• Why aren’t young adults joining the General Church? Fifty years
ago, well over 80 percent of Academy and College graduates joined the
General Church. Today, less than 10 percent become members and
even this percentage continues to decline. Our most fertile ground
for membership evangelization – our students – appears to have been
left fallow, untilled and unfulfilled. It is one thing to teach for the good
of life, both natural and spiritual, and another to reap the rewards of
such teaching. In today’s fast-paced, changing world, is what we teach
relevant to those whom we teach? Do we have a program in place that
both leads and invites every young adult to make an informed decision
in freedom to join the General Church? Is our faith simply no longer
relevant in the lives of our savvy young students who carry with them,
at the touch of a pad, the keys to a secular world of knowledge and
influence, both good and ill? Is our Church accommodating to meet the
needs of our young people; to meet them where they are and provide
real answers to their individual concerns and personal struggles? It is
very important to remember that any organization is only as strong as its
next generation!
• Is General Church membership really growing? It is true that we have
experienced membership growth every year since the beginning of the
General Church. We also know clearly from the Word: “Except the Lord
builds the house, they labor in vain that build it.” (Psalm 127:1) While
it is the Lord who builds the Church and that membership is simply one
measure of growth, it is our duty and responsibility to cooperate fully in
the building of His Church. Fifty years ago, there were 3,088 members
in the General Church. At the end of fiscal year 2013-2014, there were
5,429 members for an average growth rate of 47 members per year. Is
this a successful measure of healthy membership growth?
• Is the General Church addressing the relevant issues of today? We
live in a world where being “politically correct” appears to be more
important than speaking out and upholding the truths. Is the General
Church providing needed guidance and leadership for the relevant
issues of our day – issues such as birth control, abortion on demand,
cloning, lifestyle choices, sex before marriage, divorce and remarriage,
and a myriad of other concerns that con