Aleena, 17, Crimea, Ukraine: I’d make all the young people love God and be real Christians and I’d make my youth more together than it is now and more sprititual.
Benjamin, 27, Kwang Gi Do, South Korea: This one thing is the most important, because the rich young boy who came and met Jesus, he needed only one thing. And there were many times that Jesus used the same one. And I think, this one thing that our Church needs is, to be real Christians. Many of are Seventh-day Adventists without being Christian. We are proud of what we have found and more focusing on the principles and rules and on the other hand, we are ignoring the love, compassion, forgiveness, and a lot others. When we say church, it is all of us. All of us need to be true Christians. Thank you!
George, 25, Michigan, United States: Be proactive. Rather than waiting until others have tested something new, be among the first to try something. For example, at our net events have people available to do online chat with those having questions. Other places have been chatting for years, yet we haven’t been.
Also, in a world that is grieving, have people who are experts in that field available to train the laity how to help people deal with the challenges we all face (9/11, Tsunamis, hurricanes, etc).
Finally, let’s get back to what got this church going in the beginning. That is, remembering that by God’s strength and power, anything and all things, are possible to be achieved. Having the membership trained and equipped for ministry is vital to reaching the world with God’s love. Telling members that if they want much attention from their pastor, they should be doing activities that lead people to Jesus (whether that is Bible studies, whatever), otherwise they will not be granted leadership positions on any level of the church. Just because someone is a leading financial contributor means little. God owns all the money so it is the desire to serve and lead others to Jesus He’s after. Luke 10:2 asks for workers, not just limiting it to paid pastors. The harvest is ripe, so let’s use all our assets (people and finances) to reap it.
Veronika, 17: A sermonizer. Our church is going to fall. He does not care about our church and mainly he does not care about the young.
Ashley, 24, Mississippi, United States: I was born in raised in the southern United States, which is very conservative when it comes to worship no matter what religion or faith you are. I have decided to stop complaining about the direction of my church and take action. I volunteered for the nominating committee, so that I could take part in the leadership of our church. I also volunteered to be our summer youth leader. I am the only single young adult in our church and I know I am the only one in our church that can easily relate to our youth that are coming of age in a fast paced high tech society. I want to see our youth excited about serving and worshipping God. I don't want to lose our youth, because of the conservatism and complacency of some of my fellow church members. I'm not afraid of being criticized by others because they think I'm too liberal or that our worship is unorthodox. I feel compelled by Jesus Christ to reach out to the youth not only in my church, but also in my community and to teach others to become fishers of men. What would I change about my local and worldwide church? Put an emphasis on high school and college ministries in small churches. Teach the older generations to step out of the box and not expect the youth to meet them on their level, but seek them out as Jesus did. Teach our church that just because someone else's form of worship and praise may seem uncomfortable or unfamiliar to them doesn't mean its wrong. Jesus left no stone unturned in his ministry, we should do the same. Get up off the pew and celebrate the gift that was given to you. The gift of grace and salvation. The gift that we have been commissioned by Christ to share with the world. I would also like to see more people like me, which are my age and have the same desire for reformation in our youth to step up and step out. We are the future of our church! We have a great responsibility! We must take up the yoke! Will you join the master? Will you be a disciple and fisher of men? I'm ready. Are you?
Sizwe, 25, Gauteng, South Africa: If there was one thing we need more of in our church, it is a spirit of honesty and genuineness. Christ commanded that we love one another and sometimes the apparent lack of any form of real emotion in our church does an injustice to this very important instruction.
We must always speak the truth and always in love. Currently it seems we are unable to move beyond our differences and embrace each other with the love of our Savior.
Roderic, 25, Western Cape, South Africa: If I could change one thing about my local or worldwide church, it will be for it to be more relevant among teenagers and youth. I do not see the church in my part of the world growing in this area. We are losing our Adventist youth in my church and this is sad. The programs offered do not attract youth between the ages of 18 and 30. This is very sad. I hope that our leaders will take a serious look at this. It’s wonderful to be part of a church with such a lovely and true message, but we’re losing the youth!
Samuel, 15, London, United Kingdom: The way the church sometimes acts towards Catholics or Sunday keeping churches
Nomaphelo, 18, Eastern Cape, South Africa: The lack of love in our churches.
Luntu, 22, Western Cape, South Africa: Lack of unity, and the way we imitate the outsiders. In most cases we tend to forget that we are a royal priesthood, a nation belonging to Christ. By getting this out of our minds, it’ll be easy for us to compromise and the devil tempt us not in most cases, it is we ho temps him out of the skills he had. So, all in all if we can stop compromising, and start to unite then the Holy Spirit can move among us.
Pablo, 24, South Africa: The general inability to stick to a project and general disinterest in church, spiritual, and outreach ministries.
DelMario, 18, Mississippi, United States: Around my church the community is drink and alcohol infested. As you can see my church is in the rough part of town. There so-called gangsters walk the streets, and drug houses exist under wraps. Poverty exists also. The people in the community are not Christians, yet the church is not getting involved enough. We do not make it our goal to present knowledge of Christ to the community, the world. Something to change would be the approach and attitude of my church.
Erykah, 19, Ontario, Canada: First off, I think this is an excellent question for young people. Sometimes we complain about our church not being “youth oriented” enough, but we don’t suggest any solutions.
I am convicted that there needs to be an influx of young people leading the church. I’m not talking about AY leaders. I am talking about young people holding positions in ALL the departments of our churches, positions in the local conference level, the union and the division, and even the General Conference level. I want to see young people on the front lines. I don’t want to see leaders who have been in the same position for 5 to 10 years. The Lord has called on the young people because they are strong and because they are on FIRE for Him. They don’t have old habits and traditions that they present to the Lord. They have new minds, new bodies, and new visions in winning souls for the Kingdom. The adults should be behind us as our backbone to lean on.
The Holy Spirit has placed this burden on my heart and I praise God for this opportunity that I had to share it with you all.
Lisa, 27, Guyana: I would change the present educational status to allow each Seventh-day Adventist youth to acquire free education (from cradle to grave). Then I’d give free medical care to the many dying Adventist, who just can’t afford surgery/hospital care because of poverty. Finally, I’d have a book center in each rural area so that every member of the church would have access and not be deprived of the knowledge this organization offers, of possible free literature.
Kendra, 15, Tennessee, United States: I would put more in-depth studying of the Bible at my church. They think that teens are not really into the Bible so they only scratch the surface of the Bible. We want more!!! Also, I would make a website that teens can chat and talk about their problems. I have never found such a site for Adventist teens.
Funke, 24, Lagos, Nigeria: I would change the issue of not beating a drum, because it makes the church more lively.
Archiford, 21, Gwanda, Zimbabwe: If there is one thing I could change in my church it will be the way Sabbath afternoon lessons are conducted ,the youth should be given a chance to use modern tech to reach out for their pals and peers, such as the use of DVD's and open a local website for the youth friendly guide.
Sara, 21, Tennessee, United States: I would have to change a lot of things. I come from one of the areas that have an elementary, high-school, and college, all Seventh-day Adventist schools together. Now that I have decided to go to public school, because my degree wasn’t offered, there is really nothing at my church or any of the other 10 Seventh-day Adventist churches in my area, for me. The churches are either focused on the college or the elderly people. Nobody really seems to notice that there might by other people in attendance.
I also think that if we’re going to have Seventh-day Adventist schools then we need to stand behind them and help people stay to finish their education. I know of very committed serious students that attend the local college, but they have to leave because they don’t have enough money, but pastor’s kids who don’t really want to go, the conference and world church pay for them to go off. (I know this isn’t true for all pastor’s kids)
Darell, 30, Nassau, The Bahamas: The perception that young people are not Christians…that we are incapable of presenting the Adventist message as effectively as our parents did.
Natasha, 22, Western Australia, Australia: If I could change one thing about my church-both locally and worldwide, it would be to make the church an active church-not a reactive church. I believe that our church should be planning for the future, putting together the church’s aims and objectives for the next 5-10 years and then being held accountable tot hat plan by the church members. Sometimes it seems that we are so caught up in the day to d ay runnings of the church that the vision and the mission for the future are lost.
The Church’s mission and strategies should be clearly communicated to ALL members and the successes of the plans should be celebrated and built upon. I know individually-churches are doing amazing things-it would be great if all of these things were part of the state, national, and international movement- to joining people together in a global movement for Christ.
David, 21, Ohio, United States: I would make my church more accepting of the youth. It would reach out and embrace the youth and include it. It would also support the youth and realize that the youth are not the church of tomorrow but the church of today.
Teka-Ann, 23, California, United States: I’d change the lack of emphasis placed on the hearing impaired community. I believe more of our churches should be involved in Sign Language Ministry; and I don’t mean pantomiming or learning the signs to a song as a performance, or ministry as most like to call it. I mean learning the language so you can speak it, carry out successful conversation with the hearing impaired, and thereby minister to them without a song playing. There are so many hearing impaired persons around us, in our communities, who would love to join our church, but they can’t because there is no one there to interpret for them. I’d say the Adventist Church, at large, is severely lacking in this area. After all, the Advent Message is to be carried to ALL the world in our generation; or so we say.
Monie, 27: I would make us a community based church, we would have crèches and gyms and cafes and restaurants and libraries and schools run by Adventists for the community. Then people would know who we are, what we stand for and we would be a more approachable people and not Bible-bashing freaks.
Lyson, 21, Malawi currently in Kenya: I would not hesitate to change the involvement of the youth in the church if I were given the opportunity to make a serious and effective change in the church. Here is the reason why: The youths are the leaders of tomorrow. They will not be able to lead this church if they are not involved in running the church today. The youth are strong and creative, all they need is an opportunity. God used the youth in the past like Daniel and his three friends, David and many more when no one else could stand. God is still willing to use the youths because he has given them visions which the old people can’t see.
Harold, 20, Gweru, Zimbabwe: Well not to easy to answer, but I would change the way we operate on Saturdays. It’s high time we set aside other Sabbaths for ministering to the sick and those in the prisons. We can divide ourselves into groups and go out on Sabbath to these places to minister. We should be living the sermons we are preaching. I’m not saying every Sabbath, but one Sabbath a month will do. Towards Sabbath sunset people can gather at their local churches for reports of activities. This will help us grow as a church. There is too much of inactivity. The best sermons to be preached are our lifestyles.
Also, I would change both locally and globally the issue of baptism. I believe people who accept Christ as their redeemer should be baptized without having to go through baptismal lessons first. They can then join the baptismal class after baptism and will keep them in the church. Most of them come to church and when a call is made to receive Christ they will be having high hopes of getting baptized and joining the family but however they are told to first join the baptismal class and will have to wait say for 6 months before they are baptized. This crushes their spirit and most won’t come back to church.
Tunde, 25, Ekiti, Nigeria: It is the way they respond to the spiritual programs. When any spiritual program is one, if Christ comes that moment all will be in heaven, but after a short time, people go back to their normal state.