Membership Retention Conference Challenges Church Leaders in PNG

Leaders at the forefront of disciple-making in the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Papua New Guinea Union Mission (PNGUM) were challenged to work with the Holy Spirit for the growth of the church in the country at the recent weeklong New Disciples Empowerment Conference in Lae, Morobe.

South Pacific Division (SPD) discipleship strategy leader Danny Philip made the call at the end of the conference as he thanked leaders for attending and told them the importance of moving forward as a team.

“If we want to go a long distance, we need to go together,” Philip said. “Don’t work alone. Work with your teams and in partnership with the Holy Spirit. The working of the Holy Spirit will convert people.”

He said retention plans and strategies would not work if there was no consultation with the Holy Spirit. Philip also encouraged the leaders to embrace change and have a “growth mindset” as they lead people to Jesus Christ.

Sabbath School and personal ministries, children’s, women’s, youth, and stewardship directors from the Central Papua Conference and eight local missions gathered to learn more about how they could effectively retain new members, especially those baptized during the PNG For Christ evangelism campaign earlier this year.

SPD director of ministry and strategy Sven Östring, stewardship director Julian Archer, Hope Channel South Pacific manager Wayne Boehm, health strategy leader Geraldine Przybylko, and Philip joined facilitators from PNG to speak on the different aspects of retention.

Among the topics presented were the local church leaders’ responsibilities in disciple-making, identifying stewardship challenges in retention, engaging disciples in meaningful ways, health retention, using media in ministry, helping kids in discipleship, and knowing the church manual.

Conference participants were given resources and also encouraged to ensure they continued trainings in their local missions.

Meanwhile, PNGUM office staff, church members, and conference participants gathered each night at the Lae Memorial Adventist church to listen to sermons on the theme “Back to the Altar” from Ostring, Archer, and Boehm.

About PNG for Christ

The PNG for Christ evangelistic series held earlier in 2024 combined the efforts of the South Pacific Division and Papua New Guinea Union Mission of the Adventist Church, local church fields, Adventist World Radio, and the Total Member Involvement initiative to share the gospel across the country. According to organizers, international and national speakers preached at more than 2,000 sites, both in the eastern part of the New Guinea island (the western part belongs to Indonesia) and in other outer islands that make up PNG.

The April 26-May 11 series served as a “reaping campaign,” where participants shared the joy of welcoming thousands of new members after months of reaching out to neighbors and friends to study the Bible and inviting them to make a decision for Jesus. Mass media such as Adventist radio and TV also supported the work of hundreds of pastors, lay church members, and Bible instructors on the ground. Hundreds of thousands were baptized.

The original version of this story was posted by Adventist Record.