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Driven by Mission BY WILLIAM G. JOHNSSON
Adventists, unlike many other churches, include only those baptized in our membership lists, and we baptize only believers--we do not baptize infants. Even so, our rolls show nearly 15 million adherents, drawn from more than 200 countries--a veritable United Nations. The session in St. Louis will reflect this amazing diversity in the composition of the 2,000 or so delegates, who are principally selected on a representative basis. The 60,000-70,000 members who will pack the Dome each weekend will also showcase the international character of the church, though to a lesser degree. We have reached a point in our history when the Pentecostal figure of 3,000 accessions in a day has become a reality. And not just now or then: on average every day of the year sees about 3,000 new people join the church. Each year more than 1 million new people swell our numbers; total membership almost doubles every decade. I have served at the world church headquarters since 1980. During these 25 years--years of great interest and privilege--I have seen many changes in this movement I love. Leaders have come and gone; crises have erupted; the church has faced new and difficult challenges. But of this I am convinced: the Lord has been leading us onward and forward. Not because we deserve His blessing. Not because the work has been faultless--for it has not been--but because of His grace. And over the course of these 25 years I have seen emphasis on mission rise to a new pitch, be given more and more attention until it has taken precedence over all other items that concern leadership. At the Annual Councils of the church--the meetings of the General Conference Executive Committee each October--I used to hear new committee members express disappointment that the agenda was filled with adjustments to policy and other seemingly trivial matters, with no consideration of the big issues facing the world church. No longer: each year's council now convenes on a Friday evening, with a shared Sabbath worship providing a spiritual foundation; then, on Sunday, the first items taken up always focus on our worldwide mission. The agenda for the St. Louis session likewise shows the driving
force of mission. A new fundamental belief. The fifty-third GC session, held in Dallas, Texas, in 1980, spent the majority of its time and energy on the fundamental beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists. Out of this important deliberation emerged a new and expanded set of beliefs, numbering 27 in all. The St. Louis session will consider adding a new fundamental belief on Growing in Christ. The proposed statement has been considered by the world church at various levels and been made available for input by circulation in the Adventist Review and Ministry magazine, and on the Internet. The impetus for this new statement arose out of mission. As Global Mission Pioneers endeavor to take the good news to unreached people groups, they encounter large numbers who live in daily apprehension of spiritual powers. Millions of others are caught up in religious systems built around transcendental meditation. Our current set of beliefs does not speak to these concerns. Leadership. The exploding church demands leaders--many, at all levels. On five days of the session all business, including the work of the Nominating Committee, will stop for 90 minutes so that all delegates can focus on principles of leadership. Beyond specific agenda items such as the above, the entire
session in its range of speakers, music, reports, and dynamics will make tangible
the miracle of the Adventist mission. From all the world, to all the world,
for all the world--this a church driven by mission.
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The Seventh-day Adventist Church today, perhaps more than at
any time in its history, is driven by a sense of mission. We believe the Lord
has given us a mandate, described in Revelation 14:6, 7--to take the everlasting
gospel to every nation, tribe, and people group. |
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