25/03/2023
THE SDA BRAND THROUGH THE YEARS AND WHY WE SHOULD STICK TO IT
There are more Adventist congregations around the world than all McDonald’s restaurants, Subway restaurants, and 7Eleven stores combined.
These 161,561 congregations are found in 208 countries and territories.
In total, there are over 21 million baptized members in the Adventist church, worshiping every week in over 1,000 languages.
950 Adventist television channels and thousands of Adventist radio stations maintain 24/7 broadcasts that advance the mission of the brand.
Beyond this, there are hundreds of hospitals and clinics and just under 2 million students in the second-largest private school system in the world. Not to mention the food factories and many other services offered by the Adventist Church around the world.
Let’s talk about the lesson we can learn from why the Adventist brand has excelled through the years whereas many movements and people- groups have failed.
The Adventist Church started with a very small group of people who experienced the most disappointing event of their lives when Jesus didn’t return as they expected on October 22, 1844. The handful of desperately poor believers kept studying the Bible and eventually understood God was calling a movement to prepare the world for his imminent return.
Despite the fact that over 150 years have gone by and Jesus hasn’t returned, the movement has grown exponentially. Why? Because Adventists are very clear they were called by God to proclaim three very special messages from the book of Revelation, chapter 14. Adventists believe we are in the middle of a war with eternal consequences for loved ones and strangers alike. In other words, if I don’t warn my friends and family that Jesus is coming and they should prepare, it might not end well for them.
Many other religious movements have experienced decline precisely because they were not clear about their existence. Many Christian denominations have become very confused about their cal