In an effort to bolster the involvement of local churches and members in disciple-making and personal witnessing, and in preparation for the Global-Disciple Making initiative, the Adventist Church in South-Central Luzon kicked off the year with intensive sessions focused on the biblical strategy for disciple-making evangelism. A congregation of 670 delegates, comprising church leaders and pastors hailing from the provinces of Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, and Marinduque, convened at the South-Central Luzon headquarters (SCLC) in Laguna, Philippines, on January 7th.
Pastor Arnel Gabin, Vice President for Nurturing Discipleship Retention-Integrated Evangelism Lifestyle (NDR-IEL) at the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD), along with his wife, Dr. Irelyn Gabin, Assistant NDR-IEL Director, played pivotal roles as facilitators and lecturers throughout the meeting.
Pastor Gabin articulated the importance of maintaining focus on the church’s mission and not allowing anything else to absorb their attention. He emphasized that a missional church thrives. Doing the mission produces multiplication. He asserted, “The main result of mission is to fill heaven, and not only to fill a church.” Moreover, he provided a comprehensive roadmap for member retention, highlighting the need for intentional nurturing of new members. One effective approach involves incorporating them into care groups and witnessing teams, where they can unite with other church members in witnessing initiatives.
Furthermore, Pastor Gabin introduced the Global Disciple-Making Evangelism strategy, urging every church to actively participate in personal and public evangelism. The objective is to equip every disciple or new member added to the church roster with the capacity to disciple others as well. This method requires deliberate effort from a member to disciple, mentor, and monitor the learning progress of the Bible student, offering tailored follow-up efforts based on the student’s circumstances in each phase of the discipleship process.
The family-to-family initiative was also given significant emphasis. Dr. Irelyn Gabin underscored the importance of empowering entire families to share the gospel with other families. She remarked, “God wants our houses and homes to be witness centers, to bring joy and success to other families. If we have issues with our neighbor, rather than waiting for them to initiate change, let us take the initiative to make adjustments for them.”
Reflecting on the day’s proceedings, Lowell Avellano, head elder of a local church, shared his insight, stating, “We were attuned to the gospel work. We were reminded that we are chosen for mission and, as such, need not be coerced to fulfill it.” Delia Castillo, an attending delegate, expressed how much she benefited from the gathering, noting, “I was reminded of the work left undone in our church, such as nurturing new members and advancing the family-to-family initiative. I am now reinvigorated to contribute anew to the progress of the gospel work.”
It was evident that the event ignited a renewed sense of mission among the attendees. Looking forward, the church leadership hopes that as members become focused on fulfilling the mission God has called them to do, languishing churches will experience revival, church members will have a newfound fervor, tangible growth in numbers and faith will be evident, and more individuals will be candidates for heaven.
Melo Anadem Adap-Ong, NPUC Communication Department