29 October 2023 | Budva, Montenegro | [Vanesa Pizzuto]
The second day of the Trans-European Division (TED) Year-End Meetings commenced with Dr Kirk Thomas, president of the South England Conference, leading a devotional on the distinction between responsibilities and predicaments. Drawing from the example of the prophet Jeremiah, Thomas illustrated how individuals are inclined to relinquish and forsake God-given missions when they encounter apparent failure and are reluctant to explore new approaches. Nonetheless, like Jeremiah, people can recommit to their mission when they perceive failure as a valuable learning experience and “allow God to kindle a fire in their bones.” “Effort belongs to us,” Thomas concluded, “But success belongs to God!”
Following the devotional, pastor Robert Csizmadia, TED Executive Secretary, presented the Secretary’s Report, highlighting the latest key TED membership statistics:
- 90,169 members
- In 1,403 churches and companies
- Representing 11 unions and three fields
- In 28 countries and territories
- Among 257,000,000 people (1 to 2,850 ratio)
Membership Profile
According to Csizmadia’s report, if we were to paint a portrait of the typical TED member, she would be a 50-year-old married woman with half of her children still actively attending church. She would likely have received a good education, had long-standing church membership, and been actively involved in a city congregation.
- Gender Distribution: Among TED members, 59% are women.
- Church Membership Duration: On average, a long-standing church member has been part of the congregation for 26.5 years.
- Adventist Generations: 37% of TED members are first-generation Adventists.
- Faith Journey: Most embraced Adventism either as children or gradually as adults. They strongly desire to remain in the Church (87%) and actively participate in Sabbath worship and associated programmes.
Membership Numbers
According to Csizmadia’s report, Church membership has increased by 6.5% over the past decade, while the general population has grown by only 3.5%. “Taking into account both gains and losses, we’ve welcomed 698 new members this year, slightly exceeding the previous year,” Csizmadia remarked.
In 2022, TED celebrated the baptism of 1,538 individuals, welcomed over 350 newcomers to the TED territory, and witnessed 246 individuals embracing membership through their profession of faith.
When addressing the issue of membership retention, Csizmadia drew upon insights gathered from the Nurture and Retention Research and the Global Church Member Survey 2023, encompassing the perspectives of more than 2,200 church members. The collected data indicated that the primary reasons for individuals leaving the church were “lack of community and care” and the “presence of conflicts.”
“Strengthening our communities and emphasising conflict resolution may well be two of the most pivotal strategies at our disposal for nurturing robust communities and retaining members,” asserted Csizmadia, as he encouraged those present to contemplate and share their insights for effective implementation.
Treasury Report
On Friday, 27th October, the third day of the Year-End Meetings, Claude Richli, Associate Secretary of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, shared a reflection titled “Mission Refocused in a Time of Trouble.” Exploring the message of Matthew 24: 7-9, Richli asserted that while trouble and war have been persistent for years, these challenges are now intensifying. “Like labour pains, the contractions are becoming more frequent and intense. This is the world in which we live today,” said Richli, challenging the present to boldly and clearly share hope in Christ.
Following the devotional, Nenad Jepuranović, the Trans-European Division (TED) Treasurer and the longest-serving TED officer, presented his report. Providing an update on TED’s financial position as of 30 August, Jepuranović reported an increase in Division-wide tithe over the past year. “After the COVID crisis, we have witnessed a rise in tithe. This marks a positive and healthy trend, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our faithful members for their commitment to tithing,” Jepuranović expressed.
Tithe Funds Use
Jepuranović outlined the allocation of tithes, revealing that they were distributed as follows: 22% for worker support and travel expenses, 17% for appropriations to Unions and entities, 14% for tithe sharing reversions earmarked for evangelism, 5% for appropriations to Newbold College, 7% for operations, encompassing meetings and site costs, and 35% for ‘other’ purposes, including transfers and tithe exchanges.
Jepuranović also addressed the Newbold College extra tithe-sharing scheme, initially introduced by a decision of the Executive Committee back in 2010. “This scheme is currently reduced from 0.7% to 0.6%, and for the South England Conference, it has decreased from 1.4% to 1.2%,” with plans for a gradual phase-out by 2030. Jepuranović reassured that “TED regular appropriations to Newbold College will remain unchanged.”
In addition, the TED receives from Conferences 5% of total tithe and returns 30% of that to Unions for evangelism. This means that the net tithe TED receives is 3.5% of total tithe. Similarly Conferences send tithe sharing to General Conference and for next year that is set at 2.4% with expected increase to 3% by 2030.
Considering all budgeted expenditures, Jepuranović informed the present that TED’s liquidity is 18.7 months. This means that if TED’s income were to drop to zero suddenly, the organisation would be financially capable of meeting its current obligations for nearly three years. “We want to be responsible for you and take adequate care of our employees,” Jepuranović shared, explaining the rationale behind TED’s liquidity standards.
Upon hearing the report, pastor Guillermo Biaggi, Vice President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, praised TED members’ commitment to upholding the Church’s ministry. He also shared a quote by Church pioneer Ellen G White as a point of reflection: “Those churches that are the most systematic and generous in their support of God’s work tend to experience the greatest spiritual prosperity.”
Both the Executive Secretary and Treasury Reports were accepted by the 44 members and 39 TED Executive Committee invitees.
[Photos: Vanesa Pizzuto and David Neal]
