A first-ever church planting consultation between representatives of Seventh-day Adventist supporting ministries and General Conference (GC) mission leaders took place September 10–12 at the Church’s world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.
The Aligned for Mission Church Planting Consultation’s stated objective was “to strengthen our unity in Christ for mission in order to sharpen our focus on planting new groups of believers among the unreached, reaffirm our commitment to Christ’s wholistic ministry model, and explore means of aligning our mission strategies.”
Rick McEdward, executive secretary for the GC, welcomed participants with an appeal for unity: “We have a big mission, and we have enough to do, and let’s go together. . . it’s about one message, one church, one mission.”
The three-day gathering included devotionals, prayer sessions, ministry presentations, strategic discussions, and informal conversations.
Erton Köhler, president of the GC, thanked supporting ministry leaders for their work and emphasized the need for the entire Church to participate in mission. “We need many hands to push the mission of the church—pastors, administrators, the members, and those who are leading supporting ministries around the world,” he said.
Supporting ministries are independent organizations operated by Adventist lay members that work in support of the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Leaders of these ministries shared details of their work in church planting, health ministry, education, media, literature evangelism, refugee ministry, missionary training, and sending both international and local missionaries.
Organizations represented included Adventist Laymen’s Services & Industries (ASI), a membership organization for Adventist businesspeople, professionals, and supporting ministries; Adventist Frontier Missions; Adventist Medical Evangelism Network (AMEN); Adventist Southeast Asia Projects Ministries; Gospel Outreach; Jesus for Asia; Outpost Centers International; and Quiet Hour Ministries.
Danny Houghton, president of ASI, said the spirit of unity was one of the most meaningful aspects of the gathering. “We all love the church,” he said, “and to be invited in and talk about strategy and push the work of the church forward was an honor and a blessing.” He described the consultation as “a very meaningful start in enhancing collaboration between supporting ministries to work in an aligned way with what the church is doing.”
A recurring recommendation was improved communication between supporting ministries and official church organizations. Participants also suggested developing agreements between supporting ministries and denominational organizations working together in mission fields.
“The purpose of this meeting was to gather mission leaders together to strengthen our cooperation,” said Greg Whitsett, Planning director for the GC Office of Adventist Mission. “We value our diversity of mission strategies, but not at the expense of harmony. . .. I came away encouraged by what can happen when mission leaders sit together in a close setting like this to work our common challenges.”
At the conclusion of the consultation, the group agreed on a statement identifying shared interests such as alignment in mission, better communication and collaboration, and co-ordination for frontline work in high-priority mission areas. It also addressed the need to share mission stories with honesty, sensitivity to other belief systems, and sensitivity to security concerns in certain areas officially closed to Christian mission.
John Shin, M.D., president of AMEN expressed his appreciation for the consultation. He said, “I have found this event uplifting and encouraging because it allowed me to meet like-minded leaders of other ministries and fellowship with them and leaders in the church administration in expanding the reach of the gospel message and the Lord’s work.”
Gary Krause, director of the GC Office of Adventist Mission, expressed a similar hope. “It was wonderful to see lay ministries gather to pray, share, and discuss ways to work more effectively together, and with official church organizations such as Adventist Mission,” he said.
McEdward closed the consultation by pointing beyond organizational structures to the ultimate purpose of mission: leading people to Jesus. “Our calling together matters,” he said, “because it is to introduce people to Jesus, ground them in the Scripture and be whole-life worshippers of Jesus and also to invite others to worship Him as well.”
Looking back over the three days, McEdward summarized his hope for what had begun in Silver Spring: “I believe this weekend has been the beginning of an era of closer cooperation with supporting ministries.
