IAD to Host Online Evangelism Training for Pastors and Lay Evangelists

Adventists leaders to join five-day sessions focused on reaching younger generations.

February 7, 2025 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

The Inter-American Division will be holding a special evangelism training workshop online for Seventh-day Adventist pastors, lay evangelists, and Bible workers from throughout territory from Feb. 11-13, as well as on Feb. 17 and 19, 2025.

Designated as the Discipleship and Soul-Winning Coaching Institute program, the training is intended to provide understanding of the cultural, social, and spiritual characteristics of the new generation, organizers said.

“We want to reach the new generation and study some strategies, initiatives, and skills to effectively communicate the gospel in ways that resonate with younger audiences, while exploring innovative evangelism methods, including social media and digital platforms,” said Pastor Balvin Braham, vice president for evangelism in the IAD.

The five-day, two-and-a-half-hour online sessions will cover basic counseling skills for preachers, captivating preaching techniques, delivering effective sermon messages, reviewing principles of discipleship, and strategies for gaining decisions for Jesus, among other topics.

“The event was initially scheduled to be presented to active church leaders and members in the Atlantic Caribbean Union,” said Braham, amid ongoing evangelistic efforts in The Bahamas. Dozens of regional and visiting evangelists from the English-speaking IAD region had lined up to benefit from the training program. However, it quickly pivoted to an online format to include thousands of participants across the IAD, he added.

The event aims to help participants develop skills to effectively communicate the gospel in ways that resonate with younger audiences, explore innovative evangelism methods, including social media and digital platforms, and provide guidance on addressing issues of faith while being culturally sensitive and using contextually relevant strategies for evangelism.

Keynote Speaker Ricardo Whyte, M.D., a psychiatrist in California, United States, will speak on the basic principles of neuroscience as they relate to decision-making, exploring the interplay between the brain, emotions, and decisions.

In addition, Sócrates Quispe-Condori, PhD, associate education director of the General Conference, will provide an understanding of the psychological and neurological factors influencing decisions, including the impact of emotion, biases, and external factors on decision-making.

The evangelistic training will include dialogue and forum sessions, focusing on managing evangelism campaigns, preaching techniques, and more.

“We believe that all of our pastors, all of us who are preachers and evangelists, need to be on the cutting edge for such a time as this,” said Braham. “This new era calls for new dynamics and a new focus on how people make decisions. Many are now gravitating away from the church rather than toward it, so it is essential for us to adapt.”

The program is really intended to sharpen and hone the skills of preachers, said Braham. “It’s so that we can be more effective in gaining decisions for Christ,” Braham said.

Already, more than 3,000 pastors, lay evangelists, and Bible workers have registered to be part of the live online training sessions, which will be offered in English and translated into Spanish and French simultaneously.

The online sessions will be transmitted from 9:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m. Miami Time, Feb. 11-13, Feb. 17-19, 2025. You can view it by clicking on webcast.interamerica.org