Living Research Projects (LRPs)
The research engine behind every AI recommendation, health score, and insight on Adventist Pulse.
Research knowledge matrix
How LRPs answer the seven mission questions
Every Living Research Project is mapped to one or more root questions. This obsidian matrix shows the seven-question spiderweb at the centre of the Pulse research system, with live counts around it so leaders can see where evidence is strong and where more understanding is still needed.
The Pulse research engine keeps all seven mission questions visible at once, so evidence serves mission rather than fragmenting it.
Mission Effectiveness
Are we fulfilling the Great Commission? Are people being reached, discipled, and retained?
Institutional Stewardship
Are our structures, systems, and resources being managed faithfully and efficiently?
Generational Continuity
Are we keeping our young people? Is faith being transmitted across generations?
Spiritual Vitality
Are members growing spiritually? Is worship meaningful? Is discipleship deepening?
Global Mission Sustainability
Can the church sustain and expand its global mission? Are growth patterns healthy worldwide?
Leadership & Governance
Are leaders being developed? Is governance transparent, participatory, and effective?
Adaptive Capacity
Can the church adapt to changing contexts without losing its identity and mission?
Why this matters
This is the operating map of Pulse research. Each project strengthens one or more mission questions, which means pastors, members, and conference leaders can trace recommendations back to the actual evidence architecture underneath them.
R1
Mission Effectiveness
reach, discipleship, retention
R2
Institutional Stewardship
systems, resources, faithfulness
R3
Generational Continuity
young people, transmission, retention
R4
Spiritual Vitality
worship, growth, discipleship depth
R5
Global Mission Sustainability
world growth, sustainability, expansion
R6
Leadership & Governance
trust, governance, development
R7
Adaptive Capacity
learning, context, identity
What is an LRP?
A Living Research Project is a structured, evidence-based document that answers a specific question about church health, growth, or mission. Unlike static academic papers, LRPs are living — continuously updated as new data, studies, and field evidence emerges.
Each LRP connects to the Adventist Pulse scoring engine. When a church takes a Vitality Check, the AI generates specific, source-backed recommendations grounded in LRP evidence. But recommendations don't stop at data — they're checked against Scripture, Adventist mission, and local pastoral discernment so that Pulse supports faithful stewardship rather than replacing spiritual judgement.
Pulse Notes are a logged-in collaboration layer for approved Pulse users — field observations, source suggestions, caution flags, and local outcomes that can be reviewed before being promoted into the public research record. This keeps collaboration accountable while letting pastors, members, and conference leaders surface what is actually happening on the ground. The more each entity contributes, the more intelligence it receives back.
The 7 Root Questions
Every LRP exists to better answer one or more of these core questions about Adventist mission. Together, they define what a healthy, mission-driven church looks like.
Are we fulfilling the Great Commission? Are people being reached, discipled, and retained?
Are our structures, systems, and resources being managed faithfully and efficiently?
Are we keeping our young people? Is faith being transmitted across generations?
Are members growing spiritually? Is worship meaningful? Is discipleship deepening?
Can the church sustain and expand its global mission? Are growth patterns healthy worldwide?
Are leaders being developed? Is governance transparent, participatory, and effective?
Can the church adapt to changing contexts without losing its identity and mission?
Anatomy of an LRP
Core Question
Every LRP answers ONE specific, measurable question about church health or mission.
Evidence Strength
Scored 0–100 across source quality, diversity, methodology, recency, gap honesty, and competing viewpoints.
Root Questions
Maps to one or more of the 7 root questions — the fundamental questions of Adventist mission.
Evidence-Based
Every claim cites sources: peer-reviewed research, denominational data, field reports, and Pulse Notes from the community.
Worldview Review
Flags loaded terms, ideological drift, and theological risk so public copy and recommendations stay under Scripture, Adventist belief, and mission.
Adventist worldview gate
LRPs can use research tools, public data, and social science, but they are not allowed to borrow secular ideology as the interpretive frame. Each project now carries review fields for Adventist confidence, theological risk, ideological risk, flagged language, biblical-Adventist anchors, and recommendation guardrails.
Doctrine before data
Scripture, Adventist belief, and the Great Controversy worldview govern interpretation.
Mission before activism
Recommendations must translate into discipleship, evangelism, care, education, liberty, stewardship, and church order.
Context before certainty
Loaded terms require Adventist-context review before they shape public copy or high-stakes actions.
Example LRPs
The Comeback — Why Is Gen Z Returning to Church?
“What factors are driving measurable increases in Gen Z church attendance after decades of decline?”
Cultural Diversity as Strength and Weakness
“Migration growth means we're not reaching locals. How do we fix this?”
Composite Church Health Index
“Can we build a single, defensible number that captures the health of any Adventist church?”
Tithe Sharing Formula — How Money Flows Through the System
“How does the Adventist tithe distribution formula actually work, and is it equitable?”
Evidence Strength
Every LRP carries a transparent source-strength score. The old letter grade remains an internal editorial gate, but public interpretation should focus on evidence depth, confidence, sources, cautions, and review cadence.
How LRPs Power the Platform
When a pastor runs a Vitality Check, scores flow through the engine. Low scores trigger a lookup against relevant LRPs. The AI generates specific, actionable recommendations — each one citing its source. Every recommendation backed by research that helps answer one of the 7 root questions of Adventist mission.
Adventist Pulse — The health of every Adventist entity, understood for mission stewardship.
200+ research projects · 1,229 entities · 13 world divisions · Every recommendation cited