The European Valuegenesis Survey is a research project conducted
in 2007, involving approximately 6,000 Adventist young people in seventeen
European countries. The Valuegenesis Report originates from two distinct
research contexts. On the one hand, the contributions written by Thomas
Spiegler, Andreas Bochmann, and Stephan Sigg were developed as part of the work
of the team of researchers who originally participated in the European
Valuegenesis Project.
The findings in their articles cover the entire dataset of the
survey and paint a picture of the
contemporary scene of Adventist youth ministry in Europe, with highlights on
the most significant differences among the countries involved.
Alexander Schulze’s article, on the other hand, summarizes the
conclusions of a derivative study stemming from the main project. It focuses on
a specific dataset related to the German-speaking area (Germany, Austria, and
Switzerland), and was developed as part of Schulze’s doctoral thesis project.
The European Valuegenesis Project represents a significant
contribution to the reflection on youth ministry practice within the Adventist
Church, but not only this denomination. The reader will find similarities between
the trends emerging from the European Valuegenesis Survey and the findings of
the National Study of Youth and Religion, a study on Christian youth ministry
in the USA. The concern behind the launching of the European Valuegenesis Project
was closely connected to the reality – not uncommon in the wider evangelical
context, especially in the USA – of large numbers of young people leaving the
denomination in which they have grown up.
The questionnaire design aims to provide a picture of the
faith environments in which young adults grow, and more specifically focuses
on their families and church congregations. Starting from the study of
these two contexts the research team tried to situate factors that would
correlate with positive or negative outcomes in the area of youth devotional
life, doctrinal beliefs, ethical values and behaviors, and church involvement.
The chapters in the European Valuegenesis series constitute a
source of reflection on contemporary trends in the Adventist denomination.
While the findings represent the reading of a specific group – mainly young
people who have grown up sitting on the pews of Adventist congregations in 17
countries of Europe – Valuegenesis Europe constitutes a voice from individuals
who know the Adventist Church well. It is a wake-up call that challenges the Church
to reflect on the reasons for the significant loss of young adults. It also is
an invitation to value the Church in all its potential as an important agent of
authentic youth ministry.
"This book concludes another phase of the Valugenesis
Research in Europe," said Corrado Cozzi, Inter-European Division communication
director and former youth leader when the survey started. "I
invite all church leaders to read this report. It will help you understand
the feelings of our youth, and allows us to build a church responding
to the needs of today's youth "
The Valuegenesis Report Book is only available in English so
far. Efforts are made to translate it as soon as possible in other languages.
