Kingdom Growth at Its Best

By Nathan L. Krause

In 2022, the Evangelism and Ministerial departments merged to form Ministry & Evangelism, focusing on “Helping pastors and churches grow.” We offer training, resources and support in ministry and evangelism.

During the past four years, in conjunction with Hispanic Ministries & Spanish Evangelism, we continued to hold practical evangelism training events in various areas of the Texas Conference, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,” Ephesians 4:12. Our church elders, leaders and members are eager to become better equipped to serve for kingdom growth.

The Texas Conference provides several resources to support our pastors and churches in ministry, evangelism and Sabbath School. One is Natural Church Development, which helps congregations discover their strengths, weaknesses and identity and then guides them toward healthy growth. We also offer access to Link2Lead, which makes demographic data available so churches can better understand their communities and strategically plan their outreach efforts.

One of our department’s key functions is to develop our pastors’ professional skills. Those who have yet to be ordained or commissioned participate in a two-year cycle of eight quarterly training sessions. A pastor must complete this Pastoral Ministry Development course to be considered for ordination or commissioning. The format has been modified recently to target the seven core qualities the North American Division considers essential for effective pastoral ministry: character, evangelism, leadership, worship, management, scholarship and relationship.

Joshua’s Men groups provide further pastoral development. This yearlong mentoring journey is experienced in small groups using a Men’s Ministries curriculum, which is adjusted somewhat to fit our pastors’ needs. In addition, the Focusing Leaders program offers monthly network meetings to help pastors lead their churches in discovering God’s unique calling for individual members and identifying opportunities to serve their community.

It can be easy to forget that pastors are human and that their families go through the same kinds of life crises that we all experience. In addition to supporting pastors and their families through personal visits, in 2020 we offered mental health retreats. A Seventh-day Adventist psychologist provided information and training to assist our pastors and, in turn, their members in maintaining mental health during the increased stress of recent years.

The Great Commission Jesus gave in Matthew 28:18-20 has always stayed the same. However, we must develop new methodologies and implement innovative ways to carry out that commission today.

Byron Corbett is available to conduct evangelistic series of varying lengths in our churches. While on-site, he also trains members who wish to improve their ability to take part in fulfilling the Great Commission.

We are excited about new initiatives such as The Promise Prophecies, an innovative digital series using online lead generation, podcasts and more. Streams of Light International is helping us distribute The Great Controversy book to each household in the Texas Conference. We are also partnering with Amazing Facts and ShareHim to grow God’s kingdom here in Texas.

Tom Grove and I consider it our greatest privilege to serve as pastors to the pastors of the Texas Conference, as well as to provide training and resources to our church members. Byron Corbett is delighted to serve as your English evangelist. Along with our administrative assistant, Esperanza Garza, we are grateful to be honored with the high calling of ministering to the pastors and members of the Texas Conference.