In her book The Desire of Ages, p.667, Ellen G. White wrote, “God did not design that His wonderful plan to redeem men should achieve only insignificant results. All who will go to work trusting not in what they themselves can do, but in what God can do for and through them, will certainly realize the fulfillment of His promise.” She also pointed out that “Every conference, whether large or small, is responsible for earnest, solemn work in preparing a people for the coming of Christ. Those churches in the conference that are willing to work and are in need of help, in order to know how to do effective work, should have the needed assistance,” Manuscript 7, 1908.
It was based on these ideas that the Retooled for Mission 2024 Leadership Symposium was conceived. Hosted by the North Orlando Church in collaboration with the Winter Garden and South Lake churches, this event convened at 10 a.m. on Sunday, January 28, 2024. Aptly titled “Retooled for Mission,” the day’s agenda promised to share best practices in church leadership and evangelism, and highlighted dynamic keynote speakers Abraham Jules, D.Min., Northeastern Conference president, and Michael Owusu, D.Min., Southeastern Conference president. Also featured were seminar presentations by Arnaldo Cruz,Th.M., pastor and Southeastern Conference media evangelism director; Chelston Lee, pastor at Winter Garden/South Lake churches; Alexis Madrid, pastor at Mt. Sinai Church; and Gregory Carrol, D.Min., pastor at North Orlando Church.
The day’s events got off to a pleasant start in the church’s fellowship hall where a short devotional service was held, and a hot breakfast was served. Shortly afterwards, attendees were ushered into the church sanctuary, where Jules gave a powerful presentation titled “Leadership Made Easy — The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.” In his seminar, Jules detailed and enlarged upon 21 proven principles that illustrated effective leadership methods. Some of these principles included influence, process, navigation, priorities, common ground, respect, empowerment, timing, and sacrifice.
The second keynote speaker, Owusu, spoke on the topic “Advancing Mission Together,” and stressed the importance of advancing the mission of the Church. He reiterated Southeastern Conference’s theme: “Fill Us! Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Equipped for God’s Work,” and emphasized, “We cannot share Jesus unless we know Jesus ourselves, and we cannot share the Gospel unless we are impacted by the Gospel ourselves.” He explained that to finish the mission, all need to experience a paradigm shift, and used the analogy of the Church being a battleship where “it’s all hands on deck” instead of it being a cruise ship where “people are just relaxing.” He pointed out that churches must encourage and provide avenues for members to connect with God through worship and prayer.
Encouraged and aroused by both keynote presenters, attendees were then invited to participate in a variety of break-out sessions by presenters Madrid, Carrol, Lee, and Cruz.
In her insightful training session, Madrid delivered on the topic “Dynamic and Effective Youth Engagement,” in which she delved into the art of cultivating and nurturing youth ministries. Focused on practical approaches, Madrid emphasized the significance of adult mentors embodying support, transparency, and love while engaging with youth. The session highlighted the pivotal role of providing a safe space for youth to authentically share their thoughts and feelings.
Carrol’s presentation, “Upside Down: A Post-Covid Kingdom Expansion Strategy,” first referenced Acts 17:6, “But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, ‘These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.’” Based on this text, Carrol’s presentation began by asking two questions: “Can we be used by God to turn the world upside down?” and “How can we replicate Acts 17:6 in 2024?” Carrol explained that before the world can be turned upside down, each must first ask God to turn them upside down, and that “the internal work of change must precede the external work of evangelism.” He also pointed out that it is time for change … change of mindset as well as change of the system. Further, he added that the crux of leadership in these challenging times is motivation, innovation, and dedication.
Another thought-provoking presentation was Lee’s, “The Direction of Power: Personal Power and the Christian Leader,” which he began by reminding attendees of God’s promise of power in Acts 1:8: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me … and unto the uttermost part of the Earth.” He continued by explaining that the source of Christ’s power was prayer and constant communion with His Father, and pointed out that, “Without this daily communion with God, no human being can gain power for service,” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 324. Lee further enlarged on this point by explaining the various stages of “human” power, such as force, rules, personal persuasion, modeling personal integrity, empowering others, and being wise; however, he stressed that the true power of the Christian leader comes only from God.
In his presentation, “Saving People with My Phone,” Cruz shared that because today’s church is composed of face-to-face as well as a growing virtual congregation, the worship service should always be relevant, attractive, and have quality. He recommended engaging with the virtual audience by including them as much as possible in the in-person worship service experience. Cruz also pointed out that the various social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter — which are visited by millions of users, must be made fertile ground for all to share and spread the Gospel. It is therefore critical to position the churches to be easily found when people conduct Google searches for a place to worship. Cruz summed up his presentation with the statement: “Together we can turn social media into a new place for sharing the salvation of Jesus.”
As soon as the morning sessions were concluded, a delicious lunch was provided. Immediately after the break, the group moved into another round of breakout sessions. Based on the questions that were asked of the presenters, it was clear that the attendees found the information edifying, instructive, and relevant.
At the conclusion of the symposium, Owusu was tasked with giving the closing remarks, where he reminded everyone of the vital role that effective Church leadership plays in arming the members for the mission field. He also pointed out the urgency of the commission to share the Gospel of Christ. Equipped with a wealth of information, attendees left the assembly with renewed motivation and, indeed, retooled for mission.
Southeastern | May 2024
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