A first-ever evangelism summit to be held by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America is aimed at changing attitudes and approaches toward evangelism, say organizers of the event.
A first-ever evangelism summit to be held by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America is aimed at changing attitudes and approaches toward evangelism, say organizers of the event.
The Integrated Evangelism Summit, to be held August 12 to 17 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will be attended by more than 150 leaders of the church in Inter-America. It will focus on a “broader strategy plan bringing together all departments to focus on the same objective,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in the region.
For decades, evangelism has been the main thrust of the church in Inter-America, mostly presented as public programs, led by evangelists. But times have changed and methods must be adapted to people and their needs, explains Elie Honore, M.D., coordinator of the event and health ministries director for the church in Inter-America. The summit’s sole objective is to “recognize our need to understand that evangelism is not a periodical activity happening two or more times a year as the special ministry of a few individuals, but an ongoing one for the whole membership, a permanent way of life, a culture, the church’s culture.”
At the summit, the Adventist Church in Inter-America will present an official Statement on Integrated Evangelism document, which will then be implemented throughout the region.