Silver Spring, Maryland, USA – The Fastest and Strongest Adventist Growth Is Taking Place in an Atlanta City Church.

One of the Seventh-day Adventist churches in the city of Atlanta is experiencing rapid growth, while Adventist churches elsewhere in the country are growing more slowly.

Although young adults are absent from many congregations across the country, the Berean Adventist Church in Atlanta has attracted and mobilized them to carry out community outreach activities as well as traditional evangelistic efforts.

Last year, among all Seventh-day Adventist churches in the United States, this 3,800-member congregation gained the largest number of new members. It could receive the same distinction again this year. Last month, CNN filmed a baptismal ceremony at the church. A total of 110 people became members of the congregation following an evangelistic revival campaign.

As thousands of Adventists gather in Atlanta beginning June 23 for the two-week worldwide session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pastor Carlton P. Byrd, pastor of the Berean Adventist Church, said he is looking forward to their arrival so that they can see firsthand how the church is doing in the city. “They will find that Adventists in Atlanta are serious Christians. Evangelism is alive and well.”

Pastor Carlton Byrd’s ministry reflects a strong entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to earning a doctorate in theology, he also obtained a master’s degree in business administration and spent time working in the corporate world before entering pastoral ministry, the profession of both his father and grandfather.

While pursuing his undergraduate studies in theology, he also studied business. He said that these two fields helped him become a more effective leader. “Make no mistake, pastors are spiritual leaders,” Pastor Byrd said, “but the reality is that the spiritual leadership we are called to exercise takes place within the context of an organization.”

Dating back to 1903, this Atlanta Adventist church has given birth over the years to more than 30 other congregations. Today, it places particular emphasis on young professionals and young families. Although Pastor Byrd’s leadership reflects his own style, it is also rooted in the philosophy of the congregation that called him to serve as its pastor in 2006, when he was 34 years old. He now focuses on young adults and other professionals, strongly encouraging them to become involved in worship services and in outreach efforts that serve people of all age groups.

Denominational leaders say that Carlton Byrd and other pastors are helping foster healthy, growing churches. Indeed, they focus on community outreach and member involvement.

The Atlanta Berean Adventist Church has established a support group that meets monthly with breast cancer survivors. The church also organizes the annual Black History Achievement Awards and, last year, received a multimillion-dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to build a 50-bed facility for senior citizens.

In addition, the church’s emphasis on community outreach attracts nationally renowned gospel singers, who draw large crowds to its traditional evangelistic campaigns. Community festival evenings can also bring together as many as 1,000 people for food and entertainment.

This congregation, along with several others like it, truly stands out at a time when the number of Adventist members in the United States has remained stagnant in recent years, according to church leaders.

An evangelistic drive in 2009 brought the membership slightly above 1.1 million. However, the average age of Adventist members is increasing in this nation of 310 million people, where the Seventh-day Adventist Church was born 150 years ago. The median age in the United States is 36.5 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, while the average age of Adventists in the country is approximately 51, according to figures provided by the church itself.

“We are struggling somewhat to bring growth to North America, and we are aware of it,” said Carolyn R. Forrest, associate secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America. “There are some things we will need to do differently.”

Growing the Church

Much evidence suggests that the key factors behind church growth are member involvement in local church life and evangelism.

“Unfortunately, most of our pastors do not empower members, equip them, or succeed in involving them,” said Monte Sahlin, a researcher for the Seventh-day Adventist Church based in Ohio. He has conducted hundreds of assessments of local churches on behalf of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America.

Research conducted by Sahlin shows that growth means maintaining Adventist identity and distinctive doctrines while also changing in ways that make it possible to welcome potential new members who are different from existing Adventists. Several churches, Monte Sahlin said, show little interest in growth. But among those that do, many have a long-term strategy for community involvement.

For Pastor Byrd in Atlanta, this ministry is a full-time responsibility.

“I was not called simply to be the pastor of a church; I am also responsible for the surrounding community.”