DiscipleSHIFT Adventist Ministries Convention 2019
Over 800 church leaders gathered in Richmond Hill, Ont., for Ontario Conference’s 2019 “Discipleshift” Ministries Convention.
March 22-23, 2019, the Ontario Conference held its biennial Adventist Ministries Convention dedicated to training and developing Adventist leaders of all stripes for the 21st century in the local church. It was an incredible experience! Leaders from every corner of our vast Seventh-day Adventist Ontario family came together to share advice, encouragement and participate in skill-building workshops (and share quite the delicious meal together). The theme was “DiscipleShift: connect, grow, equip, multiply,” which focused on how leaders might fulfill Christ’s Great Commission to disciple others for His Kingdom. This year’s event delivered on that command in a big way through worship, preaching, workshops and interactive moments.
As part of the convention, Ontario Youth Ministries provided training to leaders both for those serving teens as well as those serving young adults. In the Teens section, Chris Adap gave a moving presentation on what it means to mentor youth. Equally, Vilmara Lucas shared her perspective on developing a life-changing yearly calendar. The intent was not simply to put dates on the board, but to have a thematic and progressive approach to arranging dates for maximum effect. These were followed by leaders of the Teens Ministry who facilitated a corresponding “Think Tank” discussion, immediately applying the concepts.
In the Young Adult section, the focus was on those interested in developing a Young Adult ministry in their local church. The two presenters, Pastors Andre Anderson and In Pyo Hong, offered various perspectives on the kinds of leadership this crucial ministry deserves, along with rudimentary features the ministry should have. Each session was followed up by a corresponding “Think Tank” discussion so that attendees would begin to strategize for their local church’s development prospects.
Sabbath morning service gave opportunity to various age demographics and cultural groups of leaders to commune in a blessed divine worship. One could not neglect to mention the powerfully delivered evening sermon by our very own Conference president, Dr. Mansfield Edwards, who spoke very passionately about the Great Commission given to Christ’s disciples.
The weekend was inspiring, engaging, not to mention spirit-filled, from beginning to end. My prayer is that all those who attended will continue to share their newfound wisdom with their various congregationsto disciple others.