But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry (2 Timothy 4:5 NIV).
In the 2023 survey of Seventh-day Adventist pastors worldwide, pastors were asked a number of questions about their evangelistic endeavors over the past 12 months.
Number of One-to-one Bible Studies per Week
When asked how many one-to-one Bible studies pastors gave in a typical week, the highest percentage, 59.4%, gave 1-4 Bible studies a week, while 19.3% gave 5-9 studies per week; 7.8% gave 10-19; 3.1% gave 20-29; 1.4% gave 30-39; and 1.8% gave 40 or more; 7.2% of pastors gave no Bible studies.
Annual Average Number of Baptisms per Pastor
When asked how many baptisms they were responsible for over the past year, 4.9% of pastors said none; 23.5% said 1-4; 15.9% said 5-9; 11.9% said 10-14; 6.1% said 15-19; 8.5% said 20-29; 7.9% said 30-49; 7.2% said 50-74; 6.3% said 75-100; and 7.8% said more than 100 baptisms.
Annual Average Number of Baptisms Under Pastor’s Leadership
Pastors were also asked how many baptisms they believed resulted from the activities of the church(es) they led (including baptisms that resulted from their own Bible studies). Although 3% said none, 15.4% said 1-4; 11.8% said 5-9; 9.7% said 10-14; 7.4% said 15-19; 7.4% said 15-19; 9.7% said 20-29; 12.4% said 30-49; 11.2% said 50-74; 8.3% said 75-100; and 11.1% said more than 100.
Expectation of Evangelistic Work Reporting by the Conference/Mission
When asked whether their conference or mission expected them to report on their evangelistic work, 80.2% said they were expected to report monthly; 14.8% were expected to report annually, and 5% said they were not expected to report.
Visitation Frequency to Each Member of the Church Congregation
Pastors were asked how often they were able to visit each member of their congregation. The highest percentage, 41.2%, were able to visit each member weekly; 21.1% were able to visit monthly; 18.1%, twice a year; 11.7%, once a year; 2.9%, once every two to three years; 2.4%, rarely; and 2.6% indicated “other.”
Percentage of Church Members Involved in Evangelistic Visitation
When asked what percentage of their church members were involved in evangelistic visitations, 19.1% indicated less than 10%; 22.3% said 10-19% of their church members; 15.5% said 20-29%; 11.7% said 30-39%; 8% said 40-49%; 9.6% said 50-59%; 5.5% said 60-69%; 4% said 70-79%; and 4.3% said that 80% or more of their church members were involved in evangelistic visitations.
Although a small percentage of pastors indicated that they had not engaged in evangelistic endeavors over the past 12 months, the statistics show that most Adventist pastors around the world are involved to a greater or lesser degree in both personal Bible studies and church outreach.
You can access the full report of the 2023 Global Adventist Pastor Survey by clicking here.
Created in collaboration with the Institute of Church Ministry.
Published by ASTR on 6/3/2025.