Inter-America Looks to Engage More than 2 Million Active Members in Mission by 2025

September 3, 2020 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Mobilizing more than two million active church members, or laypersons, across the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America to focus on mission, keep grounded in the gospel and commit to discipling others is a task that will see church leaders at all levels join closer together as the new five-year period begins. Church leaders began the first of many departmental and ministries advisory meetings yesterday, to unveil strategies, initiatives and activities that will align with the “I Will Go” strategic plan led by the Adventist world church until 2025. The advisory meetings will span several weeks.

Dozens of personal ministries leaders from Inter-America’s 24 major church regions met during a six-hour Zoom video conference session to take in the task before them as they strategize to motivate active members to double their efforts in sharing the message of hope in their communities.

Inter-America is following an adapted version of the I Will Go strategic plan for 2020-2025, focused on evangelism, education and community service. [Photo: Unsplash]

“Our plan today is about building on the fundamental pillars of Inter-America’s I Will Go plan that will focus on evangelism, education and service,” said Pastor Melchor Ferreyra, personal ministries director for the church in Inter-America. “I know that the Lord is going to do extraordinary miracles through your ministry as you implement and adjust your regional initiatives and activities to strengthen the thousands of laypersons who work arduously in the mission throughout the territory.”

According to internal statistics 67 percent of the overall membership of 3.7 million in Inter-America, were actively involved in activities and initiatives in the life of the church during the 2015-2018 period. The plan is to continue to engage members in the mission of the church and expand to greater committed laypersons or active members, said Ferreyra.

Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in Inter-America, encouraged leaders to have a laser focus on the mission before them now and for the next five years. “We have the sublime mission of Jesus that calls us to follow Him and do as He did as we follow His extraordinary story of love, of hope,” said Pastor Henry.

It’s a labor of love, to ignore barriers and reach people in need with sympathy, patience and compassion, added Pastor Henry.  It is the responsibility of every leader, of every member, to catch that mission of Christ for others in order to move forward in mobilizing the church, he said.

Pastor Melchor Ferreyra, personal ministries director for the church in Inter-America, briefly reviews the number of members involved in the activities of the church form 2015-2018 data. The plan is to engage double efforts to engage more members in spreading the gospel through various initiatives in education[Photo: IAD Screenshot]

Mobilizing the church means strengthening the 62,000 small groups, or houses of hope, across the IAD and doubling in size in the next five years. “The goal is to reach 960,000 new members through small group ministry,” said Ferreyra. The goal is to hold 105,000 evangelistic campaigns within those small groups or houses of hope, as well as 250,000 public evangelism campaigns throughout Inter-America by 2025. “That can only happen successfully as we collaborate together with different departments and ministries.”

To reach the strategic goals, laypersons, or active church members, will have available to them certification trainings through several online platforms, discipleship training resources, as well as a number of social media bible study resources to witness to their friends, family and neighbors.

Grow discipleship program

Jim Howard, associate personal ministries director for the Adventist world church, presented the Grow discipleship program for churches which provides education and resources to help local churches in the mission of making disciples.  “The primary focus of local church ministries is not to win souls but to train members to win souls,” said Howard. “We need to go back to the way the early church was sharing the gospel with less preaching and more personal ministries.”

Howard laid out different phases that are involved in the disciple-making process which includes establishing connections with non-believers through friendship and service, planting the seed of God’s Word with media, testimony, or spiritual conversations, cultivating spiritual interest with ongoing bible studies, appealing to follow Christ and be baptized and helping them grow to be active in the life of the church. It’s about ensuring that church members have the spiritual preparation and are properly trained for personal ministries in the mission of reaching others with the gospel, he said.

Pastor Jim Howard, associate personal ministries director for the Adventist world church describes the Grow discipleship program available to local churches. [Photo: IAD Screenshot]

New resources

Pastor Ferreyra also encouraged personal ministries directors to collaborate closely with communication departments to strengthen the use of social media platforms, seek out young Adventist influencers and creative disciples together to reach every demographic group in their territory.  “We need more messengers of hope and we need to be more proficient when it comes to social media to reach people where they are.”

Details of the Inter-America’s new training platform for laypersons, Aula7 were presented. Aula7 is an evangelism, soul-winning and discipleship training platform, with courses available in English, Spanish, and French.  The platform connects and points to other evangelism platforms under the comprehensive resources managed by the leadership of the IAD.

In addition, a new resource tool was presented for laypersons who will be able to connect and share weekly bible studies to any of his or her interested friends through the WhatsApp cellphone application. Coined as “Let’s look in the Bible,” the tool was created by the North Mexican Union and will be launched later this month in English, Spanish and French. Church members will be able to register, by their church regional office, take part in studying the bible studies and enlist their friends and neighbors, with follow-up texts and links to video messages on the corresponding bible study of the week.

Pastor Ramon Canals, personal ministries director for the Adventist world church, encourages leaders to focus on the mission at hand. [Photo: IAD Screenshot]

Leaders took time to pray for greater involvement of the church membership in the I Will Go strategic plan, stronger spirituality among church members, and for a committed leadership collaboration among pastors and personal ministries directors.

Pastor Ramon Canals, personal ministries director of the Adventist world church, challenged the union personal ministries directors and union administrators to keep their local church memberships focused on the mission, spiritual growth and leadership as part of the I Will Go strategy.

“Your capability to set a goal and reach it determines your happiness in this life and in your ministry,” said Canals.  “Pray that God may give you an ardent desire and passion to reach the goals at hand and pray that God can give you victory over the results.”

To learn more about the initiatives and resources for Inter-America’s Personal Ministries Department, click HERE