Unity, Liberty, Charity: What We Learned from the 2025 Pastoral Survey

 “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” — Rupertus Meldenius

Over the last several weeks, we have published the results of our 2025 theological survey for Advent Christian pastors. The primary purpose of this survey was to gain an understanding of the theological positions held by our pastors. It had been more than a decade since we last conducted such a survey, and it was helpful to see where we agree theologically — and where we don’t. The survey also proved useful in identifying areas where additional teaching and educational resources may be beneficial. If anyone would like access to the full dataset with biographical information redacted, we are happy to share it. Just drop me an email at [email protected].

I’d like to offer a few personal reflections on the results.

First, I want to express my deepest thanks to the 107 pastors who took time from their busy schedules to complete the survey. We sincerely appreciate the thoughtfulness and energy you put into your responses. Second, thank you to everyone who offered feedback and critique of the survey. It’s clear the survey could have been improved in several areas. Some questions could have been phrased more clearly; some responses could have been more nuanced; and several questions would have benefited from clearer definitions of terms. Thank you for your grace with a less-than-perfect survey.  Finally, I’m grateful for the mostly charitable exchange of thoughts in the website’s comment section.

Overall, I was encouraged by the results even though there were some concerns around the number of issues pastors were unsure about or areas where they held contradictory beliefs. As Kevin Vanhoozer has written in his book “The Pastor as Public Theologian,” “The pastor is not a religious activities director. He is not a building manager. He is not primarily a counselor. He is not a CEO. The pastor is the church’s theologian-in-residence.” This means that pastors need to hold clear, thoughtful and biblical convictions on both essential and non-essential doctrines. Their people will ask, and they need to be prepared to give a well-reasoned answer from Scripture.

Acknowledging those concerns, here are four areas in which I was encouraged:

Biblical Fidelity

To begin, it was very heartening to see that Advent Christian pastors still hold a strong commitment to Scripture. One of our great historical strengths — perhaps our greatest — has been a steadfast belief in the Bible as the only divine and infallible standard of faith and practice. Ninety-nine percent of our pastors affirm the inerrancy, infallibility and inspiration of Scripture. They were unanimous in affirming the Bible’s authority in all matters of faith and practice and 98% affirm the doctrine of sola scriptura — that the Bible alone is the ultimate authority for Christian faith and life.

Advent Christians have long been “people of the Book,” and that hasn’t changed in more than 160 years. I believe this enduring commitment to the authority and reliability of Scripture is the primary reason we see near-unanimity on issues such as human sexuality, marriage and gender identity. While many other denominations are experiencing infighting and division over these issues, our absolute trust in and submission to the Word of God allows us to stay focused on the advance of the gospel. I am deeply thankful for that.

Christian Orthodoxy

It is also encouraging to see a strong consensus around matters of Christian orthodoxy. While we don’t have complete unanimity on every foundational element of the faith, we are close — perhaps closer than we’ve ever been as a denomination. Ninety-eight percent of our pastors affirm the triune nature of God; 99% affirm both the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus Christ; and 96% affirm that the Holy Spirit is a co-equal, co-eternal, and co-substantial member of the Godhead.

Further, 100% affirm that God is sovereign over all of creation; 99% affirm that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone; and 100% agree that salvation is a gift from God — not earned by good works. Ninety-eight percent believe Jesus was resurrected bodily and will return bodily at the end of time. While we may not yet have perfect unity in all essentials, we are moving in that direction.

Advent Christian Distinctives

The section on Advent Christian distinctives was also a source of encouragement. The Lord called us into being as a people proclaiming the imminent bodily return of Christ to judge the living and the dead — and pointing others to the promise of resurrection through Jesus alone. There was unanimous affirmation of the second coming of Christ as a future, visible and literal event. Eighty-seven percent believe the second coming is imminent and 94% believe Christ’s return will establish a literal kingdom of God on earth. The vast majority of our pastors continue to hold to the doctrines proclaimed by our Advent Christian forebears.

Some commenters on the website expressed concern that 12% and 13% of pastors do not affirm the unconscious state of the dead and conditional immortality, respectively. I understand that concern. But another way to read the data is this: 88% of pastors do affirm the unconscious state of the dead, and 87% affirm conditional immortality. These are very strong majorities. I was honestly surprised the numbers were that high, especially considering our denominational culture and history.

Given our ethos — “no creed but the Bible,” diverse ordination standards across conferences, local church autonomy, “Christian character as our only true test of fellowship,” no Advent Christian Bible college for more than three decades and what Dr. David A. Dean called “the freedom of conscience to study and follow the teachings of Scripture” — it’s somewhat remarkable that we have as much agreement as we do on Advent Christian distinctives.

Unity in Mission

The final reason I am encouraged is the cooperation I see among our pastors and churches. Despite theological differences on secondary doctrines, we are united around the essentials in a common mission: proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. There is much we disagree on, but liberty in non-essentials has long been a hallmark of our movement. And while we can be passionate about our particular theological positions, there is generally an irenic spirit in these conversations.

I particularly appreciate how pastors from outside our denomination have been welcomed into our network. Many of these pastors, though they may not embrace all our distinctive doctrines, dissent with thoughtfulness, respect and charity — never militating against our denominational positions. I am thankful for this kingdom-minded-ness.

Some may prefer narrower sectarian guardrails and a top-down polity. I’ll admit that would make things more comfortable in some ways. But comfort rarely sanctifies us. Learning to labor together for the cause of Christ while allowing liberty in non-essential doctrines can create friction. Yet that same friction can sharpen our minds and smooth our sharp edges. When we choose to work together despite our secondary differences, we bring glory to Christ.

One day, Jesus will return and he will correct everyone’s theology. Until then, let us unite around the clear fundamentals of the faith, extend liberty in non-essentials and show charity in all things. This honors Christ and helps to form us more fully into his image.