The first-ever stewardship summit to be held in the Southern Asia-Pacific region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church ended Feb. 20 after four days of exploring what was described as “often misunderstood concepts in Christian giving,” by delving into biblical stewardship principles.

Seventeen countries were represented by nearly 200 delegates to the summit, the second-ever such meeting for the church worldwide.

“[We have come together] because we want to achieve unity, even in our interpretation of stewardship principles and planned giving,” said Violeto Bocala, president of the church in the region.

“Stewardship is a lifestyle of one who accepts Christ’s lordship, walking in partnership with God and acting as God’s agent to manage His affairs on earth,” said Ben Maxson, stewardship director for the world church and one of the presenters at the meeting.

Each participant outlined his or her strategy to communicate the stewardship principle to their immediate area of influence. They made a commitment for spiritual revival and growth in the Southern Asia-Pacific region’s approximately 1.2 million Adventist Church members.

“This year, we are implementing the One Offering Plan scheme in all countries of this division,” said Bobby Sepang, president of the church in East Indonesia.

According to church member Melvin Paul, the summit erased some misconceptions about stewardship as only concerned with money. Benjie Mendez, a conference treasurer noted that this summit has given him the direction on where to prioritize church money derived through the One Offering Plan.

Other presenters included Jean-Luc Lezeau, associate stewardship director for the world church; Angel Rodriguez, director of the church’s Biblical Research Institute; and Gideon Durante, a theology professor at the Adventist University of the Philippines.