Democracy in Decline — Conference Constituency Meeting Attendance Trends

Seventh-day Adventist governance relies on a representative democratic model where constituency meetings elect conference officers, approve budgets, and set policy direction. Yet evidence suggests declining engagement at multiple levels—from local church attendance (a proxy for governance interest) to delegate participation in formal sessions. Global Sabbath attendance sits at roughly 40% of total membership (9 million of 22.8 million members in 2023), with North America reporting as low as 15-30% attendance among its 1.26 million members. When only 15% of members regularly attend worship, the pool of engaged delegates for governance meetings shrinks dramatically. This pattern raises fundamental questions about the legitimacy and effectiveness of Adventist representative democracy, particularly as youth attendance proportions decline and membership rolls remain inflated with inactive members.