More than 1,000 Seventh-day Adventist pastors from across Europe have just concluded meetings focused on the challenges of sharing Christianity in the 21st century, often in profoundly secular environments.
More than 1,000 Seventh-day Adventist pastors from across Europe have just concluded meetings focused on the challenges of sharing Christianity in the 21st century, often in profoundly secular environments.
Each pastor met at one of three Bible conferences held mid-June to early July to discuss “ethical and evangelistic challenges of pastoral ministry.” Pastors from Latin countries met at Collonges, France; Eastern European pastors met near Bucharest, Romania; and German-speaking pastors gathered at Darmstadt, Germany. But while the languages differed, the meetings were concentrated on a single theme: “United in His Service.”
Ulrich Frikart, president of the church in Euro-Africa, presented a message at each location, reaffirming the “very important work” of pastors in local churches. He urged all church leaders and members to contribute to an atmosphere of “appreciation, support, and encouragement, leaving no space for destructive criticism.”
“Our ministers need to know that they have the full support of the church’s administration as well as of their local congregations,” he said.
Organizers say the Bible conferences demonstrated that the church in Euro-Africa has “a new, young generation of ministers, highly motivated and strongly challenged, but with a vision of hope and confidence for the future.” Participants at the Bible Conference in Collonges adopted a statement that read in part: “We commit ourselves to make mission a priority, preaching the Gospel with all means available, in order to prepare the church and the world for the Second Coming of Christ.”
Speakers at the Bible conferences included Miroslav Kis, professor of ethics at Andrews University, United States; Michael Pearson, professor of ethics at Newbold College, England; and Ron du Preez, former professor of ethics at Southern University, United States.
Other speakers, who dealt with topics of mission, evangelism, and church-planting, included: James A. Cress, ministerial association secretary of the Adventist World Church; Cindy Tutsch, from the E.G.White Estate, United States; and Ron Gladden, church-planting specialist, also from the United States.
Bible Conference participants also looked at innovative approaches to evangelism already taking place in the church’s Euro-Africa region, such as: “New Life Perspective Evangelism for Postmodern People,” “Link2Life” youth satellite evangelism 2002 from Germany and Switzerland, France’s satellite evangelism, “Regards 2003,” and “Sola Scriptura” Bible Correspondence School from Romania with more than 20,000 students.
