REACH the WORLD STRATEGIC PLAN 2015–2020 REACH UP TO GOD • REACH IN WITH GOD • REACH OUT WITH GOD CONTENTS 3 Introduction 4 Mission Statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 6 Strategic Issues Emerging From Global Research, 2011–2013 12 The Reach of Grace 14 Reach the World 24 Timeline: 150 Years of History— and the next five years 26 Evaluation and Appendix ABBREVIATIONS AC Annual Council of the General Conference Executive Committee AH Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home CH Ellen G. White, Counsels on Health DA Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages Ed. Ellen G. White, Education FB Fundamental Belief (from the Statement of Fundamental Beliefs) KPI Key Performance Indicator MENA Middle East and North Africa Union MH Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing 2 General Conference President’s Introduction God’s strategic plan to “reach the world” was unveiled after the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Lovingly , Christ Himself explained to them the plan of salvation and some of its key performance indicators (KPIs), includ- ing His coming to earth as a man, dying as a sacrifice for humanity, and rising again. This divine strategic plan was formulated before the creation of the world, and after the fall it was explained and implemented. Before His ascension, Christ’s final words to His disciples reminded them to “reach the world,” making “disciples of al l the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19, 20, NKJV). The Great Commission of Christ has been a guiding light for His people through the centuries and serves as the foundation of this Strategic Plan, 2015–2020, for His remnant church to reach the world with the Three Angels’ Messages and the wonderful news of Christ’s soon return. This Strategic Plan focuses on the mission statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and our identity and implementation of our mission. By examining the strategic issues that emerged from global research carried out from 2011 to 2013, specific objectives and KPIs were developed to provide vision and direction in carrying out the church’s special mission. I pray that this document and plan will be an important and useful tool for the entire church as we work unitedly under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to “reach the world” for Christ. Ted N. C. Wilson, president Seventh-day Adventist Church 3 Mission Statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Our Mission world from the power and presence of evil, as part of The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. call all people to become disciples of Jesus Christ, to Therefore, every aspect of a church member’s life is proclaim the everlasting gospel embraced in the three influenced by the conviction that we live in the last day s angels’ messages [Revelation 14:6–12], and to prepare described in Bible prophecy and the return of Jesus Christ the world for Christ’s soon return. is imminent. Seventh-day Adventists are called by God Our Method to live in this world. Every action of the Christian life i s done “in the name of Jesus” and to advance His kingdom. Guided by the Bible and the Holy Spirit, Seventh-day Adventists pursue this mission through Christlike living, communicating, discipling, teaching, healing, Implementation of Our Mission and serving. Seventh-day Adventists affirm the Bible as God’s infallible revelation of His will, accepting its authority Our Vision in the life of the church and of each believer, and its In harmony with the Bible’s revelations, Seventh-day foundational role for faith and doctrine. Seventh-day Adventists see as the climax of God’s plan the resto- Adventists believe that the Holy Spirit is the power ration of all His creation to full harmony with His that transforms lives and equips people with abilities perfect will and righteousness. to advance God’s kingdom in this world. Our Identity Called by God, guided by the Bible, and empowered by The Seventh-day Adventist Church sees itself as the Holy Spirit, Seventh-day Adventists, wherever we the remnant church of end-time Bible prophecy. live in the world, devote ourselves to: Members of the church, individually and collectively, understand their special role as ambassadors of God’s 1. Christlike living—Illustrating the lordship of Jesus kingdom and as messengers of the soon return of in our lives by moral, ethical, and social behaviors Jesus Christ. Seventh-day Adventists have enlisted as that are consistent with the teachings and example coworkers with God in His mission of reclaiming the of Jesus. 4 2. Christlike communicating—Realizing that all are called to active witness, we share through personal conversation, preaching, publishing, and the arts, the Bible’s message about God and the hope and salvation offered through the life, ministry, atoning death, resur- rection, and high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ. 3. Christlike discipling—Affirming the vital importance of continued spiritual growth and development among all who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we nurture and instruct each other in righteous living, provide training for effective witness, and encourage responsive obedience to God’s will. make healthful living and the healing of the sick 4. Christlike teaching—Acknowledging that devel- a priority and, through our ministry to the poor opment of mind and character is essential to God’s and oppressed, cooperate with the Creator in His redemptive plan, we promote the growth of a ma- compassionate work of restoration. ture understanding of and relationship to God, His Word, and the created universe. 6. Christlike serving—Following the example of Jesus, we commit ourselves to humble service, minister- 5. Christlike healing—Affirming the biblical prin- ing to individuals and populations most affected by ciples of the well-being of the whole person, we poverty, tragedy, hopelessness, and disease. 5 Strategic Issues Emerging From Global Research, 2011–2013 REACH the WORLD Note: Over a two-year period, beginning in 2011, five major research projects took place globally. Almost 41,000 church members and nearly 1,000 former church members were interviewed or received and completed questionnaires S T R A T E G I C about their beliefs, attitudes, experiences in the church, and spiritual-life practices. These included 4,260 pastors, almost 1,200 young people (recent graduates of Adventist I S S U E S colleges and universities in North America), and over 35,000 other church members. This unprecedented survey of the world church was carried out to provide a basis for strategic planning. In addition, each division and each General Con- ference department provided its assessment of the strategic priorities facing them in their part of the world or line of work, and each division proposed items that need to be addressed by the denomination as a whole. Finally, research undertaken for and presented at two global conferences held at the world headquarters (“It’s Time: Refocusing Adventist Urban Mission for the 21st Century” and “Sum- mit on Nurture and Retention: Discipling, Retaining and Reclaiming”) was taken into account. This global analysis highlighted a number of positives as well as a number of areas of concern; the most important are summarized here. The Strategic Plan is founded on this research. 6 1. Sabbath School emerges as a power- ful positive in church life around the world. The adult Sabbath School lessons are well liked and regarded as spiritu- ally beneficial in Africa, Latin America, and Asia; Sabbath School teachers are regarded highly by church members around the world and so, too, is the overall experience of Sabbath School. It is a strength on which the church should build (including in the area of nurture and retention; see 3, 4 below). 2. Less than half of all Seventh-day Advent- ists worldwide have experienced any denominational education, and many to denominational education, this means there is a pastors have had limited Adventist education. This growing need for education for the children of the may be a factor in less-than-satisfactory retention many new and recent converts. There is also a need and a rising variety of views concerning key doc- for pastors to receive a thorough and distinctively trines (see 4, 7, and 8 below). Although the percent- Adventist training and to have opportunities for age of church members who have attended Advent- continuing education. ist educational institutions partly reflects rapid church growth rather than a lack of commitment 3. Many local churches lack robust mechanisms for member care—especially for those who are at risk of leaving the church. Local churches need pastors to equip elders and members collectively to provide pastoral care for each other. This need emerges from studies of former members, from surveys of pastors and church members, and also from denominational statistics. While the number of church members has grown significantly over the past fifty years, in the same period, four out of ten of all members have left. There is an evident 7 S T R ATEGIC ISSUES 5. Secular thinking and entertainment are affecting Adventist beliefs and practices, especially in the Western world, but increasingly in other parts of the world as well. This was evident from the survey of church members throughout the world and was a stated concern in several divisions’ appraisals of need for comprehensive member-care strategies to strategic priorities. Church members urgently need enhance the experience in the local church family help in wisely and biblically evaluating contempo- and thus improve membership retention patterns. rary social trends 4. As well as improving retention rates, there is also a 6. There is a decline in most divisions of personal need to instill lifelong commitment to membership commitment to participation in vital personal, fa- in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Research in- milial, and corporate spiritual practices—especially dicates that in many areas of the world discipleship in personal Bible study and family worship. Yet fre- programs should be greatly strengthened, with quent, regular personal and familial prayer, Bible baptism being seen as the beginning of a life as a study, and worship are foundations of the church, fruitful disciple of Jesus Christ. and ought to be strongly encouraged. 8 7. Belief that witches’ powers are real and can legit- imately be used by Adventists is relatively high in several divisions. Furthermore, significant num- bers of Adventists believe that evil spirits have power even over Christians or accept that spirits of the dead can communicate with and control the living. While the survey of church members showed that acceptance of the Adventist doctrine of the state of the dead is high, it is significantly lower than belief in other distinctive doctrines (e.g., the seventh-day Sabbath). The issue of “dual allegiance” should continue to be addressed in relevant regions, while education about the Bible’s teachings on the state of the dead should be undertaken globally. 8. There is also a significant degree of variation in belief in other landmark Adventist doctrines, including the imminence of Christ’s second There is a decline in most coming, the Sanctuary doctrine, and Creation as described in Scripture. Uncertainty and dissent are divisions of personal low but evident; even pastors are reporting doubts, though not to the same extent as church members. commitment to participation Instruction in doctrine should not be restricted to baptismal candidates; active discipleship (see 4) should ideally include lifelong learning about the in vital personal, familial, and biblical basis for Adventist doctrines and how they give a fuller understanding of Christ and salvation. corporate spiritual practices— 9. It is encouraging to note that belief in Ellen especially in personal Bible White’s prophetic gift is very strong all around the world. However, the proportion of church members study and family worship. who report regularly reading her writings is very 9 S T R ATEGIC ISSUES low; the proportion that reports reading her daily is less, in every division, than the proportion that has never read her writings. The data suggests that reasons for low reading rates include problems with distribution and, in some parts of the world, illiteracy. Ellen White’s writings need to be made available more widely to church members in their own languages. 10. Adventist media’s impact within the church is var- ied; despite some successes, its influence is limited in many areas. Although it is probably a significant factor in bringing people into the denomination, it makes less of an impact on those already in the church. Relatively low proportions of members re- port Adventist broadcast, print, and digital media as being significant influences on their lives. The issue in some areas is difficulty in accessing media, more than problems with its content. However, a very large percentage of young people gave low ratings to Adventist social media. Denominational media has unrealized potential for impacting cur- rent Seventh-day Adventists. 11. The spread of mobile devices, especially smart- phones, making access to the Internet ever more widely available, provides extraordinary opportu- nities both for widening evangelism and witness and for responding to the issues identified above: promoting and enriching Bible study, disseminat- ing Ellen White’s writings, and energizing and equipping church members for service. 10