We hold tightly to God’s promises of courage. It is written, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished” (1 Chronicles 28:20, NIV). This verse serves as a powerful reminder of God’s everlasting love and reassurance. It is a constant reminder that despite overwhelming odds and daunting challenges we can draw strength from God and push forward with renewed courage.
In the recent 2024 Annual Statistical Report, ASTR published data on accessions and losses over the past 5 years. The findings show that 2023 accessions have continued a steady climb from the year prior. In fact, with 1.465 million people added to the church, in 2023, we saw the highest number of net accessions of any year in church history, exceeding the 1.383 million added in 2018. To put that in perspective, that equates to 4,011 new members added every day, 167 per hour, almost 3 per minute.
Accession by Division Over 5 Years
Most noteworthy is the large increase in accessions in the West-Central Africa Division (WAD), with a remarkable 29% increase from 2022, followed closely by the East-Central Africa Division (ECD) with an impressive 26% increase since the previous year.
It is important to recognize that accessions have now fully rebounded after the challenging circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it is equally important to study church losses as a function of church growth.
Changes in World Membership Over 5 Years
It should be highlighted that, even as accessions increased, the number of losses was 13% down in 2022. However, in 2023 the total living losses was 836,905, which was the third highest year for net losses after the 1,107,514 losses of 2019.
43,652,857 people have become members of the Seventh-day Adventist church since 1965. Of those members, 18,555.581 have chosen to leave which equates to a 42.5% net loss rate. Essentially, more than 4 out of every 10 church members are leaving the church. It is vital that our church focus both on nurturing new members and reclaiming former members.
Ellen G. White states, “When the Holy Spirit controls the minds of our church members, there will be seen in our churches a much higher standard in speech, in ministry, in spirituality, than is now seen. The church members will be refreshed by the water of life, and the laborers, working under one Head, even Christ, will reveal their Master in spirit, in word, in deed, and will encourage one another to press forward in the grand, closing work in which we are engaged. There will be a healthy increase of unity and love, which will bear testimony to the world that God sent His Son to die for the redemption of sinners” (Counsels for the Church, page 100.4).
To effectively minister to the world, it is vital to monitor our growth as a church and identify areas of improvement. Examining church growth metrics is important to understanding our past, evaluating our present, and preparing for the future.
You can access the full report here.
Published by ASTR on 4/8/2025.