01 April 2011 USA [Global News, sizly.com] The Seventh-Day Adventist Church has long been known for quaint beliefs and rigid regulations, but surprisingly it is the fastest-growing Christian denomination in North America at the moment.
Data shows Seventh-Day Adventism growing by 2.5% in North America annually, whereas Southern Baptists and other denominations are declining.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons, registered 1.4 percent growth. Their denomination also prioritizes numeric growth.
Observers are surprised by the gains being posted by Adventism, known for resting on the Sabbath, and adhering to Old Testament dietary laws, including vegetarianism.
“You’ve got a denomination that is basically going back to basics … saying, ‘What did God mean by all these rules and regulations and how can we fit in to be what God wants us to be?’,” said Daniel Shaw, an expert on Christian missionary outreach at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
“That’s just totally contrary to anything that’s happening in American culture. So I’m saying, ‘Whoa! That’s very interesting.’ And I can’t answer it,” he added.
Within their ranks, however, the Seventh-Day Adventists are thinking of growing more in North America, which only has 1.1 million of the 16 million Adventists worldwide. The church is growing almost twice as fast elsewhere.
“We don’t feel that we’re growing very much, and that is a source of concern, especially for North America,” according to Ron Clouzet, director of the North American Division Evangelism Institute at Andrews University, located in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
Clouzet pointed out that within the church, the Hispanic Adventists are “the one group that is growing very well. If we didn’t have that group, we would look even more dismal.”
Adventists have been stepping up evangelism efforts both in the U.S. and globally. In 2009, nearly 80% of the 6,000 Adventist congregations in North America held long-term outreach events in hotels and other venues.
In the Pacific Northwest, traditionally one of the most non-religious regions of the U.S., the denomination has started “Christian cafes”, where people can sit back and relax while asking questions about the church, without pressure. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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