In Mexico, Pastors commit to engaging their members more in the mission of the church with the “Lord Transform Me” initiative
More than 1,300 administrators, leaders and pastors from Mexico and Jamaica attend Inter-America’s second “Lord Transform Me” summit held in Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico, June 5-7, 2016. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD.
June 10, 2016 | Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Libna Stevens/IAD
Johan Pineda stands as the district pastor who has baptized the most people into the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Mexico with 296 new members in 2015. At 31 years of age, he leads 26 churches and 10 small congregations, or companies, in Ocosingo, Chiapas, one of the several religious intolerant regions in the country.
Pastor Johan Pineda of Ocosingo, Chiapas, Mexico, baptized 296 new members into the Adventist Church last year. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
Pineda believes the work of evangelism is all about getting his membership of more than 1,100 actively involved in spreading the gospel in creative ways. His evangelism plan includes training members to use their talents, moving together with his church elders in following evangelism strategies, plans, and activities for the year, ensuring current and new members are taught Adventist doctrines and beliefs, as well as bringing all ministries and departments integrated to prepare everyone for eternal life.
His district of churches includes several congregations that speak different dialects, and many who have converted from prominent religious denominations in the area. Just this year, 95 television antennas have been installed in all of the churches he pastors, as well as local businesses, homes and even other non-Adventist churches in Ocosingo, where messages from Hope Channel’s Esperanza TV and 3ABN Latino are broadcasted every day.
“God has opened the way to reach these areas where persecution and even killings have occurred in the past because of religious intolerance,” said Pineda. So far 42 new members have joined the church as a result of the programs they have watched from these television antennas this year, said Pineda. The goal is to reach 400 people with the gospel this year, and so far he has baptized 216 new believers since January, explained Pineda.
“The key to the success in my district has been about seeking a daily relationship with Christ, working hard at driving an evangelism plan, leading by example, and getting members involved in sharing Jesus” said Pineda.
Pastor Vencot Dyer of Montego Bay, in Jamaica, was among the top eight pastors in Jamaica to baptize 126 new members into the church. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD.
Pineda was among 170 district pastors from Mexico and Jamaica who collectively baptized some 20,920 new members into the church in 2015. They were honored this week during the Inter-American Division’s “Lord Transform Me” evangelism initiative summit launch, held in Riviera Maya, June 5-7, 2016.
Inter-America’s Lord Transform Me initiative involves motivating church leaders and members to pursue a spiritual transformation in Jesus through a daily study of the Bible and a prayerful lifestyle for a total involvement in action plans and activities. Members will (1) transform and live, (2) explore and learn, (3) connect and share, (4) proclaim and reap and (5) conserve and disciple in their communities.
Being part of the special launch of the “Lord Transform Me” initiative in his country only confirms what Pineda has been pursuing in his district for the last eight years. “This aspect of a transformation in Jesus is important to guide us as leaders and others to accept the challenge to share the gospel,” said Pinedo. More initiatives will have to be implemented in his district for spiritual growth to happen in all church members.
Vencont Dyer of West Jamaica feels the same. As a 34-year-old district pastor of three churches in Montego Bay, he baptized 126 new members into the church in 2015. He was one of the top eight pastors in Jamaica to have brought in 100 or more new believers into the Adventist Church.
District pastor from Mexico’s Inter-Oceanic Union pose for a picture after being honored for baptizing 100 or more during 2015. Image by Abel Marquez/IAD
Bringing that many people into the church in a tourist area on the island has only been possible through on-going comprehensive evangelism strategies that engage members in connecting and impacting local communities which are familiar with the Adventist Church at a national level.
Pastor Dyer believes that evangelism is more than baptizing, it’s more about ministering to the total mind. That is why the “Lord Transform Me” initiative, which began to be promoted in Jamaica earlier this year, is an initiative that, if well-implemented, will bring about more involvement among the 2,300 members in his district, explained Dyer.
He’s thankful for the dedicated work of his elders and laypersons but is concerned when he sees that only 30 percent of his membership is actively involved in the mission of the church.
Dyer’s churches are involved in many impact activities in the community, like organizing 5K runs, health expos, technical training, evangelism campaigns and more.
Pastor Balvin Braham, assistant to the IAD president for evangelism and organizer of the Lord Transform Me initiative says getting church members involved in the mission of the church is at the heart of making the initiative a successful one. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD.
“I truly believe that this [Lord Transform Me] program is balanced and it’s going to have a tremendous impact because the base is about transform and live, then connect and sharing with community and the apex is proclaiming and reaping results,” said Dyer.
Engaging all members in seeking a transformation in Jesus will be the key to sharing the gospel. “It’s about spiritually strengthening families, assisting members to discover their God-given talents, teaching members how to connect in their communities and work together in an integrated way to preparing themselves and others for the Second Coming,” explained Dyer.
IAD top leaders and department directors shared with the summit delegation plans and activities that can be implemented in their respective churches and communities. Daily prayer sessions were part of the three-day summit where leaders learned ways of involving their memberships into serving the church and their communities.
Getting church members involved in the mission of the church is at the heart of making the “Lord Transform Me” initiative a successful one in Inter-America, said Pastor Balvin Braham, assistant to the IAD president for evangelism.
Promoting and implementing the initiative is in the hands of the more than 1,300 church administrators, church leaders and pastors, who attended the summit in Mexico, the second in a series of five scheduled “Lord Transform Me” initiatives. They form part of a team of leaders who shepherd more than 1 million members in 9,000 congregations in Mexico and Jamaica.
IAD Executive Secretary Elie Henry challenges the pastoral delegation to be instruments of change as they are transformed by God’s Spirit every day. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
“The Lord Transform Me initiative is basically indexed to having 80 percent involvement of members by the end of the quinquennium,” said Braham. That means at least 80 percent of a 3.7 million membership in the IAD or about 2.9 million members actively involved in the Lord Transform Me initiative, which falls under the Adventist world church’s “Reach the World” strategy which includes the Total Member Involvement program.
The success of the initiative is dependent upon church leaders who are living a daily transformation in Christ, promoting the daily study of the Scriptures, involving all members to understanding Righteousness of Christ and pursuing a lifestyle that follows Jesus, motivating members to deepen their knowledge of the ministry and Ellen G. White writings applying them to their lives, committing members to know the 28 fundamental beliefs, encouraging members to improve their personal daily prayer time, as well as encouraging each member to live a faithful life in managing their resources for God’s glory, explained Braham.
As the summit drew to a close Dr. Elie Henry, executive secretary of the church in the Inter-American Division, challenged the pastoral delegation to be instruments of change as the evangelism strategy takes off.
IAD top leaders on stage during the opening of the summit on June 5, 2016. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
“You must begin a new relationship with God because transformation in the church will not be possible if there is not a personal transformation,” said Dr. Henry. “I want to think that this has been an ‘upper room’ experience for you, that this gathering has meant a new beginning in your life as a pastor, leaders and man and or woman of God, claiming for the Lord to transform you every day.”
With the second “Lord Transform Me” summit concluded, IAD top leadership prepares for the third summit in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where more than 800 administrators and pastors from the Dominican, Puerto Rican, Atlantic Caribbean, Dutch Caribbean, Haitian and the French Antilles Guiana Unions will gather June 26-28, 2016.
For more information and resources on Inter-America’s “Lord Transform Me” initiative visit resources.interamerica.org
To view our photo gallery, visit flickr.com/photos/interamerica