Total Member Involvement Reaffirmed during Friday Evening Program

During the Friday evening program in the Dome at America’s Center, leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church underscored a continued commitment to Total Member Involvement (TMI). TMI is a global initiative launched in 2015 under the leadership of outgoing General Conference president Ted N. C. Wilson.

Introduced as a rallying call for every member of the church to participate in the mission of making disciples, TMI has become a defining feature of the Adventist Church’s global outreach strategy. The initiative was founded on the conviction that the work of evangelism does not rest solely on pastors or other church workers but on each believer, called to share the faith that has transformed their own life.

James Howard, GC director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries and an assistant to the GC president for Global TMI, reminded delegates that the church is not merely a source of doctrinal truth but a community called to cultivate a culture of disciple-making. He made the point that success in the church is not just about baptisms or growing membership; it’s also about how many of those members are actively working to make new disciples out of love and reverence for God.

James Howard, Sabbath School and Personal Ministry director, gives an overview of the Global Total Member Involvement initiative.

Presenters also made a call for a shift in how success in mission is defined—not by titles, positions, or popularity, but by a personal, Spirit-led commitment to help others come to know Christ.

Howard then outlined five key steps to guide members in that journey: Prepare, Plant, Cultivate, Harvest, and Preserve. Delegates received practical tools to help implement this process, and resources were made available to the broader public at globalTMI.org.

TMI’s Global Impact

The evening program included multiple stories of how this vision is reaching individuals around the globe.

In the East-Central Africa Division (ECD), the first major international TMI campaign took place in Rwanda in 2016, where more than 2,000 sites were active and more than 100,000 baptisms resulted. Nine years later, the ECD reported more than one million baptisms across the territory from TMI campaigns held during 2023 and 2024.

In the North American Division (NAD), President Alex Bryant reported widespread engagement in community outreach, stating that approximately 5,200 churches and schools have joined the Pentecost 2025 initiative.

Baptisms take place during the evening Global Total Member Involvement program on July 4, 2025.

Bryant affirmed that TMI is not just about public campaigns but about the everyday efforts of local church members to connect with neighbors and bring hope to them.

Denzil and Donna McNeilus, NAD lay members of a local church in Minnesotta further reinforced this point, sharing how they have seen God work within their church as a result of daily intentional prayer.

A video presentation from the ECD further illustrated this principle. It shared the testimony of a church member from Tanzania named Joyner Buhatwa, who, using her own funds, on Valentine’s Day earlier this year, chose to minister to women who were working in prostitution. Through her acts of service, several women embraced a new life in Christ through baptism.

Another avenue of TMI has been the Pathways to Health initiative. Since 2014, nine mega-clinics held in U.S. cities have mobilized more than 19,000 Adventist volunteers to provide free health services. These efforts have reached more than 45,000 people, offering tangible care and an introduction to the love of Christ.

In a special presentation, prime minister of Papua New Guinea (PNG) James Marape publicly thanked the Adventist Church for its message of hope and impact across PNG. Through the PNG for Christ campaign and a groundswell of member participation, the church in PNG now reports more than one million baptized members.

Baptisms take place during the evening Global Total Member Involvement program on July 4, 2025.

The evening program concluded with the baptism of seven individuals—real-time evidence of what happens when members get involved, presenters affirmed. Delegates were invited to recommit themselves to the core mission of the church: to go, make disciples, and be part of a movement led not by a few but by the many.

As the church’s General Conference looks ahead to a new chapter of leadership, Adventist leaders affirm, TMI is not a theme of the past decade—it is the ongoing call of the church.