demographics: gender. first contact with the seventh-day adventist church 30% raised as an adventist...
TRANSCRIPT
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Demographics: Gender
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18-2464
15.5%
25-3271
17.2%
33-3983
20.1%
40-4676
18.4%
47-5248
11.7%
53-5938
9.2%
60-6513
3.2%
66-729
2.2%
73+10
2.4%
Demographic Information (Age) -- Former Members
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18-24129
36.6%
25-3268
19.3%
33-3958
16.5%
40-4638
10.8%
47-5225
7.1%
53-5917
4.8%
60-657
2.0%
66-727
2.0%
73+3
0.9%
Demographic Information (Age) -- Returned Members
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Single100
25.6%
Married207
53.1%
Living w/ partner27
6.9%
Separated18
4.6%
Divorced28
7.2%
Remarried10
2.6%
Demographic Information (Marital Status) -- Former Members
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Single140
40.8%
Married144
42.0%
Living w/ partner21
6.1%
Separated15
4.4% Divorced19
5.5%
Remarried4
1.2%
Demographic Information (Marital Status) -- Returned Members
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First Contact with theSeventh-day Adventist Church
• 30% Raised as an Adventist• 28% Through a friend, relative, neighbor or coworker• 23% Through public evangelism• 8% Someone going door to door• 4% Through an Adventist school• 4% From literature• 2% Humanitarian and health ministries• 2% Through an Adventist institution• 1% From a music group• 1% From the Internet• >% From a radio or television ministry• 4% Other things
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Religion Before Joining the Seventh-day Adventist Church
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Raised an Adventist by parent(s)153
21.8%
Influence of relatives other than parents
8412.0%
Romantic relationship that didn’t lead to marriage
152.1%
Marriage32
4.6%
Influence of friends88
12.6%
Attended Adventist primary/secondary school27
3.9%
Attended Adventist college/university
131.9%
Evangelistic campaign84
12.0%
Small group ministry24
3.4%
Personal Bible study66
9.4%
TV or internet ministry6
0.9%
Adventist literature (books/periodicals)
233.3%
Positive encounter with a SDA institution
202.9%
Sabbath School30
4.3%
Pathfinder/Youth group36
5.1%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (First ranking)
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Raised an Adventist by parent(s)9
3.4%Influence of relatives other than
parents35
13.2%Romantic relationship that didn’t
lead to marriage8
3.0%
Marriage7
2.6%
Influence of friends38
14.3%
Attended Adventist primary/secondary school
155.6%
Attended Adventist college/uni-versity
83.0%
Evangelistic campaign30
11.3%
Small group ministry9
3.4%
Personal Bible study42
15.8%
TV or internet ministry4
1.5%
Adventist literature (books/period-icals)17
6.4%
Positive encounter with a SDA insti-tution
103.8%
Sabbath School16
6.0%
Pathfinder/Youth group18
6.8%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (Second ranking)
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Raised an Adventist by parent(s)1
0.7%
Influence of relatives other than parents8
5.7%
Romantic relationship that didn’t lead to marriage
10.7%Marriage
21.4%
Influence of friends16
11.4%Attended Adventist primary/
secondary school6
4.3%
Attended Adventist college/uni-versity
42.9%
Evangelistic campaign19
13.6%
Small group ministry11
7.9%
Personal Bible study17
12.1%
TV or internet ministry2
1.4%
Adventist literature (books/period-icals)11
7.9%
Positive encounter with a SDA institu-tion
42.9%
Sabbath School22
15.7%
Pathfinder/Youth group16
11.4%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (Third ranking)
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Raised an Adventist by parent(s)1
0.8%Influence of relatives other than parents
32.5%
Romantic relationship that didn’t lead to marriage2
1.7%Influence of friends
1512.4%
Attended Adventist primary/secondary school
65.0%
Attended Adventist college/uni-versity
21.7%
Evangelistic campaign9
7.4%
Small group ministry7
5.8%
Personal Bible study13
10.7%
TV or internet ministry4
3.3%
Adventist literature (books/period-icals)19
15.7%
Positive encounter with a SDA insti-tution
75.8%
Sabbath School15
12.4%
Pathfinder/Youth group18
14.9%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (Fourth ranking)
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Influence of relatives other than parents6
5.4%Romantic relationship that didn’t lead
to marriage4
3.6%
Marriage3
2.7%Influence of friends
1210.8%
Attended Adventist primary/secondary school
21.8%
Attended Adventist college/university3
2.7%Evangelistic campaign
98.1%
Small group ministry7
6.3%
Personal Bible study17
15.3%
TV or internet ministry4
3.6%
Adventist literature (books/period-icals)13
11.7%
Positive encounter with a SDA institu-tion
76.3%
Sabbath School12
10.8%
Pathfinder/Youth group12
10.8%
Most Important Avenues to becoming SDA (Fifth ranking)
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What most attracted you when you decided to join the Adventist Church?
40%
19%
7%
12%
23%
29%
21%
31%
37%
52%
72%
56%
My needs
Charisma ofpreacher
Doctrines
Friendship
Little or no attraction Some attraction Much attraction
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Time from First Contact to Baptism
Five years or more33%
Three orfour years
15%
One ortwo years
13%
Less than a year39%
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Number of Years Regularly Attended an Adventist Church
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How would you describe the instruction given when you joined the church?
8%
11%
24%
38%
19%
Very little
Inadequate
Enough
Thorough
Very thorough
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Daily11832%
1-3 week13938%
1-2 month68
19%
1-4 year40
11%
Frequency of engagement in spiritual activities while Adventist: Personal Bible study – Former Members
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Daily94
32%
1-3 week12442%
1-2 month46
16%
1-4 year30
10%
Frequency of engagement in spiritual activities while Adventist: Personal Bible study – Returned Members
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Daily21862%
1-3 week10229%
1-2 month247%
1-4 year103%
Frequency of engagement in spiritual activities while Adventist: Personal prayer – Former Members
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Daily19363%
1-3 week85
28%
1-2 month134%
1-4 year145%
Frequency of engagement in spiritual activities while Adventist: Personal prayer – Returned Members
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Yes32079%
No246%
I believe scripture has some authority, but less
than Adventists teach266%
I’m not sure348%
Do you still believe in the authority of Scripture, as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church? – Former Members
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Yes32589%
No8
2%
I believe scripture has some authority, but less
than Adventists teach164%
I’m not sure154%
Do you still believe in the authority of Scripture, as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church? – Returned Members
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Yes29081%No
185%
I’m not sure52
14%
Do you still believe in the gift of prophesy manifested in Ellen White? – Returned Members
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Yes23258%
No57
14%
I’m not sure10927%
Do you still believe in the gift of prophesy manifested in Ellen White? – Former Members
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I still considered myself a Christian and was eager to
join a different denomination60
16%
I still considered myself a Christian but did not want to join a different denomination
18247%
I had doubts about certain aspects of Christianity
4411%
I agreed with it in principle, but didn’t like my fellow
Christians very much any-more
5514%
I didn’t want anything more to do with any aspect of it
4311%
What did you think of Christianity at the time you left the Adventist church?
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It had just become irrelevant to my life
7217%
I was angry over the way it treated me
8219%
I felt that it was cold and inflexible67
16%
I felt that it lacked integrity in its behavior or theology
358%
I thought highly of it, but felt I could not live up to its standards
10424%
I thought highly of it, but I had lost touch
6816%
What did you think of the Adventist church at the time you left it? – Former Members
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It had just become irrelevant to my life
6016%
I was angry over the way it treated me
6217%
I felt that it was cold and inflex-ible48
13%
I felt that it lacked integrity in its behavior or theology
226%
I thought highly of it, but felt I could not live up to its stan-
dards77
21%
I thought highly of it, but I had lost touch
9827%
What did you think of the Adventist church at the time you left it? – Returned Members
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Life Events in the Year Leading Up to Decision to Stop Attending
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Most Important Reasons WhyDecided to Stop Attending
• 28% No big issue; I just drifted away• 25% Lack of compassion for the hurting• 19% Moral failure on my part• 18% I did not fit in• 14% Too much focus on minor issues• 13% Conflict in the congregation• 12% Moral failures of members• 11% Moral failures of leaders• 11% Pressure from family or friends• 10% Race, ethnic or tribal issues
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Most Important Reasons WhyDecided to Stop Attending
• 8% Few members of my age group• 7% Legalistic attitudes• 6% Pastor was dictatorial• 6% Church did not do much to help the poor• 5% I did not believe some doctrines• 5% Unrealistic demands on members• 4% Low standards• 3% The worship was not very spiritual• 3% Too much asking for money• 2% Church voted to drop me from membership• 1% Apostate ideas were promoted
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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
What event triggered your decision to leave? (Listed in weighted rank order) – Primary
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0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
What event triggered your decision to leave? (Listed in weighted rank order) – Secondary
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0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
What event triggered your decision to leave? (Listed in weighted rank order) – Minor Factor
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Perceiv
ed hyp
ocrisy
in other ch
urch m
embers
Marital
difficu
lties
Lack o
f frien
ds in th
e church
High le
vel o
f conflict
in lo
cal ch
urch
Other fam
ily co
nflicts
Personal
conflict
with
local
church
mem
ber(s)
Prolonge
d doubts ab
out Adve
ntist doctr
ines
Moved to
a new
city/c
hurch
Divorce
Dislike
of worsh
ip style
s
Personal
conflict
with
SDA au
thority o
utside l
ocal ch
urch
Decisio
ns tak
en by h
igher
leaders
Personal
conflict
with
pastor
Prolonge
d doubts ab
out the t
ruth of C
hristian
ity
Dislike
of prea
ching (
sermons)
Prolonge
d doubts ab
out the e
xisten
ce of G
od
Local
pastor w
as move
d to an
other co
ngrega
tion
Death of p
arent(s
)
Death of o
ther fam
ily m
ember(
s)Other
What event triggered your decision to leave? (weighted)
Minor Factor
Secondary Factor
Primary Factor
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What Happened When They Stopped Attending Church
• 40% No one contacted me• 19% A church member came to visit me• 17% A local elder came to visit me• 15% A local church member contacted me by phone• 10% An Adventist relative made contact• 9% The pastor came to visit me• 6% The pastor contacted me by phone or Email• 3% An Adventist, not a local member contacted me• 2% I received a letter in the mail• O.3% Printed material was mailed to me
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Is your name still on the membership list?
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Did you decide to withdraw or were you expelled from the church?
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Happy memories, “but not for me anymore”
18656%
Bittersweet60
18%
Don’t care57
17%
Hostile175%
Actively opposed113%
How do you presently feel about Adventism? – Former Members
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Likely13536%
Somewhat likely79
21%
Somewhat unlikely46
12%
Very unlikely46
12%
Depends on cir-cumstances of ap-
proach70
19%
How would you rate your openness to reconnect? – Former Members
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Yes -- Likely18662%
No -- Likely279%
Yes -- Unlikely66
22%
No -- Unlikely227%
Table 37: Correlation between Visitations after leaving and openness to reconnect with the Church -- Former Members
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No -- Likely73
24%
Yes -- Likely14146%
No -- Unlikely34
11%
Yes -- Unlikely58
19%
Table 38: Correlation between social relationships with Adventists and Openness to reconnect -- Former Members
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Conclusion
• Luke 15: 1–7 – when one per cent of the flock is lost, the Good Shepherd searches tirelessly & relentlessly until the sheep is found, then bears it on his shoulder homeward and calls friends in to celebrate.
• We are missing many more than one sheep of every hundred.
• Can we do less than Our Lord?