Hands-on Presentations Help Inter-American Leaders Discuss How to Go “Back to Altar”

October 29, 2023 | Miami, Florida, United States | Inter-American Division News

God wants to bless His people, but it has to start with the leadership, said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the Inter-American Division (IAD), before a special presentation that opened the Back to the Altar focus weekend in Miami, Florida, United States, October 27, 2023. The meetings encourage Seventh-day Adventist leaders across the territory to go back to the basics — spending time daily with God in daily study of His Word and prayer and emphasizing family and corporative worship as the basis of a successful Christian life.

In a recorded video message, Pastor Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, celebrated the launch of Back to the Altar in the IAD. “This is about giving great emphasis in Mission Refocus, and families in mission, and members’ involvement in discipleship, nurturing, and retention,” Pastor Wilson said. “We need to come back to the altar, back to God. This is what the three angels’ messages is all about.”

A call to refocus

Pastor Ramons Canals, secretary of the ministerial association of the General Conference and responsible for the global initiative, agreed. “Back to the Altar is God’s call to refocus,” he said. “Often, as leaders we are so busy in God’s work that we might forget God Himself,” he said.

Canals made his point to stress that it was not his role to tell leaders what they might be doing wrong. “I am not preaching today; I am sharing my struggle with you. We are together in this,” he said. “This is not about a person teaching another person. It’s finding out how we can — all together — invite God’s Spirit to come and teach us what to do.”

During the October 27-28 sessions, keynote speaker was Pastor Don MacLafferty, an Adventist pastor who specializes in training in discipleship and is a ministerial association assistant to promote the initiative. MacLafferty shared seven principles of this worldwide call to revival and to live a victorious life in Jesus. The October 27 morning session covered the first two principles, as Pastor MacLafferty not only introduced them but also called Adventist leaders to personal reflection, small groups discussion, and practical commitments to “go back to the altar.”

Room for improvement

In his experience around the world, Pastor MacLafferty found out that some church regions with high growth rates in membership find it more difficult to reflect on discipleship, also known as nurturing. After much prayer, he developed a 10-question survey that encourages church leaders and members to reflect on their individual, family, and corporative walk with the Lord. At the beginning of his October 27 session, he also invited IAD church leaders to answer those questions anonymously.

“Are you thirsty for something more with Jesus than what you currently have?” asks the first question. “Do you have peace about your salvation by grace through faith? the second adds. The third question asks, “Do you have daily, meaningful, unrushed time, alone with God, in His written Word?” Other questions deal with the life of prayer, full surrender to Jesus, asking for a daily baptism of the Holy Spirit, and family worship. A final question asks every Adventist if they are discipling someone outside the church. About 100 IAD leaders provided answers to the survey questions.

A couple of hours into his presentation, MacLafferty shared the results, which showed there’s ample room for improvement. Most leaders said they are thirsty for a deeper relationship with Jesus, and almost a dozen acknowledged they lack peace about salvation. Still, more than half find it hard to spend daily unrushed time with God’s Word. Almost half of them struggle with family worship, and more than half are not discipling another person outside their regular duties.

But that’s the beauty of the first principle, MacLafferty reminded leaders, which calls Adventist leaders and members to “come to Jesus every day just as you are.” “We don’t have to wash up before coming to Christ,” he emphasized.

In his hands-on presentation, MacLafferty divided the group of leaders in smaller groups, and even in pairs, inviting them to reflect on the answers to the survey questions. He also invited leaders to read passages from the Bible “as if you had never read them before,” and pray for each other, their families, and their spiritual life.

Surrendering your life to the Lordship of Jesus

In a second presentation, MacLafferty focused on the second Back to the Altar principle, which calls Adventist leaders and members to “honor Jesus as Lord, giving Him the control of their personal life every day.”

Based on Matthew 28:18, MacLafferty reminded Adventist leaders that Jesus has received “all authority.” At the same time, he said quoting Philippians 2:5-11, Jesus only requests we surrender to Him because He understand what surrendering implies very well. “Jesus, being God, gave up and surrendered to the lordship of the Father, even though He is equal with the Father.” It was not easy for Him; He wrestled with surrender. So, He understands leaders in this room very well about how hard it is for us to surrender, MacLafferty said.

“The question we should ask is, God, what will give you glory?”, he said. “And be willing to pay the cost.” That cost may include humbling ourselves before our family, or even putting in jeopardy the idea other leaders have of us, he explained.

Surrendering to Jesus implies confessing with our lips and with our knees that Jesus is the Lord of our lives, MacLafferty said. “It’s not only about believing that one day every knee shall bow before Jesus,” he emphasized. “It’s about believing practically in our life today and surrendering daily to His lordship.”