REAL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP – SABBATH SCHOOL

As I sat and listened through reports from various divisions, especially from Africa, where the church grew significantly, one striking detail “burned” in my mind: as the official church membership grew, the Sabbath School membership grew even more!  In Eastern Africa Sabbath School membership went up from 2.8 to 5.2 million!

Let’s put this in perspective – Sabbath School membership has been historically, and remains in many parts of the world, the main entry point into the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Message.  Church grows when people attend the weekly Bible Study classes.  It is proper and normal for a church to have more people attending the Sabbath School classes than the number on the membership roll.  Sabbath School is not only “taken seriously” but is teaching people what it means to be Adventist, and what is expected from a member of the Adventist Church.

I hope you are seeing the greater implications of this: people who are not yet members of our church officially, by baptism or by profession of faith, or even by membership transfer, may be members of the Sabbath School!  People in the process of learning and growing are fully enrolled members of the Sabbath School, entitled to participate in music, song, mission, class work and discussion, even presenting certain parts of the lesson, given that the teacher and superintendent are there to correct if necessary.

As we desire to fulfill mission of proclaiming God’s Grace into our community we should see to have our Sabbath School grow, and be more inclusive.  As we are beginning a new quarterly study on the Book of Romans, consecrate and commit your time for a daily study, share lessons with family and friends, and invite them to celebrate learning reflections on Sabbath.

We all want to see our church grow, and the signal evidence for our readiness would be “bursting” Sabbath School attendance.  BY the way, that’s why the new church plants are called officially the “Sabbath School branch” before becoming gaining a “company,” and then a “church” status.

Ellen White advised that “Every church should be a training school for Christian workers.” (Ministry of Healing, p.149)  The Sabbath School is one of most significant purposes why we come to church.  The formation of small groups is the method of growth presented by Christ.

Are you a member of our church?  Your Sabbath School membership is first and minimum requirement.  Do you belong to a small group? That is where nurture takes place, where opportunities for mentoring, relationships building, and examining one’s faith takes place.

I praise God for reminding us His design for Church growth through the work in diverse regions of our world-wide church.