The beginning of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is marked by the production of printed content. One of the first methods of evangelism was the distribution of pamphlets, magazines, and books from house to house. Those who did this work were colporteurs or literature evangelists, a role that remains relevant to this day.

By definition, the work of a colporteur consists of presenting and selling books and other materials to the public.

Sixteen years ago, Diana Marina Cracco was invited by a friend to participate in this ministry in her hometown in Argentina. Soon, she understood that she was called to serve.

For this reason, she moved to Rosario, 300 kilometers from Buenos Aires, with her husband and daughter. The city is located in the central region and is one of the most important in the country. “I know that many people would not know the gospel if it weren’t for a colporteur bringing it to their home. That’s my biggest motivation,” Cracco emphasizes.

Cracco dedicates herself to this activity full-time, earns her living, and turns each visit into an opportunity for other people to learn about God's love.

The “Mission for Life” project, developed by the Publishing Ministries, aims to revive this sense of calling and encourage more people to dedicate themselves fully to preaching the gospel through literature evangelism.

Historically, the Adventist Church's growth in various parts of the world has been closely linked to the distribution of literature. “The first thing the Church had was not its name. It was a machine. The first thing it bought, the first institution it had, was a publishing house,” describes Adilson Morais, area director in the South American Division, going back to the denomination’s early days in the United States.

A Life of Prayer and Accompaniment

This strategy was adopted by the Adventist Church precisely to create bonds with the local community. This also was the case with Cracco. “Fifteen years ago, I met Silvia, a very loving young woman who had recently married and bought the health supplies. We began a beautiful friendship,” says the Argentinean colporteur, who offered her Bible studies. Later, they formed a Small Group and even visited the local Adventist church. “But she never made the decision to be baptized,” she laments.

Years passed and they maintained their connection as friends, always supporting each other and praying together. At a certain point, Cracco began to attend another religious denomination, but this did not shake the relationship they had built between them.

“Every year, I would write her name on my prayer list so that the Holy Spirit would help her recognize the truth and accept it,” she recalls.

Cracco says that in 2023 the possibility of Silvia moving to a distant town arose. "We prayed for a month, meeting every Saturday at her house so that God would guide her family's decision. Finally, she moved with her family," she explains.

The big surprise came when Silvia started attending an Adventist church in this new location. In December 2023, she and her children were baptized. A few months later, her sister had the same experience. Now, another sister is studying the Bible and preparing for baptism.

Cracco is one of the 1,952 colporteurs who are spread throughout Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay in 2024. In the last five years, 12,593 people have been baptized as a direct result of their evangelistic work.

Morais explains that the Adventist Church's idea is to work with colporteurs to build a project to connect with the neighborhood and the people of that location, reaching places that pastors often cannot reach. This, combined with other evangelistic strategies such as the Life and Health Fair and educational projects, among others, attracts the community to learn more about the Bible.

“Colporteur work is a missionary tool for contacting people, not just distributing literature,” Morais reflects. According to him, this is a ministry ordained by God. Therefore, “when he (the colporteur) feels the call, surrenders himself to the call and does what is his duty, God will do His part," he states.

The original article was published on the South American Division website.