When church administrators gathered in 2013 to review the results of the first Global Church Member Survey, they expected to find some areas of concern, particularly in regard to doctrine. They weren’t surprised to find a subset of Adventists, especially in Western countries, expressing doubts about a recent six-day creation, Ellen White’s propheti
How did the idea for the video series come about? I love art in various forms, and I am always engaged in some artistic hobby. It helps me stay balanced since I spend most of my time engaged in intellectual activities. The latest hobby I picked up a few years ago is nature photography. The practice enabled me to become familiar with professi
Last fall the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists voted to discuss with the General Conference how to achieve “financial parity” with other world divisions within two to three years. Simply put, the NAD sends about 6 percent of its total tithe revenues to the GC, while other divisions send only 2 percent. The NAD wants to reduce its c
When I first began considering the tithe conundrum (why does it take 150 active members to support one pastor?), it was obvious that a large portion of tithe money must go to purposes other than paying the salaries of local church pastors. I already knew that some of it supports workers at various levels of church administration, but I hoped
April 15 has come and gone—the dreaded deadline for Americans to submit their tax returns.[1] Regardless of the fact that most of us have our taxes taken out of our paychecks, Uncle Sam still demands a yearly reckoning. This year when I did my taxes, I was excited to receive a huge and unexpected refund. But a couple of years ago I was sweating a b
Every baptized Seventh-day Adventist commits “to support the church by [their] tithes and offerings.” And I’m sure any Adventist 10-year-old could tell you that tithe is 10% of income. But as I considered the tithe conundrum in part 1 of this series (why can’t 10-15 tithe-paying members support one pastor?), I questioned to what extent Adven
Where does your tithe money go? Until recently I would have glibly answered, “The Adventist Church uses tithe to pay pastors.” But is that where it really goes? I started to wonder when an intriguing math problem occurred to me. If each member gives 10 percent of their income as tithe, 10 members should be able to support one pastor. When yo
I have a confession to make. I don’t like the three angels’ messages. My discomfort with Revelation 14:6-11 goes back to the summer I was 9, in the primary pavilion at camp meeting. That’s when I learned the already familiar verses as a Scripture song. Even at that young age it was clear to me that “he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone” is
For the first time since its inception two years ago, The Compass Magazine is adding new staff members to its editorial team. Ingram London, a recent seminary graduate with experience in pastoral ministry and information technology, comes on board as managing editor, replacing Rachel Cabose, who is taking a less involved role at Compass since she a
