Beyond Beliefs 1: Full Report - Cohort 1 (Volume 1)

Significant effort, financial resources, and study have been given to retaining Millennial youth within church denominations, however, most of these studies have focused merely on attitudes towards sociocultural and general religious topics. Very few denominations have specifically investigated how young adult members feel about the official beliefs or doctrines of their church organization, or if they even know what they are. This is understandable given the potential answers young adults may provide and that it is often difficult for religious denominations to change their official beliefs. The Beyond Beliefs study is a major research project that wishes to identify how young adults really feel about each and every one of the 28 Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This denomination has 28 mutable beliefs that are shared by many other Christian faiths making it an ideal candidate for this type of research. The Beyond Beliefs study wanted to specifically determine if young adults like or dislike these beliefs, if they believe they are important or not important, and if they feel these beliefs are relevant or irrelevant. It identified multiple themes for each belief that resonated with Millennial young adults and determined areas where the belief was succeeding and where it could be strengthened. Beyond Beliefs is a three part study being undertaken over three cohorts. By its conclusion, it will have assessed over 3000 150-200 word qualitative responses and quantitatively assessed approximately 700 participants. This report pertains to the findings of the first cohort. Sign up for email updates relating to Cohorts 2 and 3 at: www.Beyond-Beliefs.com