Sabbath School Ministries Information from Adventist Congregations Today
Background The Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of 41 faiths participating in the largest study of local, religious groups in America ever conducted. Data collection was timed to coincide with the U.S. Census during the year 2000, and the results are now being released in series of reports entitled Faith Communities Today (FACT).
These Data All percentages displayed in this report are the percentages of local Adventist churches which give a specific response. These data are based on a 12-page questionnaire completed by the pastor or an elder, together with other local church officers, in a random sample of 412 local churches. At the 95th percentile of reliability, the allowance for sampling error is six percentage points (plus or minus).
Source This is one of a series of reports entitled Adventist Congregations Today prepared by the Center for Creative Ministry in coordination with the interfaith reports published at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research under the general title Faith Communities Today (FACT). Funding was provided by the Lilly Endowment and the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Introduction The Sabbath School is a tradition that the Adventist Church borrowed from other Protestant denominations in the 19 th century; a time of Bible study in smaller groups and age-graded classes on Sabbath. Almost every local church across the U.S. (99%) reports having a Sabbath School each week.
Spiritual Growth How well does the local church help members deepen their relationship with God? That is a key goal for the Sabbath School and seven out of ten congregations are doing well with it. Somewhat 23% Slightly or not 7% Very well 19% Quite well 51%
Spiritual Vitality A strong Sabbath School should build spiritual vitality. Is the local church spiritually vital and alive? Half of the congregations give a positive response, while the other half are not so sure. Some what 37% Slightly or not 12% Very 11% Quite 40%
Sermons on Spiritual Growth How often does the sermon focus on personal spiritual growth? This is not during Sabbath School but it is an indicator of focus. Nine out of churches hear this often or always. Some 11% Often 52% Always 36%
Members Involved in Strengthening their Faith Three out of four congregations report that a significant number of their members are involved in activities outside of worship to strengthen their faith, such as study of the Sabbath School Lesson, etc. Few or none 25% Some 53% All or most 11%
Prayer Groups Three in five local churches have one or more prayer groups or a traditional prayer meeting that functions throughout the year. Only one church in ten has no activity of this type. 61% All year 13% 16% 10% Seasonal Occasional None
Spiritual Retreats The spiritual retreat is an approach to faith development that has not caught on widely among Adventists. The majority of local churches had no retreat during the last year. 2% All year 33% 7% Seasonal Occasional 58% None
Emphasis on Personal Devotions Two thirds of local churches give a great deal or quite a bit of emphasis to prayer, Bible study, and devotions in Sabbath School, preaching and other seminars and small group ministries. Some 26% Little or none 9% Quite a bit 33% A great deal 32%
Emphasis on Sabbath-keeping The most important spiritual discipline for Adventists is Sabbathkeeping. Four out of five churches give a great deal or quite a bit of emphasis to Sabbath-keeping. Only 5% report little or no emphasis. Some 18% Quite a bit 28% Little or none 5% A great deal 49%
Emphasis on Fasting Adventist churches give little emphasis to fasting. Only one congregation in ten (11%) gives a great deal or quite a bit of emphasis to fasting, while two thirds give little or no emphasis. None 27% Little 38% 11% Some 24%
Monte Sahlin is the key analyst and general editor. Roger Dudley, director of the Institute of Church Ministry at Andrews University, is the research director. Paul Richardson, publisher; Carmen Rusu, research assistant; Alane Russell, web assistant. This report was published for the Office of Information, Research and Strategic Planning at the North American headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Kermit Netteburg, director. For more information, dial (800) 272-4664.