My Church and its Reputation in Community, Part 2
The apostle John depicted a scene about heaven in the book of Revelation that made one thing very clear: the people group in heaven will be as diverse as the world’s population. God asked us…
My Church and its Reputation in Community: Part 1
In the book of Revelation, a beautiful picture is painted of Heaven. People of every nation, tribe, people, and language are standing before Jesus, shouting praises to Him. Does this picture give you goosebumps? The…
Helping Each Other to Grow Spiritually
“When a person becomes a Christian, he doesn’t just join a local church because it’s a good habit for growing in spiritual maturity. He joins a local church because it’s the expression of what Christ…
Global Perspectives on Righteousness by Faith and the State of the Dead
How well do you understand the principles of the Scriptures that are fundamental to our Church? Do you hear sermons on various topics that are applicable to your daily life and help you to better…
“The Sabbath Was Made for Man:” Global Perspectives on Sabbath-keeping
The Sabbath is central to Seventh-day Adventists; in fact, it is so important that it is part of our name! From the very beginning of time, God set the Sabbath apart as a day of…
What are the Objectives and Philosophy of Mission-Effectiveness Evaluation?
Did you know that it has already been more than ten years since the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has commissioned the Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research (ASTR) to conduct and coordinate research in…
Applying to Daily Life! Research Data from the East-Central Africa Division
There’s an old children’s worship song by Rob Evans (better known to many as the “Donut Man”) that goes like this: I like the Bible! I like the Bible! Cuz I read it, and I…
Come Home: A Follow-up on Church Dropouts
There’re many old sayings about home: “Home is where the heart is,” and “Home sweet home” are two well-known clichés. However, just as “family” does not simply indicate people to whom you have a blood relation,…
To the Rescue
It’s a bright, sunny day. You’re at the beach – perhaps playing some volleyball with friends, building a sandcastle with your daughter, or jumping in the waves with your spouse. Suddenly, from out deep in the water,…
Searching For the Lost
Have you ever lost something precious? What did you do to try and recover it? Did you say to yourself, “Oh, forget about it. I’m sure it’ll turn up someday.” Probably not. It’s much more likely that you searched…