Raise Your Expectations

31 October 2024 | Budva, Montenegro [David Neal]

At the Trans-European Division (TED) annual Year-End meetings in Budva, Montenegro, from 30 October to 3 November, Daniel Duda opened proceedings with his now-annual ‘President’s Challenge’, a big-picture perspective about the church within the TED territory. The presentation was framed so that no one present could ever feel these meetings were routine.

The President’s Challenge

Duda opened his challenge by asking, “Why are we here?” Listening were Executive Committee members, comprised of lay representatives, Union, Conference, and Mission leadership teams. “What is the purpose of our existence? If the Advent Movement is still here 180 years after the Great Disappointment, something still needs to happen”, said Duda.

This year, with the focus on the third TED strategic aim, “Multiply Communities in new places and new people groups,” Duda explained how this focus is solidly interconnected to the first two TED strategic values, ‘Extending Love’ and ‘Growing Life-long Disciples’.

As Duda described the spiritual DNA in some of our church communities, he returned to the need for lifelong discipleship, not least in challenging the nature of our evangelism and its limitations. “Do we have a process of discipling new converts?” he asked. If seekers become followers,” he mused, and followers become members, will that win the world? Or are we just replicating the dysfunctionality that we have?”

Raised Expectations

With five soul-searching “Do we expect?” questions, Duda gave an invitation for the gathered leaders to raise their expectations:

“Do we expect our members to love their family more? To love other people more? Do we expect them to serve more those who are less privileged? Or is Christianity a glorified self-serving consumerism where Jesus blesses me, me, me, me? Do we expect them to be more concerned for people who speak a different language than they do, for people of a different colour or who come from a different culture? Do we expect then that now they won’t erupt their church given that there are people who are different from who they are, who dress differently, who eat differently? Or do they say, “They have stolen my church, and it’s not what it used to be any more”? Do we expect that they will not be easily irritated and they will not have a judgemental spirit in them?”

“If this is not happening,” Duda said soberly, “then we are not producing the disciples of Jesus.”

New Communities – New Discipleship Paradigm

Duda then created a picture of how existing and new church communities should function.

1. Leaders at all levels must model, exemplify, and teach discipleship—not as a precondition for salvation but as a natural development of conversion.
2. Discipleship is something that we experience as a part of a community. Otherwise, it will deteriorate into unhealthy self-observation, making you feel guilty or judgemental.
3. Legalism must be avoided by carefully incorporating scriptural, theological, ecclesiastical and psychological aspects of discipleship.
4. Move beyond simply counting ‘church membership’ on Sabbath morning. Purposely re-orient the church toward bringing people to the point of regeneration and discipleship.
5. Reframe Spiritual growth from an activity-based approach to a spiritual journey approach. Each person and church needs to have a spiritual growth plan for their lives. The focus is on the next step.
6. Take into consideration “different strokes for different folks”. Develop key performance indicators for those who are a) Exploring Christianity, b) Growing in getting to know Christ, c) Close to Christ, and d) Christ-centered mature believers.

In his concluding remarks, Duda referenced Paul, who addresses in Hebrews the challenge of Christ followers who live on the milk of the gospel and then become ‘dull of hearing’ (Hebrews 5:12-14). Similarly, many of our members feel compelled to get right with God because of the ‘urgency of the hour’ and make a feared-based decision but are unable to grow any further. Duda noted that Ellen White regarded the idea as questionable. “We are living in an age when wickedness prevails. The perils of the last days thicken around us, and because iniquity abounds, the love of many waxes cold… The shortness of time is urged as an incentive for us to seek righteousness and to make Christ our friend. This is not the great motive.”¹

The challenge of raising expectations hovered over the business from Wednesday to Friday, as you will read in further reports. At the conclusion of the sabbath worship service, Duda gave the benediction placing the raised expectations before the Lord.

May the God of unity and boundless love bless us all

so that we see no one as “other,” but all as beloved.

May our hearts be open to serve and uplift every person we meet,

knowing that in Christ, there are no divisions, no walls, no boundaries.

May we all be vessels of compassion, offering grace without conditions,

kindness without restraint, and service without prejudice.

May we all experience the transforming power of God’s community

of unconditional acceptance and extend it to all around you,

to all ages, races, genders, and all walks of life.

Almighty God, transform us from “Religious Service Consumers” to carriers of God’s love into every corner of our divided families, fragmented neighbourhoods and polarized churches, and war-torn planet, proclaiming with our actions that all are welcome, all are loved, and all are valued.

Thanks to the character of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit,

let us love as he has loved us and go forth in peace and in joy. Amen.

Reflecting on Life in the Body of Christ

In a wide-ranging interview at the end of the August 2024 European Pastor’s Council (EPC), Duda reflected on its added value to both pastors and members. As the conversation developed, he talked about raising expectations and life in the body of Christ. How do we relate to change? How can pastors and members work better together? Can we expect that in the body of Christ, all will be treated with respect and dignity—without exception?

[Photos: Jimmy Botha]
¹ Review and Herald, August 2, 1881.