Travis Manners

The Struggle for Resources in Local Seventh-day Adventist Churches Travis Manners

Local churches need resources in order to operate effectively and thrive. Yet within the Seventh-day Adventist church system, a large percentage of the tithes and offerings collected by its local congregations, are redistributed away from these same congregations, with only a small portion being returned in terms of staffing and support. This impacts on the ministry and mission the local congregation can provide. The Struggle for Resources shows that while the Seventh-day Adventist Church must remain a global movement, it cannot continue to do so at the expense of the local church. Steps have been taken in the right direction in terms of funding assistance for new church buildings, staffing-for-growth taking hold in some regions as well as the introduction of more flexible structures. But is this enough to restore the balance? Adventism, with its global mandate, must never forget that the local church is the church, and the stronger the local churches become, the stronger the entire body will be.