11 November | Budva, Montenegro [Joe Philpott]
From 5–9 November 2025, the Trans-European Division (TED) Executive Committee met in Budva, Montenegro, for the first Annual Council of the new quinquennium. Formerly known as the Year-End Meeting, the gathering brought together nearly 50 committee members, excluding regular invitees and support staff, to reflect, plan and pray over the strategic direction of the Seventh-day Adventist Church across the 22 countries that comprise the TED.
Clarity of Mission in a Complex Europe
The Annual Council began on Wednesday afternoon with the singing of Be Thou My Vision, a time of prayer, and training for attendees on what it means to serve as members of the Executive Committee. Dr Daniel Duda, TED President, then shared six key challenges facing the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Europe. Offering an honest reflection on the ministry context our churches are navigating, he invited leaders to consider both the barriers and opportunities for mission.
Rather than avoiding uncomfortable truths, Duda’s message encouraged leaders to name and engage with the cultural shifts, declining religiosity, and internal dynamics shaping the life of the Church. As he described it, the work of the Church must be “realistic, rooted in Scripture, and responsive to the unique circumstances across TED’s vast territory.” To learn more about this presentation, read this article: Ministry Challenges in a Changing Europe.
New Leaders, Renewed Mandate
Following prayerful consultation and the work of the TED Nominating Committee, several appointments and reappointments were confirmed for the 2025–2030 quinquennium. These decisions reflect a careful balance of continuity and fresh perspective, ensuring that the leadership team remains both rooted in experience and responsive to the evolving needs of mission across the TED’s diverse territory. In some cases, existing directors took on an expanded portfolio. For the full list of appointment, read this article: New Leaders Elected to Serve TED for 2025–2030 Quinquennium.
Values That Shape Ministry
This year’s Council was not only about plans, but about values. Delegates were introduced to nine values that will shape both the internal culture of the TED and its outward-facing ministry. These include Christlike leadership, curious faith, living hope, intrinsic dignity, compassionate care, collaborative communities, expanding God’s kingdom, courageous creativity, and serving with excellence. Together, they offer a framework for how the division seeks to lead, serve and grow in the years ahead.
Each value was unpacked by a departmental director, demonstrating how these principles will shape priorities and relationships. These values are not aspirational slogans, but spiritual commitments. They form the foundation of the TED mission statement: “Journeying with our Unions for sustainable and substantial growth, by embodying Christ-like values and servant leadership.”
Strategic Plan 2025–2030
Following the presentation of the values, the Strategic Plan 2025–2030 was then shared that focuses on four primary areas: Leadership & Administration, Training & Resources, Biblical & Theological Teaching, and Discipleship & Church Planting. This strategic framework is intended to serve the 11 unions and 3 attached fields, not to replace their local priorities. As explained during the presentation, “the role of the division is to support, equip, and resource the unions as they minister in their own diverse contexts.”
Delegates received printed materials outlining initiatives, metrics, and pathways to support this plan, with space for feedback and input during the session.
A Growing Church with Deepening Challenges
The Secretary’s Report, presented by Robert Csizmadia, TED Executive Secretary, revealed both encouraging signs and areas for concern. As of Q3 2025, TED membership stands at 93,988, up from 82,643 in 2012, showing 13.7% growth since the Division’s reorganisation.
Other trends include:
- Strong post-pandemic recovery in baptisms, with 1,867 recorded in 2024, up from 1,553 in 2019 and 923 in 2020.
- Membership retention (79.28%) remains above the long-term global average of around 60%. As Csizmadia noted in his report, this “underscores the continuous need for discipleship making, nurture-retention-reclamation initiatives and especially membership audit as key objectives”.
- There has been a slight decline in the number of established churches across the division, dropping from 1,190 in 2017 to 1,178 in 2024.
- Increased member mobility is reflected in significant net gains through letters of transfer. In 2024, 2,564 members joined TED churches by letter, while 1,478 transferred out, resulting in a net gain of 1,086. This marks a notable shift compared to pre-pandemic years, when annual transfers averaged around 250.
- With over 90 active church planting projects currently underway through the ACTS initiative, the report affirmed church planting as a vital strategy for growth and long-term engagement across the division.
A Stable Financial Outlook
The financial report presented by TED Treasurer Nenad Jepuranović confirmed that the Division remains financially healthy, even in the face of economic uncertainty. Although there was a planned shortfall in the main operating budget, this resulted from a deliberate decision made in May 2025 to set aside £4 million for mission projects. Rather than saving for the sake of it, the TED is choosing to invest in initiatives that will have a lasting impact in communities across the territory. While reserves have decreased slightly due to these allocations, they remain above policy thresholds. This reflects both prudent stewardship and strategic foresight.
Income trends continue to be positive, with tithe increasing by more than 2 percent in local currencies compared to the same period last year. The Division benefits from ethical, low-risk investment strategies that have delivered returns exceeding inflation over the past decade. Operating costs have been carefully managed, with savings from unfilled staff positions and reduced general expenses. More than simply balancing the books, the 2025 financial report showed how the TED is intentionally using its resources to support frontline mission. From digital discipleship to church planting, the budget reflects a strategy that keeps people and purpose at its core.
Mission in Every Context
One of the key takeaways from this Annual Council was that mission in Europe is not one-size-fits-all. Presentations from various unions and attached fields, along with reports from supporting ministries and General Conference institutions and entities such as Adventist Laymen’s Services & Industries (ASI), Adventist World Radio (AWR), and the Global Centre for Adventist-Muslim Relations, highlighted the rich diversity and complexity of the mission in the TED territory. From post-Christian secularism in Scandinavia, to regions with significant Muslim populations, to small fields like Cyprus with limited resources, the call for contextual, faithful ministry is urgent.
This emphasis on contextual mission was echoed in the presentation of OneVoice27, a major global media evangelism initiative that aims to get every member involved in mission through media. Whilst each field is encouraged to design its own approach, the shared goal is to create media-centred outreach projects that point people to God, which will culminate in September 2027. To learn more about OneVoice27, read this article: OneVoice27 Presented at TED Annual Council.
Reimagining Discipleship in a Digital Age
One of the most forward-looking sessions took place on Sunday, as Executive Committee members engaged in a consultation on the future of digital discipleship and online churches. Rather than focusing on technology alone, the discussion centred on the pastoral and administrative implications of digital-first or hybrid ministry.
Participants explored what membership means in a world where attendance may be digital and where community must be nurtured across screens. The session also addressed how to support families and pastors navigating digital church models, the role of TED and the General Conference in resourcing this transition, and examples of established physical churches with active digital ministries. Looking ahead, participants were invited to imagine what a thriving digital discipleship model could look like by 2030. The discussion reflected a commitment not only to adapting, but to doing so intentionally, theologically and collaboratively.
Conclusion: Poised for Purpose
As the 2025 TED Annual Council closed, it was clear this was not a routine meeting. It marked a reset, a refocus, and a recommitment to the Church’s mission in Europe. Summing up the week, Duda wrote, “At our TED Annual Council in Montenegro, we named the hard realities of our secular and sceptical Europe, but we also chose hope: reimagined mission, developing leaders, and a deeper unity across our diverse territory. This way, the people of Europe can encounter a living Christ through our welcoming and serving congregations. We recognised that God still calls us to patient, courageous mission. I sincerely hope that through OneVoice27, every church in TED territory will become a healing, hope-filled community for its neighbourhood.”
[Photos: Jimmy Botha / Adventist Media Exchange (CC BY 4.0)]
