25 October 2022 | Brunskog, Sweden [Tor Tjeransen]
The leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the four Nordic countries met last weekend with leaders of supporting ministries in the region for three days of talks. The purpose of the gathering at LifeStyleTV in Sweden from 22 to 24 October was to lay the foundations for more effective mission work in the Nordic region. The cooperation between the supporting ministries and the church is already positive, and the meetings in Sweden helped to strengthen this.
Dan Millares owns Webbtrim, a company that develops websites and software for businesses. Funds generated by his company support the church’s mission activities. Pleased that the summit took place, he felt it was special because, “It was good to meet so many people who don’t usually meet in one place”.
Leader of the Norwegian Union Conference, Victor Marley, was also very satisfied with the talks. “The meetings were very useful for the church’s leaders in the Nordic region. We have gained a better understanding of each other, and that gives us the opportunity to cooperate better with the lay organizations regarding the church’s mission.”
Conversations build trust
An important aim of the summit was to build mutual trust between the church’s leadership and leaders of supporting ministries. Open conversations both in plenary sessions and one-on-one, as well as activities in the program helped to create trust.
“As Christians, we should be models for having trust in each other, but that has not always been the case in our relationship with supporting ministries”, explained Marley, who also noted that in recent years several books have been published which emphasize how important trust is for organizations to be effective. A high degree of trust often leads to high efficiency.
“This gathering has certainly contributed to strengthening the trust between the supporting ministries and church’s leadership”, said Millares as he went on explain that he had gained a better understanding of the church’s organization and decision-making processes, which are much longer in church life. “It’s clear to me that private companies and the church are two completely different types of organisations”.
Better communication
An important point that emerged in the talks was the need for better communication between the organizations and the church. Church leaders acknowledged that they do not have a full overview of who is responsible for what in the individual organizations and what they work with. For their part, the leaders of the supporting ministries admitted that they could do better at informing both about their own activities and who is in charge.
“Through the talks, we have cleared up some misunderstandings that have existed on both sides”, Marley said. It obviously becomes easier to keep each other informed when you meet each other and get know each other better.
Claus Nybo, head of LifeStyleTV and host of the conference, was grateful that both union leaders and leaders of the organisations had prioritized attending the summit.
“This was an important and positive step to develop the cooperation that already exists. Everyone who participated wants us to meet again, to talk more specifically about how we can strengthen the church’s missionary work”, Nybo said.
The gathering was organized by ASI Scandinavia where Nybo is responsible for membership. ASI Scandinavia is an organization for lay people who run organizations or businesses.
Main picture: Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Nordic countries met with leaders of supporting ministries in the region under the auspices of ASI Scandinavia at LifeStyleTV in Sweden, October 22-24, 2022 [Photos: Silvia Pel/Adventist Media Exchange / CC BY 4.0]
