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Demographics: Gender. First Contact with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 30% Raised as an Adventist 28% Through a friend, relative, neighbor or coworker 23% Through public evangelism 8% Someone going door to door 4% Through an Adventist school 4% From literature - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Demographics: Gender
18-2464
15.5%
25-3271
17.2%
33-3983
20.1%
40-4676
18.4%
47-5248
11.7%
53-5938
9.2%
60-6513
3.2%
66-729
2.2%73+10
2.4%
Demographic Information (Age) -- Former Members
18-24129
36.6%
25-3268
19.3%
33-3958
16.5%
40-4638
10.8%
47-5225
7.1%
53-5917
4.8%
60-657
2.0%
66-727
2.0%
73+3
0.9%
Demographic Information (Age) -- Returned Members
Single100
25.6%
Married207
53.1%
Living w/ partner27
6.9%
Separated18
4.6%
Divorced28
7.2%
Remarried10
2.6%
Demographic Information (Marital Status) -- Former Members
Single140
40.8%
Married144
42.0%
Living w/ partner21
6.1%
Separated15
4.4% Divorced19
5.5%
Remarried4
1.2%
Demographic Information (Marital Status) -- Returned Members
First Contact with theSeventh-day Adventist Church
• 30% Raised as an Adventist• 28% Through a friend, relative, neighbor or coworker• 23% Through public evangelism• 8% Someone going door to door• 4% Through an Adventist school• 4% From literature• 2% Humanitarian and health ministries• 2% Through an Adventist institution• 1% From a music group• 1% From the Internet• >% From a radio or television ministry• 4% Other things
Religion Before Joining the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Raised an Adventist by parent(s)153
21.8%
Influence of relatives other than parents
8412.0%
Romantic relationship that didn’t lead to marriage
152.1%
Marriage32
4.6%
Influence of friends88
12.6%
Attended Adventist primary/secondary school27
3.9%
Attended Adventist college/university
131.9%
Evangelistic campaign84
12.0%
Small group ministry24
3.4%
Personal Bible study66
9.4%
TV or internet ministry6
0.9%
Adventist literature (books/periodicals)
233.3%
Positive encounter with a SDA institution
202.9%
Sabbath School30
4.3%
Pathfinder/Youth group36
5.1%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (First ranking)
Raised an Adventist by parent(s)9
3.4%Influence of relatives other than
parents35
13.2%Romantic relationship that didn’t
lead to marriage8
3.0%
Marriage7
2.6%
Influence of friends38
14.3%
Attended Adventist primary/secondary school
155.6%
Attended Adventist college/uni-versity
83.0%
Evangelistic campaign30
11.3%
Small group ministry9
3.4%
Personal Bible study42
15.8%
TV or internet ministry4
1.5%
Adventist literature (books/period-icals)17
6.4%
Positive encounter with a SDA insti-tution
103.8%
Sabbath School16
6.0%
Pathfinder/Youth group18
6.8%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (Second ranking)
Raised an Adventist by parent(s)1
0.7%
Influence of relatives other than parents8
5.7%
Romantic relationship that didn’t lead to marriage
10.7%Marriage
21.4%
Influence of friends16
11.4%Attended Adventist primary/
secondary school6
4.3%
Attended Adventist college/uni-versity
42.9%
Evangelistic campaign19
13.6%
Small group ministry11
7.9%
Personal Bible study17
12.1%
TV or internet ministry2
1.4%
Adventist literature (books/period-icals)11
7.9%
Positive encounter with a SDA insti-tution
42.9%
Sabbath School22
15.7%
Pathfinder/Youth group16
11.4%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (Third ranking)
Raised an Adventist by parent(s)1
0.8%Influence of relatives other than parents
32.5%
Romantic relationship that didn’t lead to marriage2
1.7%Influence of friends
1512.4%
Attended Adventist primary/secondary school
65.0%
Attended Adventist college/uni-versity
21.7%
Evangelistic campaign9
7.4%
Small group ministry7
5.8%
Personal Bible study13
10.7%
TV or internet ministry4
3.3%
Adventist literature (books/period-icals)19
15.7%
Positive encounter with a SDA insti-tution
75.8%
Sabbath School15
12.4%
Pathfinder/Youth group18
14.9%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (Fourth ranking)
Influence of relatives other than parents6
5.4%Romantic relationship that didn’t lead
to marriage4
3.6%
Marriage3
2.7%Influence of friends
1210.8%
Attended Adventist primary/secondary school
21.8%
Attended Adventist college/university3
2.7%Evangelistic campaign
98.1%
Small group ministry7
6.3%
Personal Bible study17
15.3%
TV or internet ministry4
3.6%
Adventist literature (books/period-icals)
1311.7%
Positive encounter with a SDA insti-tution
76.3%
Sabbath School12
10.8%
Pathfinder/Youth group12
10.8%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (Fifth ranking)
What most attracted you when you decided to join the Adventist Church?
40%
19%
7%
12%
23%
29%
21%
31%
37%
52%
72%
56%
My needs
Charisma ofpreacher
Doctrines
Friendship
Little or no attraction Some attraction Much attraction
Time from First Contact to Baptism
Five years or more33%
Three orfour years
15%One or
two years13%
Less than a year39%
Number of Years Regularly Attended an Adventist Church
How would you describe the instruction given when you joined the church?
8%
11%
24%
38%
19%
Very little
Inadequate
Enough
Thorough
Very thorough
Daily11832%
1-3 week13938%
1-2 month68
19%
1-4 year40
11%
Frequency of engagement in spiritual activities while Adventist: Personal Bible study – Former Members
Daily94
32%
1-3 week12442%
1-2 month46
16%
1-4 year30
10%
Frequency of engagement in spiritual activities while Adventist: Personal Bible study – Returned Members
Daily21862%
1-3 week10229%
1-2 month247%
1-4 year103%
Frequency of engagement in spiritual activities while Adventist: Personal prayer – Former Members
Daily19363%
1-3 week85
28%
1-2 month134%
1-4 year145%
Frequency of engagement in spiritual activities while Adventist: Personal prayer – Returned Members
Yes32079%
No246%
I believe scripture has some authority, but less
than Adventists teach266%
I’m not sure348%
Do you still believe in the authority of Scripture, as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church? – Former Members
Yes32589%
No8
2%
I believe scripture has some authority, but less
than Adventists teach164%
I’m not sure154%
Do you still believe in the authority of Scripture, as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church? – Returned Members
Yes29081%No
185%
I’m not sure52
14%
Do you still believe in the gift of prophesy manifested in Ellen White? – Returned Members
Yes23258%
No57
14%
I’m not sure10927%
Do you still believe in the gift of prophesy manifested in Ellen White? – Former Members
I still considered myself a Christian and was eager to
join a different denomination60
16%
I still considered myself a Christian but did not want to join a different denomination
18247%
I had doubts about certain aspects of Christianity
4411%
I agreed with it in principle, but didn’t like my fellow
Christians very much any-more
5514%
I didn’t want anything more to do with any aspect of it
4311%
What did you think of Christianity at the time you left the Adventist church?
It had just become irrelevant to my life
7217%
I was angry over the way it treated me
8219%
I felt that it was cold and inflexible67
16%
I felt that it lacked integrity in its behavior or theology
358%
I thought highly of it, but felt I could not live up to its standards
10424%
I thought highly of it, but I had lost touch
6816%
What did you think of the Adventist church at the time you left it? – Former Members
It had just become irrelevant to my life
6016%
I was angry over the way it treated me
6217%
I felt that it was cold and inflex-ible48
13%
I felt that it lacked integrity in its behavior or theology
226%
I thought highly of it, but felt I could not live up to its stan-
dards77
21%
I thought highly of it, but I had lost touch
9827%
What did you think of the Adventist church at the time you left it? – Returned Members
Life Events in the Year Leading Up to Decision to Stop Attending
Most Important Reasons WhyDecided to Stop Attending
• 28% No big issue; I just drifted away• 25% Lack of compassion for the hurting• 19% Moral failure on my part• 18% I did not fit in• 14% Too much focus on minor issues• 13% Conflict in the congregation• 12% Moral failures of members• 11% Moral failures of leaders• 11% Pressure from family or friends• 10% Race, ethnic or tribal issues
Most Important Reasons WhyDecided to Stop Attending
• 8% Few members of my age group• 7% Legalistic attitudes• 6% Pastor was dictatorial• 6% Church did not do much to help the poor• 5% I did not believe some doctrines• 5% Unrealistic demands on members• 4% Low standards• 3% The worship was not very spiritual• 3% Too much asking for money• 2% Church voted to drop me from membership• 1% Apostate ideas were promoted
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
What event triggered your decision to leave? (Listed in weighted rank order) – Primary
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
What event triggered your decision to leave? (Listed in weighted rank order) – Secondary
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
What event triggered your decision to leave? (Listed in weighted rank order) – Minor Factor
Perceiv
ed hyp
ocrisy
in other church
mem
bers
Marital
difficulties
Lack o
f frien
ds in th
e church
High lev
el of co
nflict in lo
cal ch
urch
Other fam
ily co
nflicts
Personal
conflict
with lo
cal ch
urch m
ember(
s)
Prolonge
d doubts about A
dventist d
octrines
Moved to
a new
city/c
hurch
Divorce
Dislike
of worsh
ip styles
Personal
conflict
with SD
A authorit
y outsi
de local
church
Decisio
ns take
n by high
er lea
ders
Personal
conflict
with past
or
Prolonge
d doubts ab
out the t
ruth of C
hristian
ity
Dislike
of prea
ching (
sermons)
Prolonge
d doubts ab
out the e
xisten
ce of G
od
Local past
or was
moved to
another
congrega
tion
Death of p
arent(s
)
Death of o
ther fam
ily mem
ber(s)
Other
What event triggered your decision to leave? (weighted)
Minor FactorSecondary Factor
Primary Factor
What Happened When They Stopped Attending Church
• 40% No one contacted me• 19% A church member came to visit me• 17% A local elder came to visit me• 15% A local church member contacted me by phone• 10% An Adventist relative made contact• 9% The pastor came to visit me• 6% The pastor contacted me by phone or Email• 3% An Adventist, not a local member contacted me• 2% I received a letter in the mail• O.3% Printed material was mailed to me
Is your name still on the membership list?
Did you decide to withdraw or were you expelled from the church?
Happy memories, “but not for me anymore”
18656%
Bittersweet60
18%
Don’t care57
17%
Hostile175%
Actively opposed113%
How do you presently feel about Adventism? – Former Members
Likely13536%
Somewhat likely79
21%
Somewhat unlikely46
12%
Very unlikely46
12%
Depends on cir-cumstances of ap-
proach70
19%
How would you rate your openness to reconnect? – Former Members
Yes -- Likely18662%
No -- Likely279%
Yes -- Unlikely66
22%
No -- Unlikely227%
Table 37: Correlation between Visitations after leaving and openness to reconnect with the Church -- Former Members
No -- Likely73
24%
Yes -- Likely14146%
No -- Unlikely34
11%
Yes -- Unlikely58
19%
Table 38: Correlation between social relationships with Adventists and Openness to reconnect -- Former Members
Conclusion
• Luke 15: 1–7 – when one per cent of the flock is lost, the Good Shepherd searches tirelessly & relentlessly until the sheep is found, then bears it on his shoulder homeward and calls friends in to celebrate.
• We are missing many more than one sheep of every hundred.
• Can we do less than Our Lord?