Improving Member Retention in the Zambia Union of Seventh-day Adventists

Problem The loss of church members in the Zambia Union of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is of grave concern. According to church statistics, every year members leave the church through being missing and apostasy. This study is intended to provide practical solutions to pastors and the laity on how to keep members from leaving the church. This study of church member retention is approached in the following manner. First an analysis is made of the finding of the questionnaires sent to pastors and church members in Zambia. Second, there is an analysis of the church statistics obtained from Zambia. Third, biblical principles on how to deal with the problem of missing and apostate members, are studied. Fourth, specific roles for the pastors and laity are discussed. Lastly, there is a summary and conclusion. Results Loss of church members through missing and apostasy is not a small issue to be ignored. Therefore, this project suggests some solutions on how to prevent losses of members in the Zambia Union. This dissertation first reveals the methods Jesus used to teach his disciples about assimilating those who accepted him as Lord and saviour of their lives. The second thing it does is to discuss the church-growth principles about assimilation of members found in current church-growth literature. Conclusion Both winning souls and nurturing them are very important ingredients of evangelism. Both the pastors and the laity should devote the same amount of time and effort in nurturing souls as well as winning them. Church financial resources should be invested in nurturing souls as well as winning them. If they do, the church will experience growth that is balanced and meaningful in winning and keeping souls until Jesus comes the second time