General Conference Secretary Rick McEdward presented the morning devotional at the LEAD Conference on October 10, 2025, the first full day of Annual Council, and challenged attendees that the last frontier of mission is internal, not external, and sacrifice is its true foundation.

McEdward started by telling what he called “stories of ordinary people from the mission field."

He spoke of the three challenging regions for mission: the 10/40 Window, post-Christian culture, and urban cities. He told delegates that missional practitioners had identified these as important and challenging places to focus Adventist mission. He added that the Adventist mission statement speaks of reaching every tribe, language, and people with the Adventist message, and yet none of these are the final frontier of Adventist mission.

"The last frontier of mission is internal, not external. The first and last frontier of mission starts and ends with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ,” he said. “Sacrifice is a bold commitment. That bold commitment doesn’t end with what we give in the offering plate. Sacrifice is the true foundation of Christ’s mission to the world. Sacrifice is the foundation of a unified mission.”

He repurposed the famous Three Musketeers catchphrase to “All for one, one for all” to emphasize that becoming “one” requires integration.

Firstly, integration represents God’s character, unity in diversity, McEdward said.

He recalled how the local community pulled together after an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, which occurred during the time when he was president of the Middle East North Africa Union Mission (MENAUM).

“If we work together as a loving community raised up . . . the community sees it because we’re out there sharing with others,” he said.

According to McEdward, the second good reason for integration which Adventists often miss is that integration must deal honestly with the compassion of Christ.

“We are often dedicated to urgency, but this is the side of mission we need to be more dealing with. Christ’s compassionate ministry is part of eschatology.”

McEdward’s third reason for integration was that it uses all the gifts present in the body of Christ, giving everyone a seat at the table.

Fourth, it touches people who would not normally respond to the gospel, he said. McEdward highlighted the biblical account of the Syrophoenician woman who encountered Jesus, describing her as our “primary example that Jesus has a will to reach the nations.”

Lastly, McEdward said that integration is important as it helps represent our mission to every tribe, language, and people.

“There are cultures all over the world,” McEdward said after giving some examples of mission in various places. “Let us not neglect going to the hard places and sharing Jesus.”

McEdward finished with the story of Ronylson Freitas, an Adventist and environmental management expert from Brazil who was brought in by local church leaders to tackle the garbage problem in Egypt. Mr. Rony, as he is known locally, and his wife, Brunna, are Brazilians who are serving the community around Nile Adventist Academy. The couple has made friendships and connections with the community, who are appreciative of their clean up efforts.

“Can a trash can reach the world?” McEdward asked. According to him, efforts like these can change the world.

The devotional set the tone for the rest of the sessions at the LEAD Conference, which highlighted the theme “Integration for Mission.”

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