In a world of six billion people -- including 25 million who attend weekly Seventh-day Adventist Church worship services -- it's known that there are other Christian groups who observe the Sabbath, or Saturday, as their day of worship. A question for Adventists is how to deal with these groups of believers who operate outside the traditional organizational structure of the church.

This was one of the issues raised at the annual Global Mission Issues Committee held April 4 and 5 at the church's world headquarters. Delegates discussed key issues facing frontline mission workers around the world, including how to work with non-Adventist Sabbath-keeping groups.

The committee recognized two categories of these groups: Those that seek full cooperation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but are unable to due to external pressures; and those that follow the teachings and beliefs of the church but, for various reasons, may not be aware of the official Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The church has long made provision for groups in the first category, and the committee recommended guidelines to improve linkage between these groups and the church -- with the goal of full integration when circumstances allow. Although recognizing people in the second category are not yet officially Adventists, the committee recommended that the church provide them with additional resources for both leadership training and faith development.

"For many years now, Global Mission has been at the cutting edge of reaching people from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds," says Mike Ryan, a vice president of the world church and director of the Global Mission office. "We need to be sensitive to cultural differences, and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to our methodology."

Bruce Bauer, chair of the Department of World Mission at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Michigan, United States presented a paper about how mission workers should adapt their methodology to best communicate with people in different cultures, without compromising the message.

"If we are going to ... reach the unreached parts of the world, we must be flexible. But we must find ways to ensure that syncretism and heresy do not come in, " says Pat Gustin, director of the Institute of World Mission for the Adventist Church.

The Global Mission Issues Committee first met in 1998 and was established to provide guidance and direction for people working in the front line of mission. Members of the committee include administrators from the Adventist Church world headquarters; presidents of the various regional organizations of the church; experts in mission; representatives from the Biblical Research Institute; and Global Mission staff.

More information on the Global Mission Issues Committee and the church's Global Mission initiative is available online at www.global-mission.org. [Editor: Rick Kajiura for ANN/APD]