An Aging Church in an Aging Society: Averting a Possible Grim Future for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Russia

"Being an international and highly diverse community of believers, the world-wide Seventh-day Adventists Church has always struggled with maintaining its identity in a fast-changing world. This is natural, and much credit is to be given to several generations of church leaders for success in this regard. Nevertheless, after the seeds of Adventism have been liberally sown all over the world and as the seeds have grown, it is time to let those plants share more responsibility for their own future. Paternalism and top-down strategizing is no longer adequate to facilitate the spiritual rejuvenation of local forms of Adventism. To experience the refreshing power of the Spirit is clearly the work of God. It is time to ask him to give us courage to re-think our Adventist message and identity both universally and locally. Otherwise, as it has been demonstrated in this article, the Adventist Church will keep producing one-sided results that simply do not have a future. This is at least true for Russia. If an inspiring image of a “young Jesus” emerges in the heads and hearts of people who claim to believe in him and who want to follow him, most likely the result will be an emerging Adventism, renewed in the image and likeness of a “young Jesus.”"