The 2022-23 Global Church Member Survey (2022-23-GCMS) is one of twelve worldwide surveys conducted in the last ten years for the General Conference Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research (ASTR) with the help of research teams worldwide. This survey is the largest data set collected since the beginning of global research more than ten years ago.
The first Global Church Member Survey commissioned by the General Conference was conducted in 2013 by research teams from around the world. Nearly 26,000 Adventist church members participated in this survey from nine divisions on six continents.
When the results of this study were shared during Annual Council in the fall of 2013, many leaders worldwide realized that such research was essential to assess how the Adventist church was doing and that strategic planning was needed to improve the Mission of the Church. The Division reports were published on the Research website (adventistresearch.info). Additionally, starting in May 2016, the findings of this study were shared in Research Newsletters and blogs online to raise awareness.
When the second Global Church Member Survey was carried out in 2017 and 2018, church members from all 13 divisions participated in it with 63,756 total valid responses. The number of survey participants had more than doubled.
The data was published on the website as individual Division reports and as an overall “Meta-Analysis Report” that looked at research findings from the global perspective and the focus on the objectives of the strategic plan “Reach the World.”
Church leaders, pastors, and lay members appreciated the global data set, the findings, the additional crosstabulations, and the correlations available to anyone on our website. The survey results were published also in church magazines, books, research blogs, and via social media.
The third Global Church Member Survey was completed in 2022 and 2023. Researchers worked very hard and faced many challenges in the data collection due to the lingering pandemic.
Finally, after the global data set was completed, 149,556 valid responses were counted.
It is very encouraging that so many Adventist church members participated in this survey. Members from all 13 divisions and from two attached fields took the time to complete this extensive and vital survey.
Thank you to all survey respondents and researchers for your hard work in this essential research project.
The final Division reports and the Meta-Analysis Report will soon be available on the Research website.
May the insights received from this study help you in your spiritual journey with Jesus Christ.
Published by ASTR on 1/24/24