Who We Are, How We Serve
The Columbia Union Conference coordinates the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s work in the Mid-Atlantic United States, where 150,000 members worship in 860 congregations. We provide administrative support to eight conferences; two healthcare networks; 81 early childhood, elementary and secondary schools; a liberal arts university; a health sciences college; a 49 community services centers; 8 camps; 5 book and health food stores and a radio station.
We Believe
God is love, power, and splendor—and God is a mystery. His ways are far beyond us, but He still reaches out to us. God is infinite yet intimate, three yet one,
all-knowing yet all-forgiving.
By K'dee Crews
According to official Seventh-day Adventist statistics, since 1965, four out of every 10 members have left the church. How can we, as a church body, reach those who have walked away?
1. Show them respect. They didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to leave. They have reasons. Respect their opinion. You can disagree and still be respectful.
2. Listen to them. Maybe you’ve had a pleasant church experience, but they haven’t. It’s not your place to judge. When you take the time to listen to someone’s story, you can better understand them. You can’t know how to approach something and someone without knowing what the problem is.
By Becky St. Clair
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the subjects and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of the Columbia Union Conference or Visitor staff.
According to official Seventh-day Adventist statistics, since 1965, four out of every 10 members have left the church.
Choosing God ... and Adventism
Barna research has recently released a new report examining who Gen Z is and how they “uniquely contribute to our collective society, their communities and their faith.
Here are five things from that study you might find helpful when trying to reach this generation:
-
Gen Zers feels held back from fully being themselves.
-
They prioritize happiness, stability and good health.
-
They are online, but still value in-person connection.
-
Morality is often subjective.
-
Most Gen Zers say they’ve prayed in the past week.