THE ADVENT CHRISTIAN DENOMINATION

Advent Christians number about 65,000 adherents in the United States as well as other countries of the world and have been faithfully proclaiming the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ for nearly 150 years.

 

The denomination had its beginning in 1860 representing thousands of believers who had come to faith in Jesus Christ as a result of the Second Advent revival of the mid 19^th century.  Many of these believers had gathered in groups intent on sharing and perpetuating the message of the imminent return of Jesus Christ.  What started as an informal fellowship of believers in local communities grew into a network of associations of local churches sharing a common purpose and commitment.  By 1860 the need was felt for a more formal structure linking these local churches and associations in a more formal way as a means of supporting and encouraging one another, continuing their common interests, and more effectively impacting the world for Christ.

 

In the earliest days of the Advent Christian denomination, the focus of their life together was Bible prophecy.  Prophetic conferences were held in the great cities of the northeast including Boston, Worcester, Providence, and Hartford. These prophetic Conferences were used of God to the salvation of many souls as well as the encouragement and building up of believers.

 

Campmeetings were also organized as a means of sharing the message with the world at large. The oldest of these Campmeetings was located at Wilbraham, Massachusetts and was the center of life for the early Adventists. Another of the early Campmeetings  was located at Alton Bay, New Hampshire and has been meeting continuously for more than 140 years.  In the early days of this Campmeeting special trains were run by the Boston and Maine railroad to accommodate the attendees reportedly in excess of 20,000 on occasion. Currently there are 13 Campmeeting Associations in the Eastern Region, most of which meet for a few weeks each summer.

 

The denomination was also characterized by a prolific publication ministry. There were religious newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and books written by a variety of authors conveying the same message of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ as well as the message of life only in Christ.  Thousands of people around the world received the message and believed.

 

Bible prophecy is still an important part of Advent Christian life and witness. Convictions growing out of the study of God’s word indicate that we are living in the last days and that God will soon intervene in human history with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ to establish His Kingdom of righteousness and peace on the earth made new.

 

Advent Christians believe Jesus is coming again – personally, purposefully, and powerfully, and that the day of His appearing is close at hand.

 

COMMITTED TO MISSIONS

With this belief in the imminent return of Jesus Christ, it stands to reason that world missions would be a prominent characteristic of the Advent Christian denomination.

 

Historically the denomination has had outreaches in many parts of the world such as India, where for more than 100 years, missionaries have ministered to people’s material and social needs as well as their spiritual needs.

 

Today, there are more than 17,000 Christian believers worshiping in 90 Advent Christian churches in India.  In addition, there are two Bible schools to train national workers, and a public school system enrolling more than 14,000 students with 400 teachers.  This school system is one of the highest rated educational systems in India.

 

Additionally, Advent Christians have mission outreach works in Croatia, Romania, the Ukraine, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, New Zealand, Honduras, and China, where the remnant of their pre-World War II mission still numbers in the thousands.  A new work in Honduras is in the development stage.

 

Advent Christian World Missions continues to grow rapidly, largely fueled by the intense missionary vision of some of the national workers such as those in South Africa, Croatia and India.  At the start of the new millennium, three new churches had been established in South Africa, including one being planted in Kenton Park, Johannesburg. In fact, since the start of the new millennium, the denomination has averaged one new church being planted every month.

 

Advent Christian World Missions has an Advent Christian presence in at least 30 countries of the world.

 

The Advent Christian denomination is a mission minded fellowship of believers.  David Ross, former Executive Director of the Advent Christian General Conference stated that, “The number of Advent Christian mission fields doubled in the 1990’s and may double again within the first decade of the new century.” 

 

In addition to the traditional approach to world missions, many local churches in the United States have organized and sent short-term mission teams to various fields providing ministry and practical assistance to established mission enterprises.

 

Missions have always been an important part of the Advent Christian denomination.  One clear evidence of this commitment is the fact that approximately 50% of all money raised in the denomination is earmarked for world mission outreach.

 

Another interesting development of the last decade or so is the renewed commitment to strategic ministries here in North America, including the planting of several new ethnic churches.  For the first time in the long and effective history of the denomination, important publications are being made available in the native languages of ethnic groups now residing in the United States.

 

These developments and many more illustrate the Great Commission heart of the Advent Christian people as they enter a new millennium, a new century and a new decade of gospel witness.

 

GREAT COMMISSION OBEDIENCE

After a few decades of marking time, the Advent Christian denomination was reawakened to God’s call to “go and make disciples.”  It was something Advent Christians always knew, but by the grace of God became their focus in the decade of the 1970’s.

 

The awakening began with a sense of urgency for planting new churches.  The Eastern Region employed a Director of Church Planting in 1978 when Dr Edwin K. Gedney assumed the position and effectively shared his vision throughout the Region and beyond.  In 1980 a full-time Director was employed and the movement spread with enthusiasm and zeal.  Several new churches were planted.

 

The church planting emphasis, which spread throughout the denomination, was refocused somewhat by the Long Range Strategy Committee of the denomination in the late 1980’s with an emphasis on disciple making.

 

The key point in this transition took place in 1991 when the Advent Christian General Conference Executive Council employed David Ross, a member of the Long Range Strategy Committee as the Executive Director of the denomination and challenged him with the task of implementing a denominational disciple-making ministry.

 

In 1992, Dr. Dann Spader of Sonlife Ministries and the Advent Christian denomination began to develop a partnership that would lead to the restoration or rebirth of a Great Commission passion to the heart of the Advent Christian Church.

 

Over the last decade this partnership has grown to the point that the majority of Advent Christian pastors and many key lay leaders have received training with Sonlife Ministries in what the Bible teaches about disciple making.

 

Some Advent Christian pastors have gone on to receive advanced training and certification as trainers themselves.

 

Restoring a Great Commission passion to the heart of Advent Christian churches has been the agenda for the denomination since about 1992.  Committed to making disciples is foundational to whatever new directions the Lord may have for the denomination. The denomination has always been sensitive to His leading and is prepared to follow Him in the days ahead.

 

A SYSTEM OF BELIEF

If Advent Christians can be defined as a group of Christian believers committed to world missions and committed to a Great Commission obedience, it can also be defined by its system of belief. 

 

Advent Christians believe the Bible and stand on God’s word as the inerrant word of God revealed to man.  The Bible is accepted as God’s truth.  Man does not sit in judgment on the Bible – the Bible sits in judgment on man.

 

This system of belief is conservative evangelical and places the denomination in company with other denominations who accept the Bible as God’s revealed word of truth for mankind.  Advent Christians see themselves in the mainstream of Evangelical Christianity.

 

The Advent Christian denomination endorses the Statement of Faith of the National Association of Evangelicals, a statement that was originally drafted to embrace Advent Christians in the late 1940’s by Dr. Harold Ockenga in consultation with Dr. Edwin K. Gedney.  While the denomination endorses this statement without reservation, it holds a distinctive understanding of Bible truth not currently embraced by all evangelical denominations.

 

That distinction concerns what Advent Christians believe the Bible teaches about the nature of God as contrasted with the nature of man.

 

Many evangelical denominations believe that man is inherently immortal, and it is not a question of whether or not man will live forever – but where he will live forever or “spend eternity,” either in heaven or hell.

 

Advent Christians believe, as the Bible clearly states, that only God is immortal.  I Timothy 5:15-16 states, “God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no other has seen or can see.  To him be honor and might forever. Amen.”  This teaching is accepted for what it says in that God only is immortal.

 

Accepting this truth means that man is mortal and dependent on a source outside of himself if he is going to live forever.  This is consistent with the creation narrative of Genesis 1 and 2.  For instance, if something is immortal it cannot be created because the meaning of immortal, as it has been understood in relation to God, is that He is without beginning or ending.  Furthermore, the mortality of man gives significance to the threat of death imposed on man as a consequence of his sin.  Genesis 2:17.  That which is immortal is incapable of death if death is distinct from life as the Bible clearly teaches.

 

The idea that man is mortal and always has been is borne out by the account of his sin and the subsequent action God took in sending him out of the garden of Eden where he had been originally placed and where the “tree of life” was located.

 

The only reason given in scripture for this action is recorded in Genesis 3:22-24, “He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

 

According to this understanding set forth in the very beginning, man was created as a mortal creature, dependent on a source outside of himself if he was going to live forever.

 

That is what Jesus is all about.  Advent Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the life giver.  Whoever accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and is born again, receives from God the gift of eternal life.

 

As the Bible says in Romans 6:23, “ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

If eternal life is the ‘gift’ of God, it is obvious man does not possess it as a natural condition of his being. 

 

1 John 5:11-12 reads’

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life: he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

 

This understanding is the most logical, reasonable and Biblically consistent teaching concerning the nature of man and his need of a Savior.

 

The statement of belief that defines the Advent Christian denomination is called the Declaration of Principles and is a statement of theological understandings most commonly believed by Advent Christians. The statement reads as follows:

 

 

Declaration of Principles

of Advent Christian General Conference

 

I.         We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, being in its entirety a revelation given to man under Divine inspiration and providence; that its historic statements are correct, and that it is the only Divine and infallible standard of faith and practice (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15,16; John 17:17).

 

II.       We believe, as revealed in the Bible –

A.      In one God, our Father, eternal, and infinite in His wisdom, love and power, the Creator of all things, “In whom we live and move, and have our being” (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 40:28; Matthew 6:6)

B.     And in Jesus Christ, our Lord, the only begotten Son of God conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; who came into our world to seek and to save that which was lost; who died for our sins, who was raised bodily from the dead for our justification; who ascended into heaven as our High Priest and Mediator, and who will come again in the end of this age, to judge the living and the dead, and to reign forever and ever (1 Timothy 3:16).

C.     And in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, sent from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, whereby we are sanctified and sealed unto the day of redemption (John 14:16, 26; 16:7-11; Ephesians 1:13).

 

III.      We believe that man was created for immortality, but that through sin he forfeited his Divine birthright; that because of sin, death entered into the world, and passed upon all men; and that only through faith in Jesus Christ, the divinely ordained Life-giver, can men become “partakers of the divine nature,” and live forever (2 Timothy 1:10; Romans 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 51-54).

 

IV.    We believe that death is a condition of unconsciousness to all persons, righteous and wicked; a condition which will remain unchanged until the resurrection of Christ’s second coming, at which time the righteous will receive everlasting life while the wicked will be “punished with everlasting destruction”; suffering complete extinction of being (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Job 14:14; John 5:28,29; Matthew 10:28).

 

V.      We believe that salvation is free to all those who, in this life and in this age, accept it on the conditions imposed, which conditions are simple and inflexible; namely, turning from sin, repentance toward God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and a life of consecration to the service of God; thus excluding all hope of a future probation, or of universal salvation (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Luke 13:25-28).

 

VI.    We believe that Jesus Christ, according to His promise, will come again to this earth, even “in like manner” as he went into heaven personally, visibly and gloriously - to reign here forever; and that this coming is the hope of the Church, inasmuch as upon that coming depend the resurrection and the reward of the righteous, the abolition f sin and its consequences, and the renewal of the earth now marred by sin - to become the eternal home of the redeemed, after which event the earth will be forever free from sin and death (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; Revelation 22:12,20).

 

VII.   We believe that bible prophecy has indicted the approximate time of Christ’s return; and comparing its testimony with the signs of our times, we are confident that He is near, “even at the doors,” and we believe that the great duty of the hour is the proclamation of this soon coming redemption, the defense of Bible authority, inspiration and truth, and the salvation of lost men (2 Peter 1:19-21; Matthew 24:42-45; Revelation 22:17).

 

VIII. We believe the Church of Christ is an institution of Divine origin, which includes all true Christians of whatever name but that local church organizations should be independent of outside control, congregational in government, and subject to no dictation of priest, bishop or pope; although true fellowship and unity of action should exist between all such organizations (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 5:25; Ephesians 4:15).

 

IX.    We believe that the only ordinances of the Church of Christ are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; immersion being the only true baptism (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

 

X.      We believe that the first day of the week, as the day set apart by the early Church in commemoration of Christ’s resurrection, should be observed as the Christian Sabbath, and used as a day of rest and religious worship (Psalms 118:22-24; Luke 24:1-12; 1 Corinthians 16:2).

 

XI.   We believe that war is contrary to the spirit and teachings of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ; that it is contrary to the spirit of true brotherhood; and that our influence should be used against it.  We believe the Bible also teaches that properly constituted government is ordained of God and is a divine instrument for man’s welfare and protection.  When an Advent Christian decides on the basis of Scripture and conscience, either to bear arms or to submit to penalties imposed for his refusal to do so, local Advent Christian congregations should extend continued fellowship and nurture.

 

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

The Advent Christian denomination here in North America consists of local churches, Conferences of churches, Regions, and the Advent Christian General Conference of America.

 

The General Conference office, which administers the total denominational program including World Missions, is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The denominational web site, www.adventchristian.org, contains valuable information about the worldwide ministry of the Advent Christian Denomination.

 

DENOMINATIONAL SYSTEM OF FINANCE

The global ministry of the Advent Christian General Conference is supported in large measure by gifts from local churches in a system currently known as United Ministries. 

 

The idea is that through this system of finance all the ministries necessary to the life of the denomination can be provided for without individual specification. The system has undergone many revisions and adjustments over the years when churches were able to choose their level of participation. The choices involved undesignated participation (Plan A), selective participation (Plan B), or non-participation (self-exempt). In the current system, all receipts at the General Conference level are effectively treated as undesignated, although designations are allowed. This approach provides funding for all ministry needs.  A responsible budget is adopted annually by the Executive Council of the Advent Christian General Conference including all the ministries and departments of General Conference. The total denominational budget for 2005 was set at $1,650,000. The United Ministries portion of that budget is $936,700.

 

United Ministries operates on the 70-30 principle meaning that 70% of all United Ministries monies contributed to Advent Christian General Conference from a specific Region are retained by General Conference to underwrite its ministries and 30% is returned to the respective Region to underwrite its ministry. Four of the five Regions of the denomination receive 30% of all United Ministry revenue contributed by churches in their Region on a monthly basis. The $1,650,000 needed annually by Advent Christian General Conference to fund the total General Conference program does not include the 30% due each Region.

 

In the Eastern Region, most of the 30% due the Region each month from United Ministries is raised apart from monies contributed by churches to Advent Christian General Conference through an annual Regional apportionment goal recommended to every church in the Region.

 

Each year, every local church in the Region is assigned an apportionment goal, which if accepted and paid, could eliminate the need for Advent Christian General Conference to return any of the monies it receives from member churches to the Region.

 

At present, the apportionment goal for every church is set at 3% of its income from tithes and offerings.  Additionally, it is recommended a church send 7% of its income from tithes and offerings to Advent Christian General Conference to fully support the ministries of Advent Christian General Conference.  Any money raised by a local church in support of the annual Penny Crusade for Missions is part of the 7% needed annually by General Conference since World Missions is a major part of United Ministries.

 

Some churches choose not to accept their Regional apportionment goal choosing instead to send all their support to Advent Christian General Conference.  This is done with the understanding that 30% of all monies received by Advent Christian General Conference from the Eastern Region will be returned to the Region to help underwrite its ministry.

 

While it is true that 30% of all monies received by Advent Christian General Conference from the Eastern Region are theoretically returned to the Region, it is not true that a specific church sending a certain amount to Advent Christian General Conference will by that specific gift support the Eastern Region at the intended level. 

 

Monies received at the General Conference level are pooled and totaled at the end of each month when distribution is made.  The pool of money received by Advent Christian General Conference from the Eastern Region comes from two sources.

 

One source is the money sent directly from Regional churches to Advent Christian General Conference, the majority of which is Penny Crusade receipts. Penny Crusade receipts from the Eastern Region typically average close to $150,000 annually.    The second source of money for the pool comes from apportionment receipts received directly by the Eastern Region. Apportionment receipts average about $100,000 annually.  A church sending money to the Eastern Region as its apportionment does so with the understanding that what they are sending to the Eastern Region will be kept by the Eastern Region as that church’s fair share of support for Regional ministries.

 

At the end of each month, the Eastern Regional Association sends a detailed report to Advent Christian General Conference listing each church that paid an apportionment that month including the amount paid. Advent Christian General Conference considers Regional Apportionment receipts as part of United Ministries.  This is how the system works.

 

Some months when the Regional apportionment receipts are greater than 30% of the money in the United Ministry pool for that month, the Region does not receive any money from Advent Christian General Conference even though a specific church that does not pay a Regional apportionment may have sent a gift to Advent Christian General Conference assuming that 30% of that gift would be returned to the Region. For instance in 2004, 10 churches that did not pay a Regional apportionment directly to the Eastern Region contributed a total of $40,714.80 to Advent Christian General Conference, 30% of which is $12,214.44. These monies were contributed in months when the Eastern Region did not receive any return from Advent Christian General Conference.

In 2004, the Eastern Region only received monies back from Advent Christian General Conference in 4 of the 12 months of the year.

 

Why the Regional Apportionment is important:

 

• For one thing, churches faithfully paying their apportionment goal of 3% of income from tithes and offerings provide a consistent cash flow for the Region ensuring its ministry will be there for local pastors and churches when needed.

 

• Payment of a church’s apportionment goal will preserve the integrity of their gifts to Advent Christian General Conference.  What is meant by that is that if a local church gives $100 to Penny Crusade for Missions, according to the United Ministries formula, the Region is entitled to $30 of that $100.  Consequently the gift the church made to World Missions only went partially to support that interest.  However, if all the churches of the Region paid their apportionment goal in full, Penny Crusade monies could be retained by General Conference to support its global mission endeavors.

This preserves the integrity of a local church’s giving.  In the other four Regions of the denomination, 30% of all monies received by Advent Christian General Conference is returned each month to the Region including Penny Crusade receipts.

In the Eastern Region in 2004, a total of $391,324.99 was received by Advent Christian General Conference from Eastern Regional churches. $21,189.83 was returned to the Eastern Region from Advent Christian General Conference which equates to less than 6% of the $391,324.99.

 

 

RegionS

There are five Regions of the denomination each administered by a Regional Superintendent.  The five Regions are the Appalachian Region, the Central Region, the Eastern Region, the Southern Region, and the Western Region.

 

The Eastern Region is considered one of the strongest of the five Regions of the denomination in respect to its size, purpose, vision and support base.  The Region provides the local church with a variety of services mainly through the office of the Superintendent.

 

The Superintendent is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Region.  He is employed full time by a Board of Directors composed of 3 executive officers, the President of each Member Conference, and the Eastern Regional Representative to the Advent Christian General Conference.

 

The position description for the office of Regional Superintendent is as follows:

 

JOB DESCRIPTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL LINES OF

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT

 

1.      The Superintendent is employed by the Eastern Regional Association Board of Directors for an indefinite term and is subject to an evaluation covering areas of responsibility assigned by the Board.   The Board shall appoint the evaluation committee and the committee shall report its findings in writing to the Board.  Appropriate counsel shall be arranged as deemed necessary.  Should the Superintendent or the Regional Board desire a change, a 60 day severance period shall be provided for, or a time mutually agreed upon.

 

2.      The Eastern Regional Board is responsible for providing the Superintendent with a thorough job description of his office and shall determine annual salary and benefits to be received by the Superintendent.

 

3.      The Superintendent shall submit a detailed annual written report to the Regional Board of Directors along with an evaluation of the work of Christ in the Region as represented by the Advent Christian Church.  His report shall also include identification of problems, trends, and resources together with projections and goals for the future.  A summary report shall be prepared for distribution to the delegate body at the annual convention.

 

4.      The Superintendent shall serve as administrator of the total Regional program.

 

5.      He shall be accountable to the Board in all matters and shall carry out the directives of the Board as fully as possible.

 

6.      He shall be responsible for furnishing the President with items he wishes included on the agenda of meetings of the Board of Directors.

 

7.      He shall hire and supervise all Directors of the Regional program upon approval of the Regional Board.

 

8.      He shall be a member ex-officio of all committees and boards and shall be invited to sit with them as his schedule permits.

 

9.      He shall offer his services to all Conferences of the Region and shall make an effort to attend each annual session insofar as possible.

 

10. He shall take counsel from the Regional President and/or Board and shall consult with the President on all major decisions relating to his office.  He shall consider the Regional President a counselor and friend and shall seek his counsel when deemed advisable.

 

11. He shall prepare a long-range “Master Plan” for the Region covering all areas of current ministry along with future projections and needs.

 

12. The Superintendent shall serve as counselor in all areas of church-pastor relations.

 

b.     He shall hold matters disclosed in church–pastoral discussion in strictest confidence and shall seek to promote an atmosphere of Christ-like understanding among all parties involved.

 

c.      He shall officially represent the Region’s point of view in all counsel to churches, especially in the area of pastoral leadership.

 

d.     He shall maintain a file of all pastors serving in the Region showing areas of strength and weakness for the purpose of assisting churches in finding the right pastor for their need.

 

e.     He shall develop a profile of each church in the Region for the purpose of subsequent counsel.

 

f.        He shall periodically visit the churches of the Region insofar as possible and shall seek to establish a rapport with all the pastors of the Region through means of correspondence, telephone and visitation.

 

g.     He shall offer counsel to pastors of the Region in terms of their weaknesses, acknowledged or otherwise, and shall seek ways to encourage them to deeper spiritual maturity and greater pastoral success.

 

h.      He shall promote the discipling of the laity for more effective service to Christ within the confines of the Region.

 

i.        He shall encourage the shepherding of younger and less experienced pastors by those of greater experience wherever possible.

 

13. The Superintendent shall serve as the official representative of the Region

 

a.     He shall represent the Region as a delegate to the triennial sessions of the Advent Christian General Conference and shall support the position of the Region.

 

b.     He shall serve as a resource person for the Board, along with the President, in interpreting General Conference policy and program.

 

c.      He shall promote the General Conference program among the Regional constituency with the concurrence and directive of the Board.

 

d.     He shall represent the Region in contact with Advent Christian institutions, especially Berkshire Christian College.  He shall counsel the appropriate authorities of the College in regard to church leadership needs within the Region and shall offer his services to the College as may be deemed advisable in promoting areas of mutual concern and interest.  He shall maintain a file of Advent Christian Students from within the Region attending Christian colleges and seminaries and shall establish periodic contacts with them for the purpose of career guidance and placement.

 

e.     He shall represent the Advent Christian Church among para-church organizations and in non-denominational evangelical cooperative alliances as shall be directed by the Board.

 

Much of the Superintendent’s ministry involves consultation with pastors, churches and other leaders.  He is the primary resource for churches seeking new pastors and pastors seeking new fields of ministry.  He often meets with local church leaders to offer Biblical counsel in areas of conflict or stress.  He is the person most pastors and church leaders turn to for help in times of need.  His ministry of encouragement, preaching, training, and counsel is available to local churches, pastors, and para-church groups who may call on him at any time.  His office is the only full time trained resource available to the churches of the Region as an on-call ministry.

 

Services to Local Churches

 

• Preaching ministry                                 
• Pastoral counsel and evaluation
• Pastoral enrichment programs
• Standards for Ministerial Office and Procedures
• Credentials for Pastors and other qualified workers.
• Pastoral placement
• Leadership training
• Church diagnostic studies
• Church planning/goal setting
• Growth strategies
• Resource referral
• Encouragement/counsel
• Conflict resolution
• Church planting expertise
• Christian Education
• Youth
• Scholarships for Ministry Training

 

 

Some of the Ministry objectives for the office of the Superintendent include:

1.      Manage the total ministry resources of the Eastern Region in a way that will bring about the greatest good for the Kingdom of God;

2.      Provide a variety of ministries to local churches and pastors that will enable them to more effectively fulfill their Great Commission calling;

3.      Work with prospective pastors and pastorless churches to help bring them together in a manner consistent with God’s will;

4.      Assist with conflict resolution and distressed situations in local churches so as to help restore them to health and revitalize weaker churches;

5.      Work with Conference leadership to help clarify the mission and role of the Conference as a distinct organizational entity;

6.      Continue to enhance a Region-wide ministry of pastor care through cooperation with Conferences, including a system of fellowship and support networks of pastors, a part-time associate for Pastoral Care, a system of communication of needs, a prayer chain, the Superintendent’s Discretionary Fund, and a safety net to meet whatever need may develop;

7.      Encourage support of short-term mission teams through the occasional sponsorship of a Regional team;

8.      Promote the Lay Pastor Training Program with special emphasis on Level 2.  Seek to employ a part-time Director of Leadership Development to administer this program, including development and packaging of Level 1 as a Church based leadership training model.

9.      Continue to encourage Canadian churches through fellowship, visits and consultation;

10. Continue to broaden credentialing services of the Region working in partnership with Conferences to agree on standards and nomenclature;

11. Develop strategic technological resources for use of pastors and churches;

12. Intentionally network with General Conference leadership and Conference Leadership to promote common goals and interests.

13. Prepare spiritually and practically to best fulfill the primary responsibilities of the Office of Superintendent and to be responsive to the leading of the Lord.

 

The Superintendent oversees the work of the entire Eastern Region, covering all 6 New England states, New York State, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In addition, the Eastern Region includes, the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Canada.  There are approximately 90 Advent Christian Churches under his care.

 

In addition to his work with local churches and pastors, he carries on an extensive preaching ministry and has developed a special emphasis on Bible prophecy.  His multi-media Biblical documentary, entitled, Hope in an Age of Terror, based on Matthew 24, is supported by computer generated graphics and images.  This presentation is compelling and challenging in its content and style.

 

He has also created a Lay Pastor Training Program that operates on two levels and has helped train more than 300 people since 1999.  The Lay Pastor Training Program is a long-term training tool and can help prepare lay leaders to more effectively serve the Lord both in their local church and in specialized ministries to which God may call them.  In 2005 the program was upgraded and refocused under the heading LAMP, Leadership And Ministry Preparation for the 21^st Century.

 

The Mission Statement of the Eastern Region reads as follows:

The mission of the Eastern Regional Association of the Advent Christian General Conference is to assist local Advent Christian Churches and pastors to more effectively fulfill their God-ordained calling as Great Commission churches in preparing a “people” for His possession at the glorious and imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

To that end we will:

A.     Partner with the Advent Christian General Conference and with local Conferences of churches to coordinate resources and to define roles and responsibilities;

 

B.     Process and provide ministry credentials in partnership with participating Conferences to qualified individuals who sense the call of God on their lives to specialized Christian service;

 

C.    Work with pastors to help them determine God’s leading for their ministry location and with churches to help them discern God’s will for pastoral leadership;

 

D.    In partnership with participating Conferences, provide a ministry of encouragement and care to pastors to help enable them in their calling;

 

E.     Counsel with churches as may be needed to help them in times of distress, difficulty, or challenge;

 

F.     Promote the planting of new churches;

 

G.    Help create a climate in which revival will break out by encouraging a ministry of prayer and of personal spiritual growth through fellowship networks and a deepened devotional experience;

 

H.     Promote the historic Biblical understanding of “life only in Christ” so as to demonstrate the centrality of the Gospel and the urgency of winning people to Christ;

 

I.         Unite with other believers, regardless of race or denominational affiliation, in the work of the Kingdom of God and for His glory in these closing days of time.

 

This Mission Statement as translated into program goals include the following:

1. Help create a climate in which revival will characterize the life of an Advent Christian by encouraging a ministry of prayer and promoting spiritual growth through fellowship networks and a deepened devotional experience for all levels of leadership.
2. Encourage pastors and churches to make a commitment to “go and make disciples” by offering special consultations on evangelism and missions for local churches.

Provide continuing education seminars and training opportunities for pastors and lay leaders in cooperation with local Conferences and interested supporters.