Adventist Millennials: What They Really Believe (4 vols.)

This report provides a comprehensive and data-rich overview of how Millennial young adults feel about the 28 beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist church: what they like or dislike about each particular belief, if they think it is important or unimportant, relevant or irrelevant. The Beyond Beliefs report identifies prominent themes for each belief that resonate with Millennial young adults, articulates where the Seventh-day Adventist church is succeeding with this demographic group relational to each belief, along with remedial recommendations. It also contains a range of demographic data pertaining to the participant group that provides further insights into the responses made by the young adults. Beyond Beliefs is a three-part study, undertaken over three cohorts. By its conclusion, it will have assessed more than 3,000 brief qualitative responses and quantitatively assessed approximately 700 participants. This report pertains to the full findings of the first cohort—it includes all graphs, charts, and tables, as well as all 920 brief written responses supplied by young adult participants in the study.

This brief special report is of particular interest and relevance, revealing the opinions and convictions of Adventist Millennials on the most divisive issue facing the SDA Church.

This brief special report is part of the second full Beyond Beliefs report, which researches the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions of the Millennial generation regarding SDA beliefs and current social, behavioral, and religious issues. This snapshot presents research on Millennials’ responses to the sixth fundamental belief of the SDA Church: creation. Millennial young adults were asked about their ideas on the origin of the world, how strongly they felt about that view, and whether their faith would be challenged if their view was found to be erroneous.

In Religious Verbal Fluidity, Leanne M. Sigvartsen compiles her research on the attitudes of Christians on a variety of topics of contemporary discussion—including sexism, divorce, nepotism, homosexuality, apostasy, and bequests. This work presents the words of Christians from different ages, countries, ethnicities, socio-economic levels and educational backgrounds, who have lived very different, and at times, difficult lives. Sigvartsen calls church leaders, pastors, and lay members to stop guessing and get a real overview of Christian perspectives and experiences with relation to some touchy topics. Her work offers a window onto how people experience their faith and what life experiences influenced it, identifying what people need from their churches and from each other. It also provides insight into where the church is succeeding, and where there is room for improvement. Most of all, Sigvartsen suggests, these perspectives give us the opportunity to learn from others and collaboratively seek a solution that benefits all.