Record growth—and losses—in Adventist church membership
Jarrod:
Hello and welcome to another episode of Record Wrap, the Adventist Record news podcast. It’s Wednesday, October 30. I’m Jarrod Stackelroth.
Danelle:
And I’m Danelle Stothers.
Jarrod:
In this week’s episode:
Church stats show record growth but worrying losses;
An Adventist Academic has been appointed inaugural president to an important scientific body;
And Mountain View Adventist College students and staff have been serving overseas.
But first, Danelle, what’s making headlines this week?
Danelle:
On October 22, the Adventist Church launched a new metaverse game called 1844, created by the South American Division to mark the 180th anniversary of the "Great Disappointment." This date, October 22, 1844, was when early Adventists anticipated Jesus' return—but when that didn’t happen, it left a lasting impact on the movement’s history. Through this new game, players can explore the pivotal event in a fully immersive, virtual setting, aimed at helping young Adventists understand the roots of their faith. The game is designed for group play and includes Bible study resources to make Adventist history and beliefs more accessible.
In other news,
Hot weather might be increasing risks for young people struggling with mental health. A recent study shows that as temperatures rise, so does the number of young people aged 12 to 24, seeking emergency help in New South Wales for suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Researchers analysed more than 55,000 emergency presentations across warmer months and found that with every 1 degree Celsius increase in the daily mean temperature, youth ED visits for suicidality rose by 1.3 per cent. Even moderate hot days triggered this effect—not just heatwaves. While experts don’t yet fully understand the cause, the consistency of these increases suggests that heat itself may be a contributing factor to rising distress among youth.
Jarrod:
Now back to the news.
A total of 1.465 million new members were added to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 2023.
This information was given to members of the General Conference Executive Committee by the Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research, Dr David Trim, when he presented at the Annual Council on October 13.
Dr Trim pointed out that “2023 saw the highest number of net accessions of any year in church history” with accessions now back on the same level as they were prior to the covid-19 pandemic.
Although church members may rejoice over a large number of new members added, in 2023, eight hundred and thirty-six thousand, nine hundred and five persons who were alive and well, decided to leave the Seventh-day Adventist Church. That is the third highest year for net losses recorded. Since 1965, four out of every 10 members have left the church.
Dr Trim urged both General Conference Executive Committee members and church members to “be their brother’s keeper, and their sister’s too.”
Another important metric for church membership is comparing growth to population growth. As of December 31, 2023, there was one Seventh-day Adventist for every 350 persons in the world. As recently as the year 2000, the global ratio was 519 people to every member and in 2011 the was 400 to 1.
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Pacific Adventist University’s vice-chancellor has been named as the inaugural president of the Pacific Academy of Sciences.
Officially launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting by Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, the Academy is aimed at fostering scientific collaboration and innovation in the Pacific islands region and promoting the study and application of natural and social sciences, the humanities, indigenous knowledge and technology.
Professor Teatulohi Matainaho, vice-chancellor of PAU, was appointed as president from among 12 Foundation Fellows, eminent Pacific island scholars, who will play a pivotal role in leading the Academy to achieve its goals. A renowned scholar and expert in his field, Professor Matainaho brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role.
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Students and staff from Mountain View Adventist College in Sydney, Australia, travelled to Navesau Adventist High School, Fiji, to serve the community there from September 25 to October 4.
After months of fundraising, 26 students and staff spent nine days assisting with community projects, education and leading church services.
The team were involved in the creation of a multipurpose court on the Navesau campus which involved the students mixing and pouring cement manually. Despite the heat and rain, with the assistance of men from the Wainibuka district who worked alongside the team for four days, the Mountain View team were able to lay down the concrete slab for the court.
The team assisted as teachers’ aides in English, geography and social studies classrooms. They also were involved in Navesau’s week of prayer program, which resulted in the baptism of five students at Navesau.
And that wraps up this week's episode of Record Wrap. Thank you for tuning in.
Danelle:
Don't forget to visit our website at record.adventistchurch.com and follow us on social media for more updates and stories. You can also receive news straight to your inbox by subscribing to our weekly e-newsletter
Jarrod:
We'll be back next week with more news from around the South Pacific Division.
