wfn.org | Adventist World Session: Report Shows Growth, Highlights Issues

[Christian B. Schäffler (APD Schweiz)]

July 8, 2005

Adventist Press Service (APD)

Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief APD

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APD@stanet.ch

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CH-4003 Basel, Schweiz

 

 

Adventist World Session: Statistical Report Shows Growth, 
Highlights Issues

 

St. Louis, Missouri/USA. (ANN/APD)   For the first time in the history 
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, membership grew by more 
than 5 million new members in a five-year period. This was reported 
by Bert Haloviak, director of Archives and Statistics for the world 
church, to delegates at the 58th General Conference Session. 

 

Adventist Church membership grew from 10,939,182 at the beginning 
of 2000 to 13,936,932 at the end of 2004, Haloviak reported. 

 

However, he added, nearly 1.5 million left membership during the 
time period 2000 to 2005. "The bottom line for this quinquennium is 
that for every 100 accessions, more than 35 others decided to leave," 
he told delegates. "That total is considerably more than the 24 subtracted 
for every 100 added as reported at our last session" in 2000. 

 

Despite a fast growth rate during the last five years, when considering 
the number of those leaving the church compared to how many joined, 
this is the "lowest growth rate since the 1960 to 1964 period." 

 

But, Haloviak said, an average annual growth rate of 4.97 percent 
during this quinquennium suggests the Seventh-day Adventist 
Church is prepared for a period of major growth in the near future. 

 

"At the end of 2004," he stated, "six of the current world divisions [
administrative church regions] surpassed the 1-million membership 
mark, and of those, three fellowship more than 2 million members." 

 

"A new kind of million-member club was established this 
quinquennium," he added. "The North American Division celebrated 
more than 1 million new members entering it's membership rolls," 
becoming the sixth world division with 1 million members or more. 

 

And it's not just divisions reaching the 1-million member mark; 
countries are doing so as well, Haloviak added. Brazil did this since 
the General Conference Session in 2000, and India, Philippines and 
the U.S.A. are poised to do so within the next five years. 

 

Haloviak concluded his report by highlighting the tools of evangelism 
used during the last half-century of mission, including television 
ministry, airplane evangelism, open-heart team evangelism, 
medical mission launches, orphanages, and "other innovative 
means of alleviating the suffering of the world while pointing 
toward a perfect kingdom of the future." [Editor: Wendi Rogers 
for ANN/APD]