Aiming to empower Adventists to become effective disciples and disciple-makers for Jesus, the Papua New Guinea Union Mission (PNGUM) launched the Discipleship Empowerment Team and strategy on April 2 at the PNG University of Technology’s Rose Kekedo Hall in Lae, Morobe.

More than 500 church leaders of all ages attended the launch, held at the end of a week of discipleship training for Sabbath school, personal ministries, youth, children, women, and family life ministries leaders from the nine local missions and one conference that make up PNGUM.

Addressing the gathering, Pastor Danny Philip, South Pacific Division discipleship strategy leader, called on local churches and institutions to effectively participate in disciple-making. “The Seventh-day Adventist local church should be a workshop where everyone is involved in some form of activity,” said Pastor Philip.

“The church should not be a museum. The church is a place of duty, involvement, and participation. It is the place where a lot of noise about disciple-making is made. The core business of the church is multiplying disciples. Seventh-day Adventist institutions must be involved in disciple-making,” Philip added, offering a prayer for all leaders across PNGUM.

Pastor Malachi Yani, PNGUM president, also spoke at the event, urging attendees to work together to “win disciples”. “The right time to do ministry is now. Do not wait for big things to happen. Where is your priority when you are a disciple?” Yani exclaimed.

This article was originally published on the website of Adventist Record