With 111 people joining the Seventh-day Adventist Church every hour, world church leaders are weighing the impact of this growth, as well as how to respond.
Michael L. Ryan, a general vice president of the church and head of its Global Mission initiative, used a suggested theme of "Tell The World" to cast a vision for mission to delegates at the church leadership's Spring Meeting 2004 on April 14.
"We have certain values that guide us as a church," Ryan explained to ANN in an interview. "And, certainly, some of these we cannot escape, [such as] the Gospel commission; our being a church of growth; and bringing a message of hope. We believe that God uses people to deliver that hope."
The question, he said, is whether a church that will approach 50 million members by the year 2020 is ready to fulfil those demands: "We're commissioned to go to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.
"If we take that as a premise, are we a church of a size that can realistically provide everybody [on Earth] with an invitation to know Jesus?" Ryan asked, saying certain data indicates that the Adventist Church could be in such a position.
"If that's our vision, what do we need to pay attention to, both in terms of what will deter us from that goal, and what will help us achieve it?" he asked.
Ryan said that it's important for members to be more involved in Bible study and prayer; in extending the Gospel invitation to their neighbours and communities; and as a part of that, becoming involved in local good works that have an impact on people's concerns and show that Adventist Christians care.
"Other churches may look at our percentage [of volunteers] and say 'that's great,'" he explained, "but we're not entirely satisfied."
The Adventist Church – a mainstream, Protestant church - faces the challenge of moulding a church into a unified body, given the projected growth of more than 300 percent in the next 16 years. Currently, 13.5 million people are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and more than 20 million attend services weekly.
"It's a good problem to have, but it's one that won't take care of itself," said Ryan.
In planning for church programs in the 2005 to 2010 period, known as a "quinquennium," the church will focus on members' spiritual lives by promoting daily Bible study and prayer; witnessing, which largely springs from a member's spiritual development; bringing the message to "unentered areas" such as the world's largest cities and the "10/40 window," or largely non-Christian lands; and aligning resources to support those aims.
"We're not eager to start new programs," Ryan said. "We will evaluate carefully those programs we have been using to carry into the next quinquennium. Do they serve our mission?"
He said that the church's global regions, as well as departments at the world headquarters, are expected to provide significant input on how to meet the needs of the coming five-year period. [Editor: Mark A. Kellner for ANN/APD]
