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06Twoministries,onemissionWhat can be done to bring pastors and teachers closer? Why is it important that we do so? George R. Knight

10God’spromisedgift:Anurgentappealforrevival,reformation,discipleship,andevangelismDo we realize that all heaven waits to pour out the Holy Spirit in infinite power for the finishing of God’s work on earth? 2010 Annual Council

14DealingwithcriticismfromparishionersTen suggestions that aid in handling something that every pastor will face. Amofah A. Asamoah

17Theologicaldiversity:Athreat,anasset,orwhat?Is it really such an enormous problem, as many seem to think, that Adventist thinking has become much more diverse than it used to be? Is it really such a threat? Reinder Bruinsma

20ReflectionsonthefutureoftheSeventh-dayAdventistChurchinNorthAmerica:Trendsandchallenges(part1of2)How is the Seventh-day Adventist Church doing in terms of growth, finances, and Christian education? David Beckworth and S. Joseph Kidder

24Matthew16:13–20:Jesus’warningtoHisdisciplesIf Jesus came to earth to reveal the Father, then why would He not want His disciples to tell others that He was the Messiah? Younis M. Sadiq

28PlanningevangelisticstrategiesSeven suggestions that have universal application for the pastor who wants to succeed in evangelism. Joe A. Webb

04 covEr contEst

05 EditoriAl

26 rEsourcEs

C O N T E N T S

biblE crEdits Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Scripture quoted from KJV are from the King James Version. Scriptures quoted from NKJV are from The New King James Version, copyright © 1979,1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers. Scripture quoted from NASB are from The New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scriptures quoted from RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission.


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AttheOctober2010AnnualCounci l of the GeneralConferenceofSeventh-day

Adventists,* several actions weretaken, but one item in particularwas the focus of this gathering.Thiswasnotamajorpolicyissueoranemphasisonaprogram.Rather,this itemwasacall for revivalandreformation.Somemaysay, “Thisisn’tnew,I’veheardthisbefore.”Butbeforeyoustopreading,givemeafewmoments toexpandupon thisandthenyou’llbereadytorespond.

Yes,wecancorrectlystatethatthiscall forrevivalandreformationdoesnotcomeasanewplea,butthe truth is, justbecausesomeonerepeatssomethingdoesnotmeanthattheitemcannotbeconsideredimportant.We repeatmanygoodthings—anniversaries, birthdays,familyevents,churchcelebrations,tonameafew.Sucheventsbringusjoy.Likewise,thecallforrevivalandreformationshouldalsobringusjoy.TherootsforthiscallareintheBibleand throughout thehistoryof theChristianchurch.WheneverGod’speoplehaveresponded,thechurchhasbeenblessed.

Inthisissue,youwillfindhelpfulmaterial on this topic: an urgentappeal, initiatives,broadcast infor-mation,andresources,forexample.However, in this editorial, I wantto focuson twoaspectsof revivalandreformation.Withoutthem,thespiritualimpactofthisemphasiswillbeminimal.

The Word of GodInany revivaland reformation,

theWordofGodmustbecentralboth to thechurchand toeachofus personally. We have observedindividualswho,withgreatenthu-siasm and zeal, tell others whatthemessageoftheBiblemeansto

them—and indeed thatconstitutesthe essence of true witnessing.Many of the psalms exhibit howpersonalGod’smessageshouldbeforus.MartinLuther,amongothers,foundhopeinthepsalmsbecause,in them,hemeta lovingGodwhohadamessageforhim.Thatisstillsotoday.

Second, the communicationfrom God must be central in ourpreaching. At times, we have allbeenguiltyofusing theScripturesas awayofgetting ourmessageacross,and indoingso,we failedto communicate the message oftheWorditself.Onmorethanafewoccasions,Ihaveheardsermonsthatcontainedmanybiblicalreferences.Themessagesounded biblical;but,in reality, biblical passages wereused tobuttress themessage thespeakerwanted to communicate.Sadly, thespeakerwasconvincedthatthemessagewasfromtheBible.MaytheLordkeepusfromusingtheBibletocommunicateourpersonalviews,nomatterhowimportantwethinktheyare.InsteadofusingtheWord for personal purposes, wemust—under theguidanceof theHolySpirit,ferventprayer,andmuchstudy—effectivelypreachtheWord.

It is personalAspastors,wesometimesfindit

temptingto focusonthe“church”wheneverwethinkofrevivalandref-ormation.Andcertainly,thechurchis involved,but in theprocesswecaneasilyleaveourselvesoutoftheequation.Thistemptationcentersonrevivingandreformingotherswhilewecontinueourownlessthanstellarspiritualjourney.Wemayalsofindittemptingtoassumethatthespiritualroadwehavetraveledresemblesthesameroad thatothersmust travel.This perspective focuses on us,

notonGod—itfocusesonwhowethinkwewereandwhowearenow.Theseapproachescan lead to thedangerousexperienceofself-praise.Therealquestion,however,remains,How does God see me?

WilliamMiller,thegreatSecondAdventpreacher,providesagoodexampleof thepersonalnatureofrevival and reformation.AlthoughhegrewupinaChristianhome,heeventually became a critic of theBible.Throughaseriesofevents,hestartedstudyingtheBibleandexpe-riencedpersonaltransformation.Thistransformation ledhim tobecomeapowerful preacherof theWordofGod. Inhissermons,hedidnotfocusonhispreviousdisbelieforonhiscurrentspiritualexploits.Rather,inhissermonswesensehisspiritualtransformation.His change camebecauseheallowedGodtochange him—notbecauseheproclaimedhistransformation.

Revival and reformation: weneed them. Once we personallyexperiencethem,wecanthen—andonly then—proclaim God’s trans-formingpowerwhileblessingothersintheprocess.

* The Annual Council is the full meeting of the General Conference Executive Committee. Usually this large body (approximately 300 from around the world) meets once a year.

it’s not new, but it’s needed

EDITORIAL | NikOlauS SaTElmajEr

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Reasearchyournextsermontopic

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george r. Knightnowretired inOregon, taughteducationalphilosophyandchurchhistoryatAndrewsUniversity,inBerrienSprings,Michigan,for30years.

two ministries, one missionEditor’s note: This article is adapted from the author’s keynote address at the Atlantic Union Conference Pastor/Teacher Convention held in Provi-dence, Rhode Island, in August 2009. The oral style has been retained.

OneofthemostremarkablethingsaboutAdventismis that theonly twopro-fessionalgroups,pastors

andteachers,whoareemployedinthe local church full time inmostcongregations, often have littleunderstanding, sympathy,orevencontactwitheachother’sministries,trials,challenges,andcontributions.Thatfactismorethanremarkable;itistragic.

Whatcanbedonetohelpbringthesetwocrucialprofessionscloser?Andwhyisitimportantforthemis-sionthatwedo?

One missionForstarters,inPaul’sdiscussion

ofspiritualgifts—whenhenotedthat“some should be apostles, someprophets, someevangelists, somepastorsand teachers” (Eph.4:11,RSV)—heusedaGreekconstructionthat indicates theofficeofpastorandteacherwasheldbythesameperson.Commentingon thispas-sage, F. F. Bruce notes that “thetwoterms‘pastors(shepherds)andteachers’denoteoneandthesameclassofmen.”1Ontheotherhand,theothergiftsarelistedseparately.

The significance of this pointis that, in order to remain func-tional,thesetwogiftsshouldnotbedivided.Pastorsmustnotonlycareforthesoulsoftheirflock,butmustalsobeteachers.Teachers,likewise,arenotmerelyexpoundersoftruth

but, likepastors, haveanabidingcare for the individualsunder theirtutelage.Christianteachersfunctioninapastoral role to theirstudents,andChristianpastors function inateachingroletotheirparishioners.

Themajordifferencebetweenthe rolesofpastors and teacherstodayhastodowiththecurrentdivi-sionoflabor.Intwenty-first-centurysociety,theChristianteacherisusu-allyseenassomeonewhopastorsin a “school” context, while thepastor isdefinedassomeonewhoteachesinthe“largerreligiouscom-munity.”Theirfunctionis,however,essentially thesame,even thoughby today’sdefinitions they are inchargeofdifferentdivisionsof theLord’svineyard.Theremightseemtobe twodifferentministrieshere,butthereisreallyonlyonemission.

Andwhatisthatmission?EllenG.Whitesets it forthnicely in thebookEducation.“Ourideasofeduca-tiontaketoonarrowandtoolowarange.There isneedof abroaderscope,ahigheraim.Trueeducationmeansmore than thepursualofacertain courseof study. Itmeansmorethanapreparationforthelifethatnow is. Ithas todowith thewholebeing, andwith thewholeperiodofexistencepossibletoman.It is theharmoniousdevelopmentof the physical, the mental, andthespiritualpowers.Itpreparesthestudentforthejoyofserviceinthisworldandforthehigherjoyofwiderserviceintheworldtocome.”2

EllenWhitegetsmorespecific.Inapassagethatundergirdsherentirephilosophyofeducation,shepointsoutthatinordertocomprehendthemeaningandgoalofeducation,wemustunderstandfourthingsabout

people: (1) their original nature,(2) thepurposeofGod increatingthem,(3)thechangethattookplacein thehumanconditionat theFall,and (4)God’splan foryet fulfillingHispurposeintheeducationofthehumanrace.3

She then explains those fouritems.First,humanitywascreatedintheimageofGod.Second,peopleweretorevealevermorefullyGod’simagebycontinualdevelopmentontheearthand throughouteternity.Third,disobediencebadlydamaged,butdidnotdestroy, the image initsmental, physical, and spiritualaspects. And disobedience alsobroughtdeath.

But the fourth item is the focalpointofthemissionissue.InspiteoftheFall,weread,“theracewasnotleftwithouthope.Byinfiniteloveandmercytheplanofsalvationhadbeendevised,andalifeofprobationwasgranted.TorestoreinmantheimageofhisMaker, tobringhimback totheperfectioninwhichhewascre-ated, topromote thedevelopmentofbody,mind, and soul, that thedivinepurposeinhiscreationmightberealized—this was to be the work of redemption. This is the object of education,thegreatobjectoflife.”4

The salvation of soulsScripture presents the same

picture.Central toaproperunder-standing of the Bible is the Fall,described in Genesis 3. NeitherScripturenordailyexperiencemakessenseifweexplainaway,aslegend,thefirst threechaptersofGenesis,whichsaysthatGodcreatedhuman-ity inHis imageand likeness—anexaltedstate(Gen.1:26,27).AdamandEve,however,rejectedGodand

L E A D A R T I C L E | G E O R G E R . K N I G h T


chose theirownway.Asa result,theybecamealienatedand sepa-ratedfromGod(chap.3:8–10),theirfellowbeings(vv.11,12),theirownselves(v.13),andthenaturalworld(vv.17–19).Separating themselvesfromtheSourceoflife,theybecamesubject todeath (Gen.2:17;3:19).Humanityhadbecomehopelessandlostinthefullestsenseoftheword.

The lostnessofhumanbeingsprovidesthepurposeofeverytypeof Christian ministry. Humanity’sgreatestneedistobecome“unlost.”Thus,Jesussaid thatHecame“toseekand to save thatwhichwaslost”(Luke19:10,KJV).Themessageof theBible—from theFall to therestoration of Eden in Revelation21—is the story of how, throughteachers,preachers,prophets,andothermeans,Godhasbeenattempt-ingtosaveus.Wemustseetheworkof theteacherandtheworkof thepastorinthiscontext.

“In thehighestsense,”pennedEllenWhite,“theworkofeducationandtheworkofredemptionareone”becausebothbuilddirectly uponJesusChrist. To lead the studentintoasavingrelationshipwithJesusChrist“shouldbetheteacher’sfirsteffortandhisconstantaim.”5Hereiseducation’shighestandprimarygoal,andthusshowshowboththeworkoftheeducatorandthepastoraresocloselyrelated.

Thus, Adventist clergy in thechurchandAdventistclergy in theschoolhavethesamesalvificfunc-tion.Theyneedtomovebeyondthe

dichotomythattendstodividethemandrealizethattheyhaveasharedministry,eveniftheyfunctiondailyindifferentspheres.

A unique messageAt the same time, however,

ifAdventist teachers andpastorslimit themselvesonly to theevan-gelical function of leading souls

toChrist, theyhave failed in theirresponsibilities.

Why?BecauseAdventismisnotmerelyanotherdenominationwithafewdifferentdoctrinesandsomecountercultural dietary practices.From its inception, thechurchhasviewed itself as a movement ofprophecy,achurchwithaspecialmessagetoproclaimtoalltheworld,a call centered in theApocalypseofJohn, inwhatwecall the threeangels’messagesofRevelation14.Foronereasonoranother,thecom-mandtopreach thoseChrist-givenmessageshasbeenneglectedbyother religiousbodies. In thatcon-text,Seventh-dayAdventistshaveviewed themselvesasacalled-outpeoplewithauniquemessagethatmustbepreached toall theearthbeforeJesusreturnsagain.

This is theunderstanding thathasliterallydrivenAdventiststotheendsoftheearthandtheislandsoftheseauntilSeventh-dayAdventismhasbecomethemostwidespread,unifiedProtestantbody inhistory.Adventistshavebeenwillingtosacri-ficetheirlivesandmoneytoachievethatend.And, intheprocess,they

developed a church organizationto spearhead that thrust, and aneducationalsystemandpublishingministrytoenlightenandconvictitsmembershipandprepare themforeithergoing toall theworld them-selvesorsponsoringotherstofulfillthedenomination’suniquemission.

We dare not become bash-ful about that mission. It is the

only reason for the existence ofSeventh-day Adventism. If thatvisionislost,Adventismwillbecomemerelyanothersomewhattoothlessdenominationthatseekstoentertainits members and do good in itscommunity.ThepossibilityoflosingitsapocalypticvisionandAdvent-ism’splace inprophetichistory isthegreatest threat that thechurchanditseducationalsystemfacesastheyenterthetwenty-firstcentury.6

ThisiswhyIamconcernedthatan Adventist pastoral ministry and an Adventist educational ministry that has lost its hold on the apocalyptic vision has failed—not just partially, but totally.

Anacademyprincipal recentlytold me that he had gone to anAdventist collegeand interviewedthe graduating education majorsforpositions.Hisquestion toeachwasthesame:WhatisthedifferentbetweenAdventist educationandevangelicalChristianeducation?Notonestudentcouldtellhim.Somehowthatcollegehadfailedinpassingonour unique identity and mission,eveninaninstitutionestablishedtotraineducationalprofessionals.

Pastors must not only care for the souls of their flock,

but must also be teachers. Teachers, likewise, are not

merely expounders of truth but, like pastors, have an

abiding care for the individuals under their tutelage.


Thebottom line?Aschool thatnolongerunderstandsitsreasonforbeing,thathasforgottenitsmessageandmission,willeventuallyloseitssupport.And itshould.ASeventh-dayAdventistschoolthatisnotbothChristianand Adventistisunneeded.Schoolsintheevangelical,andeventhepublicsector,canachieveallofitsfunctions.PastorShaneAndersonisrightwhenhewrotethat“Adven-tistparentsincreasinglyaren’twillingtopaythepricetosendtheirkids”to institutions thathave lost theirpurpose.“After all,” hewrites,“why pay thousands of dollars to send your child to a school that is now no longer substantially different from the average Christian school—or the local public school—down the street?”7

A needed harmonyYetbeforepastorsgettoosmug,

aword of caution: the samedis-ease infectsa lotof themaswell.Too many pastors have becomeadeptatpreachinggoodevangelical

sermons;buttheyhavealltoooftenneglected andavoided the truthsand mission that have made usAdventists.Intheend,thatwillleadtoself-neutering.Afterall,whygoto theAdventistchurch,when thepreaching is just as good (if notbetter)downthestreet?

IfAdventismhasan importantmessageandmission,let’shearitinbothourschoolsandchurches,forbothhavethesamemission.

Theproblem is, however, thatthis importantconnectionbetweenthe ministry and teaching isn’talwaysseen.Forexample,achurchmemberwrotethat“thepastorofmychurchhasdecided thatChristianeducationisirrelevantandnotsoulwinning and therefore our localSeventh-dayAdventistschoolshouldbeclosedsoasnot towasteanymoreofthemoneythathecouldbeputting intohisevangelism towinsouls.Hehaspreviously sentoutemailsstatingthatitishisintentiontoseetheschoolclosed.Lastschool

yeartheschoolpresentedachurchserviceateachof theconstituentchurches,exceptours,becausethepastor felt itwas irrelevant to themembersandawasteoftime,andtoldthemtheywerenotwelcome.”Thispastorevenpreachedagainstsupportingchurchschoolsbecausethishadnoimmediateresults.8

While that frame of mind hasprobably always been around,demographicshifts in thepastoralworkforcehave increased itspopu-larity. In1965,about four-fifthsofthe 45 individuals graduating astheologymajorsinmyclassatPacificUnionCollegehadbeeneducatedin Adventist schools up throughacademy(13ofthemwerepreachers’kids).Butforthepastthreedecades,fewer and fewer preachers’ kidsareenteringministry,as theirownparentshavedownplayedtheuniqueaspectsof themessage.Also, anincreasingnumberofadultconvertsenteringthepastoralworkforcehavenever spentaday inanAdventist

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churchschooloracademy.Ifpublicschoolwasgoodenoughfor them,sothelogicruns,it’sgoodenoughfortheirchurchmembers’children.Thatmentalityundoubtedlycontributestotheongoingproportionalshrinkageof thedenomination’seducationalsystem.In1945,theratioofstudentsinAdventistschoolstochurchmem-bershipwas25per100.Thatfigureremainedsomewhatconstantuntil1965.Butsincethat time, theratiohasdroppedoffprecipitously,to15per100 in1985and9per100 in2000.Atthesametime,morenon-Adventiststudentsareenrollinginourschools,whichmakestheactualratioofAdventist students tomemberscloserto5per100.

Somepastors,whoseetheedu-cationalsystemasantievangelistic,seem to have logical arguments:because the school subsidy is often the largest item in the church’s bud-get, couldn’t the money from the subsidy and from tuition be redirected to “better” purposes? In addition,the results of education are often not immediately apparent.

Are these assumptions valid,though?Onepastor,whohasneverworked foraschool, violentlydis-agrees with these assumptions.“In my experience,” he writes,“Adventisteducation isoneof themost effective ways to prepareyoungpeopleforthesecondcomingofChrist.Furthermore,Ibelievethatourschools—rightlyrun—aremoresuccessful atdoing this thananyother single evangelistic method,including Revelation seminars,church planting, felt-needs evan-gelism,or contemporaryworshipservices.AlsoIbelievethatAdven-tisteducationhasbeen thekey topropagatingouruniqueAdventistmissionintheworld.”Healsoargues“thatourschoolsare the legs thatultimatelykeep theAdventmove-mentrunning.”9

The power of influenceWhichoneof thetwopositions

is right?For theshortanswer,we

needonly to turn toworldhistory.There’sareasonthatbothnationsandchurcheshavesoughttocontroledu-cation.Whoevershapeseducationalpolicyshapesthefuture.Thus, it isnotdifficulttoseethelogicinearlyAdventism’sestablishinganeduca-tionalsystemthatwouldpreparebothfuturemembersandfutureleaders.

Movingbeyondthesocialfunc-tionofthesystem,weneedtograspthe power of teacher influence.Mostpastorsdowell to see theirpeopleoneortwohoursaweek,andcommunicatemostlyinlargeimper-sonalgatheringstoadultswhohavealreadyformedtheircharactersandhavemademostoflife’simportantdecisions. Incontrast, theaverageelementaryschoolteacherhasface-to-facecontactwithimpressionablestudents30hoursperweek.

Which leads toasimpleques-tion,what kindofpersondoyouwanttohavesuchastronginfluenceonyourchild?Whodoyouwanttodefine their attitudesandvalues?A non-Christian, a Christian witha different understanding of theBible,ora like-minded,dedicated,believingAdventist? Never forgetthat teachers are powerful linksbetweenyourchildrenandGod,andbetweenyourchildrenandaChris-tianAdventistwayof thinkingandlifestyle.Teacherswill, inonewayoranother,influenceyourchildren’sunderstandingoftruthandvalues.

When pastoring years ago inTexas,Ihadaverydedicatedfamilywhodesiredwithalltheirheartstoeducatetheironlychild inthebestwaypossible.Theyagreedthatthepublicsystemwasnottheanswer.ButtherewasnoAdventistschool.TheyfinallydecidedthataCatholicschoolwasbetter thansecularism.Theyweresomewhatshockedwhentheirdaughterchose tobecomeanun!Theyhaddiscoveredthepowerofeducationasalife-shapingevent.

There is no doubt as to theevangelisticpotentialofAdventisteducation. But what about thefinances involved? Do church

schoolseatawayatthefinanciallifeofachurch?Theonly longitudinalstudyonthetopicthatIamawareofisafive-yearstudywhichrevealedthatchurchesnotrelatedtoaschoolexperienced onaverage a lossofboth membership and tithe eachyearof thestudy,while thosesup-portingachurchschoolexperiencedincreasesinbothtitheandmember-shipeachyear.10

Two ministries, one mission

ItshouldbeobviousbynowthatAdventists in thepastoralministryandAdventists in theeducationalministryhaveonemessageandonemission.Theybothwork to reacha lost world for whom salvationinChristandbelief inHisgloriousappearingaretheonlyrealhope.

Bothministriesareeducational,botharepastoral,andthehealthofeach is linked to thatof theother.Botharefrontlineoperationsinthewaragainstsinandevil.Andbothprospermostwhensupportedbytheother.Itisthereforecrucialforedu-cational clergy to privately andpubliclysupporttheirpastoralbroth-ersandsisters,and it iscrucial forpastoralclergytoenergeticallysup-porttheireducationalcounterparts.Healthyschoolshaveagood rela-tionship with their sponsoringchurches;andoneofaschool’sbestallies,intermsofbothstudentsandfinances,isasupportivepastor.

1. F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Ephesians (Westwood, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1961), 86. For more on the ministry of teaching, see George R. Knight, Philosophy and Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective, 4th ed. (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2006), 204–221.

2. Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1952), 13.

3. Ibid., 14, 15. 4. Ibid., 15, 16; emphasis added. 5. Ibid., 30. 6. Knight, The Apocalyptic Vision and the Neutering of

Adventism (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 2008; rev. ed. 2009).

7. Shane Anderson, How to Kill Adventist Education (and How to Give It a Fighting Chance!) (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 2009), 22, 56, emphasis added.

8. See George R. Knight, “Why Have Adventist Education?” The Journal of Adventist Education 67, 5 (Summer 2005) 6.

9. Anderson, How to Kill Adventist Education, no. 12, 144. 10. Editors, interviewing Larry Blackmer, “Gathering Greatness,”

Adventist Review , July 27, 2006, 8–13.



god’s promised gift: An urgent appeal for revival, reformation, discipleship, and evangelism

The 2010 Annual Council of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists took an action addressing various church leaders around the world. The editors are sharing the full text of this appeal because it comes from church representatives through-out the world. We urge our readers to look upon this document not as a

program that will dictate what you need to do; rather, as an invitation to examine our own spiritual lives and ask ourselves what kind of leadership are we giving to the people we serve.

In another section of this article, we are providing a sidebar that lists some specific events that promote this appeal. We suggest that you visit the

various Web sites listed. From time to time, there will be other resources given and suggestions shared.

We share with our readers the full text of the document as voted on October 11, 2010. This information will also be shared with the readers of AdventistWorld in an upcoming issue.

God has uniquely calledtheSeventh-dayAdventistChurchboth to live andtoproclaimHis last-day

messageof love and truth to theworld (Revelation 14:6–12). ThechallengeofreachingthemorethansixbillionpeopleonplanetEarth

withHisend-timemessageseemsimpossible.Thetaskisoverwhelm-ing.Fromahumanperspective,therapid fulfillment of Christ’s greatcommissionanytimesoonappearsunlikely(Matthew28:19,20).

The church’s growth rate issimplynot keepingpacewith the

world’sburgeoningpopulation.Anhonest evaluation of our currentevangelistic impact on the worldleadstotheconclusionthatunlessthereisadramaticchange,wewillnotcompleteHeaven’sassignmentinthisgeneration.Inspiteofourbestefforts,allourplans,strategies,andresourcesareincapableoffinishingGod’smissionforHisgloryonearth.

Christ’s promise to His New Testament church

The challenge of taking thegospel to the world is not new.Thedisciples faced thischallengein the first century.We face it inthe twenty-first century.TheNewTestamentchurchwasseeminglyconfrontedwithanimpossibletask.ButempoweredbytheHolySpirit,the church exploded in growth(Acts2:41; 4:4; 6:7; 9:31). TheseearlyChristians shared their faitheverywhere(Acts5:42).

The grace of God overflowedfrom theirhearts to their families,friends, and working associates.JustafewdecadesaftertheCruci-fixion,theapostlePaulcouldreport

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E | 2 0 1 0 A N N U A L C O U N C I L


thatthegospelis“preachedtoeverycreatureunderheaven”(Colossians1:23).*Howwas itpossible foranobscuregroupofrelativelyinsignifi-cantbelieverstoimpacttheworldinsuchashortamountoftime?HowcouldsofewChristiansbeusedofGodtochangetheworldforever?

Christ’sgreatcommissionwasaccompaniedbyHisgreatpromise.TheSaviorcommandedHisdisciples“nottodepartfromJerusalem,buttowaitforthePromiseoftheFather”(Acts 1:4). The Savior promised,“‘ButyoushallreceivepowerwhentheHolySpirithascomeuponyou;andyoushallbewitnesses toMeinJerusalem,and inallJudeaandSamaria, and to the end of theearth’”(Acts1:8).

TheloveofChristcontrolledeveryaspectofthelivesofthedisciplesandmoved themtoapassionatecom-mitmenttoHisservice.TheysoughtGodfor thepromisedpowerof theHoly Spirit and knelt before Himinheartfeltconfessionandearnestrepentance.TheyplacedpriorityonseekingHeaven’sblessing.Theysetasidetimesforprayerandsearchingthe Scriptures. Their petty differ-enceswereswallowedup in theirall-consumingdesiretoshareChrist’slovewitheveryone theymet.Theywereabsorbedinreachingtheworldwiththegospel.Nothingwasmoreimportant.Theyrecognizedthattheywerepowerless toaccomplish themissionwithoutthemightyoutpour-ingoftheHolySpirit.

Describingtheexperienceofthedisciples,EllenWhitewrote,“Puttingawayalldifferences,alldesireforthesupremacy,theycameclosetogetherinChristianfellowship....Sadnessfilledtheirheartsastheythoughtofhowmany times theyhadgrievedHimbytheirslownessofcomprehen-sion, their failuretounderstandthelessonsthat,fortheirgood,Hewastryingtoteachthem....

“…ThedisciplesfelttheirspiritualneedandcriedtotheLordfortheholyunctionthatwastofitthemfortheworkofsoulsaving.Theydidnotaskforablessingforthemselvesmerely.Theywereweightedwiththeburden

ofthesalvationofsouls.Theyrealizedthat thegospelwas tobecarriedto theworld,and theyclaimedthepowerthatChristhadpromised”(The Acts of the Apostles, p.37).

Christ fulfilled His Word. TheHolySpiritwaspouredout inPen-tecostal power. Thousands wereconvertedinaday.ThemessageofChrist’sloveimpactedtheworld.Inashorttime,thenameofJesusChristwasonthelipsofmenandwomeneverywhere.“Bytheco-operationofthedivineSpirit, theapostlesdidaworkthatshooktheworld.Toeverynationwas thegospelcarried inasinglegeneration” (The Acts of the Apostles,p.593).

Christ’s promise to His end-time church

TheoutpouringoftheHolySpiritatPentecost in theearly rainwasonlyapreludeofwhat is tocome.Godhaspromised topouroutHisHolySpiritinabundanceinthelastdays(Joel2:23;Zechariah10:1).Theearthwillbe“illuminatedwithhisglory”(Revelation18:1).TheworkofGodonearthwillbefinishedrapidly(Matthew24:14;Romans9:28).Thechurchwill experience a spiritualrevivalandthefullnessoftheHolySpirit’spower likeneverbefore initshistory.Speakingoftheoutpour-ingof theHolySpiritatPentecost,Petergivesusthisassurance:“‘Forthepromise is toyouand toyourchildren, and to all who are afaroff, asmanyas theLordourGodwillcall’ ” (Acts2:39).EllenWhiteadds,“Before thefinalvisitationofGod’s judgments upon the earththerewillbeamong thepeopleoftheLordsucharevivalofprimitivegodlinessashasnotbeenwitnessedsince apostolic times. The SpiritandpowerofGodwill bepouredoutuponHischildren.Atthattimemanywillseparatethemselvesfromthosechurches inwhich the loveof thisworldhas supplanted loveforGodandHisword.Many,bothofministersandpeople,willgladlyaccept those great truths whichGodhascausedtobeproclaimedatthistimetoprepareapeopleforthe

Lord’ssecondcoming” (The Great Controversy, p.464).

HundredsofthousandsofpeoplewillacceptGod’slast-daymessagethroughtheteachingandpreachingof His Word. Prayer, Bible study,andwitnessaretheelementsofalltrue revival. ThemanifestationoftheHolySpiritwill intensifyas theendapproaches,“Nearthecloseofearth’sharvest,aspecialbestowalofspiritualgraceispromisedtopreparethechurch for thecomingof theSonofman” (The Faith I Live By,p.333).And“Bythousandsofvoices,allovertheearth,thewarningwillbegiven.Miracleswillbewrought,thesickwillbehealed,andsignsandwonderswill follow thebelievers”(The Great Controversy, p.612).

ThereisnothingmoreimportantthanknowingJesus, studyingHisWord,understandingHistruth,andseekingHispromisefortheoutpour-ingof theHolySpirit in latter-rainpowerforthefulfillingofthegospelcommission.God’slast-dayprophettotheremnantwrote inwordstooplaintobemisunderstood,“Arevivalof truegodlinessamongus is thegreatestandmosturgentofallourneeds.Toseek this shouldbeourfirstwork”(Selected Messages, book1,p.121).

ifagenuinespiritualrevivalisthegreatestandmosturgentofallourneeds,shouldwenot,asleaders,placepriorityonseekingHeaven’spromisedblessingwithallourhearts?

Our great need: Revival and reformation

When we seek Jesus, He fillsus with His presence and powerthrough thegiftof theHolySpirit.We long toknowHimbetter. TheHolySpirit reawakens thedormantspiritualfacultiesofthesoul.Thereisnothingwedesiremorethantohaveadeepand life-changing relation-shipwithJesus.The revivedheartexperiences a vital connection toJesusthroughprayerandtheWord.Reformation is thecorrespondingchange thatcomes inour livesastheresultofrevival.


“A revival and a reformationmusttakeplace,undertheministra-tionof theHolySpirit.Revivalandreformationaretwodifferentthings.Revivalsignifiesarenewalofspirituallife,aquickeningof thepowersofmindandheart,aresurrectionfromspiritualdeath.Reformationsignifiesareorganization,achangein ideasand theories,habitsandpractices.Reformationwillnotbringforththegood fruitof righteousnessunlessit isconnectedwith the revivaloftheSpirit.Revivaland reformationare to do their appointed work,and indoing thiswork theymustblend” (Selected Messages, book1, p. 128). Reformationdoes notmanifest itself in a self-righteousattitudethatcondemnsothers.ItisthetransformationofcharacterthatrevealsthefruitsoftheSpiritinthe

life(Galatians5:22–24).ObediencetoGod’swill is theevidenceofalltrue revival.OurLord longs for arevivedpeoplewhose lives reflectthelovelinessofHischaracter.Thereisnothing thatJesusdesiresmorethanapeoplewhoarepassionateaboutpersonallyknowingHis loveandsharingthatlovewithothers.

Commitment and appealAsleadersandrepresentativesof

theSeventh-dayAdventistChurchassembledattheworldheadquartersinSilverSpring,Maryland,UnitedStates,forthe2010AnnualCouncil,wegivethankstoourgreatandawe-someGod forHis faithfulnessandabundantblessings toHischurchsinceitsinception.Therapidworld-wideexpansionofHischurchinbothitsmembershipand institutions is

nothingshortofamiracleofGod.AlthoughwepraiseHimformarvel-ouslyworkingtofulfillHispurposesthroughHischurch,andthankHimfor the godly leaders who haveguidedHispeople in thepast,wehumblyacknowledge thatbecauseofourhumanfrailties,evenourbesteffortsaretaintedbysinandinneedofcleansing through thegraceofChrist.Werecognize thatwehavenotalwaysplacedpriorityonseekingGod throughprayerandHisWordfortheoutpouringoftheHolySpiritin latter-rain power. We humblyconfess that inourpersonal lives,our administrative practices, andcommitteemeetings,we toooftenhave labored inourownstrength.Too often God’s mission of sav-inga lostworldhasnot takenfirstplaceinourhearts.Attimesinour

In addition to the document“God’sPromisedGift:AnUrgentAppealforRevival,Reformation,

Discipleship,andEvangelism,” theAnnualCouncilapprovedanumberofspecificinitiativesofgeneralinter-est toourreaders.Wesharethesewithyou.

• “777” Worldwide Holy Spirit

PrayerFellowship—Seventh-dayAdventistsprayingsevendaysaweekat7:00(a.m.orp.m.)fortheoutpouringof theHolySpirit’spower and presence. Prayinganyhouron thehourapersonwilljoinwiththousandsofothersinother timezonesaround theworldbringingunity.“A chain of earnest praying believers should encircle the world . . . to pray for the Holy Spirit.” Review and Herald,January3,1907.

• NewYear’sEve/DayWorldwideDay of Prayer culminates aweeklong series of television

programsonHopeChannelthatallows every church memberaroundtheworldtoparticipateinseekingGodforarevivalexperi-encein2011.

• WorldwideDays forPrayerandFasting—FirstSabbathofeachquarterdesignatedasdaysofprayerandfastingfortheworldchurch.Encouragefamiliesandindividuals toestablish thefirstdayofeachmonthandonedayaweekasnormalorpartialfastdays.

• Operation Global Rain, a ten-dayworldwideprayer/spiritualemphasis January5–15,2011,asafollow-uptoJanuary1DayofPrayer.

• Plans are being developed toincreasestudyof theBibleandSpiritofProphecywritings.

• EncourageallmemberstoreadandstudyThe Great Controversy forrevivalin2011inpreparationformajordistributionofThe Great

Controversy aroundtheworldin2012.

• True Revival, the Church’s Great-est Need bookreprintedbytheWhiteEstate.Foravailability,visitwww.rhpa.org.

• MarkFinley’sbook,Revive Us Again. Foravailability,visitwww.pacificpress.com.

AresourceWebsitefortheseinitiatives, www.revivalandreformation.com,willbeavail-ablestartingDecember1,2010.

Worldwide broadcasts available

StartingDecember25,2010,theHopeChannelwillbroadcastvariousrevivalandreformationevents.Oneof thebroadcastswillbeaspecialmessageonJanuary1,2011,fromTedN.C.Wilson,presidentoftheGeneralConferenceofSeventh-dayAdventists.Togetthebroadcastscheduleforyourarea,visitwww.hopetv.org.

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E | 2 0 1 0 A N N U A L C O U N C I L

initiatives as voted by the Annual council of the general conference of seventh-day Adventists on october 11, 2010


busynessofdoinggoodthingswehaveneglectedthemostimportantthing—knowing Him. Too oftenpetty jealousies, ambitions, andfracturedpersonalrelationshipshavecrowdedoutourlongingforrevivaland reformationandcausedus tolabor inourhumanstrengthratherthaninHisdivinepower.

Weaccept theclear instructionofourLordthat“Thelapseoftimehaswroughtnochange inChrist’spartingpromise to send theHolySpiritasHisrepresentative.ItisnotbecauseofanyrestrictiononthepartofGodthattherichesofHisgracedonot flowearthward tomen. Ifthefulfillmentofthepromiseisnotseenas itmightbe, it isbecausethepromise isnotappreciatedasit shouldbe. Ifallwerewilling,allwouldbefilledwiththeSpirit”(The Acts of the Apostles, p.50).

WeareconfidentthatallheaveniswaitingtopourouttheHolySpiritininfinitepowerforthefinishingofGod’sworkonearth.Weacknowl-edgethatthecomingofJesushasbeen delayed and that our Lordlonged tocomedecadesago.Werepent of our lukewarmness, ourworldliness, and our limited pas-sionforChristandHismission.WesenseChristcallingus toadeeperrelationshipwithHiminprayerandBiblestudyandamorepassionatecommitment toshareHis last-daymessagewiththeworld.Werejoicethat “It is the privilege of everyChristian,notonlytolookfor,buttohasten thecomingof theSaviour”(The Acts of the Apostles,p.600).

Therefore,asrepresentativesoftheworldchurchandonbehalfofourentiremembership,wecommitourselves:

1. TopersonallyplacepriorityonseekingGodforspiritualrevivaland theoutpouringof theHolySpirit in latter-rainpower inourownlives,ourfamilies,andourministries.

2. Toindividuallysetasidesignificantamountsoftimedailytofellowship

withChristthroughprayerandthestudyofGod’sWord.

3. ToexamineourownheartsandasktheHolySpirittoconvictusof anything that may keep usfromrevealing thecharacterofJesus.Wedesirewillingheartssothatnothinginourliveshin-ders the fullness of the HolySpirit’spower.

4. Toencourage theministriesofthechurch tospendtimepray-ing,studyingGod’sWord,andseekingGod’sheart tounder-standHisplansforHischurch.

5. Toencourageeachofourchurchorganizationstosetasidetimeforadministrators,pastors,health-careworkers,publishinghouseworkers, educators, students,andallemployeestoseekJesusandthepromisedoutpouringoftheHolySpirittogetherthroughastudyofGod’sWordandprayer.

6. Touseeveryavailablemediaout-let, conference,andworkshoptoappealtochurchmemberstoseekadeeper relationshipwithJesus for thepromised revivalandreformation.

7. Tourgentlyappealtoandinviteourentirechurchmembershiptojoinusinopeningourheartstothelife-changingpoweroftheHolySpirit,whichwilltransformourlives,ourfamilies,ourorga-nizations,andourcommunities.

We especially recognize thatGod isgoing tousechildrenandyouthinthislastmightyrevivalandencourageallofouryoungpeopleto participate in seeking God forspiritualrevivalintheirownlivesandtheempowermentoftheHolySpirittosharetheirfaithwithothers.

Weappealtoeachchurchmem-ber to unite with church leadersandmillionsofotherSeventh-dayAdventistsseekingadeeperrelation-shipwithJesusandtheoutpouringoftheHolySpiritat7:00eachmorn-ingorevening,sevendaysaweek.This isanurgentcall tocircle theglobewithearnestintercession.This

isacalltototalcommitmenttoJesusandtoexperiencethelife-changingpoweroftheHolySpiritthatourLordislongingtogivenow.

Webelieve that thepurposeoftheoutpouringoftheHolySpiritinlatter-rainpoweristofinishChrist’smissiononearthsoHecancomequickly.Recognizing thatourLordwill onlypouroutHisSpirit in itsfullnessonachurchthathasapas-sionforlostpeople,wedeterminetoplaceandmaintainrevival,reforma-tion,discipleship, andevangelismatthetopofallourchurchbusinessagendas.More thananythingelse,welongforJesustocome.

Weurgeeverychurchadminis-t ra to r, depar tmenta l l eader,institutionalworker,healthworker,literatureevangelist,chaplain,edu-cator,pastor,andchurchmembertojoinus inmaking revival, reforma-tion,discipleship, andevangelismthemostimportantandurgentpriori-tiesofourpersonal lives andourareasofministry.WeareconfidentthatasweseekHimtogether,GodwillpouroutHisHolySpiritinabun-dantmeasure, theworkofGodonearthwillbefinished,andJesuswillcome.With theagedapostleJohnon the IsleofPatmoswecryout,“Evenso,come,LordJesus!”(Rev-elation22:20).

* All Bible texts are taken from the New King James Version.


Searchissuespublished80yearsagofortopicsand

perspectivesthatarestillrelevanttoday

ministrymagazine.org


Generallyspeaking,parish-ionersappreciatetherolespastors perform in theirchurchesandcommuni-

ties.Thisincludespreaching/teachingChristiandoctrine;performing rites of passage,suchasbabydedications,baptisms,weddings,and funerals;pastoral care, such as visitation,counseling,comforting,andprayingforpeople;andadministration,suchaschairingmeetings,developingin-reachandoutreachprogramsforthechurchandcommunity,and repre-sentingthechurchtothecommunity.

Butdespitetherolespastorsper-form, theyarenotsparedcriticismfromanumberoftheirparishioners.Someofthecriticismmaybecon-structiveandsomedestructive.

Pastoralministryhasitsupsanddowns.Oneof theupmoments iswhenchurchprogramsworkwellinthechurchandparishionerssupportandaffirmthepastor’sministry.Dur-ingthistime,theministrybecomespleasant and rewarding. A downmomentoccurswhenthereisalackof support fromparishioners andtheprogramfails.Thepastorfacescriticismandbitteroppositionfromparishionersthatcanleadtofeelingsoffrustrationanddiscouragement.

Letus face it, a leadercannotavoidcriticism. Itdoesnotmatterwhat leadershippositionyouhold,whetherinpolitics,asthepresidentorprimeministerofacountry, theheadofacorporateorganization,apastor,orchurchadministrator,therewillbecriticism.

Someyearsagoanexperiencedministeradvisedmehowtodealwith

criticism fromparishioners.Whatcaughtmyattentionwasa remarkhemadethathasencouragedmeinmyministry.Hesaid,“Jesus facedcriticisms,too,andifyouareapastorandparishionersdon’tcriticizeallthework youdo, youwouldn’t knowhowyouareperforminginministry.”1Since then, Ihave learned to takecriticismdifferently.

Jesus faced criticism tooJesus faced criticism in His

ministry. Matthew writes, “Thenonewasbrought toHimwhowasdemon-possessed,blindandmute;and He healed him, so that theblind and mute man both spokeandsaw”(Matt.12:22).2While themultitudeswereamazed,thePhari-seescriticizedJesusforcastingoutdemonsbyBeelzebub, the rulerofthedemons(v.24).

SomecriticizedevenHiseatinghabits.TheysaidJesuswas“ ‘ “agluttonandawinebibber,afriendoftaxcollectorsandsinners!”’”(Luke7:34). On another occasion, thePhariseesandscribeswerecriticalofHim,saying,“‘ThisManreceivessinnersandeatswiththem’”(Luke15:2).Yet,reachingouttosavesin-nerswasan integralpartofJesus’mission to thisworld.Nowonder,ina similar incident in theGospelof Matthew, Jesus replied to thePharisees,“ ‘For Ididnotcometocall the righteous,but sinners, torepentance’”(Matt.9:13).

Inspiteofcriticism,Jesuswasasuccessful leader.HedidnotallowcriticismofHisgooddeedstodivertattentionfromHisgoaltorevealHis

Father’sloveforhumanity,andpreachthegoodnewsofsalvation.HestayedfocusedandaccomplishedHismis-sion.Pastorsneedtounderstandthatwewill facecriticismasJesusdid.Besides,unlikeJesuswhodidnotsin(Heb.4:15),wewillmakemistakesandfacecriticismaswell.

Reasons for criticismHere are a few reasons, both

positiveandnegative,whypastorsmayfacecriticism.

1.Failure to fulfill the responsi-bilities of pastoral leadership. Pastoralleadershipcanbeverydemandingandparishionersoftenknowwhenpastorsperform their jobsornot.Hence,pastorsshouldnotbesatis-fiedwithalevelofmediocrityintheirjobperformances.Whenwefail tofulfillour responsibilities, criticismwillmostlikelycome.

2. When a pastor wants to intro-duce change.Usually,whenapastoris transferred toanewdistrictandattempts to change establishedtradition,someparishionerscriticizethepastorandresistsuchchange.To most parishioners “change isuncomfortableandoften threaten-ing.”3Therewillalwaysberesolutedefendersoftraditionineverycon-gregation who will criticize yourintentionsforchange.

3.A breach of pastoral ethics. Pastorsareexpectedtoupholdandcommit themselves to practice apastoralcodeofethics.Forexample,parishioners want a pastor theycan trustandconfide inwith theirpersonalissues.Failureto“practicestrictestprofessionalconfidentiality”4

dealing with criticism from parishioners

A M O F A h A . A S A M O A h

Amofah A. Asamoah, dMin, ispastorof theNewJerseyGhanaSeventh-dayAdventistChurch,Hillside,NewJersey,UnitedStates.


will result incriticism fromparish-ionersandalossofcredibility.

4. Pastor a district for years without transfer. Thoughparishionersmayfeeluncomfortablewhenachangeoccursinthestatusquo,thisisnotalwayssowhenitcomestoachangeinpastoralleadership.With time,parishionersgetusedto thepastor’smethodofpreachingandleadershipskills.

5. Parishioners’ unresolved issues. Sometimesparishionersgothroughchurch-related issues for whichthey have not sought help froma counselor or their local pastor.Quiteoften, theyarestressedout,impatient, and angry because oftheseunresolvedissues.Thechurchboardmeeting,orthechurchbusi-nessmeeting,becomes the forumfor themtoblameandcriticize thepastor forwhatgoeswrong in thecongregation.

6. Expectation to live above reproach. Generally,peopleholdpas-torsinhighesteemandexpectmuchfromthem.Sincepastorsareseenaspreachersofprobityandaccount-ability,parishionersexpectthemtoliveabovereproach.Whenapastorbreaksoneofthecommandmentsordoctrinesofthechurch,criticismorevenrejectionoftenfollow.

Approaches for dealing with criticism

Notallcriticismfromparishionersisdestructive.Somemaybecon-structive; thereforepastorsshouldtake criticism seriously and notignore it.Whatmaybeconsideredtrivialandnotgivenmuchattentionmay become a serious issue toodifficultandtoo latetosolve.Herearesomesuggestionspastorsmayincludeintheirapproachestocriti-cismfromparishioners.

1. Count criticism as a blessing, not a trial. Let’sbe realisticaboutthis. Wedonotfind iteasyto facecriticismandacceptitasablessingfromGod.WhenIstartedministry,Iusedtothinkthatparishionerswhocriticizedmy jobperformancedidnot likeme.But Ihavealsocometounderstand that criticism fromparishionersmaybeGod’swayof

pointingout something I need tochangeor correct indealingwithanissueasapastor. WhileIdonotallowdestructivecriticismtodetractme from doing my job, I do notignoreconstructivecriticismeither.ItremindsmethatIamhumanandmakemistakes.Constructivecriticismalsohelpsmelearnandavoidothersimilarandterriblemistakeslateron.

2. Pray for guidance and for those who criticize you. Inonedistrict, Imadeanappointmenttoseeoneofourconferenceofficials foradviceconcerningthecriticismIwasfacingfromsomeparishioners.Icanrecallsittinginhisofficeandpouringoutmyhearttohim.AfterIfinished,helookedatmeandsaid,“Youmustprayforthem.”ImustconfessthatwasnottheanswerIexpectedatthatmoment.ButIcontinuedtoprayforthemandbeforelongtheystoppedthe criticism, thougha coupleofthem occasionally criticized meaboutchurchprograms.Prayingforthosewhocriticizeyouwillmakeadifferenceinyourministry.

3. Avoid arguing with those who criticize you. This isoneof thedif-ficultiesapastormayencounterwithparishioners, especiallywhen thepastorknows theyare rightaboutanissuetheyarebeingcriticizedforin thechurch.However, trynot toarguewith thosewhocriticizeyouinpublic,whetheratachurchboardorchurchbusinessmeeting.Assumeagooddispositionwhenconfrontedwithcriticism.Calmdown,andifitrequires a response, chooseyourwordscarefullyandanswergently.

4. Always do what is right.Ineverydecisionthatinvolvesthecongrega-tion,ifyouhavethechurchboard’sand themajorityof themembers’approval,goaheadand implementit.Peoplewillcriticizeandpersecuteyoufordoingtherightthing,butGodwilladmireandvindicateyoufornotdoingthewrongthing.EllenG.Whiteoffersencouragingwordshere,“ToaccuseandcriticizethosewhomGodisusingistoaccuseandcriticizetheLordwhohassentthem.”5

5. Uphold ethics and beliefs of the church. Whatever the pastor

doesshouldbeinaccordancewiththe church beliefs and policies.Parishionersrespectpastorswhoarehonestandhaveastrongaffirmationfor,andpractice,ministerialethics.

6. Address the needs of your parishioners in a timely manner.Thenatureofourworkrequiresustobesensitive to thequestionsand felt-needsofourparishioners,andweshouldmakeeveryefforttoaddressthose needs in a timely manner.

Weshouldnot treatparishioners’needsastrivial.EveryparishionerisimportantintheeyesofJesus,andasministersofGod,wearetotreatthemwith loveand respectasweshepherdthem.Thiswillhelppastorsavoidsomecriticism.

7. Sell your ideas to your lead-ers: Pastorshavegoodplans andideasforthechurchbutquiteoftenwemeetoppositionandcriticismbecause of the way those plansand ideas are communicated toparishioners.Whenthishappens,wewonderwhetherthechurchofficersandparishionersseewhatwesee.Whenyouworkwith leaders in a

A leader cannot

avoid criticism. It

does not matter

what leadership

position you hold,

whether in politics,

as the president

or prime minister

of a country, the

head of a corporate

organization, a

pastor, or church

administrator, there

will be criticism.


church, theywanttofeel that theyareapartof thedecision-makingprocessofthechurch.Theboardofeldersandthechurchboardmem-bersshouldknowthepastor’sideasandprograms.Theywillthenbeabletosupportandhelpsellthem.

8. Do not sideline those who criti-cize you. RememberthesayingKeep your friends close and your enemies closer.Youwillbesurprisedthat, inmostcases,parishionerswhocriticizeyouarenotnecessarilyyourenemies,buttheymaybegoingthroughper-sonalissuesthatrequireareferraloryourexpertiseinpastoralcounseling.

9. Involve those who criticize you in church ministries. Sometimesyouwillfinditnecessarytoharnesstheenergyand talentsofparishionerswhocriticizeyou forsoulwinninginsteadofusingtheirtimeinsowingseedsofdivisivenessinthechurch.Youcanrequestsomeofthemtovol-unteerintheprayerteamoraspecial

needsministryinthechurch.Meetwiththemperiodicallytoaffirmandevaluatewhattheyaredoing.Asyouengagetheminchurchministries,itwillhelpthemusetheirtalentsintherightareas.

10. Know if, when, and how to confront those who criticize you.Pas-torsapproachanddealwithcriticismdifferently.Somepastorsadoptanattitudeofacultureofsilenceandignorethem.Otherschooseacon-frontationalapproach.“Theattitudeneededtodealwithcriticismsisnotawithdrawal from the issueoranarrogantapproachtotheissue.Itisgentlenessandfirmness—anattitudeof smart love.”6Pastoral attitudesandapproachestocriticismshouldfollowthebiblicalinstructioninMat-thew18:15–17. Trynot toharboranyanimosity towardparishionerswhocriticizeyou.Continue to loveandprayforthem.Thiswillmakeadifferenceinyourministry.

ConclusionThepastorcannotavoidcriticism.

Everycongregationhasparishionerswhowill affirmyourministry andthosewhowillcriticizewhatyoudo.At times, thecriticismmaybecon-structive,andothertimesitmaybedestructive. Thepastor shouldbeopentocriticismandwillingtoacceptmistakesandcorrect them.Neverallowcriticismtodetract fromyourcallingasapastor toperformyourrole.YoucancountonJesusasHeguidesyoutoshepherdHisflockandpreparethemforHiskingdom.

1. During this time I was a pastor in Chicago, Illinois, with the Lake Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

2. All scriptures are from the New King James Version.3. Tom Marshall, Understanding Leadership (Grand Rapids, MI:

Baker Books, 2003), 95.4. Seventh-day Adventist Minister’s Handbook (Silver Spring,

MD: Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2009), 41.

5. Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1962), 466.

6. Marshall Shelley, Well-Intentioned Dragons: Ministering to Problem People in the Church (Carol Stream, IL: Word Publishing, 1985), 125.


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Recently I discovered anAdventistsectiononaWebsitethatfacilitatesdifferentfaithgroups.1An anony-

mous contributoroffered a shortanalysis of the theological diver-sity in contemporarySeventh-dayAdventism.Theauthor suggestedthatAdventist theologians fall intoeight categories. One end of thespectrum has “liberal” and “pro-gressive”Adventists.On theotherendare “conservative,” “extremeconservative,” and“ultra-extremeconservative”Adventists.Inbetweenare thosewhodefend the “moralinfluencetheory”ofatonement,the“evangelical,”and the“moderate”perspectives.

Frankly,whenIlookattheshortdescriptions thataregivenofeachcategory, IsimplywouldnotknowwhereIbelong.InsomerespectsIwouldratherbecalledan“evangeli-cal”Adventist,andinmanywaysIwouldalsofitthe“moderate”mold.Although the author appeared tohavea thoroughknowledgeof theAdventisttheologicalscene,Iwouldargue about the classification ofsomeofthe“keyfigures”thatwerementioned. Iwoulddefinitelywanttomovesomeofthemsomewhatto“theleft”whilepushingafewto“theright.”Myconclusion: categoriza-tionssuchastheseare,atbest,ofverylittlevalue.

Do we have a problem?Nonetheless, this Web item

illustrates theundeniable fact thatcontemporaryAdventist theology

hasquiteafewdifferentfaces.Manywonderhowthishascomeabout.How can we think so differentlyabout divine revelation? Why doourthoughtleaderstakeusintosomany,oftenopposite, directions?Is itbecausemanyno longerbuildontheWordofGod?Is itbecausesomehavelostsightoftheold“land-marks”?Mightoneof the reasonsbethatmanyAdventisttheologianshavereceivedmuchoftheirintellec-tualformationininstitutionswherethepresuppositionsandideasfromother traditions are the standardacademicfare?

Butonemightalsoask,Isitreallysuchanenormousproblem,asmanyseemtothink,thatAdventistthink-inghasbecomemuchmorediversethanitusedtobe?Isitreallysuchathreatasmanybelieveitis?Irealizethat,inaskingthequestion,Iprob-ablybetraymybackground.IgrewupintheNetherlands,atraditionallypredominantlyProtestantcountryofratherCalvinisticvintage.Beforetheonslaughtoframpantsecularismandthedramaticdeclineofecclesiasticalinfluenceon society, therewasasayingthatheldatleastsometruth:Take one Dutchman and you have a theologian. Take two Dutchmen, and you have a denomination. Take three Dutchmen, and you have schism.

I grew up in an environmentwhere theologicaldiversitywithintheCalvinistictraditionwasawayoflife.Anditdidnotalwaysseemtobeallthatbad.Itcertainlyfosteredlivelytheologicaldebateamongchurchleadersaswellasthemembers.But

it alsomademewonderwhetheritmust,perhaps,beexpectedasasimple factof life, thatChristianswho take theBible as their basiswilldisagreeonmany issuessincehumaninterpretationswillalwaysbelimitedandimperfect.

InthisbriefarticleIwouldliketooffersomeperspectivesonthetheo-logicaldiversitywithinAdventism.Irealizetherearealsootherpointsofview.ThereareprobablyfactorsthatIoverlookorthatonwhichIfailtodofulljustice.Yet,Ihopethatmysmallcontributiontothediscussioncanbehelpful.I inviteyoutoconsiderthefollowingeightpoints.

1. A history of diversity. Surpris-ingly,manychurchmembers (andevenchurch leaders)havea ratherrestrictedviewofthehistoricaldevel-opmentsintheirchurch,inparticularwith regard to thedevelopmentofAdventistdoctrine.Adventist truthdid not miraculously drop downfromheaven,asaneatpackage,inthelate1840sandearly1850s,butit took thebetterpartof thenine-teenthcenturybeforetheAdventistteachings received their more orlessdefinitive form.GeorgeKnighthassketchedthisdevelopmentinaveryaccessible form inhisbookA Search for Identity: The Development of Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs.2 Noonecancomeaway from readingabout this development withoutrecognizing that early Adventismwasabletoflourishinspiteofalotoftheologicaldiversity.Atthesametime,wecan,withgratitude,statethattheAdventistdoctrinalstructure

Theological diversity: A threat, an asset, or what?

reinder bruinsma, phd,recentlyretiredpresidentof theSeventh-dayAdventistChurch in theNetherlands,livesinZeewolde,theNetherlands.

R E I N D E R B R U I N S M A


that resulted, and the Adventistsenseofidentityandcommonmis-sion that still gives vitality toourmovement,continues tobestrongenough, inspiteofalldiversity, toguaranteeanunderlyingunity thatcomparesvery favorablywith thatofmanyotherconfessionalfamilies.3

2. Theology as an organic process. Theologiansdonotworkinaculturalorphilosophicalvacuum.Theyusu-allyoperatewithinaparticularfaithcommunityor,attheveryleast,feelan affinity with a particular faithtradition and with specific meth-odologies. That is why we havevariouskindsof“western”and“non-western” theologies and tend toapplynumerousotherlabelstothemenandwomenwhoareinvolvedinthestudyoftheology.FritzGuyhassuccinctlystressedwhatisinvolvedin“thinking theologically” fromanAdventistperspective.Hepointsouthow“tripolar thinking” isessentialforAdventisttheology.Tripolarthink-ingmustberelatedtothree“poles,”three fundamentalconcerns,“thatmutuallysupportandlimiteachotherinacreativespiritualandtheologicalinteraction.”4 These three are theChristiangospel,theculturalcontext,and the Adventist heritage. Thisinteractionwillleadtoanunderlyingunityinourapproachtotheologicalissues,but itwill alsoallow for asignificantdegreeofdiversity. “Itis,”Guymaintains,“asmistakentoimagine thatAdventistexperience,practice,andbeliefcanbeexactlythesame ineveryplace,as it is tosuppose that itcanbeexactly thesameineverygeneration.”5

3. Fairness to one another. Adven-tistsarenotalwaysfullyexemptfromthetendencyofmakingacaricatureofthosewithwhomtheydisagree—bymisstating facts,quoting ratherselectively, and placing undueemphases.Unfortunately,theopenandconstructivediscussionbetweenAdventisttheologianscan,attimes,alsobecloudedbyunfairrepresenta-tionsofother“schools”ofthought.Thoseatthemoreconservativesideof the churchmay talk andwriteabout their “liberal”brothers and

sistersas if,bydefinition, theynolongertaketheScripturesseriously,have lost their faith, and are nolonger tobeconsidered“genuine”Adventists.The liberalsoftenhaveatendencyto lookwithsomekindofpityorevendisdainattheircon-servative attackers, ashopelesslyout of touch with contemporaryscholarshipandstuckinanoutdatedfundamentalismand indefensiblebiblicism.

Labelingothers isadangerousbusiness thatusuallydoesno jus-tice to all aspectsof the ideasoftheother. It createsdistanceanddistrust insteadofawillingness tocarefully listen andconstructivelydialogue in our common searchforadeeperunderstandingof theChristianfaith,withinthecontextofourownspecificheritage.Amorefruitfulapproachisfoundinarecentbook by Alden Thompson, whoconvincinglyarguesthatliberalsandconservatives in thechurchneedeachother. If the liberalsdominatethediscourse,werun the risk thattheboundariesofwhatwebelievebecometoovagueormaydisappear,but, if theconservatives fullyhavetheirway, theboundariesmaybesorigidthatallfurthersearchingforabetterunderstandingofwhatwebelieve, andhowwewouldcom-municateit,ishalted.6

4. Responsibility to the commu-nity. Alltheologicalactivity—whether itbethinking,teaching,orwriting—mustbecharacterizedby integrity.It shouldbedevoidof allpoliticalpositioning.Thosewhodevotethem-selvestothestudyandproclamationofdivinerevelationshouldbetrueinhow theypresent themselvesandshare theiropinions.Thatexcludesany attempts to be perceived asconservativeinviewofone’sdenom-inationalroleorcareerperspectivesjust asmuchas it is incongruentwithadesiretoprojectanimageofprogressiveness.

Theologiansmust realize theirinfluence—eitherdirectorindirect—onthefaithcommunitytowhichtheybelongand/orinwhichtheyengageintheirwork.Thediscussionabout

thevaluesofacademicfreedomandloyaltytoone’sfaithcommunitywillprobably never cease. Questionswillremainastohowfarthisloyaltyshouldgo.Doesitimplyanunquali-fiedsupport foralldenominationaldoctrinalstatements,andanunques-tioningobedience to thechurch’sadministrators?Does itmean thatonemustexpectthedenominationalpublisherstorefrainfrompublishingany viewpoints that are in sometensionwithestablishedAdventisttradition?

Attheveryleast,Ibelieve,thereought tobe frequentopportunitieswhere theologianscan talk aboutwhatunitesthemandwhatdividesthem in a nonjudgmental andnonthreatening setting. Toooftenthe left and the right talk mostlyamong themselves, in their ownacademic fraternities, and decryhowfartheothershavestrayedfrompuredoctrineorhowirrelevanttheyhavebecome,ratherthantoprobetogetherwheretheycanfindcom-mongroundorhowone’spositioncouldbeenrichedornuancedbythestandpointoftheother.

But theology is not just forprofessionals—teachers, authors,editors.Thechurchmembersoughtto be informed, in accessible laylanguage, about the theologicalissues on the table. The variousoptionsmustbehonestlydescribed.Anatmospheremustbecreatedinwhich the sense can prevail thattruthisalwaysgreaterthanweevercan fathomand that all our inter-pretationsarehumanandwill,bydefinition,remainincomplete.

5. The responsibility of leader-ship. Weoftendistinguishbetween“churchleaders”and“theologians.”This is a very imprecise way ofclassifying people. Many churchadministratorsare trained theolo-gians and have a background incollegeoruniversity teaching.Atthesametime,althoughthemajorityof thechurch’s theologiansdonotholdadministrativepositions, theymustcertainlybeviewedasleaders.Theyteachfuturepastorsandotherchurchemployees,adviseonmany

R E I N D E R B R U I N S M A


issues, and tend tobe appointedto studycommissions. Theyhaveaccess to thepulpit,give lectures,andholdseminars.Andtheywrite.Allofthismeanstheyareimportantthought leaders. Itbringsaheavyresponsibility.

Leadersmust lead.Theymustrecognize thedirection thechurchisheading,adviseonthepath,andsignalthedangersandclearlycom-municatethedestination.Theyfailintheirleadershiproleiftheyjustfollowthecrowdorpushthetravelersfrombehind,onlyfocusedonwheretheyhavecomefromratherthanpointingto where they must go. Like anymetaphor,thisonehasitslimitations.Butatleastonemorepointisvalid:leadersmustneverbesofaraheadofthosewhofollowthattheycannolongerbeseen.Theologiansowethistotheirfaithcommunity,tobeattheforefront,toscoutthelandofideas;buttoalwaysstayclosetothepeopletheyattempttolead.

6. Do not major in minors. Often,bitterbattlesare foughtover rela-tivelyminor issues.Yet,amazinglyenough, major deviations withregardtocoredoctrinesmaycauseonlylimitedcommotion.Thereasonmaywellbeaninadequatedistinc-tion between what is crucial andwhatislesscrucial.

It would seem, however, thatmost believers sense that someissuesaremorevitaltoourfaithandourcommitmenttoGodthanothers.Therearethingspeoplemustbelieveif theywant tobe entitled to thename“Christian,”andyoucannotclaimtobeanAdventistifyoudonotsubscribetoanumberofcorebeliefs.Admittedly,differentiatingbetween“morecrucial”and“lessessential”doctrinescaneasilybecomeaverysubjectiveexercise.Itmust,therefore,beembeddedintheexperienceofthelargerfaithcommunitybuttomakesomedistinctionsseems justified.7Ministry magazine has publishedsomearticles thathavemadevalu-able suggestions in thatdirectionand other Adventist publications

havedonelikewise.8Theintensityofourreactiontoideasthatdifferfromourownopinions—andwhichwewouldconsiderasunscripturalandun-Adventist—shouldbeguidedbywhetherornota trulycrucial issueisatstake.

7. Look for unity. I havefinallycome to the point at which I amlookingmoreavidlyforsignsofunitythanforsignsofdiversity.NotforamomentdoIwanttodenytheveryreal challengesof the theologicaldiversityamongus.ButIdonotwantthattomakemeblindtothewonder-fuldegreeofunitythatcontinuestoprevailintheAdventistcommunity.Whateverlabelwemaygivetooth-ersorothersmaygive tous, it ismarveloustoseethat,inmostcases,thereisfarmorethatbindsusthanwhatdividesus.9

Whenone looksatwhatpropo-nentsfromdifferentcurrentswithinAdventism tellus theybelieve,wenotice that theyareheld togetherby important convictions. I knowtherearedifferentperspectivesontheinspirationoftheBible,butIknowofnoAdventisttheologianwhodoesnot,insomeway,taketheBibleveryseriously. I realizewehavediffer-encesinChristology,butIknowofnoAdventistcolleagueforwhomChristmeansnothingbutahumanpersonandwhodoesnotbelievethatHeisourpresentMediatorandthatinthenearfutureHewillreturntothisearth.IknowofnoserioustheologianwhodeniesthevalueoftheSabbathandstillcallshimselforherselfaSeventh-day Adventist. I hear everywherewithinAdventismabout thesamewholisticviewofhumannatureand“conditional immortality.” Inspiteofmanydifferent theoriesabout theend-timeevents,Idonotthinktherearemany(ifany)Adventistswhohaverejected thebiblical teaching thathumanhistory,asweknow it,willendandthatAdventistshaveaspecialmissioninpreparationforthat.Andforallitisclearthatfaithaffectslifestyleandthatstewardshipanddiscipleshipareclosetwins.Andsoon.

Letusrejoiceinthisunity,whilewe think and talk in a Christianwayaboutourtheologicalconcernsand theproblemswesee insomepropositionsputforwardbyothers.

8. God can take care of Him-self. Wheneverything is said anddone,wemustrecognizethattruthis not our truth, but God’s Truth.And thechurch is not my church,oryour church,but God’s church. We have our responsibilities. Wemustguardourintegrity.Wemust,in spite of all our imperfections,each with our own backgroundsandexperiences,“do” theologyasfaithful servants of our Lord. Wemusthonorourresponsibilitieswithregard to the faithcommunity thatwe have chosen as our spiritualhome.But in theend, it isnotourwork.Wedonotown theeternalgospel.Ashumanbeingswecanonlyhavea limitedunderstandingofGodandHisplanofsalvation.Thebiblicalmessage,however, leavesnodoubt:His truthwillultimatelyconquer—inspiteofourweaknessesandmisunderstandings.

AndGodcantakecareofHimself.

1. See http://christianforums.com/member.php?u=185580.2. George R. Knight, A Search for Identity: The Development

of Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 2002).

3. The Lutheran World Federation, for instance, consists of some 140 different Lutheran denominations, while there are well over 200 different distinct Baptist denominations.

4. Fritz Guy, Thinking Theologically—Adventist Christianity and the Interpretation of Faith (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1999), 225.

5. Ibid., 233.6. Alden Thompson, Beyond Common Ground: Why Liberals

and Conservatives Need Each Other (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2009), 19.

7. Albert Mohler Jr., a Baptist theologian, recently argued for an attempt at “ triage,” to separate the essential doctrines from the less essential. “A Call for Theological Triage and Christian Maturity,” http://www.albertmohler.com /commentary_read.php?cdate=2004-05-20.

8. See e.g. George R. Knight, “Twenty-seven Fundamentals in Search of a Theology,” Ministry, February 2001, 5–7. Also: Woodrow W. Whidden II, Ellen White on the Humanity of Christ (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1997), 80; Reinder Bruinsma, “Are All Truths Truth? Some Thoughts on the Classification of Beliefs,” in Rudi Maier, ed. Encountering God in Mission: A Festschrift Honoring Jon Dybdahl (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University, Department of World Mission, 2000), 173–189.

9. In a recent article in Ministry magazine Richard Rice pointed out how the doctrine of the Trinity is an important truth that continues to provide a fundamental unity in our Adventist theological enterprise. See Richard Rice, “The Trinitarian Basis of Christian Community,” Ministry, February 2009, 13–18.



Editor’s note: This article focuses on the church in North America. We suggest that other parts of the world may want to do a similar analysis and determine how the church is doing in that area.

How is the Seventh-dayAdventist (SDA)Churchdoingintermsofgrowth,f inances, and Chr is-

tian education? We will examineimportantlong-termtrendsintheseareas in theSeventh-dayAdventistChurch inNorthAmerica (NAD).1Theresearchpresentedherecoverstheperiodbetween1913and2005.The conclusions, however, havefar-reachingconsequences.Thesetrendsaffect the fulfillmentof themissionandvisionof thechurch,its growth, structure, polity, andthefinancesworldwide.Wefindasignificantdepartureinmosttrendsbeginning in themid to late1970sinbothabsoluteandrelativeterms.ThecausesofthesetrendchangesandtheirimplicationsforthefutureoftheSeventh-dayAdventistChurchwillbeexploredindetail.

MethodologyThemethodologyfollowedinthis

research is threefold.First,wecol-lectedourdataabouttheSeventh-day

Adventist Church from the NADArchivesandStatisticsoffice.Sec-ond, in order to understand andinterpret theresultsof theresearchfairlyandaccurately,weinterviewed51thoughtleaders,opinion-makers,researchers,churchadministratorsandleaders,pastors,educators,andlaypersons fromacross theNAD.2Third,we researched the literaturetofindout theexperienceofotherdenominationsandwhat theyaredoingaboutit.

Though we tried to providesolutions for the futurebasedonthe interviewsweconducted, theliteraturewe reviewed,andsoundbiblicalanswers,weareawarethatweareraisingmorequestionsthanproviding answers. We pray thatthepublicationofthesefindingswilllead to abetterunderstandingofthetrendsandchangesofourtime,createvigorousdebate,andleadustoprayer, renewal,andmeaningfulchangessothatwemightbemoreeffective in fulfilling themissionofJesusChrist.

Weareconvinced thatnoonesinglefactorhascausedthisradicalchange in thechurch.Rather,wearecertain thataseriesofevents,factors, andchanges takingplaceinthechurchandinsociety,aswellasgenerational anddemographic

shifts,hascontributedtothesitua-tioninwhichwefindourselves.

Church growth: The big picture

In2007theAdventistChurch inNorthAmericabaptized37,359peo-ple.Yet,asweexaminethenumbersincontext,wefindthisreality:evenasweaddedmembers,weshrank.

1.Membershipgrowthrate3

The membership growth rate(membership growth = [previousyear’smembership–apostasyanddeath+converts] /previousyear’smembership) in the NAD sincethemid-1980shasbeenhoveringaround2percentorless(seefigure1).Inordertoexceedthepopulationgrowth rate and thus experiencemeaningfulgrowth relative to thepopulation, thechurchmustgrowbeyondthe2percentlevel.Inthelasthundredyearswehaveexceededthe5percentgrowth levelonly twice.Thefirst timewasduring theFirstWorldWarin1917,thesecondtimewasduringtheDepressionof1935.

How do we know what is ahealthyandmeaningfulgrowthrateforthechurch?Itispossibletohaveapositiverateofgrowth(anypercent-ageoverzero)butstillnotgrowatleast as fast as the population is

reflections on the future of the seventh-day Adventist church in north America: Trends and challenges (part 1 of 2)

david beckworth, phd,isassistantprofessorofeconomicsatTexasStateUniversity,SanMarcos,Texas,UnitedStates.s. Joseph Kidder, dMin,isassociateprofessorofChristianministry,AndrewsUniversitySeventh-dayAdventistTheologicalSeminary,BerrienSprings,Michigan,UnitedStates.

DAvID BECKwORTh AND S. JOSEPh KIDDER


growing.Insuchacasewewillfindourselves adding more membersandyetstillshrinkingrelativetothepopulation.Consequently, amorefocusedmeasureofchurchgrowthincludes thenumberofNADcon-vertsasapercentofthepopulation.Figure2 reportsboth theabsolutenumberofNADconvertsand thenumber ofNADconverts relativeto theNADpopulation.Thisfigurereveals that from 1913 till about1982, thegrowthofNADconvertsdid fairlywell in keepingupwiththepopulationgrowth rate.Sincethat time, though, themembershipgrowth rateonaveragehasbeenlessthanthepopulationgrowthrate.

Thepopulationgrewby1.31percentfrom1913till1975,but thechurchgrewby3.61percent.However,from1975to2005thepopulationgrewby1.09percent,butthechurchgrewby0.06percent.ThisindicatesthattheSeventh-dayAdventistpresence isshrinkingintheNAD.Ifthenumberoftheconvertscontinuestogrowbelowthe rateofpopulationgrowth, thechurchwillbecomeashrinkingpartofthepopulation,makingitincreasinglymoredifficulttofulfillitsmission.

DavidT.Olson,inThe American Church In Crisis, shows thatmostdenominations are experiencinga decline4 that is similar to thephenomenon experienced by the

Seventh-day Adventist Church inNorthAmerica.5Olsondemonstratesthatthenumberofpeopleattendingallchurcheshasessentiallystayedthesame from1990 to2006.6Thechurch attendance numbers thusstagnated while the population,during the same time, grew by51million.7ThusOlson’s researchshows thatchurchattendance,as a percentage of the general popula-tion, droppedamongevangelicals,mainlineProtestants,andCatholics.8

2. Ethnic composition of theSeventh-dayAdventistChurch

Notonlyisthechurchnotkeep-ingupwith thegeneralpopulationgrowthintheNAD,butthemember-ship growth does not match theethnicmakeupof thepopulation.NewmembershipintheNADcomesmainly from the African descentdemographic. This group makesup approximately 30 percent ofthe NAD membership comparedto its 12.8 percent share of thepopulation.Thoughwerejoiceinthediversityof thechurch, thisfigureshows thatNAD isnoteffectivelyreaching the Caucasian descentgroup. They make up 55 percentof theNADchurchrelativetoa67percentpopulationin2005.Similarly,theHispanicsmakeup9percentoftheNADchurch;theyconstitute13percentofthepopulation.ThoseofAsiandescentandother racesarerepresented in thechurchat ratesclosertothatofthepopulation.

3.ThegrayingofAdventismAnother important trend is

reflected in what is being calledthe “graying of Adventism.”9

In2008themedianageofAdventistsin the NAD was 51 years whilethemedianage in thepopulationwas36.Thesenumbersmean thechurchisnotdoingwellinkeepingor attractingyoungbelievers. Thechurchseemstobesurvivingbytheenergyand resourcesofpreviousgenerations.Butifthisgrayingtrendcontinues,whatisgoingtohappentothechurchwhenthesesupportivegenerationsfadeintothesunset?

FIGURE1:SDAMembershipGrowthRate

FIGURE2:ConvertstoNADSDA


4.TheratioofSeventh-dayAd-ventistchurchestothepopulationoftheNorthAmericanDivision10

TheNADhad3,000moreAd-ventistchurchesin2005thanin1913.TheratioofthegeneralpopulationtothenumberofAdventistchurcheshasalso risen. In1913, therewereapproximately52,000people in thepopulationperchurch,but in2005therewere65,000people foreachAdventistchurch.Thisindicatesthatthere is an urgent need to plantchurches if theNADchurchesaretomaintain theircurrentpresencein North American communities.Increasing theAdventistpresenceandvisibility in localcommunitieswouldrequireevenmoreaggressivechurchplantingefforts.Ifwemaintaintheratioofpopulationtoachurchin2005,as itwas in1913,weshouldhave6,285churches today (about1,100morethanwecurrentlyhave).

AnotherphenomenonemergingintheSeventh-dayAdventistChurchinNorthAmericaisthattheaveragechurch isgettingbigger. In1913,thesizeoftheaveragechurchwas36members,while in2005, itwasapproaching200members.

5. Church and membershipproductivity

The landscape of church pro-ductivityischanging,mostlyfortheworse.(Inthiscontext,productivityisasnapshotofresourcesput intobaptisms.)Memberproductivityhasdeclinedsince1980. Itnow takesabout27memberstoproduceonebaptism,whereasfrom1913to1980ittookonlyabout15members.Thefigure indicates thisnumber isontherise,headingquicklytoward30.Whilethischangemaybetheresultofmember inefficiency, apathy,orlackof involvement, someof thischange also probably reflects anincreasinglysecularizedpublic lessinterestedinorganizedreligion.Thebottomlineisthat,astheyearspass,wearebecoming lesseffective inevangelismandittakesmoremem-berstoproduceoneconvert.Other

establishedevangelicaldenomina-tionsare in thesamesituationasweareorevenworse.TodayittakestheSouthernBaptistConvention11

about40peopletogainoneconvert,whereasittookonly17memberstowinoneconvertin1913.6.Pastoralproductivity

Ifpastoralproductivityisdefinedasthenumberofconvertsperpastor,thenpastoralproductivityisontherise.Pastoralproductivity,however,has risen and fallen through theyears.Thebestyearswereassoci-atedwith theFirstWorldWar, thedepression era, and the SecondWorldWar.In2001,itstoodataboutninebaptismsperpastorperyear.Thisnumberwouldlikelybehigherifweconsideredonlyfrontlinepas-tors (thosewhominister ina localchurch)andexcludedthosewhoareinconferences,unions,anddivisionsandadministration, teaching, andotherareas.Otherfactorsmayalsobe related topastoralproductivity:theratioofmemberstopastorsandthenumberofBibleworkers andliteratureevangelists.

Theratioofmemberstopastorshasrisenfromlessthan86in1913to about 250 in 2005. This trendbecameparticularlypronounced inthemidto late1960s.Thenumberofordainedand licensedministersin thechurch rose toabout3,500in theearly1980sandhasessen-tially stayed the same since thattime.However,thenumberofBibleworkersand literatureevangelistsin theNAD isdropping.This trendrevealsapotential lossoffrontline,congregationalworkers.

7.Economicproductivity:Totaldollarsspentperconvert

Intermsofeconomicproductivity,theSeventh-dayAdventistChurchin the NAD was spending about$41,000in2005perconvertwhilein1913ittookabout$5,500(2005US$)todothesame.Thisindicatesineffi-ciencyinresourcemanagement,withmuchof thedonatedmoneytothe

denominationbeingspenttosupportthestructuralsystemofthechurchinitsvarious levelsandorganizations,nurturemembers,andsustainoureducationalsystem.Shouldwenotbe investingmoreofour resourcesdirectlyintheevangelisticmissionofthechurchandlessintheadministra-tionofthechurch?

ConclusionOur researchshowsmajordis-

turbing trends inAdventism in theNorthAmericanDivisionintheareaofchurchgrowth.Whilethechurchexperiences a decline in the rateofchurchgrowthascompared tomembershipandtherateofgrowthin thepopulation, thechurchalsotakes more and more financialresourcestoproduceoneconvert.

BustingthesedisturbingtrendsintheNorthAmericanAdventistChurchwilltakemuchmorethanafewsmallchangesoftechnique;itwillrequireareconsiderationofourvaluesandmethods.IntheFebruary2011issuewewilldealwithplausibleexplana-tionsofthecurrenttrendsandsomesuggestionstoreversethetrend.

1. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, as a church geographic entity, consists of Bermuda, Canada, and the United States of America.

2. The 51-person group consisted of 10 pastors, 10 laypersons, 8 seminary teachers, 4 elementary and secondary teachers, 7 conference workers, 4 union workers, 3 division workers, 2 General Conference workers, and 3 researchers.

3. All the statistics related to the Seventh-day Adventist Church are taken from the Office of Archives and Statistics of the North American Division, http://www .adventistarchives.org/documents.asp?CatID=27& SortBy=1&ShowDateOrder=True (May 2008).

4. David T. Olson deals with attendance figures and the data that we collected from the NAD deals with membership figures. However, it is safe to say that if there is a decline in membership, there is a decline in attendance and vice versa. Olson, The American Church in Crisis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008).

5. Ibid., 28–32. 6. Ibid., 35. 7. Ibid., 35. 8. Ibid., 36. 9. Monte Sahlin, Adventist Congregations Today (Lincoln, NE:

Center for Creative Ministry, 2003), 35, 36. See also Monte Sahlin and Paul Richardson, Seventh-day Adventists in North America: A Demographic Profile (Milton Freewater, OR: Center for Creative Ministry, 2008), 5, 6.

10. The population figure came from http://www.census.gov/ and http://eh.net. In 1913, there were 97 million people in the United States and 8 million in Canada, totaling 105 million for NAD. In 2005, there were 298 million in United States and 32 million in Canada, totaling 330 million for NAD.

11. http://www.sbhla.org/.


DAvID BECKwORTh AND S. JOSEPh KIDDER


Matthew16:13–20hasbecome one of themost controversialand debated texts in

theNewTestament.Generally,indi-vidualsdiscuss this text in regardtoidentificationofthepetra “rock,”upon which Jesus promised tobuild His church. However, thisarticledoesnotintendtodiscusstheknowntextualcomplication(whoistherockinMatthew16:13–16),butwill attempt to focus on anotherissue identified inverse20.1Mat-thew16:13–20reads,

NowwhenJesuscameintothedistrictofCaesareaPhilippi,He was asking His disciples,“WhodopeoplesaythattheSonofManis?”

And they said, “Some sayJohn the Baptist; and others,Elijah;butstillothers,Jeremiah,oroneoftheprophets.”

Hesaidtothem,“ButwhodoyousaythatIam?”

SimonPeteranswered,“Youare theChrist, theSonof thelivingGod.”

AndJesusansweredandsaidtohim,“Blessedareyou,SimonBarjona,becausefleshandblooddidnotrevealthistoyou,butMyFatherwhoisinheaven.

“IalsosaytoyouthatyouarePeter,andupon this rock IwillbuildMychurch;andthegatesofHadeswillnotoverpowerit.

“Iwillgiveyou thekeysofthe kingdom of heaven; andwhateveryoubindonearthshallhavebeenboundinheaven,and

whateveryoulooseonearthshallhavebeenloosedinheaven.”

ThenHewarnedthedisciplesthattheyshouldtellnoonethatHewastheChrist(NASB).2

Verse20reads,“ThenHewarnedthedisciplesthattheyshouldtellnoone thatHewas theChrist.”OnemightaskwhyJesuswouldchargehisdisciplesnottotellanymanthatHewastheChrist.Furthermore,thisalsoseems tocontradictMatthew3:17whereGodopenlydeclaredtothepeople thatChrist isHisSon.3CoulditbethatJesuswasfearfulofrevealingHisidentitytothepeople,and if this is thecase, then4howcanpeoplelocateaudacityinsome-onewhoHimselfneedsaudacitytoconquerHisfears.Finally,wouldnotthisbeinoppositiontotheexclusivepurposeoftheIncarnationwherebytheSonisborntomakeknownHisFather’slovetosinfulhumanity?

Christosofverse20Aclose readingofverse20, in

its original Greek text, seems toimply that the term Christos mayunlock themeaningof this verse.ThewordChristosisanounmeaningthe “anointed one.” The HebrewequivalentofChristos isMessiah(Lev.4:5;6:22).IntheOldTestament,theterm Messiah issubstantivelyusedfor patriarchs and kings of Israel(Pss.2:2,17;18:51;104:15;105:15;1Sam.2:10,35;24:11;26:9,11,23;2Sam.1:14;Hab.3:13;2Chron.22:7).ThetermChristosinitsHebrewform,Messiah,isemployedforthecomingkingwhomtheJewsexpectedtobe

theSavioroftheirnation(1Sam.2:10;Isa.45:1;Dan.9:25).

Consequent ly, address ingJesusasChristos implied thatHeis theMessiah, theanointedone,whowould redeemJewsfromthebondageof theRomans.Perhaps,becauseofthefalseconceptsofthepeoplewholookedforanexclusivelynationalandpoliticalMessiah (sav-ior),Jesus toldHisdisciplesnot topublicizethatHe isChristos.“Herethereasonforthesecrecyisabouttobecomeparticularlyclear.Jesusisnot thekindofMessiahthat themasseshaveinmind.”5Thisisalsoevident from the limitedusageofChristos throughout the synopticGospels.ThewordChristosisusedonly54 times throughout thesyn-opticGospelsincomparisontotheGreektermIesousthatisutilized566timesforaddressingJesus.

The context of verse 20Jesusisthecenterofdiscussion

inMatthew16:13–20.UponarrivalintothedistrictofCaesareaPhilippi,locatedabout25milesnorthoftheSeaofGalilee,Jesusstartsthedia-loguebyaskingthequestionthathasbeen in themindsof thedisciplesfromthebeginningofHisministry.WhodopeoplesaythattheSonofManis?HowdotheyclassifyHim,havingseenHishealingwondersandincredibleteaching?

Afterhearingtheresponseofthedisciples,Jesusmovedthedialoguetoamoreprivate intensity.“Jesusrepeatsthequestionnowdirectingit to thedisciples.Thequestion isaskednotsomuchfor information

Matthew 16:13–20: Jesus’ warning to his disciples

younis M. sadiqislecturerinOldTestamentstudies,FultonCollege,FijiIslands.

Y O U N I S M . S A D I q


but toelicit from thedisciplesanexplicitconfessionofhismessianicidentity.”6JesusaskedHisdisciples,“ButwhodoyousaythatIam?”

InresponsetoPeter’sconfession,JesusdeclaredHimasblessed one,because flesh and blood did notrevealJesus’identitytohim,buttheFatherwhoisinheaven.WhatfollowsafterPeter’sanswercomesamongthemostdebated issues.Severalinterpretationshavebeenforwarded,buttheyallcanbesummedupintofourgroups.Therockonwhichthechurchistobebuiltis(1)Christ,(2)Peter’sconfessionoffaithinJesusastheMessiah(v.16),(3)Christ’steach-ings—oneofthegreatemphasesofMatthew’sGospel,and(4)Peter,him-self,understood intermsofhisroleandleadershipamongtheapostles.7

Thecontextofverse20clearlyportrays Jesus as the center ofdiscussion(Matt.16:13–20).Conse-quently,whenJesusansweredPeterthatHewillbuildHischurchon“thisrock”HedidnotrefertoPeterastherockuponwhichHewillbuild thechurch.Hisexpression“thisrock”(v.18),appliedtoJesusHimselfasthekeystoneoftheChristianchurch.8Nowonder,JesusadvisesHisdisciplesnot to publicize that His ministrywill result in an establishment ofChristian community. For peoplemayhaveunderstoodthephrase“Iwillbuildmychurch” (v.18)as“IwillstartafreedommovementfromtheRomanyoke.”For theCreatorofthetimeknewthatitwasnotyettherighttimetorevealHisChristos character.Not thatHewasafraidto revealHis identity;neverthelessHis ministry had not yet reachedthe point whereby people couldunmistakablyperceive thepurposeofHis incarnation.9Moreover,pre-mature revelation thatJesus is theChristwouldhavecauseda threatto the Roman Empire, and theymighthavekilledJesussimplyasa freedommovement leaderratherthan theSaviorwho isworthyofredeemingHispeoplefromtheyokeofsin.Becauseothersalreadyknew

andacknowledgedJesus’personalname,itwouldhavebeenuselesstodenyoraffirmthathewasJesus;thepointunderdiscussionwaswhetherhewasChristos,theMessiah.Similarexplanationcanalsobegiven forMatthew8:4whereJesuschargedthelepernottotellanymanbuttogoandshowhimselftothepriestandofferasacrificeofthanksgiving.10

SimilarpassagesarementionedintheGospelofMark(8:27–30)andLuke(9:18–21).MarkandLukeagreewithMatthewoncertaindetailsofthepassagebutalsohavesometextualdifferences.MathewandMarkcon-tain the location (CaesareaPhilippi)wheretheeventtakesplace,butLukemissesit.AllthreewritersagreethatJesusinitiatedthedialoguewithHisdisciples.MarkandLukedonothaveJeremiahinthelistasMatthewhas.Furthermore,bothMarkandLukedonotcontainJesus’ response toPeter’sconfession thatJesus is the Christ.ThisseemstohighlightthatthediscussioninMatthew16:20centersinthecharacterofChristos.

ConclusionOnecanreachtheconclusionthat

thereason,inMatthew16:13–20,forJesuswarningHisdisciplesnottotellthatHeis Christos was notbecauseHewasafraidofrevealingHisidentitytothepeopleortofailtheexclusivepurposeoftheIncarnationwherebytheSonisborntomakeknownHisFather’slovetosinfulhumanity.Butitwastoavoidpeople’smisconcep-tionofHisrealidentity.11PeoplehadthoughtofChristos “Messiah”asthepromisedDavidicsaviorwhowouldbe a political, nationalistic figuredestinedtofreetheJewsfromRomandomination(Mark11:9,10).Thedis-cipleswerenotyetreadytoproclaimthe truemeaningand thebroaderscope of His Christos character.BecauseoftheJews’anddisciples’misunderstandings(Mark8:32,33),Hecommandedsilence (1:44)untilHecouldexplain thatas Messiah it was necessary for Him to suffer and die in obedience to God’s will(Mark

8:31).Thewordstudyof theGreektermChristos within thecontextofMatthew16sustainedthisconclusionaswellasthroughtheimmediateandbroadercontextofverse20.Inaddi-tion, a solution suggested for thetextual problem in verse 20 alsoteachesavaluableprincipleoftimelyspeechandadisclosureofinforma-tionthatisthekeycontributingfactorfor thesuccessofan individualororganization.Wecanavoidmanytroublesinourpastoralministryifwecanonlymasterthisprinciple(Prov.25:11;Eccles.3:7).

1. Biblical scholars identify in Matthew 16:18 who the “petra,

rock” refers to and on which the church is to be built. Seventh-day Adventists understand that “petra, rock” in Matthew 16:18 refers to Jesus. For a detailed discussion see, “Upon This Rock” (Matt. 16:18), The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (SDABC), rev. ed., ed. Francis D. Nichol (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1978; 2002), 5:432, on CD-ROM, 3.0c.

2. Unless otherwise stated, the New American Standard Bible version is used.

3. See also Matthew 8:29 where demons openly proclaimed that Christ is the Son of God. The disciples were with Jesus and perhaps during this time, Peter already sensed that Christ is the Son of the Living God.

4. For years, believers have found courage and hope in Christ that has filled their lives with deep sense of peace, contentment, and happiness. However, in recent years many have started doubting whether Christ is really the one who can give hope, courage, and blessings. For illustrative purposes I quote, “I do not believe in Christ. I personally think that Jesus’ story is shrouded in myth, fiction, and human intervention.” See http://www.rev-know-it-all .com/2010/2010---01-10.html, accessed March 11, 2010. Perhaps the misunderstanding of verse 20, “then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ” has also contributed to that doubt. Hence, the question raised is valid and deserves a biblical answer.

5. Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14-28, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 33b, ed. David A. Hubbard (Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1998), on CD-ROM, 2.1d.

6. Ibid. 7. SDABC, 5:432 on CD-ROM, 3.0c. 8. See also, Matt. 21:42; Isa. 28:16; 1 Pet. 2:4–8; Acts 4:11, 12;

Ps. 118:22; 1 Cor. 10:4. 9. The Bible Knowledge Commentary suggests that Jesus told

the disciples not to tell anyone that He is the Christ because He knew it was too late for the nation to respond to His offer, and His rejection was drawing near. There was no reason for His disciples to be trying to convince a nation that had already turned from Him. J. F. Walvoord, R. B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary, “Matthew,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-1985), on CD-ROM, 2.1d.

10. See also, other texts where Jesus charged people not to tell others about Him or to make Him known (Matt. 9:30; 12:16; Mark 1:43; 3:12; 8:30; Luke 9:21).

11. Ellen White supports this conclusion and states in The Desire of Ages, “Jesus charged the disciples to tell no man that He was the Christ. This charge was given because of the determined opposition of the scribes and Pharisees. More than this, the people, and even the disciples, had so false a conception of the Messiah that a public announcement of Him would give them no true idea of His character or His work. But day by day He was revealing Himself to them as the Saviour, and thus He desired to give them a true conception of Him as the Messiah” (414).



R E S O U R C E S

Ellen White Under Fire: Identifying the Mistakes of Her Critics byJudLake,Nampa,ID:PacificPressPublishingAssociation,2010.

While teaching Advent is theritageclassesatSouthern

AdventistUniversity,Collegedale,Tennessee, United States, JudLake was confronted with manyanti-Adventistandanti-EllenWhiteWeb sites. He began a detailedinvestigationofthesecriticismsandthechurch’s response.Ellen White Under Fire is the product of thisinvestigation.

Thebook isdivided into threeparts.PartoneshowstheneedforthebookbyillustratingtheintensityoftheattacksonEllenWhiteontheInternetandalsocoversthehistory

of the criticisms of Ellen White,focusingspecificallyonthestoryofD.M.Canright.

Part two, thecoreof thebook,dealswiththelargerissuesunderly-ing the criticism of Ellen White:her inspiration, authority, and theinterpretationofherwritings.Partthreeaffirmstheevangelical,biblicalframeworkofEllenWhite’spropheticministry, and deals with practicalissues relating to thedefenseandadvocacyofherpropheticgift.Theconcluding chapter contains theauthor’spersonal testimonyas towhy he believes in the propheticministryofEllenWhite.

Four appendices supplementthe body of the book. AppendixonecontainssevencontemporaryviewsofEllenWhite,fiveof themare Adventist and two are non-Adventist.Appendicestwoandthree

arehistoricstatements indefenseofEllenWhitebyUriahSmithandJohnN.Andrews.Thelastappendixprovidesa listof resourcesonlineandinbookformthatgivespecificanswerstothechargesagainstEllenWhite.

InthechaptersdealingwithEllenWhite’sinspiration,theauthorclearlydefinesthetermsrevelation,inspira-tion, and illumination andexplainsthat“Scriptureknowsnodegreesintheinspirationofitstextorofitswrit-ers”(103).AndEllenWhite“hadthesamekindof revelation-inspirationexperienceasdid thebiblicalwrit-ers” (104).When it comes to theissueofwhatkindofinspirationEllenWhiteexperienced(dictation,verbal,thought,etc.)theauthoroptsforthe“whole-personmodel”ofinspiration(128, 129). This means inspira-tionaffectsnotonly the thoughts

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(thought inspiration),but also thewords,thoughnotinthesamesenseas in theverbal-inspiration theory.Thedifferencebetween the lattertwoissomewhathazy.

Against the charge that Ad-ventistshavedualauthorities—theBibleandEllenWhite—theauthorpointsoutthatScripturepredictsthepresenceofthepropheticgiftinthetimeoftheend(Rev.12:17;19:10;22:8,9).Furthermore,heexplainsthat,likethenoncanonicalprophets,herinspirationwasthesameasthecanonicalprophets,butherauthoritywasnot thesameas theauthorityof thecanonicalwriters (173), i.e.,herauthority, like theauthorityofthenoncanonicalprophets,wasacircumscribedauthority,limitedinitsscopeandfunction.“Herscopewaslimited to thespecificaudience towhichsheministered—Seventh-day

Adventists,andtotheperiodofherministry—theendof time” (175).Henceherwritingsdonotviolatethesola scripturaprincipleof“theBibleandtheBiblealone”(176).

TheinterpretationofthewritingsofEllenG.White is an importanttopic addressedquitewell in thisbook. Theprinciplesused for theinterpretation of her writings aresimilar to thoseused to interpretScripture.The twovitalprinciplesthataremostoftenviolatedbythosewhoseek todiscreditEllenWhitearetheliteraryandhistoricalcontextofherstatements.Time,place,andcircumstancesarethekeystounlockmanyofherseeminglydifficultstate-ments. The author cites severalexamplestoshowthatthose“whoignore the literarycontextofEllenWhite’swritings inevitablyendupignoringthehistoricalcontext”(189).

Ellen White Under Fire iseasytoread. Itprovidesacarefulanalysisof themajor issues in thewritingsofEllenWhite—inspiration,author-ity,and interpretation.And itdealshonestlywith thedifficulties inherwritings,aswellaswiththecritics.Thechaptersummariesareusefulforstudentsandteachers in reviewingthematerial,andtheextensiveend-notesprovideanexcellentresourcefor furtherstudies.Thebookwouldhavebeenfurtherenhancedbytopi-calandauthorindices.Nevertheless,thebookwillbearealhelpforthoseconfrontedbyamultitudeofWebsitesandbooksattackingEllenWhite.Everypastorneedstohaveacopyaswellaseverychurchmember.

—Reviewed by Gerhard Pfandl, PhD, associate

director, Biblical Research Institute, Silver Spring,

Maryland, United States.

Reformation:TheDangerousbirthoftheModernWorld,byHarryReid,Edinburgh:SaintAndrewPress,2009.

Reformation isasurveyofProt-estantism in Europe in the

sixteenthcenturyand largelydealswithwhathappened inScotland,England,Germany,France,andItaly.BeginningwiththevictoryofHenryVIIattheBattleofBosworthFieldin1485,thebookendswithanevalu-ationofCalvin’sproblematiclegacy.

Abriefsketchofthemainplayersin theReformation fromCalvin toZwinglisetsthesceneforthereader.

ThisisfollowedwithabsorbingandvividchaptersonLuther,theEnglish,Continental, and Scottish experi-encesoftheReformation.

ThepersonalityandcontributionsofLuther,Calvin,Zwingli, IgnatiusLoyola, John Knox, and QueenElizabethIarebrilliantlybroughttolifethroughtheauthor’squalitywriting.Whilethewritermakeshistoryattrac-tive,thisis,ineverysense,arefreshercourseinthehistoryandpersonalitiesoftheProtestantReformation.

Some highlights include thecharacterofHenryVIII,Luther’sfrail-ties,andJohnKnoxwhowasagalleyslave,Reformer,andtheologian.Theinfluenceof theBible, the roleof

Loyola intheCounter-Reformation,andthepivotalhelpElizabethgavetotheReformationinScotlandmayalsobeconsideredhighlights.

Reidhas adelightful senseofeventsandoccasions,notingPopeJohnPaulII’svisittoScotlandin1982.Thiswasahistoricoccasion, ifevertherewasone,ashewaswelcomedbytheModeratoroftheChurchunderJohnHutchinson’sstatueof JohnKnox.Ahelpfulbiographicalessayandbooklistisappended.Thisbookshoulddelight, inform, inspire,andchallengeeachreader.

—Reviewed by Patrick J. Boyle, MA, retired pas-

tor, Watford, England.

MyJourney, byLeonaGliddenRunning,SilverSpring,MD:GeneralConferenceMinisterialAssociation,2009.

LeonaGliddenRunning isa lan-guageexpertandhasshared, in

yearspast,hertalentsandknowledgewithmanyseminarystudentsprepar-ingforministry.ShetaughtavarietyoftopicsandformatsthatcanbeusefulinunderstandingandappreciatingtheScriptures.

Her teaching career lastedseveraldecadesasshe influenced

and inspired countless numbersof ministers and scholars. Eventhoughsheknowsseveralmodernlanguages,hergreatestcontributionwas the teaching of biblical lan-guagesandassistingherstudents

Continued on page 30


Iremembera timeveryearly inmyministrywhenIaskedwhatwereconsideredtobesillyques-tions.Thishappenedatthefirst

boardmeetingatanewchurch.Theconferenceleadershadencouragedpastorstoleadtheirchurchesingoalsettingandstrategicplanning,so Iaskedtheobviousquestions.“Whatevangelisticplansdoyouhaveasachurch?Whatbaptismalgoalsdoyouthinkourchurchshouldset?”

Iwascertainlynotexpectingtheirreaction.Theytoldme,innouncer-tainterms,thattheyconsideredsuchthingsasgoalsettingandstrategicplanningtobethepastor’srespon-sibility.Responsessuchas“That’swhatyouarepaidtodo,”convincedmethatitwouldtakemorethanthatfirstmeetingtoconvincethesefolkof theneedforthemtotakesomeresponsibilityinthismostvitalareaofchurchlife.

Over the next few years, as Imovedtonewpastorates,Inoticedwhatappearedtobeawidespreadmind-setamongchurchmembers.Mostofthechurcheshadnotorga-nized anything at all in regard tooutreach and evangelism for theensuingyear.Whenaskedtoexplainwhynothinghadbeenplanned,theusual answerwas something likethis:“Wellwedidn’tknowwhatyouwouldwanttodo,soweleftituntilyouarrived.”

Several yearsago, Iwaschal-lengedtoconsiderthissituationfroma conference personal ministriesdirector’s perspective. Part ofmyresponsibility,asdirectorofpersonalministries,was toallocateevange-lismfundstochurches thatsent in

evangelismstrategiesandbudgetrequests.Achurchthatwaswaitingfor theirpastor toarrive sent inaletter requesting thatsomemoneybereservedforthem.Therewasnoaccompanyingproposedevangelismstrategybecause,astheywrote,“Ourpastorhasnotarrivedyet,andwedon’tknowwhathewillwanttodo.”

Encouraging your church to act

In lightof theabovementionedissues,thereareanumberofpointsonwhichwe,aspastors,woulddowelltorefocus.Whilethefollowingpointsarebynomeansanexhaustivelistandweareallawarethatonesizedoesnotfitall, theyaresuggestedaspossiblewaystoencouragelocalchurchestounderstandtheirrespon-sibility in theareasofevangelisticplanningandgoalsetting.

1. Be certain of your role.Although,aspastors,wehaveasignificantparttoplay in theplansandprogramsofthechurch,donotletthechurchmembers convince you that thisworkbelongstotallytoyou.It’seasy,especiallyforthosenewtoministry,to have their ministry molded bythe attitudes and expectations ofthecongregation.Thechurchandpastorsomehowenterintoacircularjourney. The church expects thepastortodothework,whichiswhathappensbecausethingswillnotgetgoingifthepastordoesnotdoit.Thecyclecontinuesasthechurchcomestobelievethatthepastorwantstodoeverything,and thepastor lamentsthefactthatthechurchmemberswillnottaketheinitiativeinplanningandgoalsetting.

Thisarrangementthenbecomespart of the way the church doesthings.Overtime,asthecyclecon-tinuesthroughanumberofpastors,thechurchbecomeswhatiscalled“pastordependent”and isunwill-ing tomakeeven relativelysimpledecisionsifthepastorisnotpresent.

Helpmembersunderstand thattheyare thebestones toorganizethechurch’sevangelisticendeavors.Explainthattheyaretheoneswhoknowwhathasbeendonepreviouslyandwithwhat results.Theyknowthetownordistrictbetter thanthenewpastor.Thosewhohave livedinthedistrictformostoralloftheirliveswill know itevenbetter thanthepastorwhohasbeenthereforafewyears.Localsknowthepeople,theirprejudices,concerns,and,mostimportant,manyoftheirneeds.

2. Listen and learn.Thereismuchtolearnafterseminary,andtherearea fewwaysof learning.Continualupgradingthroughevents,suchasministers’meetingsandseminars,aregood.Keepingabreastofissuesthroughseriousreadingisalsogood.However, learning through interac-tionwithchurchmembersisamostvitallearningexperience,thebenefitsofwhichareoftennotrealized.

Whilemostmemberswouldnotpresumetotellthepastorhowheorsheshoulddoministry,theywillmostoften share their concerns, ideas,and interestswhenasked.Thekeyincludesasking therightquestionswith the rightattitude.Rather thantellingthechurchmemberswhatyouthinkshouldbedone,andhow,askfor their thoughtsandsuggestions.Learnfromtheirexperiences.

planning evangelistic strategies

Joe A. webb, dMin,ispastoroftheNambourandYandinachurchesinSouthQueensland,Australia.

J O E A . w E B B


Buildingcommitment throughinvolvementisanimportantprincipleinanyone’sministry.Weoftenhearpeople speak of how the churchneedstoworkwiththepastor,butthepastoralsoneedstoworkwiththechurchandnot justdo thingsforthechurch.Peopleexperienceasenseofownership,withitsensuingresponsibility and accountability,when theyare involved inmakingthedecisions.

3. Be willing to fit in.Wecannotexpect a church’s involvement insettinggoalsandformulatingstrate-gies to continue very long if thepastor,especiallythenewlyarrived,immediatelysetsaboutoverridingtheplansthechurchhasformulated.Themembersmustbeallowedto learnfromtheirexperiences.Eventhoughthepastormaymakechangeswiththebestof intentions, themessagereceivedmaybethatthechurchhasnotdonetherightthingorperformeditwellenough.Oneextremeresultmaybethatthechurchwillconsiderthat the pastors think they knoweverything,soletthemdoeverything.

Inallevangelisticplanningandimplementation, thepastorshouldrecognizetheimportanceofcreatinga teamapproachwhere thepastorandmembersfunctionasaunitandall feel tobea valuedpartof theteam.Together the teamwillplan,implement,evaluate,adjust, learn,communicate,andproblemsolve.The pastor will be committed tohelpingeachteammembersucceed,

giving assistance where neededbutnottakingover.Trust theteammemberswith the tasksyouhavegiventhem.

4. Make all evangelistic planning a part of church board deliberations.Inmostchurches,muchoftheevan-gelisticplanningwillbedonebythemembersofthepersonalministriescommittee.Evenifthisisthecase,proposals shouldbepresented tothechurchboard.Thisensuresthat

theplanninghasbecomeapartoftheoverall churchstrategyand isownedbymore than thepersonalministriescommitteeandthepastor.Thisalsoprovidesanopportunitytocounteractpastordependencebyteachingthemembersthattheycanworkonplansandstrategiesthroughateamministrywhetherornotthepastorispresent.

Remindchurchmembersoftheimportant implicationsofMatthew28:19, 20. The call to make dis-ciplessurely follows thecall tobeadisciple,anddiscipleshipinvolveswinningpeopleforJesus.

5. Have goals and strategies.Thepastorshouldhaveshort,medium,andlongtermevangelisticgoalsandstrategiesbywhichtoreachthem.Havingnoplans for the futurewillensurethatnotmuchgetsdoneandwillcausethechurchtorelyuponthenewpastorfordaybydaydirection.

Some people shy away fromgoalsettingandstrategicplanningbecausetheyfeeltheyareafailureif,forsomereason,theplansgoastray

andthegoalsarenotreached.Thepastorshouldknowtheimportanceofunderstandingthatsettinggoalsdoesnotmeanthatyourchurch islockedintothem,regardless,orthatonlyonewayexiststoachievethem.

Asapastorlearnsfromboththecongregationandthecommunity, itmaybecomeevidentthatwhatatfirstseemedagoodplanneedstobemodi-fiedoradjustedsomewhat. In turn,theneedforchangemayrevealsome

emergentstrategiesthat,ifadopted,willhelpthechurchreachitsgoals.

The size of a congregationdoesnotmatterwhen itcomes toevangelisticplanning.Somesmallercongregationsshyaway fromgoalsetting and strategic planningbecause they wonder what theycanaccomplishwithsofewpeople.Reality says thatgoal settingandstrategicplanningisvitaltoanysizechurchiftheyaretoeffectivelyreachouttotheircommunity.

A church’s evangelistic plansmustbeboth realisticandachiev-able.Make sure yourdreamsarenotbigger thanyourabilities.Theymustbeaffordable.Canyoubuildit intoyourbudget?Theymustbesustainable.Can we support thisstrategywithmoney,people, time,expertise,andotherresources?Canweshare thisprogramwithothersisterchurches?Theymustbeflex-ible.Beon the lookout forneededadjustmentsandconsideremergentstrategies.Theymustbeabletobeevaluated: What did we achieve?

help members understand that they are the best ones to

organize the church’s evangelistic endeavors. Explain

that they are the ones who know what has been done

previously and with what results. They know the town

or district better than the new pastor.


tobetterunderstand theBibleandthe environment in which it waswritten.Thosewhohadtheprivilegeofstudyinglanguagesfromherwillalways rememberherapproach—totalimmersioninthenewlanguage.Likewise, studentswill rememberherpersonalenthusiasmandwilling-nesstohelpthem.

Her book, My Journey, is anautobiographical reflectionofherlifeandcontributions in thefieldofeducation.Notonlywillthisbookbeofparticular interest to thosewhostudiedlanguagesunderDr.Running,butitalsoshowswhatapersonwithdeterminationandGod’sblessingcanaccomplishinthefieldofeducation.

The book chronicles LeonaRunning’s life,andshesharesherrecollectionsofavarietyofindividu-als, includingwell-knownscholarWilliamF.Albright.

—Reviewed by Nikolaus Satelmajer, editor,

Ministry.

Do we increase funding, effort, time allocation, or not? Theymusthavea time frame—not just a startingdatebutongoingtimesforspecifictasks (set times forevaluation, forexample).Theymustbeownedbythechurch.Workthroughthechurchboardor leadershipgroup.Showbenefits, showaffordability, showhowspiritualneedswillbemet.

6. Use evangelistic gifts wisely.Most pastors would have readat some time the percentagesofmemberswithparticular spiritualgifts.Usuallythegiftofevangelismis considered the realmofonly afewpeople,asmallpercentageofthemembers.Howcanthechurchbeexpected todogreat things intheareaofevangelismwhenmostmemberssee that theirgiftednessrestsinotherministryareas?

Twopointsneedtobemadehere.Thefirstpointisthatachurchneedstoidentifythosepeoplewithevange-listicgifts,interests,andenthusiasm.Aspastor,youshould intentionallyseekoutthesepeopleandperhapseventailoryourevangelismaroundtheirgiftednessandexpertise.Itisfarbettertoundertakeaprogramthatyourchurch isequipped tohandleratherthanplanningprogramsandstrategiesthatnecessitatethepres-suringofpeopleintoareasinwhich

they have no giftedness or greatinteresttoperform.

Thesecondpointhastodowithrightly using thosewith anevan-gelisticgift.Howmanytimeshaveweseenpeoplewhohaveadefiniteinterestandflairforevangelismgetboggeddowninsomeothermajorleadershiptaskorinmultiplesupportroles? Perhaps churches shouldconsidertheirevangelisticstrategiesbefore theycommencetheirnomi-natingcommitteedeliberations.Asimportantasitistoputthebestlead-ers in therightpositionsofchurchleadership,wemustalsogivethosewith evangelistic enthusiasmandgiftednesstheroomtobeinvolvedintheoutreachmissionofthechurch.

Ifwedon’t,wemayfindthatallevangelistic talents are tiedup inchurchmaintenance—andwearejusttreadingwater.

Onceagain,smallchurchesmayconsider that they do not have achoice in thisarea; that if thebestleaders are the ones who woulddoevangelismwemustgive themleadershippositionsfirst. Isuggestthatwewouldbepleasantlysurprisedifwefocuseduponevangelismfirst,and allowed the Lord to impressotherstodoleadershiptasks.

7. Identify evangelism support groups.Becarefulnot toseparate

theevangelisticthrustofthechurchfrom all other church functions.Whenweseeallaspectsofchurchlifeaspartof thewhole,webegintoseewhereeachcansupporttheotherforthecommongood.

Each sub-group in thechurchcan have an evangelistic focus.Show the treasury team that theyarenotjustallocatingmoneytoproj-ects,butthattheyareapartoftheteamthatsupports theevangelismprograms.Asmentionedalreadythechurchboardisavitalsupportgroup.Always keep the support groupsinformedofprogress, and involvetheminthedecisionprocesses.

ConclusionAboveall,rememberthattheLord

iswithusinoureffortstowinsoulsforHiskingdom.Wecansometimesfallintothetrapofthinkingthatourtraining,orreading,givesusall thenecessaryskillstoperformthetask.Whiletrainingandeducationalread-ingisvitalintheprocessofequippingpeopleforprofessionalorlayministry,theblessingandpowerofGodmakesall thedifference.That is thediffer-encebetween justpreachingandpreachingwithpower.That is thedifferencebetweenreachingout tothecommunitythroughourconcernandreachingoutwithGod’slove.


J O E A . w E B B

R E S O U R C E S

Continued from page 27

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