2017 Church Member Survey

Welcome!

Dear Fellow Believer:

Between General Conference sessions, the World Church undertakes a survey once every five years to help leadership understand what members believe and practice. Questions include religious and spiritual attitudes and behaviors, family life, community involvement, and the Adventist health message among other items.

This survey will help us understand what our members believe and do, and is very valuable in strategic planning for our evangelistic, discipling, and nurturing efforts at the local church, conference, union, division and global levels. The data from this survey will be very helpful as we assess the needs of Church membership and how your Church can best meet those needs.

Following is the questionnaire for the 2017 survey. While many will finish the survey in about 30 minutes, it could take as long as an hour to finish. Your assistance is deeply appreciated as you take the time to complete the questionnaire. The survey is totally voluntary and anonymous. Please do not put your name on the form.

Data analysis will focus on overall responses, not individuals. Analysis will be done in each Division with researchers at Andrews University responsible for providing overall analysis of the data.

Thank you for helping us!

May God bless your witness and outreach for Him in Total Member Involvement as we approach Christ’s soon coming.

With kind Christian regards,
Ted N C Wilson
President

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* 1. Are you

Male

Female

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* 2. In what year were you born? (Choose from the menu.)

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* 3. Do you have a disability or identify as a person who is deaf? (Mark all of the answers below that apply to you.)

No disability and not Deaf.

I am Deaf.

I have a mobility disability.

I have a hearing disability.

I have a visual disability.

I have a cognitive or learning disability.

I have a speaking or speech disability.

Other (please specify)

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* 4. Are you currently or have you been in the past employed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church?

Yes, employed in the past, but not currently.

Yes, employed currently by the Adventist Church.

No, never employed by the Adventist Church.

The next two questions ask about your educational background. The first question is about your education level in general. The second question asks about the type of school or schools that you attended.

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* 5. What is the highest level of school you have completed? (Mark only one response.)

I have never attended school

Some elementary/primary school

Elementary/primary school only

Elementary/primary school and some high/secondary school

High/secondary School graduate

Some college or university

College or university graduate

Graduate school or professional school graduate

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* 6. If you have attended elementary school, high school, and/or college, what types of school did you attend? (Mark all of the answers below that apply to you.)

	Seventh-day Adventist	Home School	Other religious schooling	Public or government schooling	Private schooling
elementary/primary	elementary/primary Seventh-day Adventist	elementary/primary Home School	elementary/primary Other religious schooling	elementary/primary Public or government schooling	elementary/primary Private schooling
high/secondary school	high/secondary school Seventh-day Adventist	high/secondary school Home School	high/secondary school Other religious schooling	high/secondary school Public or government schooling	high/secondary school Private schooling
college/university	college/university Seventh-day Adventist	college/university Home School	college/university Other religious schooling	college/university Public or government schooling	college/university Private schooling
professional/graduate	professional/graduate Seventh-day Adventist	professional/graduate Home School	professional/graduate Other religious schooling	professional/graduate Public or government schooling	professional/graduate Private schooling

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* 7. What is the total number of years that you have spent attending an Adventist school?

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* 8. How many people live in your immediate household (including yourself)?

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* 9. How many people in your immediate household (including yourself) observe the Sabbath?

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* 10. Are you:

Married and living with your spouse

Never married/single

Divorced and single

Separated

Widowed

Living together, not married

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* 11. Do you have any children?

Yes, and at least one is still a child or teenager living at home

Yes, but none is a child or teenager living at home

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* 12. How many living children do you have?

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* 13. How many of your children are still being raised in the Seventh-day Adventist church or are active members of the Seventh-day Adventist church?

In addition to gaining a better picture of how different types of families are involved in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we also want to understand how different personal histories with the Adventist Church relate to experiences and beliefs.

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* 14. Do you consider yourself to be a Seventh-day Adventist (whether you have been baptized or not)?

Yes

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* 15. If you are a baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in what year were you baptized (or if you were re-baptized, in what year were you baptized for the first time)?

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* 16. Which of the following statements best describes your personal history with the Seventh-day Adventist Church? (Mark only one response)

I did not grow up in the church and joined as an adult.

I did not grow up in the church and joined as a teenager.

I grew up in the church, but left for a while before returning one or more times.

My family and I joined the Adventist Church when I was a child.

I grew up in the church, and have been connected to the church since birth.

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* 17. What history does your family have with the Seventh-day Adventist Church? (Mark all of the answers below that apply to you.)

I am the first generation of Adventists in my family.

At least one of my parents is or was a Seventh-day Adventist.

At least one of my grandparents is or was a Seventh-day Adventist.

At least one of my great-grandparents was a Seventh-day Adventist.

My family has been in the Seventh-day Adventist church for five generations or more.

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* 18. Do you hold a church office at your local church?

Yes

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* 19. The next two questions in this section help us to better understand the type of church that you attend.

	Less than 25	25-50	51-100	101-150	151-200	201-300	301-400	401-500	501-1000	1001-2000	More than 2000
Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath?	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? Less than 25	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? 25-50	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? 51-100	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? 101-150	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? 151-200	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? 201-300	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? 301-400	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? 401-500	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? 501-1000	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? 1001-2000	Approximately how many people attend your church on a typical Sabbath? More than 2000
Approximately what is the membership size of your church?	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? Less than 25	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? 25-50	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? 51-100	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? 101-150	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? 151-200	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? 201-300	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? 301-400	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? 401-500	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? 501-1000	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? 1001-2000	Approximately what is the membership size of your church? More than 2000

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* 20. What is the setting where the church is located?

Large city center (downtown)

Elsewhere in a large city

A smaller city that is next to a larger city (a suburb)

A smaller city

A town or village

A rural area

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* 21. Is your church located near an Adventist institution (mark all that apply)?

Yes, an educational institution (e.g. school or university)

Yes, a medical institution (e.g. hospital or clinic)

Yes, a church organizational office (e.g. union or conference office)

Yes, some other church institution (e.g. publishing house or health food business)

The last sets of questions in this section help us to build a picture of what types of families Adventist church members grew up in, and how that background is related to current experiences in the Church.

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* 22. To what degree are the following statements true of your childhood and teenage years (ages 5-19)?

	Pick one
I felt very close to one or both of my parents.	I felt very close to one or both of my parents. Pick one menu
Our family was involved in community service/volunteer activities.	Our family was involved in community service/volunteer activities. Pick one menu
I was able to talk to one or both of my parents about religious issues.	I was able to talk to one or both of my parents about religious issues. Pick one menu
Bible reading was a habitual practice in my family.	Bible reading was a habitual practice in my family. Pick one menu
Praying before each meal was a habitual practice in my family.	Praying before each meal was a habitual practice in my family. Pick one menu
Having morning or evening worship with one or more parents was a habitual practice in my family.	Having morning or evening worship with one or more parents was a habitual practice in my family. Pick one menu
One or both of my parents or guardians attended church regularly.	One or both of my parents or guardians attended church regularly. Pick one menu
Adventist education was an important factor in my family.	Adventist education was an important factor in my family. Pick one menu

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* 23. Which of the following best describes the family situation in which you grew up? (Mark only one.)

In a family with at least one biological or adoptive parent.

In a foster family or in an institution.

In some other situation.

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* 24. When you were a teenager, (ages 13-19), how were the following decisions made regarding...

	Not applicable	Parent(s) or guardian(s) decided	Both parent(s) & myself	Decided for myself
What kind of media I used (for example, television shows and movies watched, websites used, and computer games played).	What kind of media I used (for example, television shows and movies watched, websites used, and computer games played). Not applicable	What kind of media I used (for example, television shows and movies watched, websites used, and computer games played). Parent(s) or guardian(s) decided	What kind of media I used (for example, television shows and movies watched, websites used, and computer games played). Both parent(s) & myself	What kind of media I used (for example, television shows and movies watched, websites used, and computer games played). Decided for myself
What time I went to sleep.	What time I went to sleep. Not applicable	What time I went to sleep. Parent(s) or guardian(s) decided	What time I went to sleep. Both parent(s) & myself	What time I went to sleep. Decided for myself
Friends I spent time with.	Friends I spent time with. Not applicable	Friends I spent time with. Parent(s) or guardian(s) decided	Friends I spent time with. Both parent(s) & myself	Friends I spent time with. Decided for myself