ACTS, a support and training program for church planters, was held January 29 to February 1, 2026, in Huis ter Heide, Netherlands, bringing together 27 participants representing 11 early-stage church plants across the country. Organizers said the training was designed to equip leaders for sustainable, mission-focused church planting.

The program included pastor Sylvia Cariotoglou, Trans-European Division (TED) director for Adventist Mission and Evangelism, who led devotionals focused on spiritual formation and leadership identity in the context of church planting. Organizers said the weekend aimed to strengthen both spiritual growth and practical planning for participants.

Training sessions were led by Adventist pastors Choni Miguel, Anderson Londono, and Tiago Pereira, with group discussions facilitated by Tabitha Purple and Josué Gomez. Leaders from the first ACTS cohort also participated, sharing testimonies and lessons learned, which organizers said reflected the program’s emphasis on developing leaders who invest in future church planters.

Lila Jones, who participated in the first ACTS cohort and now serves as a collaborator, described the weekend as “a very positive and eye-opening experience,” adding that the content offered “a new perspective” for participants.

Enrico Karg, executive secretary of the Netherlands Union of Churches Conference (NUChC), also addressed the group.

“It is very important to see how our leadership has been prepared for the challenges we are facing today,” he said. “It has been inspiring to see them flourishing in God’s mission.”

Tiago Pereira, NUChC church growth director, said the training represented “a major step towards building a continuous leadership development cycle,” aimed at helping leaders respond to local challenges with “clarity, competence and full dependence on the Holy Spirit.”

ACTS is now in its second cohort. Of its four modules, three will be held locally this year, while the final module will be organised jointly by the Nordic countries and the Netherlands, with TED support, in the first quarter of 2027. In the coming months, participants will take part in a structured coaching process designed to support leaders as they translate learning into practice within their local contexts.

The original article was published on the Trans-European Division news site.