2026-2027 Faculty Research Grants

Petr Cincala (World Mission) and Rene Drumm (Social & Behavioral Sciences). 

Life After Adventism: Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses of Ex-Seventh-day Adventist Experiences.

This project will conduct an in-depth mixed-methods analysis of an existing data set on ex-Seventh-day Adventists, with particular emphasis on understanding the processes, experiences, and outcomes of leaving Adventism. The quantitative component consists of over 1,000 completed SurveyMonkey responses, providing detailed information about respondents’ educational trajectories, work relationships with the Adventist system, reasons for leaving, mental health, abuse experiences, and life outcomes post-departure. The qualitative component consists of extensive narrative responses to the prompt, “In as few or as many words as you like, please tell us about your process and experience of leaving Adventism,” along with additional open-ended questions on identity, trauma, improvement/worsening of life, and advice to others considering leaving. Advanced statistical analyses of the quantitative survey data will be completed to systematically code and interpret the qualitative narratives using rigorous  thematic and comparative methods. The study will contribute to the growing literature on religious disaffiliation, trauma and mental health in high-demand religious environments, and the socio-relational dynamics of exit from faith communities, while also informing pastoral care, spiritual care, and institutional policy within Adventist and other faith-based contexts.