Trans-European Division Baptisms Rise Fifth Straight Year as Tithe Growth Slows

Baptisms across the Trans-European Division (TED) have increased for a fifth consecutive year, prompting plans to research what is drawing people to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The division’s financial position is also helping sustain investment in mission. Both developments were highlighted at the TED Annual Council, held in Budva, Montenegro, from 28 October to 1 November 2026. TED Executive Secretary Robert Csizmadia presented his report on 29 October, and Treasurer Nenad Jepuranović presented his on 30 October.

As of the end of September 2026, Csizmadia reported a total membership of 96,238, with baptisms up by more than 400 from the previous year. Having examined records back to 1986, he described the sustained increase as an exceptional development. He said migration continues to contribute to membership growth but could not fully explain the rise in baptisms. According to his figures, baptisms accounted for approximately 42% of membership gains, compared with 7% through profession of faith and about 50% through transfers by letter. He challenged leaders to respond to this growing interest in faith and warned against becoming preoccupied with internal church matters while opportunities for mission remain open.

Csizmadia also looked at the different paths behind admissions by profession of faith. Responses gathered from pastors suggested these included Adventists arriving from conflict-affected areas such as Ukraine, former members returning, and new individuals joining the church. He recognised the returning members as part of the church’s mission and highlighted their contribution to the reported growth.

Sylvia Cariotoglou, TED Adventist Mission, Evangelism, and Women’s Ministries director, told the council that the division has 155 known church plants. Of these, 36 receive funding from the General Conference and TED through the Global Mission Pioneers initiative. Four ACTS church-planting cohorts are operating across the division, combining coaching and practical training over 18 months to develop church planters and leaders. Cariotoglou then outlined plans for a research project exploring why people baptised in the past two years chose to join the Adventist Church.

The study will begin with an anonymous survey covering participants’ social and religious backgrounds, how they first encountered the church, who influenced them, and how long their journey toward baptism took. It will also examine what attracted them, the barriers they faced, and their experiences of belonging, discipleship and participation after baptism. Cariotoglou explained that people with limited previous knowledge of Christianity may need a longer journey toward faith than those with a Christian upbringing. The research, she said, could help churches shape their outreach, prepare people for baptism and support their continued growth as disciples.

To illustrate possible research questions, Csizmadia interviewed Cariotoglou; Robert Folkenberg II, president of the Greek Mission; and Ieva Lauka of the Baltic Union Conference. Raised in a Greek Orthodox family, Cariotoglou first attended an Adventist church after a neighbour invited her. Her friend accompanied her daughters to Sabbath School and explained the unfamiliar worship service as it unfolded. Some time later, hearing a message about death during an evangelistic series helped her decide to be baptised at the age of 32. Lauka first encountered the church at 15 through a local youth group and Pathfinders, after a school friend invited her. She recalled wondering, “Why do they accept me?” At 19 she was baptised alongside the friend who had invited her, both wearing their Pathfinder uniforms. Folkenberg grew up in an Adventist missionary family, was baptised as a fifth-generation Adventist, and is now a fifth-generation pastor. Experiencing a devastating earthquake in Guatemala changed his understanding of suffering and led him to listen more closely to what he heard at church. He was baptised at 13. Their accounts illustrated how friendship, family and teaching each played a role in helping them come to know Jesus and decide to be baptised.

Support for church planting and other mission initiatives also featured prominently in the treasury report. Reviewing the division’s financial position for the first eight months of 2026, Jepuranović thanked members for their faithful giving and reported a further increase in tithe income across the division. He acknowledged that while the financial position remains strong, tithe growth was beginning to slow. He identified changing giving patterns, an ageing membership and wider economic pressures as factors, prompting discussions about how the church could sustain its mission in the years ahead. Jepuranović outlined how tithe funds were used. The largest share, 41%, went to unions and other church entities. Some 26% supported church workers and their travel expenses, and a further 13% returned to unions through the tithe-sharing arrangement to help fund regional evangelism. Newbold College received 5% to support the church’s educational work, and the remaining 15% covered operational expenses, including meetings and property costs. He emphasised the importance of transparent reporting on how tithe is used and encouraged unions and conferences to conduct similar reviews. Such reporting, he explained, allows leaders to assess how resources are distributed between administration, pastoral ministry and other priorities, and to identify where adjustments may be needed. Open reporting on how funds are used reflects accountability and honest dealing (Proverbs 11:1).

Looking ahead, Jepuranović presented the 2027 budget, which outlines plans to maintain and strengthen mission funding, including increased financial support for the three attached fields. The budget also provides for future mission projects and major gatherings, including OneVoice27, the 2027 Pathfinder Camporee and the 2028 European Pastors’ Council. Jepuranović reported that the budget aims to manage investments and reserves carefully while releasing as much funding as possible for mission.

Source: Read the original report