Thursday, May 15, 2014

Day Three Voted Recommendations

By lunch time today, nine recommendations were voted by the attendees, and they are as follows:

Mission to Contemporary Audiences

1. Develop a branding strategy for Adventism tied to a clearer sense of our identity, including shifting our evangelistic emphasis from educational to relational approaches. Empower members through training and internal promotions programs, to mingle with the secular community, including opening our churches more hours to be available to local communities.

2. Promote a stronger emphasis on discipleship which encompasses evangelism into nurture resulting in retention.

3.Create a program for educating, mentoring, and training members, including contextualizing the Adventist witness, providing a greater emphasis on contemporary issues, including listening to young adults.

Education

1. Develop a program for the promotion of Adventist Education for pastors and members tied to mission.

2. Develop innovative strategies for the delivery of Adventist education including: after-school and online programs, requiring all churches in a given constituency to support their local Adventist school, whether they have students there or not.

3. Develop alternative funding streams for Adventist education, including endowments, changing tithe ratios, and expanding enrollment by including non-Adventist students already in our community.


Church Structure

1. Appoint a study group to examine the relationship between the size and complexity of our organization and achieving our mission, resulting in three recommendations based on the relationship between conferences, unions, and the division.

2. Make recommendations specifying ways that Administration and ministries of the church can streamline operations and eliminate duplications where unnecessary at every level.

3. Assign to a  representative commission the challenge of exploring at least three scenarios for the re-distribution of tithe for furthering the mission of the church.

The NAD will return proposals and recommendations based on the above nine, at NAD year-end meetings.

The rest of today is focused on discussion regarding Women's ordination, and the churches response to the LBGT issues.

In my opinion, this was, has been, one of the more meaningful events I've participated in since moving into the administrative area. The collective prayers of the attendees is that God would be a real and indispensable presence in directing His church toward new initiatives and/or changes that might enhance the mission of growing the Kingdom of God.

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