Adventist Leaders in Inter-America Focus on More Effective Evangelism Initiatives

More than 600 Seventh-day Adventist unions, conference and mission administrators, as well as evangelism leaders and local pastors across the Inter-American Division (IAD), met during an online special training session to discuss better ways of reaching people of other faiths. The five-hour evangelism growth training, held on Sep. 16, was aimed at strengthening and optimizing territory-wide efforts as the I Will Go mission initiative continues. The training sessions have been held once each quarter this year.

“Evangelism is the soul of the church and we must continue to preach, reflect the fullness of God and serve the community,” said Pastor Elie Henry, President of the church in Inter-America. Pastor Henry challenged the delegation of regional leaders to continue their efforts in getting church members involved in sharing the gospel where they are.

Christ’s method to reach others

It’s about using Christ’s method to reach others by mingling with people, showing sympathy, ministering to their needs, and witnessing the love of Jesus, he said. “We must manifest a faithful presence, demonstrate love, grace, mercy, and justice, and actively engage in the neighborhood and the community as a church,” added Pastor Henry. “When there is a crisis, we can’t expect the community to change if they don’t have a way to improve.” It’s about connecting, visiting, engaging, and looking for ways to work for the good of our neighborhoods before even introducing the gospel, he emphasized. Community centers, or centers of influence, must keep multiplying across the territory, Pastor Henry challenged.

Reaching others from different faiths means contextualizing and sharpening evangelism strategies and providing the meaning, methods, and materials necessary to be effective in keeping the mission of the church vibrant and moving forward always, said Pastor Balvin Braham, who is the vice president in charge of evangelism for the church in Inter-America.

“We have a mission and ministry to get done and it must be clearer now more than ever,” said Braham. To fulfill that mission together as a division, Braham reviewed baptismal statistics from the first two quarters of 2019 and 2020 as a reference point to forge ahead while the territory prepares to embark on the IAD’s centennial celebration next year.

Collaborating in regional groups

Just recently, all 24 unions, or major church regions, in the IAD were grouped together into five different regional groups to coordinate evangelism initiatives and mission approaches in the months ahead. The five regions overseen by an IAD leader include the five unions in Mexico as one group, Central America and the Dominican Republic; Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba and Puerto Rico; French Antilles and Haiti; and the Caribbean and Jamaican unions. The groups met separately during the online training session to go over strategies, community initiatives, regional evangelism campaigns, and activities ahead.

The goal is for all unions to work together, reach people from all ages and socio-economic classes, teach them about the gospel, and disciple them to keep them active in the mission of the church, added Braham. “It’s a total package to get people to know the Word of God, to believe the Word and live the Word,” he said. It’s all about moving together in a transformational way with the clear truths of the Bible and assisting people to satisfy their personal needs and build relationships.

Connecting with people of other faiths

During a panel discussion session, leaders discussed different ways of reaching people of other faiths such as learning and understanding their beliefs, culture, context, and perspective, finding similarities when comparing to Adventist beliefs and biblical principles while not focusing on the differences, and building relationships before witnessing to them.

“We as Seventh-day Adventists have this pressing desire to win people for Christ right away, but we have to see what the needs of the people are,” said Joel Fernández, Evangelism Coordinator for the church in the Dominican Republic, as he took part on the panel. “Jesus didn’t ask what people’s creed was. It’s not about evangelizing, but caring, finding out their pressing needs, and making an impact, a difference.”

The next quarter evangelism training session is scheduled for December 8, 2021.

To find presentations and resources used during the online evangelism training session, visit sorttpadd.com

This article was originally published on the Inter-America Division’s website