Adventist Leaders Review and Solidify Evangelism Initiatives for 2023

Seventh-day Adventist administrators and department heads of the Inter-American Division (IAD) took two days to pray about and review ongoing initiatives, new plans, and activities aimed at mobilizing church members to spread the Gospel throughout the territory this year. The leadership meetings, held on January 4–5, 2023, saw church leaders solidifying evangelism activities with greater collaboration efforts between departments and ministries in pursuit of fulfilling the mission, church leaders said.

“We need to continue to be a stronger team devoted to listening to one another and working more closely together as we face the immensity of 2023,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in the IAD. He added that ensuring initiatives and activities already in motion and those scheduled for the year are more integrated be a priority. “Knowing what each department and ministry is doing and how to better involve the church membership will ultimately impact the communities even more.”

The department leadership meetings were crucial for leaders to take time to pray as a group, reflect on God’s blessings over the church in the IAD in 2022, and plead for God’s guidance onward, said Pastor Henry. Leaders reaffirmed biblical values and total member involvement initiatives from its I Will Go mission emphasis, which will target large cities with urban evangelism. Other gospel objectives include discipleship and conservation of members, while dozens of initiatives focus on teaching or educating in the church and the community, as well reaching out and serving throughout communities.

Coined as Inter-America’s “Year of Conservation and Soul Winning,” the year will see pastors and leaders double their efforts to disciple children, youth, adults, and the elderly for active involvement in the life of the church.

Major events taking place this year include the massive distribution in March of The Great Controversy, a book by Adventist co-founder Ellen G. White. The plan is for members to distribute 6 million hard copies of the full version of the book throughout the IAD territory in one day. Forty million digital copies of the book in English, Spanish, and French are expected to be distributed from March 19 through April 15, 2023.

Major urban evangelistic efforts by dozens of evangelists and laypersons are scheduled to take place in Mexico City; Guadalajara, Mexico; Bogota, Colombia; and Kingston, Jamaica, from March 26 through April 1, 2023.

Department directors shared events and activities taking place this year and were briefed on the membership and financial growth status of the IAD territory, as well as the current challenges and plans in place to continue in the advancement of the church’s mission.

In addition, church leaders reviewed logistics and events for the upcoming territory-wide Pathfinder Camporee that is expected to welcome more than 10,000 campers on April 4–8, 2023, in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

In the coming days, IAD leaders will study the key performance indicators of the strategic initiatives put into effect since 2020 and review upcoming initiatives and events for 2023-2025, with dozens of union and conference/mission administrators next month.

The original article was published on the Inter-American Division website.