8 May 2017 | Røyse, Norway [Widar Ursett] Willy Aronsen will serve as head of Adventist Mission and Ministry to Clergy Families from 1 October 2017. Victor Marley, newly elected Norwegian Union president, said that the aim is for him to “aid local churches in developing a strong sense of responsibility and ownership to mission.”
Very much a people person, Aronsen is both outgoing and approachable and comes with 12 years of experience working for the Church in Sweden. He has spent eight years in the Mission department and for the past four years, he has led the Children’s and Youth departments. Now he returns to his native Norway to develop the Mission department and strengthen local initiative and ownership in proclaiming the gospel.
Marley is confident that Aronsen has the qualities needed to revitalise the department. He knows the local church communities in Norway well, and has a large network which will allow him to hit the ground running.
Aronsen will work closely with Marley who sees the need of a strong, goal oriented Missions department that will liaise closely with local pastors and churches. Marley has made no secret of the fact that local needs are high on the department’s agenda.
“The work of the Union does not consist in dictating the premises for choice of mission projects in the local church, or how they are executed,” Marley says. “Our job is to listen and provide; listen to needs and visions, and provide the resources and support needed to carry them out.”
By combining the Mission and Ministry departments, the Norwegian Union hopes to create a discipleship framework that maximises the potential for success. The Missions department will also aim to build bridges within multicultural environments, finding appropriate ways to aid in issues of integration. “By building inclusive communities, we create settings where everyone can find God and discover His character,” Marley stresses.
Local ownership of mission is key, according to Marley. This new emphasis requires local churches to develop a strong ownership of their missionary work, instead of waiting for Union administration to take responsibility. This, Marley says, is founded on biblical principles:
“When the apostolic church prepared for its mission, the whole church participated, not just the 12 disciples. The whole congregation of around 120 people prayed together. They extended the conversation and included everyone in the planning process. We need to achieve this. Aronsen’s job is to facilitate dialogues and procedures that strengthen local ownership and local visions.”
Marley and Aronsen will travel together and meet with local congregations to discover and discuss needs and visions. By strengthening and supporting the local work, the church as a whole benefits. In this way, it is expected that the Mission department will create synergies that provide sustainability both centrally and locally. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Esti Pujic, associate editor
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tedNEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division.
