Adventist Church experiences rapid growth in northwest Nicaragua

Some 1,000 leaders of small groups from across the northwestern part of Nicaragua met in Matagalpa to be empowered to continue leading group members into sharing the gospel in their communities. The event took place April, 9-10, 2016. Image courtesy of Northwest Nicaragua Mission

May 12, 2016 | Matagalpa, Nicaragua | Hector Alvarado/IAD Staff

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northwest Nicaragua recently gathered more than 1,000 small group leaders from across the cities of Puerto Cabezas and Matagalpa to be trained on evangelizing in their communities.

A version of a replica of the sanctuary was displayed during the small group leaders event.

Attendees met at a campground in Matagalpa where they spent two days hearing messages from Adventist Theologian Dr. Angel Manuel Rodriguez and former Biblical Research Director at the Adventist World Church Headquarters in Maryland, United States. Small group leaders were also trained on ecclesiastic administration, public and personal evangelism, and in-depth teaching on Christ and the Sanctuary.

Small groups leaders represent a membership of more than 67,000 spread out in the 118 churches in the mission, said Evaristo Garcia, president of the church in the Northwest Nicaragua Mission.

Small groups are comprised of 4 to 18 lay members who meet during weekday to study the Bible and pray for invited neighbors and friends in their communities.

“A large number of our members are involved in the missionary and evangelistic work in their small groups and it’s been wonderful to see the commitment and dedication of our small group leaders,” said Garcia.

That commitment and dedication has led small groups leaders, working together with pastors and church elders, to reaching over 2,400 baptisms in the nearly five months of the year, explained Garcia.

From left to right: Pastors Evaristo Garcia, president of the northwest Nicaragua Mission, Adventist Theologian Dr. Angel Manuel Rodriguez, and Pastor Wilfredo Ruiz, president of the South Central American Union sing with the more than 1,000 in attendance to the event.

The success in the great number of new members added is due to the vision and commitment of church leaders in the conference providing training for small group leaders every three months since 2014, added Garcia.

“Creating and strengthening capabilities in each small group and contributing to the development in a efficient Christian leadership in each person are some of our greatest objectives for holding such an event like this,” said pastor Leonardo Godinez Montenegro, who serves as personal ministries director in the northwest mission. “The church member integrated in a congregation is one of the most important resources in our territory.”

Empowering church members committed to spreading the gospel with their friends and neighbors is the key to growing small groups and supporting the growth of the church as well, said Garcia.

“God is blessing our field with motivated and trained leaders in preaching Jesus,” said Garcia. Garcia said that leaders are doubling their efforts to add an additional 1,000 small groups to the mission territory by the end of 2016.