ANN Bulletin October 16, 2007 - unOFFICIAL ADVENTIST FORUM

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#143276 - 10/24/07 01:26 AM ANN Bulletin October 16, 2007
magilly46 Registered: 10/29/02 Posts: 140 Loc: BC	----- Original Message ----- From: <news@lists2.gc.adventist.org> Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:14 AM Subject: ANN Bulletin: October 16, 2007 ANN Bulletin Adventist News Network Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters October 16, 2007 In This Issue: --------------------- * Adventist Church president: leaders share responsibility, trust * Church reports largest membership growth rate since 2002 audit * Church posts gains in tithes, mission offerings * Media, training church members key to growth initiative * Church structure to be flexible, reflect local needs * Guidelines anticipate potential tension of church mission, social legislation * Jamaica to host church president's dialogue with youth * Sudan: ADRA responds to flooding --------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Adventist Church president: leaders share responsibility, trust Silver Spring, Maryland, United States .... [Ansel Oliver/ANN] ------------------------------------------------------- Church leaders should focus on their own responsibilities and trust leaders in other areas of the world to do the same, the Seventh-day Adventist world church president told leaders of the global Protestant denomination Saturday. During Sabbath worship, church president Pastor Jan Paulsen said local pastors and leaders should be encouraged and empowered to minister in their own areas and assignments. "You and I have our designated areas of responsibility," Paulsen said. "Let's do our best there and trust others to look after theirs." In his "Shared Responsibility -- Shared Trust" sermon, Paulsen addressed leaders gathered at the Adventist Church's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, at the start of Annual Council, the world church's business session, which began Friday night. Paulsen acknowledged the need for updated policies and stressed unity for the worldwide church's approach to changes. He cited ongoing commissions examining the church's administrative structures and use of tithe. Leaders are expected to deliver the first report from the Commission on Structures, Ministries and Services later this week. "These are examples of how we work together as a global community to address very comprehensive and complex issues," Paulsen said. Recalling the world church's past discussion on women's involvement in church ministry, Paulsen said many woman trained in ministry are not so much concerned with the issue of ordination as with just being employed in ministry. "Local churches are reluctant, and conferences find them difficult to place. That, I think, is a most unfortunate failure," Paulsen said. But the issue, Paulsen said, that has the potential of dividing the church most is theology. He said he does not support another restudy of theological issues originally presented 50 years ago in the book "Questions on Doctrines," particularly regarding the nature of Christ. "I think there is a reason why we have chosen generous language in describing our position as a church on the nature of Christ," Paulsen said. "The uniqueness of Jesus Christ ... leads us to that," he stated. "I just cannot imagine a post-modern person in Europe, a businessman in Asia or Latin America, any more than a farmer in Africa will care one iota whether Christ had the nature of man before the fall or after," Paulsen said. "The realities of the world in which we live have other concerns and other priorities which occupy us." Paulsen pointed to the church's statement of 28 Fundamental Beliefs and urged leaders "to resist any tendency to pluck out strains from any of these [doctrines] and make them into a separate and new doctrine." Such actions would be divisive for the global church, he said. Paulsen also said he foresees tension with civil secular society on issues of marriage, cohabitation and same-sex partnerships. "Society will test our conduct in some of these areas," Paulsen said. "Laws in society will impact our conduct as a church, maybe particularly in employment matters and in the way we run our institutions. "We are a law-abiding people, we are obedient citizens of any and all countries; but obedience to God takes first priority," he said. "It is important that we do not lose sight of that when the values of two different worlds collide." Paulsen concluded his remarks stressing the primacy of obedience to God as a practical expression of Christian faith. "Obedience to God expresses the practical side of faith, and its reference point is always someone or something outside my own person," he said. ------------------------------------------------------- Church reports largest membership growth rate since 2002 audit Silver Spring, Maryland, United States .... [Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN] ------------------------------------------------------- Every Seventh-day Adventist -- worshipping from Azerbaijan to New Zealand -- is now in the company of 15,433,470 likeminded members of the global Protestant denomination, world church secretary Matthew A. Bediako told some 300 Annual Council delegates gathered at world church headquarters October 14. More than 1 million of those members joined the Adventist Church between July 2006 and June 2007, making the year in review the fifth consecutive to net such a measurable response to the Adventist message, Bediako said. Church officials estimate almost 3,000 people join the church daily, meaning there is now one Seventh-day Adventist per 429 people around the globe. The Adventist Church, Bediako said, has "never been in such a favorable position to witness for the truth." But, he added, "This should not lead us into an attitude of complacency and contentment. This is the time to be more alert and active than ever." Since church officials called for extensive membership audits across each of the church's 13 world regions in 2000, the ensuing loss of more than 1 million members has tempered church growth -- for every 100 new members in 2006, the church lost 45, Bediako reported. Reversing that disheartening five-year trend in membership retention, this year's rate of retention is a "healthy" 76 percent, Bediako said. For every 100 members who joined the church this year, 24, rather than 45, chose to leave -- a "remarkable change," he said. Once that gain-to-loss ratio is factored in, the Adventist Church netted 681,448 members this year. That number "isn't shabby," said Bert Haloviak, director of the church's Office of Archives and Statistics. Haloviak further noted that this year's membership growth rate -- 4.62 percent -- is the highest since the 2002/03 year when the results of membership audits first showed up in the books. Despite the steady growth and encouraging retention news, Bediako recommended caution. "We cannot sing the doxology until we eliminate from our [membership] charts the 'loss and missing' column," he told delegates. Thorough membership reports, Bediako said, are nettlesome but necessary if the church intends to safeguard its integrity. He applauded church regions for their assiduous work in finishing church membership reports and urged those regions that have yet to turn in their reports to do so during 2008. "It is expected of us to be honest in reporting our membership," he said. While some church members fear reviewing the books might sabotage church growth, Haloviak pointed out "seemingly optimistic" growth trends prove the opposite -- that membership audits actually stimulate member gains and generally strengthen the church. Among a number of programs and initiatives presented on during the secretary's report was His Hands. Under the program -- essentially a missionary swap -- participating churches choose a missionary project and select a church member to serve there as a missionary. In return, they receive fulltime His Hands' volunteers to help in their congregations. Since its launch at last year's Annual Council, His Hands has resulted in a significant number of baptisms, said Vernon Parmenter, director of Adventist Volunteer Center. ------------------------------------------------------- Church posts gains in tithes, mission offerings Silver Spring, Maryland, United States .... [Taashi Rowe/ANN] ------------------------------------------------------- In large and small ways, members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are giving more now than they gave last year. An increase in ordinary tithes and offerings lifted the Adventist Church's financial bottom line by $10 million as of September 2007 compared to the same time last year. Juan R. Prestol, undertreasurer for the world church, told delegates on October 15, that as of September 30, 2007, the church's financial statement reflects "a significant inflow of tithe received during the course of the year, and an increase in net assets." Tithe for the 2006 calendar year totaled more than $1.6 billion. "Annually God's faithful servants in small and large amounts return $1.6 to $1.7 billion a year and every dollar of that is as important as the millions that come in," said Robert E. Lemon, world church treasurer. Conservative estimates of revenue through the end of 2007 will give the church enough resources to recommend additional funding for projects and programs around the world through a supplemental budget, normally voted at the executive committee's Spring Meeting. Returning tithe is a "sermon," Lemon said. "You don't give unless you believe God is the Creator." Tithe is not the only place that the church is seeing increases. Lemon reported that local offerings increased from 23 percent of tithe in 1950 to 36 percent of tithe in 2005. One of the church's biggest success stories is the turnaround in mission offerings, which, until recently, had declined by 36 percent since 1950. But for the past two years, mission offerings in North America have increased at a rate equal to or greater than an increase in tithe. Total mission offerings have increased from $51.2 million in 2005 to $55.4 million in 2006. Lemon also presented a special report on an extraordinary amount of tithe the church's world headquarters received earlier this year. Council delegates voted to receive it and have it used for the church's worldwide work. Lemon referred to the contribution as an "extraordinary" blessing and also as a "unique opportunity for advancement of His work." "The reality is, the way we intend to use these funds we will have a greater need than we've ever had," Lemon said. "I think to miss this opportunity to move a half a generation ahead of what we would have been able to do is something the Lord will hold us accountable for if we don't do. "Tithe is for support of the ministry and evangelism; it's not for endowing and then just using the interest," Lemon said in answer to a question form a floor. "The Lord, when he rewarded the widow for having fed the prophet, he didn't fill up her flour barrel and oil every time she used it, but only replaced what she had used. "We have consulted with many on this issue and we want it clearly understood that there is no change in our position that tithe ... should be turned into the local conference through the local church," Lemon said. "It would have to be an extraordinary amount for us to consider this again." The council decided that proposals on how to administer the tithe would be submitted by regional world leaders and administrators at the church's headquarters before being reviewed by the president's council in January 2008. Church leaders envision proposals will include funding for Internet and other mass media communication outreach, initiatives in large cities, and the church's work in the 10/40 Window -- a section of the globe in the eastern hemisphere between the 10 and 40 northern lines of latitude that is largely unreached by the gospel. Church President Jan Paulsen urged leaders to use the funds for long-term projects. "These are not projects that should have a short-term life," Paulsen said. "They may, in your planning and thinking, have no end except the second coming of Christ." Lemon praised church members for their faithfulness in returning tithe and urged continued commitment. Delegates also unanimously approved the world church's 2008 budget of more than $142 million, including a 3 percent increase in across the board appropriations for its 13 world divisions and General Conference institutions. The budget includes more than $35 million cost of operating the Adventist Church's world headquarters, fixed at 2 percent of world tithe. The budget also reflects a new associate director and new part time assistant for the Biblical Research Institute, located at the church's headquarters. The General Conference added an Office of Assessment and Evaluation of Programs. Paulsen said of the new office, "If we are spending many, many millions each year in developing initiatives, tools, and services for the world field it seems right to have something in place to say how well we are doing. We've never had in place a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness [of these programs] both in terms of if they meet the expected needs or if they are effectively delivered or if there are adjustments that can be made." Delegates also approved the addition of a television studio at the church's headquarters at a cost of $3 million. It will also include a second floor for offices. The total cost for the extension is $5,264,000 which will be funded from already existing plant funds at the General Conference. -additional reporting by Ansel Oliver ------------------------------------------------------- Media, training church members key to growth initiative Silver Spring, Maryland, United States .... [Taashi Rowe/ANN ] ------------------------------------------------------- Gone are the days of Seventh-day Church members depending on pastors and public evangelism alone to share the church's message of hope. Seventh-day Adventist lay people, evangelists, pastors, medical professionals and colporteurs are telling the world about Jesus through publishing houses, the Internet, radio and television, according to an October 14 Tell the World report to world church leaders at the church's headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. In the report on the church's vision for sharing the gospel, church leaders shared how careful planning, prayer and training of church members around the world are key to sharing the gospel. "Mission is not just one department but, our lifestyle," said Jonas Arrais, associate secretary for the church's Ministerial Association. "So everybody should be involved and could be involved in evangelism." This was the goal when the church recast its vision for outreach under the Tell The World initiative in 2005. The Adventist Church is now focused on improving in seven areas of ministry. Those areas include spiritual growth, community involvement, personal witness, city outreach, church planting, evangelistic programming and media ministry. The Tell The World initiative has resulted in more than 2 million people joining the church in the last two years, according to Jonathan Kuntaraf, Personal Ministries and Sabbath School director for the world church. As church leaders from different regions and departments gave reports it became evident that media and technology is playing a large role in the church's rapid growth. It was also clear that the church was recognizing the impact that media convergence could have upon evangelism. "The most significant trend in media is media convergence," said Ben Schoun, president of Adventist World Radio. Schoun quoted James Canton's book, The Extreme Future, which states, "trillions is now being spent on putting together a vast network ... resulting in a social media grid where entertainment, consumerism, education and even faith come together in this system." Schoun spoke of seeing this reflected in the church where cross promotion between literature, television and Internet is well under way. "Our goal is complete coverage," Schoun said. "We want to find ways to use media to reach every person in the world." Methods differ around the world. Schoun even spoke of a radio bicycle ministry in India that is responsible for 6,400 baptisms. Still, the personal touch and some time-tested ways have proven effective in reaching people too, some leaders said. Jairyong Lee, president of the Adventist Church in the Northern Asia Pacific region said, "We are encouraging each member to lead one soul to Christ. Many are willing to do it but others are reluctant because they think they do not know how to do it." To reduce the fear of personal witness, church leaders are providing training and pairing up young people who spend at least 10 hours a month visiting people and giving Bible studies. While Pastor Lee gave the report, Michael Ryan a world church vice president and coordinator of Tell the World, calculated that it would take 173 years for one person working full time to do the work of spreading the gospel that 3,000 people can do in just 10 hours a month. "It just brings home what we can truly do if we'll all just get together," Ryan said. Pastor Alberto Gulfan, president of the church in the Southern Asia Pacific region, was quick to caution that old-fashion methods, specifically public evangelism, are still reliable in bringing people to Jesus. Gulfan spoke of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where seven churches participated in a public evangelism meeting last March. "We were able to initially baptize 14 people," said Gulfan. "That's not big but at least our pastors are now convinced that public campaigns still work, even in the big cities." The Adventist Church has never had a strong presence in large cities but Gulfan's report along with Erton Kohler's, president of the church in the South American region, show that the church is making inroads. Kohler spoke of how integrative evangelism -- a combination of low-tech and high tech outreach -- in the cities of Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is leading many to the Adventist Church. While acknowledging the church's success, Gary Krause, director of the church's Office of Adventist Mission said, "If we are to be honest, if we are to be candid, we are just scratching the surface." The Adventist Church conducted a survey in 2003 that indicated that less than 50 percent of the church's members had daily personal Bible study and prayer. Appointing prayer coordinators to each church is one way to improve, said Bertil Wiklander, president of the Trans-European region. He added that "by pursuing other [Tell the World] goals, such as church planting and evangelism, we enhance spirituality." Finally, Mark Finley, a vice president for the world church, reported that while the Adventist Church already has 65,000 congregations the church is on track to add 20,000 more new churches within the 2005 to 2010 time frame. "Evangelism is not an event, it's a process," Finley said. "And when [church regions] lead their members into earnest prayer and intercession for the Holy Spirit, when members are equipped and trained for service and become active using their gifts, small groups organize, public evangelistic meetings are held and new converts are nurtured, the church grows." To view the Tell the World reports go to http://news.adventist.org/specials/2007/annual-council/index.html. ------------------------------------------------------- Church structure to be flexible, reflect local needs Silver Spring, Maryland, United States .... [Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN] ------------------------------------------------------- Church structure lacks merit unless it acts as an "instrument of mission," members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Commission on Ministries, Services and Structures told the church's executive committee October 15. The two-part report, presented by commission members, called for church officials to reevaluate the organization and operation of the Adventist Church. The commission proposed that church structure ought to adapt to cultural, political, legal and geographical influences and constraints. Traditional church structure operates on four levels: local churches, conferences, unions and the world church's headquarters, or General Conference. The report on flexibility implied that some aspects of that arrangement might be needlessly unwieldy. In some areas of the world, adhering to the church's traditional model of structure was deemed "unworkable and not financially viable" by the commission. In other cases, commission members decided to grant local leaders more leeway to decide which method of structure best fits their needs. After voting to accept the commission's report, delegates also agreed to make allowance for multiple models of church structure, including changes in staffing and administrative services. Perhaps the most far-reaching adjustment is the acceptance of unions of churches -- groups ranging from less than 2,000 members to more than 10,000 -- as full-fledged administrative links between local churches and the General Conference. The three-tiered structure was deemed an "acceptable" way to effectively use church resources and help advance the church's mission when traditional conference and unions cannot. A handful of the unions of churches now operate in Europe. Previously, such unions have operated only under "exceptional" circumstances and were not a preferred model of church structure. Lowell C. Cooper, a vice president of the world church and commission vice-chairman, said while church structure may appear hierarchical, such an assessment would be an "unfair caricature" because the church's levels of administration exist to collaborate and cooperate with one another, not exert command or control, he said. With their recommendation to fully accept unions of churches, commission members quickly stressed that a union of churches would not be established before first proving its financial viability and ability to serve the needs of its members and promote the mission of the church. Cooper, reading from the report, explained that the church's current structure is tethered to decisions made when the Adventist Church was small and based largely in North America. "Much has changed," he said, adding that structure should be tweaked to accommodate the church's current international makeup. "We've been waiting for a document like this for a long time," said Atte Helminen, president of the church in Finland, where several small conferences are clustered within the country. "It is important that those who are strong hear the voice of those who are not so strong," said world church president and commission chair Jan Paulsen, explaining that many similar small countries could likewise benefit from becoming unions of churches. Reinder Bruinsma, president of the church in The Netherlands, told delegates that unions of churches work especially well where the church is relatively small and where "too much energy would go into too many levels of administration serving too few people" if traditional structure was in place. Vernon Parmenter, world church associate secretary, pointed out that many local levels of church administration complain that the church is "over-governed" and that they are left with very little money for local outreach and mission. While financial concerns might influence church structure, the report warned that any arbitrary or rash structural changes -- which might jeopardize the church's "global identity and unity" -- would not be favorable. Saustin Mfune, president of the church in Malawi, asked why, when only some church regions favor forming unions of churches, the issue had become a world church concern. He explained that in his church region, establishing a union of churches might end up funneling most resources and church employees to one area at the neglect of others. Paulsen said that no group of churches would be obliged to become a union of churches, but that it was important for church headquarters to allow each church region to tailor its structure to best accomplish its mission. "The decision has to be made at each local level," he said. Commission leaders also stressed, however, that under the arrangement, groups of churches cannot independently declare themselves unions of churches. After thorough study, only the executive committee at world church headquarters can establish unions of churches, which will then officially be accepted at a General Conference session. The commission, which includes representatives from church headquarters and local church regions, has met twice yearly since its launch during Annual Council 2005. Find the commission's full report at its Web site. ------------------------------------------------------- Guidelines anticipate potential tension of church mission, social legislation Silver Spring, Maryland, United States .... [Ansel Oliver/ANN] ------------------------------------------------------- Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders took action October 15 in offering guidelines for instances when the church's beliefs are at odds with social legislation, particularly with hiring practices at church institutions. Meeting at the church's headquarters near Washington, D.C., the world church's executive committee approved a document identifying the church's mission within changing social environments. Its rationale is spelled out in the preamble that "legislation concerning employment practices represents one area in which Seventh-day Adventist values and beliefs may be subject to challenge. For example: societies may establish laws providing new definitions for marriage or protecting a range of expressions and behavior associated with gender identity." The document identifies the church's principle of not accepting the idea of same-sex marriages or condoning homosexual practices or advocacy. The document recommends legal consultation rather than unilateral action when such tensions exist. Actions taken by one church institution could have an effect in other parts of the world, said Adventist Church General Counsel Robert E. Kyte. "In many Christian legal communities, this is a growing issue and will have expanding impact on the Seventh-day Adventist Church," Kyte said. "We need to anticipate these trends and be prepared to respond to them based on our church's understanding and doctrine." While the document does not give specific requirements, several church leaders said it would help the world church act in a unified manner. "This is an excellent document," said Dan Jackson, president of the Adventist Church in Canada. "It [gives] our churches around the world the ability to respond with the authority of the world church body." Jackson said a Canadian court recently ruled gender rights above religious rights and that Canada has also approved same-sex marriages. While the trend now affects mainly Western nations, the potential for conflict is growing in many parts of the world, church leaders said. For full text of the document, "Safeguarding mission in changing social environments," see the Web site http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/other_documents/safeguarding.html ------------------------------------------------------- Jamaica to host church president's dialogue with youth Miami, Florida, United States .... [Jennifer Stymiest/IAD Staff/ANN] ------------------------------------------------------- Seventh-day Adventist world church president, Pastor Jan Paulsen, will host an open dialogue with Adventist young people in the Caribbean during a live broadcast on October 27. Paulsen's 17th unscripted "Let's Talk" forum will be held at the church's Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville, Jamaica, and will air on the Hope Channel at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Let's Talk Caribbean will be the first such dialogue broadcast from the church's Inter-America region. "Each show is different and each provides local flavor," said Rajmund Dabrowski, communication director for the Adventist world church. "The program shows the diversity of the young people in the church while still being a family that makes the church a warm and embracing faith community." "We look forward a program showcasing the excitement and enthusiasm that the Caribbean churches bring to the diverse mosaic of Adventism," he said. "The visit of the world church president is very important to us in the Caribbean," said Nigel Coke, communication director for the church's West Indies region. "The membership in the West Indies is very young. Approximately 70 percent are under the age of 30. "It is important that the leadership of the church dialogue with them in order to understand and appreciate their role in the global mission of the church," Coke said. Let's Talk can be seen live on the Hope Channel or its Web site http://www.hopetv.org. For more information, see the Web site http://www.letstalk.adventist.org. ------------------------------------------------------- Sudan: ADRA responds to flooding Silver Spring, Maryland, United States .... [Kara Watkins/ANN ] ------------------------------------------------------- The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is responding to the needs of flood survivors in Sudan after extended heavy rains over the past several months have caused excessive flooding and the destruction of thousands of homes throughout the East African nation. "Affected communities will soon be running out of food and clean water," said Clement J. Arkangelo, associate country director for ADRA's South Sudan office. "Crops have been submerged under water and destroyed, which will affect this year's harvest and perpetuate the cycle of hunger." More than half a million people have been affected since the beginning of the rains in June 2007, according to the United Nations. Since the onset of the rains, ADRA North Sudan has acted as the lead agency in the White Nile State in northern Sudan. Working with partner agencies, ADRA North Sudan has assisted several thousand families in the White Nile State, distributing food and supplies in the areas of Kosti and Rabak. "The floods are the worst in living memory," said Vergiel Ramirez, country director for ADRA North Sudan. "Thousands of families lost everything in this disaster. ADRA North Sudan is working with other local agencies to help the affected survivors recover and regain a feeling of normalcy throughout this tumultuous time." In July, ADRA North Sudan provided emergency packages whose contents included blankets, sleeping mats, water cans, buckets, and mosquito nets for 5,420 people in the Rabak and Kosti areas. More than 1,000 families received emergency food packages. For more information, see the Web site http://www.adra.org. ------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 2007 by Adventist News Network. 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA 20904-6600 phone: (301) 680-6306. To subscribe to this free bulletin, go to http://news.adventist.org/subscribe.html.en . Send comments and story leads to adventistnews@gc.adventist.org. ANN World News Bulletin is a review of news and information issued by the Communication department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. It is made available primarily to religious news editors. Our news includes dispatches from the church's international offices and the world headquarters. Adventist News Network is a registered trademark of the General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. Reproduction Requirements: Reproduction of information in this article is encouraged. When reproducing this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must appear under the headline or immediately following the article. The words "Source: Adventist News Network" must be given equal prominence to any other source that is also acknowledged. ANN Staff: Ray Dabrowski, director; Ansel Oliver, assistant director; Taashi Rowe, editorial coordinator; Elizabeth Lechleitner, editorial assistant. Portuguese translation by Azenilto Brito, Spanish translation by Marcos Paseggi, Italian translation by Vincenzo Annunziata and Lina Ferrara and French translations by Stephanie Elofer.
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