Saúl Ortíz, president of IADPA, speaks to union administrators and publishing ministries directors from the Inter-American Division territory about the collaboration efforts to grow literature evangelism ministry in their territories with numerous strategies and resources to move forward. The publishing ministries advisory took place in Miami, Florida, United States, Jan. 23-24, 2023. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

February 2, 2023 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Reviving and reactivating literature evangelism across most of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Inter-American Division (IAD) is quickly becoming a top priority, church administrators said.

“We are marking a very significant moment as we start a new page in the Inter-American Division coming out of our centennial anniversary, not forgetting that it was as a result of [Adventist] publications that the Word of God spread the message in the territory,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in Inter-America.

Pastor Elie Henry, president of the Inter-American Division spoke to church administrators on the importance of reviving and reactivating literature evangelism to reach every corner of the territory with the message of the gospel. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

Pastor Henry was speaking on Jan. 23, 2023, to dozens of union presidents and publishing ministries directors from 19 unions who fall under the Inter-American Division Publishing Association (IADPA), one of two publishing houses in the IAD. GEMA Editors is the second publishing house in the IAD that provides publishing leadership in the five unions in Mexico.

Reaffirming literature evangelism

“Today we are coming together to reaffirm once again the important part that publications play in finishing the mission of sharing the gospel in these end times, much like our pioneers did,” said Pastor Henry. “We recognize that we need to do something more to strengthen literature evangelists throughout the territory, relaunching this ministry so that more can swarm our streets and knock on every door until the very last one.”

It’s going to take tight collaboration to keep advancing together, he said.

Pastor Isaías Espinoza, publishing ministries director for the IAD begins the advisory meetings presenting the objectives and goals for literature evangelism in the territory. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

Recruiting more literature evangelists (LEs), providing them with more tools and resources, and helping them and other potential LEs understand that they an integral part of evangelizing others as missionaries of the gospel is the strategy going forward, explained Pastor Isaias Espinoza, publishing ministries director of the IAD and main organizer of the advisory meetings.

Background on literature evangelism

“In its beginning, Adventist missionaries invested their time in leaving publications wherever, but when the church saw that more could be done for those who faithfully shared literature and books, the church in the IAD created a fund in the 1980s,” explained Espinoza. With time, many LEs lost the vision of a mission-driven ministry of sharing the gospel and looked at it as a business.

At some point more than 30 years ago, the IAD had some 5,000 literature evangelists, church leaders said. The numbers dwindled to less than 3,000 across most of the territory, excluding Mexico. During the same period, GEMA Editors in Mexico not only maintained but grew its LE ministry.

Pastor Abel Pacheco, president of the church in El Salvador takes notes during the advisory meetings. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

In 2013, IAD and union church administrators met to establish specific policies to provide certain benefits to its full-time LES, maintain lower prices on the books they sell and provide retirement benefits, as well as evaluating how the policies could be contextualized within the legal framework of each particular country. In 2014, the IAD gathered hundreds of its champion LEs during a special congress and unveiled its plan to them.

Doubling the numbers 

Today, there are approximately 4,200 LEs in the IAD including about 1,000 student literature evangelists who are paying for their schooling by selling publications, said Espinoza. The goal is to double the number of student LEs, which is going to take intentional and ongoing strategies to accomplish, he said.

The two-day advisory meetings held at the IAD Headquarters in Miami, Florida, United States, was meant to inspire and motivate top union administrators and publishing ministries directors to plan and rediscover new and best practices to engage the church in the fulfillment of the mission through the printed page, said Espinoza.

General Conference Publishing Ministries Director Pastor Almir Marroni urges church administrators to involved church members in sharing the ministry of the printed page, [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

General Conference Publishing Ministries Director Pastor Almir Marroni spoke to leaders on their responsibility of defining the reality and challenges they face in publishing ministries to confirm and strengthen the vision and mission. That would lead administrators to then establish plans and goals for the next few years.

“Literature evangelists are important and relevant because they do a work that no one else can do,” said Marroni. The goal is to have church members involved in sharing publications, strengthen full-time and student LEs and provide tools and ongoing training for them regularly, he said. “There’s enormous potential in fulfilling the mission, think if every member was involved in sharing publications.”

Church leaders also discussed the revamping student LEs programs at Adventist Universities throughout the territory.

IADPA leaders showcased the catalog of publications available for LEs and church members throughout the 19 union territories, as well as information on the millions of copies of Ellen G. White’s “The Great Controversy Book” which is scheduled to be distributed across the IAD next month and throughout 2024.

Clara Spengler of IADPA shares the latest resources the publishing house has available for literature evangelists, as Saul Ortíz, president of IADPA displays different books published by IADPA.  [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

Literature evangelism growth in Guatemala

Union administrators in Guatemala reported on the status and progress of growing the LEs in their territory.

Among them was Pastor Guenther Garcia, president of the Guatemala Union, who found himself and the eight conferences and missions comprising the union with 15 literature evangelists. “It concerned us that there were just 15 literature evangelists, when at some point we had more than 200,” said Garcia. Leaders moved to accept the assistance of IADPA to pay for a publishing associate director overseeing literature evangelism at each field for three months. In addition, the IAD paid the salary of the associates, and each filed committed to paying their salaries for an additional six months.

The union organized a school of literature evangelism early in 2022, and by January’s second training, the church in Guatemala has 75 regular LEs, reported Garcia. By the end of the year, the goal is to double that amount to at least 150 LEs.

Group of literature evangelists in Guatemala during a recent school of literature evangelism training. [Photo: Courtesy of Guenther Garcia]

There’s no turning back, Garcia said. “Literature evangelists are essential and fundamental in reaching many communities that have been impenetrable, because of culture, religiosity and idiosyncrasies. Our pastors cannot access these communities a lot of times but a book delivered by an LE can open the doors.”

Garcia said he knows well what being a colporter or literature evangelist means because he worked his way through school as a student LE. “Being a literature evangelist helps you gain an unforgettable experience for life and I’m thankful to join together in reviving this important ministry of sharing the gospel to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus,” he said.

Reviving LE ministry in the Dominican Republic

Similarly in the Dominican Republic, the church recently began to revamp its literature evangelism ministry. At some point years ago, there were about 300 literature evangelists, but at the start of 2022, there were only 15, reported Pastor Paulino Puello president of the church in the Dominican Union. “We moved quickly to establish associate publishing directors in each of the six conferences and mission thanks to the assistance of IADPA and the IAD to pay for their salaries,” said Puello. Church leaders began encouraging the constituency of the importance of literature evangelism and each conference associate director needs to oversee a group of 25 literature evangelists every month.

Pastor Pierre Capora, president of the Haitian Union, prays for the work of literature evangelism in the IAD during one of several prayer sessions during the meetings. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

During a recent school of literature evangelism training held on Jan. 20, 2023, the church reached 75 LEs across the union territory.  The plan is to double that amount.“If each conference reaches an additional 25 LEs then a second associate director will be assigned, and the work of literature evangelism will continue to grow and impact so many people,” said Puello.

“The work of going door to door as a colporter is essential to spreading the gospel before Jesus returns to save us,” said Puello. “It’s something that I will never forget because, thanks to colporting, I felt called to study for the ministry as a student.”  Being a literature evangelist is life changing, not only for the people they connect with in homes and businesses but for their own spiritual growth, said Puello.  “We have to continue moving

Forward, engaging more members to be partners in spreading the gospel everywhere they are.”

Other union administrators reported on their plans to grow literature evangelism and expressed their commitment to nurturing the spiritual growth of the membership in the coming months.

Group photo of IAD and union administrators and publishing ministries directors during the advisory meetings in Miami, Florida, United States, Jan. 23-24, 2023. [Photo: Wilmer Barboza/IAD]

“I know that at the turn of three or four years, publishing ministries will show a different turn in a stronger and larger literature evangelist group,” said Espinoza. “Let’s continue together advancing because we know that God will help us reach the whole world through the work of publications.”

Church leaders throughout the 24 IAD unions are preparing to do a massive distribution of The Great Controversy Book on March 18, 2023.

Leaders also discussed a special live online program to celebrate the Literature Evangelist Day on Apr. 15, 2023, from Puebla, Mexico.

To view a photo gallery of the Publishing Ministries Advisory, Feb. 23-24, 2023, click HERE.

For more information on Inter-America’s Publishing Ministries and its initiatives and resources, visit us at interamerica.org

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