The value of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's resources should be seen in the people equipped to serve, the congregations discovering new possibilities, and the communities experiencing the gospel, said Daniel Duda, Trans-European Division (TED) president, at the TED Annual Council held in Budva, Montenegro.

Duda delivered the President's Challenge under the theme "From Resources to Readiness" and encouraged leaders to look beyond the resources they provide and consider what people can do as a result.

Duda illustrated the distinction through the story of William Kellogg, whose work helped take breakfast cereal beyond the patients of a sanitarium into ordinary households. He explained that Kellogg’s success lies in helping people see how a product developed for sanitarium patients could become part of their own daily lives.

For the church, that means considering how its beliefs speak to people’s actual lives: how the Sabbath offers rest to an exhausted professional, Christian hope encourages someone who sees little to look forward to, or how a church offers friendship and practical support to someone living alone, he said.

Duda cautioned that sharing faith is different from selling cereal, as the church can respond to people’s needs and invite them to explore faith, but it cannot create a desire for God.

Duda outlined five ways unions, conferences, and mission could use training, events, and funding more effectively to equip churches and leaders to meet the needs of the people they serve.

1. From providing programs to solving real mission problems

According to Duda, divisions should start with what fields and members are experiencing, letting those needs shape the support divisions offer.

Returning to a concern he raised in 2022, Duda questioned the practice of introducing programs and initiatives and maintaining them regardless of their effectiveness. When new programs struggle, the response can become a search for more people to keep them running, without considering whether they address the targeted problem.

The proposed shift asks leaders to listen first, identify the mission challenge, and develop a response that serves the people facing it. The usefulness of a program and initiative would then be assessed through its contribution to that work.

2. From distributing information to developing people

Knowledge alone does not guarantee change, Duda cautioned. Training must also develop discernment, practical skills, and the ability to minister through relationships. After a training event, leaders should evaluate if participants have gained the skills and confidence to lead, serve, help others grow in faith, or handle situations they previously found difficult. Learning should also give people confidence to try, reflect on mistakes, and improve.

Duda linked this to spiritual growth. Participants should leave with a stronger sense that God can use them and with the ability to continue learning beyond the event. Repeated attendance at seminars, without changes in character or practice, falls short of that aim.

3. From standardization to contextualization

“A single model cannot automatically serve every European context,” Duda emphasized in his presentation. A resource developed for Britain may require adaptation for Albania, Iceland, Poland, or Cyprus. Churches need to understand the people they hope to reach, including those with no Christian background or existing knowledge of the Adventist Church, he said.

Duda distinguished flexibility in ministry from changes to the gospel itself. The same message can be shared through a public lecture, a personal conversation, a small group, a community project, a university dialogue, or a digital platform. Each approach requires different skills and sensitivity to its setting.

According to Duda, resources should therefore become locally owned and adapted, helping congregations offer meaningful ways for people to encounter Jesus.

4. From isolated events to learning communities

Large gatherings have a valuable place, Duda recognized, particularly for members of small churches who gain encouragement from meeting a wider community of believers. Their lasting significance, however, depends on what happens after participants return home. He challenged leaders to consider how these events help participants serve their congregations, teach their students, and carry out their pastoral responsibilities.

He called for participants to keep working together after events, support one another, test new approaches, and share what they learn across unions and fields. An approach developed in one territory could then inform and encourage work elsewhere.

Such relationships would help participants build on their initial inspiration, receive support as they put ideas into practice, and share what they learn along the way, he said.

5. From measuring activity to discerning fruit

Duda’s final pillar challenged the measures used to assess success. Participation, expenditure, and the number of resources produced provide an incomplete picture of mission, he said. Duda urged leaders to assess if their work helps people build stronger relationships, lead more effectively, grow in faith, serve their communities, and share the gospel.

For Duda, a smaller project that equips new leaders or enables a church to reach a previously neglected community could be more valuable than a well-attended event with little lasting impact. For executive committees allocating substantial resources, this makes evaluation a matter of stewardship, he said.

Duda concluded by inviting every union to identify one ministry challenge it wants to address over the next year, so that lessons and results can be reflected in the following year’s union reports.

“Imagine if we became known not primarily for the programs we provide, but for the kind of people and communities we help flourish," Duda concluded.

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