When Scripture declares that those who preach the gospel of peace have beautiful feet, it might have envisioned the Inter-American Division (IAD) pastors who I recently met in Guatemala.
Breaking many established rules of public evangelism: targeting homoge neous groups, featuring a well-known personality, maintaining consistency with the same speaker throughout, and thoroughly integrating programming to fit the audience's cultural expectations, IAD leadership launched a Year of World Evangelism initiative with eighteen different preachers (one from each union in their territory) in three different languages (Spanish, English, and French), beamed by satellite to hundreds of sites.
Speakers for this evangelistic series, which attracted thousands of interested attendees and hundreds of baptisms, were selected with the requirement that each currently be serving as a local pas tor. Note, pastors! Not administrators or departmental leaders, not famous evangelists, not theologians, or even professors of evangelism. Pastors! When Ivan Omana, IAD Ministerial Association Secretary envisioned this grand venture, he determined to feature only pastors who minister in the day-to-day reality of the local parish. His plan produced highest-quality programming with a technical staff of thirty-five providing state-of-the-art technological and musical support, to demonstrate the impact that local church pastors bring to soul-winning.
As I gathered with these pastors before the final weekend to pray for that night's speaker and to honor Ivan and Evelyn Omana for their leadership, a spontaneous testimony service broke out with pastor after pastor describing what they had experienced.
"We came as strangers, unknown to each other, but within a couple of days, we were formed together in a spirit of cooperation, fellowship, and spiritual unity. Although we came from diverse cultures, educational backgrounds, cultural experiences, and languages, we have become united by proclaiming the message of life and hope." "When I received my assigned topic, I thought this is not the subject for me.
But when the time came, it was, indeed, the sermon I was meant to preach." "I never had experienced so many persons praying for me as I prepared and presented the message. The day I was scheduled to preach, my members back home came together and prayed for my success. People backstage prayed for me and when I stepped onto the platform, I knew the Holy Spirit was empowering me. He used each of us to accomplish far more than any one of us could have done by ourselves. The secret was all of us working together.
My work and life will change. In fact, I believe IAD will not be the same as a result of this venture." Israel Leito, IAD president, prioritized the importance of pastoral evangelism by his own attendance and by scheduling year-end committee meetings in Guatemala City, thus bringing dozens of union and division laity and leaders together to witness the successful series conducted by these pastors.
Affirming the importance of their pastoral leadership, Leito said, "Satellite evangelism by superstar speakers is not unknown, but it has been unknown to feature pastors in this role. You have demonstrated that God does not call equipped people, but rather He equips those whom He calls. You are not the local pastor in your district, you are the representative of the world church in your pastoral assignment. When one pastor fails, the entire world church has failed. When one pastor succeeds, the entire world church is succeeding."
One pastor commented, "Some independent organizations tell us 'how to do the work.' But here the division leadership showed the way with the church strategically planning and implementing. Leadership set the pace. Pastor Omana focused the atmosphere on doing what God expects in the most professional method possible as well as a deeply spiritual ambiance. Eighteen different pastors have spent three weeks together learning to know and respect each other's call and experience. We have dialogued in spite of language and ethnicity differences and discovered, again, that we are one family in Jesus Christ."
"Despite our different mentalities, societies, and preferences, we have come together with common objective to present the message and nothing can prevent us from coming together to finish the work. I never dreamed of being a satellite evangelist, but our leader, Pastor Omana, enthusiastically organized, prioritized, and demonstrated what ordinary pastors can do with extraordinary opportunity."
"You prayed for me, placed hands on my head, pleaded with God for my success. Thank heaven for this concept and leadership's confidence and vision. I return a better pastor, spouse, and father, in the wonderful name of Jesus."
