Adventists produce a number of different publications; some of these are at the Union or Conference level, and some are produced by the General Conference. The purpose of these publications is to grow your spiritual life, ultimately bringing you closer to Jesus. As the General Conference website puts it, “Seventh-day Adventist beliefs are meant to permeate your whole life. Growing out of scriptures that paint a compelling portrait of God, you are invited to explore, experience, and know the One who desires to make us whole.”[1]
Do these publications bring members closer to God? And are they being utilized to their fullest potential?
Local Union or Conference Publications
The 2017–2018 Global Church Member Survey (2017–18 GCMS) asked members how often they read a magazine or newsletter from their local Union or Conference. Globally, 6% reported reading such publications daily or more than once a day, 7% reported doing so more than once a week, and 12% reported doing so about once a week. However, nearly a third (31%) reported reading a Union- or Conference-published magazine or newsletter less than once a month; over two out of five (44%) reported never doing so. Thus, only a quarter reads local Union or Conference publications about once a week or more often.
When the data was cross-tabulated by Division, members from the Southern Asia Division (SUD) reported, by far, the highest percentage (29%) of members who read Union or Conference publications on a daily basis. They were also most likely (18%) to report reading such magazines or newsletters more than once a week.
Respondents from the East-Central Africa Division (55%), South American Division (55%), and Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (55%) were most likely to report that they never read a Union- or Conference-published magazine or newsletter. Slightly more than half said so. The 2017–18 GCMS did not directly evaluate the barriers to accessing such publications; this is likely an area where further research is needed.
Adventist World Magazine
According to the General Conference, “Adventist World has soared in international popularity since it kicked off in 2005. The magazine prints monthly in seven different languages. It is distributed for free to over 140 countries. Digitally, Adventist World is available in 12 languages.”[2] Even with this extended accessibility, only 7% of the 2017–18 GCMS respondents worldwide reported reading Adventist World daily or more than once a day, and a similar number (7%) reported reading it more than once a week. One in ten (10%) respondents shared that they read Adventist World about once a month, and slightly over a quarter (29%) read it less than once a month. Nearly half (48%) of respondents never read Adventist World. The readership pattern is similar to reading local Union or Conference papers—again, only about a quarter reported reading the magazine about once a week or more often, but this time, more than two in five said they never read it.
When the data was cross-tabulated by Division, members in the SUD again reported the highest percentages of reading Adventist World daily or more than once a day (37%) or more than once a week (18%). Members from the North American Division were most likely (56%) to read Adventist World less than once a month, and the Euro-Asia Division respondents most likely (81%) never to do so.
What could be the reason for such large numbers of Adventists not using these resources? Are these publications not relevant enough? Are they not available in their specific language? Are members not familiar with the online version of these publications or do they not have access to it? What barriers are keeping Adventists from engaging with publications, especially when they are available in their native language? What can the Adventist Church administration do to promote these publications that are designed to enhance spiritual life? What can you, yourself, do to incorporate these writings intentionally into your life?
Created in collaboration with the Institute of Church Ministry.
Published by ASTR on 8/16/23.
[1] Seventh-day Adventist Church General Conference. (n.d.). Publications.
https://gc.adventist.org/publications
[2] Seventh-day Adventist Church General Conference. (n.d.). Publications.
https://gc.adventist.org/publications
[3] Image credit: front cover of Adventist World magazine, Issue 07-08/ 2023. https://www.adventistworld.org/august-2023-2/