January 7, 2013 
 

"What would happen if the whole church -every member - across the North American Division  - were to intentionally spend a week praying for God to open doors for witnessing to specific individuals?  "Seven Days of Miracles," an initiative jointly sponsored by Adult Ministries and the Ministerial Association, is designed to encourage that to happen.  

The week before Easter (known to many as "Holy Week") is a time when the public seems to be more receptive to religious discussions, and an ideal time for church members to seek an opportunity to share their faith.  On the Sabbath a week before Easter (March 23,2013), members will be encouraged to identify people they will specifically target with prayer - asking God to open a door of opportunity for them to touch that person's life for Christ in a tangible way.  Some will pray for an opportunity to share literature; others will ask God to give them a chance to bless someone's life through health outreach or some other tangible means of sharing Christ's love.  Suggested steps will be laid out for church members to follow over the course of seven days: church members could ask God to help them identify their prayer targets on Sunday, pray for an opportunity to reach out to them on Monday and Tuesday, act on faith to reach that person on Wednesday, etc.  On the following Sabbath (March 30, 2013, Easter Weekend), members will take time to share how God has answered their prayers.  The impact will be twofold: (1) building the faith and courage of church members by providing them a hands-on opportunity to see God answer their prayers, creating the understanding that we have all been called to minister to the community and (2) encouraging the deliberate building of interest lists in all of our churches.

What better way to celebrate the life we have in a resurrected Christ than to watch God resurrect hearts of those we love and awaken them to spiritual things?"   

Spread the word about this! Let's see what happens when every member in the entire Division actively shares Christ in the same week. 

"BEST PRACTICES WEBINARS" FOR PASTORS WILL BEGIN IN FEBRUARY
NAD Ministerial invites pastors to join us for the "Best Practices Webinars" every 3rd Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. e.s.t. each month beginning this February 2013.  Pastors will be able to participate and ask questions with each presenter through an online delivery.  Please share this with your pastors and feel free to contact us with any questions you have.

Our first Webinar presentation will begin

February 19, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. e.s.t.,

Dr. Dwight Nelson
, Senior Pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church in Berrien Springs, Michigan, will address, "Staying Power in Ministry."  Have you ever felt like giving up on the spiritual/professional journey of pastoral ministry?
What sustained you? Your marriage, your focus, your passion? Join us for this very intriguing discovery.



Our second Webinar presentation will take place on 
 March 19, 2013 at 1:30 pm e.s.t.
                                Dr. Hyveth Williams
, Professor

Hyveth Williamsof Homiletics at the Andrews University Theological Seminary in Berrien Springs, Michigan, will address, "Prophetic Preaching." 
What makes a sermon connect with the listener?  Find out how to maintain relevance with your preaching. How can you maintain a passion for preaching? Join us with your preaching interests.

DON'T MISS THE FIRST MINISTERIAL DIRECTORS SUMMIT AND BOOT-CAMP TRAINING
Join us for the Ministerial Directors Summit on March 11-14.  We are calling it a Summit because of its significance and historical importance for the future direction of pastoral ministry and leadership in the North American Division.
We will be meeting at the beautiful Adventist Frontier Missions campus at 10652 Range Line Road in Berrien Springs, MI.

On Tuesday we will address:

1. A Ministerial Architect for the NAD
2. Continuing Education for our Division 
3. The NAD Policy Book Revision for the Ministerial L Section  
4. Plans for the 2015 NAD Ministerial Convention 
5. A Church & Pastor Assessment Process
6. The Issue of Hiring and Recruiting Young Pastors  
7. Resources for Pastor Dilemmas (Ethically and
    Theologically)

8. Boot-camp training for Ministerial Directors  
 
Here's snapshot of our schedule.

Monday-March 11, 2013: Andrews Career Fair

Tuesday-March 12, 2013: NAD Ministerial Directors Meeting (8:30-12:00-Lunch 1:00-5:00-Supper- 6:30-8:30)

Wednesday-March 13, 2013: Battle Creek Heritage Village & Cemetery Tour with Jim Nix, White Estate (8:30-6:00)

Thursday-March 14, 2013: New Min Director's Boot Camp. (If you are not new but would like to attend, you are welcome!) (8:30-5:30)
In This Issue
BEST PRACTICES WEBINARS
MINISTERIAL DIRECTORS SUMMIT
NEWS & NOTES
News & Notes
 We have quite a few changes on our Ministerial Directors team.  We will have photos and descriptions of all those who have joined and transitioned from our ministerial team in next month's newsletter.
Here are the changes we are aware in our conferences.

Georgia-Cumberland Conference
Harold Cunningham,
Vice President for Pastoral Ministries & Evangelism will transition form Ministerial sometime later this year. 

Allegheny East Conference
  
Marcellus Robinson is now the Vice President for Administration.
Stephen Richardson is the new Ministerial Director.

Southeastern Conference
Brent Walden is the new Ministerial Director. He is serving in the place of Milton Sterling (deceased).

Central States Conference
Gil Webb is transitioning from Ministerial to become the new Vice President for Administration in the Mid-America Union.

Kansas-Nebraska Conference
John Sweigart is also the new Vice President for Administration.

Montana Conference 
Barry Taylor is the new Ministerial Director.
 
  

Follow our new "Best Practices Newsletter" on our own Ministerial Directors facebook page.     

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Please share with us what's happening in your conference or Union. We would love to share what you doing with other Ministerial Directors in our Division.

A Point to Make
If the priests and rabbis had not interposed, His teaching would have wrought such a reformation as this world has never witnessed. But in order to maintain their own power, these leaders determined to break down the influence of Jesus.
Desire of Ages p. 205  
Calendar
January 6-9 
Southern Union Ministerium, Daytona Beach, FL

February 4, 5
GC Ordination Study Committee Meeting
Silver Spring, MD

February 11, 12
One Project
Chicago, ILL

February 19
Best Practices Webinar for Pastors
1:30 p.m., e.s.t.
with Dwight Nelson addressing "Staying Power in Ministry"

March 11-14
Ministerial Directors Summit
Berrien Springs, MI

March 13-16
NAD Health Summit
Flushing, NY 
Best Practices for Ministerial Directors is published by NAD Ministerial. Editor: Ivan Williams. Managing Editor: Dave Gemmell. Copyright 2012 North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. v(301) 680-6418