaders are feeling the strain of supporting and nurturing thousands of new Adventist believers.

One of the key numbers discussed was the mission offerings for North America. Reported at $21,364,822 for 2003, the total reached its lowest point since 1985, according to church statistics. During the same period, non-North American mission offerings climbed to $25,348,407, up 5 percent from 2002 and nearly 100 percent since 1986.

In his treasurer's report, Robert Lemon noted that while tithe and local giving have increased with inflation, the combined total of North American and world mission offerings, $46,713,229, has remained flat for decades. As a percentage of tithe, the world offerings plunged from a high of 65 percent in 1930 to about 4 percent in 2002.

Lemon also noted that such trends will have serious implications for the church's future. The stagnant offerings are making it difficult to increase subsidies and appropriations to the world divisions. Initiatives such as the outreach to the 10/40 window and satellite ministry will be increasingly harder to maintain in years to come. And the church will not be able to take advantage of growth opportunities that present themselves.

In response to this situation church leaders appointed a Mission Offering Committee to review the current offering program, analyze the causes for decline, and recommend ways to reverse the trend.

After conducting focus groups, the offering committee reported some disturbing conclusions. Among reasons cited for the decline were poor communication to church members about how the offerings are used, declining Sabbath school attendances in developed areas, competing appeals, and a perception that the mission offering doesn't support frontline outreach. The focus groups also noted a shift in emphasis from global to local needs in various parts of the church.

The offering committee's report called for the establishment of a new mission offering plan that would rekindle the vision of reaching every person in the world and increase church member support of mission offerings. The proposal also recommended that an Office of Mission Promotion (similar to the Office of Mission Awareness in the mid-1990s) be formed to focus on communicating the vital importance of world mission and help educate members on how the Adventist mission program works. The GC Committee received the report and requested that a plan reflecting the report's objectives be developed.

"We have to find a way to communicate to our members that the work [of spreading the gospel] is not finished," Lemon reiterated. "We have to communicate that every cent of the mission dollars goes for mission. And mission isn't just frontline work. It includes the administration that supports the frontline work."

It's widely known that many Adventists are responding to appeals from church entities or supporting ministries. These agencies have started many initiatives. But now the church is faced with the daunting task of nurturing, sustaining, and building on these past successes. At the same time we must be prepared for new opportunities in the future.

That's the compelling message in numbers.

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*You can read a report of the meetings in the Review's May 13, 2004, issue.

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Carlos Medley is the online editor of the Adventist Review.