June/July 2022 Issue
Implementing evangelism in the local church
David Hartman
One day, a pastor had a startling vision that changed the trajectory of his ministry. He saw a multitude of drowning victims struggling in a frigid ocean while another group of rescued people sat securely on a giant rock. Most of the safe ones seemed oblivious to those…
Change your church culture with baby steps
Dan Serns, Jacob Serns
Dan: Celebrating changed lives During our church worship service, I always had a Celebrating Changed Lives feature. In it, I interviewed those joining the church that month through baptism, profession of faith, and transfer. “I had a really tough life growing up…
How to organize your church for evangelism
Ron Clouzet
Every pastor knows the Great Commission, but not every pastor or church has had a great experience partaking in it. Some churches do evangelism because it is expected, but either their heart is not in it, their planning is inadequate, or the sermons are so bland and…
When young people say, “Count me in.”
Michael Goetz
As a 15-year-old student on a Christian school campus, I was invited to be part of a team led by two teachers1 from SOY Ministries. This name often elicits chuckles from those familiar with my community of faith, known for using soy-based substitutes for meat and dairy.…
Seeking God’s heart for our community
Zac Page
I was in the back office preparing for a baptism when Bruce came looking for me. It was his first time attending our church, he had just finished listening to a guest presenter, and I had wondered how he would react. I could not help but be nervous about whether he…
A transformed church
Marius Serban
Many pastors and ministry leaders would erase the years 2020 and 2021 from history if it were possible. Middletown Seventh-day Adventist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, however, could not be more grateful for what those past two years have brought to their congregation.…
No longer orphans
Luis Duran, Karen Glassford
A hurting child lay in his bed, quivering from cold and fear. Pedro’s father had beat up his mother again.1 And there was never enough food because his father drank away nearly all his earnings. With his dirty little hands, Pedro wiped at an endless stream of tears…
Family and the gospel
Drew Coons
How many grooms do you know of who have shared the gospel of Christ with the guests at his own wedding? I did, because when you understand the gospel, you cannot help but use any opportunity to promote it. Several years later, my wife, Kit, and I started a biblically…
Leading our children to Christ: Adventist education and discipleship
Scott R. Ward
Veteran religious educator Lawrence Richards once asked, “Where do we begin in our thinking about Christian education?” He then concluded, “For me the starting point is found in these words of Jesus: ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ ”1 That…
A new resource for a new world: An interview with two ESDA editors
Editor’s note: The editors of Ministry interviewed David Trim, PhD, the General Conference Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research director and the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists (ESDA) editor, and Dragoslava Santrac, PhD, the ESDA managing editor. Pavel…