Our last quinquennium ended in August 2001, just a few short days before the horrific terrorist attacks on our nation on Sept. 11, 2001. Our world has drastically changed since then.
We live “post-9/11” with intense security across our nation and with thousands of our young men and women engaged in a war against terrorism.
Our spiritual warfare has also intensified. We must remember that we are "the church militant," with our mission clearly stated to rescue men and women from Satan’s kingdom, ushering them into a life of discipleship to Jesus Christ, our soon returning King.
While we are militant, we measure our success differently than our nation’s armed forces. The battlefield we seek is the hearts and minds of men, women, boys and girls. Our victories are counted with each person who gives his or her life to Jesus.
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12: “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms” (NLT).
While we are not fixated on numbers, we do realize that a statistical analysis can assist us in measuring our ability to successfully invite others into the family of God. While simplistic and one-dimensional, numbering our membership is one of several valid methods to gauge our God-given success.
A statistical record helps us to account for the precious resources of time, talent and treasure with which our Lord has entrusted us as stewards of His Kingdom.
When the Apostle Peter concluded his powerful, Spirit-anointed sermon on the day of Pentecost, he admonished repentance and baptism upon his congregation. The response was duly noted in the sacred text: 3,000 souls were baptized. Obviously, maintaining an accurate statistical record is important.
Populations
As you can see in chart “A,” the population of the seven local conference territories within the Pacific Union Conference totals 48,149,840. That is a staggering number of souls with whom to share the special message that has been entrusted to the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.
Our seven local conferences have a total of 756 churches and organized companies with a membership of 209,775 at the end of the fourth quarter of 2005. (We closed out the previous quinquennium with 204,475 Adventist members.)
Our Adventist to general population ratio throughout the union territory is 1/230. For every one Seventh-day Adventist, there are 230 non-Adventists.
Coming In
And we have been busy evangelistically between sessions. Our consecrated pastors and evangelists, gifted lay people and administrators working together have welcomed into our membership ranks through baptism and profession of faith a total of 35,810 new people since 2001 (see chart B). That is an average of 7,162 persons per year.
Going Out
Unfortunately, those lost from our churches and dropped from membership rolls during the past five years numbered 23,735, an average of 4,747 per year (see chart C).
Subtracting losses from gains, we have a net growth of 12,075 for the quinquennium.
While we may rejoice at the accessions, we have a deep sorrow over those who left our fellowship. May God use us to usher these dear ones back into the church.
Transfers
There continues to be a transfer effect in our union (chart D). The blue line in the graph indicates those added by letter during the quinquennium, equaling 34,985. That is balanced by those transferring out or “dropped” from Pacific Union churches by letter, a total of 34,159. The actual gain by transfer during the five-year period was 826.
There is not enough space to do more than a cursory enumeration of the membership statistics in the Pacific Union for 2001-2005. The full story will be told when Jesus welcomes His saints home to heaven.
Remember, each number represents a person, a soul for whom Jesus died. While we rejoice at each baptism, retention remains a challenge to us in the Pacific Union as well as across the North American Division.
Perhaps we should each study to see if there are Holy Spirit initiatives to spur us on to greater heights in soul-winning, evangelism and church growth through every legitimate method or manner that God brings to our creative minds. We cannot afford to be satisfied with numbers; we want solid growth with members growing into mature disciples of Jesus Christ.
Our spiritual warfare for souls continues. Jesus promises that as we take the message of spiritual discipleship to the world, He will be with us. May we press on in our task of making the invitation to join the cause of Jesus the Christ so inviting and appealing that, under the Holy Spirit’s ministration, it will become irresistible.
I close with an encouraging word from the “Pen of Inspiration,” Ellen G. White: “The work of building up the kingdom of Christ will go forward, though to all appearance it moves slowly, and impossibilities seem to testify against advance. The work is of God, and He will furnish means, and will send helpers, true, earnest disciples, whose hands also will be filled with food for the starving multitude” (The Desire of Ages, p. 370).
