Created dateJul 23, 2010 Last editJul 23, 2010 at 9:46 AM
by Ednor Davison; Source: NAD Communication, communication@atlanticunion.org
[News]
For the 59th time in 147 years, Seventh-day Adventists from around the world met from June 23 to July 3 for the church’s business session where world leaders were elected, reports of the work around the world were presented, and other items were discussed. Delegates chosen to represent their respective fields traveled from near and far to the Georgia Dome and Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta, Georgia, to participate in this process that will impact millions of Seventh-day Adventists for the next five years.
In addition to the election of world leaders, key discussion items included such topics as ordaining deaconesses, clarifying the language in the church manual regarding marriage, reinforcing the church’s stand on Creation, making church and church-related activities safer for children, and the desire to see the inclusion of young people ages 18 to 30 as delegates.
While the business of the church was being discussed, many of the delegates’ family members and other visitors occupied their time with activities available to them in the GWCC and other locations. They had the choice of observing the business proceedings in the dome, visiting the exhibit hall, attending seminars, joining youth activities, such as IMPACT Atlanta, going on field trips as a part of the Day Camp geared for children, visiting the prayer room, and much more. There was something for everyone.
Fifty-nine times, Adventist church leaders and delegates have had the opportunity to reflect in this fashion on the church’s progress in accomplishing its mission “to proclaim to all peoples the everlasting gospel in the context of the Three Angels' messages of Revelation 14:6-12, leading them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and to unite with His church, and nurturing them in preparation for His soon return.”
So that we don’t become complacent about the purpose of this significant event, perhaps it would be worth it to review the church’s progress from time to time. Statistical reporting of the work of the Adventist Church began in 1863. At that time, there were six local conferences and missions, 125 churches, and 3,500 members. The first General Conference Session was held May 20, 1863, in Battle Creek, Michigan, with 20 delegates representing the states of New York Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Since that time, the work of the church has progressed and the membership has grown tremendously. Slightly more than16 million Adventists worldwide are worshiping in 68,225 churches and missions. The organizational structure includes 572 local conferences and missions, 112 union conferences and missions, and 13 divisions. The methods used to communicate to people is constantly becoming more and more sophisticated—a far cry from methods used back in 1863. People from around the world followed the events of the session via television, radio, texts, cell phones, Twitter, Facebook, iPhone apps, e-mail, podcasts, and Web sites, just to name a few. So, the medium for reaching out is there. The challenge is to embrace it and use it to advance God’s work in a positive way.
For 13 days, the world church was showcased in magnificent fashion and culminated on Sabbath, July 3 beginning with the worship service that drew a crowd close to 70,000. But by far, the greatest reminder of the church’s progress could be seen as the division reports were presented each evening and the during the Parade of Nations on the final night.
World church statistics reveal that, compared to the total membership, the North American Division is the sixth largest division (7 percent), being surpassed by Inter-American Division (20 percent), East-Central Africa Division (16 percent), Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (15 percent), South American Division (12 percent) and Southern Asia Division (9 percent).
Who knows how many General Conference Sessions will occur before Jesus Christ comes again. One thing is very clear from Scripture, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”—Matthew 24:14. While the Adventist Church has entered 203 countries in the world, there is still much work to be done. The reports of the progress of the church was good, but as the earth groans in pain and the wickedness of its inhabitants seems to be on the rise, it would be well for us to redouble our efforts and work to hasten His coming.
It was a delight to be on the mountain top, if only for a few minutes, but, what next? The newly elected world church president Ted Wilson shares some of his views in an interview conducted by Pat Humphrey, associate editor for the Southwestern Union Record. Wilson says, “One of the greatest challenges that we face is to try to humble ourselves before the Lord. We must ask the Lord to bring us into a condition where we are revived and then allow a true reformation in our lives to set the stage for the latter rain. The Spirit of Prophecy has told us that our greatest need is a revival of true godliness. That’s our greatest need! So I think that probably is highest on my agenda for the church itself.”
The 59th General Conference Session is history. We’ve heard the reports. The delegates have spoken on the issues. We’ve visited with long-lost relatives and friends and formed bonds with new ones. Now it’s time to get back to the business at hand “proclaiming God’s grace” to every kindred, tongue, and people. Then, and only then, can Jesus come.
Statistics were provided by the Office of Media Relations at the General Conference World Headquarters. and the Office of Archives and Statistics.
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