I’ve just got off the phone with the head man from the SDA church. It’s really been bothering me this membership numbers. So I went straight to the source. 20 million is the membership of the church but according to him attendance figures for the Saturday services are around the 35 million mark. I get the idea that membership is pretty open to interpretation and how the individual pastors feel about you. I have 2 issues with this 35 million figure. I dose sound really high, and if correct the would almost blitz jw / lds figures comdined. If there are 35 million then where are they, as they certainly aren’t in this country. The SDA church that I attended in my local area was certainly comparable to the attendance in the KH, and census figures show comparable amounts for both SDA / JW. If any body cares to read here is a link I put in an ex-SDA group
Just talked to the head man for the SDA church in my country
by joe134cd 11 Replies latest jw experiences
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Crazyguy
I don’t believe 35 million but I must say the SDA churches are much nicer then the Kingdom Halls and some even have schools attached. Same goes for the Mormons agian it’s hard to tell their numbers but when you look at all three it seems to me the JWs have been lying about their numbers longer.
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barry
The SDAs have extensive evangelism in Africa, South America and China and his is what builds their numbers. I also don't think the 35 million is accurate.
The SDAs are facing problems at this time there could be two Adventist churches soon because differences between them are being promoted. The general conference is at odds with the unions and conferences over compliance in five areas. Womens ordination, Church doctrine, Homosexuality, Evolution etc. Five committees have been set up to ensure compliance and the unions and conferences are upset. Disciplinary action has been talked about by the General conference such as shaming conference leaders before they are allowed to talk in committees. Many conferences have written to the General conference objecting to such unchristian and undemocratic suggestions. Many women have been made pastors by the conferences and is a thorn in the side of the general conference. Also the SDAs are not a creedal church but the General are trying to make the 28 fundamentals a creed. Time will tell what will happen
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barry
This is George Knight talking about the situation he has written about 20 books and is an historian and pastor. Im no longer an SDA but I still keep in touch with how they are going.
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Diogenesister
Joe and Barry have you spoken about any of your Adventist experiences, as I know so little about them? Did you attend post jw or where you Adventist from birth/youth? Interesting!
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barry
Diogenesister,
I believe Joe is interested in investigating I was born into the SDA church and baptised and I still have interest in how they are going because I have friends and relatives their also I became a christian at 23 by the witness to me by an SDA pastor I truely respect.
My family and I now attend an Anglican church just down the road from where I live, Less travelling. I attended Anglican scripture classes during my school years so the Anglicans are very close to me also.
The SDAs think they are the remnant of revelation and have perfect doctrine this is what annoys me about them whereas the Anglicans are more open and accept a more open interpretation on what a christian church is. Not all SDAs think this way but it does exist.
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Diogenesister
Thank you BarryAh so SDAs are then very similar to Witnesses except Witnesses believe only the 144000 are the remnant whereas SDA believe everyone in their church is The remnant, do I have that right?
I presume with perfect doctrine they definately won't be getting "new light" LoL!-
Also, I was baptised as a baby into the Anglican church and have fond memories of Sunday school :)
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Diogenesister
Well I really do like this quote by John N. Loughborough the second Adventist preacher, it could be a warning or description of what's wrong with the Watchtower. He said:
The first step of apostasy is to get up a creed, telling us what we shall believe. The second is, to make that creed a test of fellowship. The third is to try members by that creed. The fourth to denounce as heretics those who do not believe that creed. And fifth, to commence persecution against such."[4]
I wish someone would read that to the GB!!!
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joe134cd
That was interesting that you said they are have a strong presence ( I'm not talking invisibly here.LOL!!) in China. I'm guessing this could help explain why there numbers are comparable in my country to the JWs and yet world wide would have attendance figures that are the same or greater than the JW / LDS combined.
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steve2
I recall reading the book, "The White Lie" in the late 1970s about a SDA pastor who started investigating the background of the SDAs - especially its adherence to Ellen White's words. He got kicked out ("defrocked" is the word).
SDAs and JWs - from pretty much the same stew pot.
Edited to add: In the last New Zealand Census (2012?), there were more SDAs than JWs, a turnaround from previous Census results. The results of the latest Census (2017) will be available early next year. It will be interesting to see if the numbers of self-reported SDAs still outstrip the numbers of self-reported JWs.