How can the Seventh-day Adventist church increase its public awareness profile to better serve humanity?

Question

The Seventh-day Adventist church is an International church with one of the finest Healthcare sysyems in the nation as well as a vibrant Educational system with Colleges, Universities and thousands of Christian schools. However the Denomination which numbers over 13 million members has one of the lowest public profiles among the nations largest churches. Most people think the Adventist church is small or has never heard about the church.

Most people don't know that the Church is a very humanitarian church internationally. They are there in times of Natural Disasters through (ADRA)&(ACS).

What do you think this vibrant church can do to raise its public profile in the nation? What would you recommend?

Have you ever heard of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? Have you ever attended a worship service on Saturday? Do you have any Adventist family members, Friends or Associates. Have you been to an Adventist School or Hospital for treatment?

Your positive feedback is welcome.

Answer 1

As a Seventhday Adventist, as an American, and through my personal experience, I agree that the church is strong in humanitarian efforts and other efforts done overseas, but not in outreach methods here unlike other churches.

My suggestion is that the church should get more involved by establishing strong local community relationships. This can be done by getting involved with community events, sponsoring community events like Memorial day picnics, Mother's day Picnics, once a month community breakfast, etc., for the community and not just for the church members.

For example, the church I used to go to before I moved didn't have the best relationship if at all any with the community. Since it was in the city, the only time we heard from community members was when they would complain the about parking spaces that we would take up on Saturdays. So that image that we had was negative from the surrounding community. What a difference it would make if we showed that we cared about the surrounding community.


In the past, I know that tons of Adventist churches had health drives where you can come in and get your blood pressure, etc, and has been always been great in increasing awareness. So something along those lines is what i recommend.

Answer 2

Please bear with me. (And, after reading this myself, I may be just a bit too idealistic)

The 7th Day Adventist would probably do well to study how Herbert W Armstrong built the Worldwide Church of God into a widely known international church. With his radio and TV broadcasts, teaching the Bible in a very understandable format, he generated a very high exposure level for the Church.

While all the things that you list as accomplishments are great, as far as I know I have never seen an Adventist evangelist on TV.

What would be really great, is, if somehow the 7th Day Adventists, the Church of God 7th Day, the remnants of the Worldwide Church of God that are still faithful to the truth, and the Messianic Congregations, and any other Sabbath keeping groups could come together with the Sabbath as a common bond and resolve their doctrinal differences.

I think that it happens already in a small way with a group called "Friends of the Sabbath". As I am sure you know, the Sabbath is the first sign of who God's people are.

I get Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi's "End Times Issues" email letter regularly ( I am not an Adventist) and I know that he is already having some discussions on Holy Day keeping within the Adventist framework. If it were not for his health, Dr Bacchiocchi would be a good choice for a conduit for such a project as proposed above, since I think he has the respect of both the Adventists and the WWCG'ers.

See what I mean about idealistic? It is unfortunate, but there are just too many egos that would get in the way from both members and leaders.

It would take a lot of time, and I am not sure that we have all that much time left.

Anyways, you asked for advice. Get a strong personality and put him in front of a camera. considering what Herbert Armstrong was able to accomplish with less than 200,000 supporters, think what you could do with 13 million. No song and dance show, no big congregational thing, just a simple messenger with a simple message.

Some of the COG links below have either video or audio playback of some of the old HWA radio or tv programs so you can see what I mean. if you need more I probably have them bookmarked, just email me.

Edit: Ronald S, with all the SDA's already do how can you say that they have no outreach?? They seem to be a pretty service oreinted church from what I can see.

Edit: With all due respect to all the SDA's . The Chruch of God keeps the Sabbath. We disagree with your rejection of the Holy Days, which are also Sabbaths.

Again, the weakness I see in the SDA chruch, apart from some doctrinal differences, is not in "good works" or "commnity outreach" it is in evangelizing. You have no one that I know of out there witnessing to the world on a constant basis. If you are really looking for the second advent, then maybe you should think about this, the primary function of the end time Chruch:

Mt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Answer 3

It is quite a strange thing isn't. They are very humanitarian focused and yet not really outreach focused.

What do you think this vibrant church can do to raise its public profile in the nation? - Anything really, they have such a attractive setup in place that only the slightest outreach activity would be a great success.

What would you recommend? - Community Outreach events like block parties and movie nights. People want to see that the organization is vibrant and alive these work best.

Have you ever heard of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? - Yes I have. In fact someone that attends my church is Adventist.

Have you ever attended a worship service on Saturday? - No I do not agree completely with the theology. But I have done visitation in a Adventist Hospital.

Are you Adventist? Drop me a line [e-mail] would love to talk shop about outreach with you.

Answer 4

Um I'm sorry but someone said Fire Pastor Doug Bachelor, You have got to be kiddin, he is a wonderful teacher, pastor and Adventist. With that said, as an Adventist myself, I think the seventh day Adventist church needs to remember what the bible said, we are to go out amongst the earth and spread his word, we are to do visitations, we are to go out into the streets and spreed his word.
Also it would be helpful if the SDA were to advertise a little and maybe be a Lil less pacifistic and defend our beliefs a Lil more. I mean everyone of our 27 doctrines come from the bible. All of hem have multiple places to be found in the bible. Also as far as the sabbath (Saturday) goes. there has yet to be any other church other than SDA to show me that the Sabbath has been changed by God or Jesus, and we all know that it was the catholic church that changed it and they will admit it, now until someone can prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt, I will observe the Sabbath of my God and of my Lord and Savior.

Answer 5

As a friend of the Adventist Church and a respector of much of what they are accomplishing in this world I have more than once attended their church and found their Services extremely spiritual and Biblically oriented. It is my observation they are not about being known publicly as much as being about service, and I would support that from what I have seen of church organizations that are too well known publicly and how it tarnished them in some ways. The Adventist emphasis is personal, prophetic and Biblical, and I think they have no need to be known more, just to serve the Lord as they have been doing. Look how they have grown just doing that! I don't think they want to be publicly known as much as known by the Lord and about his will and purpose.

Answer 6

I have heard of it.
I worship on Sunday, not Saturday.
I know only 2 people who are 7th Day Adventists.
I have never been to their school, but I have briefly met some of their students and the teacher.
I didn't know they had a hospital.

Answer 7

You SDA's have a fabulous hospital in Loma Linda,Ca.

Answer 8

Fire Doug Batchelor.