31 October 2024 | Budva, Montenegro [Vanesa Pizzuto and David Neal]
Executive Secretary’s Report – Robert Csizmadia
Pastor Róbert Csizmadia, TED Executive Secretary, shared the latest key TED membership statistics. In his introduction, Csizmadia said he was bringing a “blessed disturbance” — a play on the words from the song “Blessed Assurance.” He explained that membership represents “the result of both gains and losses of members” and cautioned, “Behind every number, there is a person, a unique story.”
- 92,182 members
- In 1,406 churches and companies
- In 11 unions and three attached fields
- In 28 countries and territories
- Among approximately 205,000,000 people (according to AI)
Membership Growth
“Last year, we baptised 1,749 people, 198 more than in 2022,” said Csizmadia. He also highlighted the impact of migration on TED membership, saying that, on average, TED gains 300 members annually. “Last year, however, we saw a significant jump — a doubling of the gains with 750 new members, undoubtedly indicating the effects of the war in Ukraine.”
“We are growing slowly, but this is not the time to relax,” challenged Csizmadia, inviting Anthony WagenerSmith, TED Adventist Mission director, to give his perspective on the rate and nature to TED growth. “Most of the growth is through letters of transfer, with baptisms declining,” WagenerSmith shared. “If these baptisms dwindle, we’ll eventually run out of Adventists to ‘recycle,’” he continued, highlighting that native-born populations, such as white British, Scots, Welsh and Irish, are now becoming under-reached or unreached.
WagenerSmith concluded his presentation by emphasising the importance of planting new churches rather than focusing on “filling holes in existing communities” and reminded those present of the work already underway. “This year, 75 new churches are being planted, compared to our Division-wide average of only seven plants per year between 2000 and 2021.”
A Mission Field
Concluding the Secretariat Report, Csizmadia reflected on the deep missionary roots of the TED, a Division that, since its birth, has sent over 500 missionary families abroad through great sacrifice and commitment. “With a membership hardly reaching 7,000 in a given union — with the only exception of the British Isles — we have always been a mission field,” Csizmadia shared.
While there are still 12 TED missionaries in the field, the Division is also excited to welcome missionaries too. “A big thank you to the South American Division for sponsoring six missionary families to support our TED mission field,” said Csizmadia, explaining that a total of 11 families are coming to plant new churches in secular, post-Christian countries across the Division. “It will be hard, it will be challenging, but it is worth it!” he concluded.
Treasurer’s Report – Nenad Jepuranović
Nenad Jepuranović, TED Treasurer, presented his report with an interim update of TED’s financial position as of 31 August. Reporting a 4.4% local currency tithe increase received from the Unions and Attached Fields over the past year, and noting in particular a 5.2% British Union tithe increase, he said, “With more tithe than we bugeted for, we are in a very good financial position – and I want to say thank you to TED members for their faithfulness.”
Tithe Funds Use
Jepuranović outlined the allocation of tithes, revealing that they were distributed as follows: 27% for worker support and travel expenses, 23% for appropriations to Unions and entities, 15% for tithe sharing reversions earmarked for evangelism, 11% for appropriations to Newbold College, 23% for operations, including meetings and site costs, and 1% for ‘other’ purposes, including transfers and tithe exchanges.
Surplus Investment Funds
Over the years, TED has accrued a significant ethical investment fund portfolio. As Jepuranović explained, the balance between accruing funds for future economic challenges and dispersing them for mission is a fine one. Jóhann E. Jóhannsson, former TED treasurer and current treasurer of the Norwegian Union Conference, appealed to the TED administration to find ways to use a more significant proportion of investment funds for projects and mission initiatives across the division.
In response, Jepuranović explained that this is now a significant and shared conversation, in the spirit of “We are all in this together,” to experience this one-off opportunity to make impactful use of excess funds.” A formal proposal about how to best use the surplus will be brought to the 2025 Spring Meetings of the Executive Committee.
2025 Budget
With the General Conference tithe sharing increasing to 2.5%, TED tithe sharing will remain at 5% of the division-wide tithe. The extra tithe-sharing arrangement, in which all conferences and unions give a share will be reduced from 0.6% to 0.5%. Regular appropriations to Attached Fields (Cyprus, Greece and Iceland) will increase by 5%. In addition to the extra tithe-sharing arrangement, the regular appropriation to Newbold College of Higher Education will increase in 2025 after being static for the past few years.
Thanks
Eugine Korff, in attendance at the Year End Meetings from the General Conference in his role as Controller, expressed his thanks, among the many other expressions of appreciation, for Jepuranović’s careful work, transparent and open sharing of information, and articulate description of the accounts.
The 47 members and TED Executive Committee and 53 invitees accepted both reports presented by Executive Secretary and Treasurer.
[Photos: James Botha]
