{"id":2239,"date":"2018-11-27T14:42:16","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T14:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2018\/11\/27\/ted-providing-the-key-for-the-future-of-mission\/"},"modified":"2021-12-10T20:39:22","modified_gmt":"2021-12-10T20:39:22","slug":"ted-providing-the-key-for-the-future-of-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/ted-providing-the-key-for-the-future-of-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"TED providing the key for the future of mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

27 November 2018 | Be\u010di\u0107i, Montenegro [Victor Hulbert]<\/p>\n

He started with the word \u2018amazed\u2019 on day 1 and concluded with \u2018encouraged\u2019 on day 5 — the final day of Trans-European Division Year End meetings in Be\u010di\u0107i, Montenegro, 21 \u2013 25 November 2018.<\/p>\n

\"1TEDYEMArtur Stele, joined the annual gathering of TED Executive Committee members as a representative of the General Conference.  He expressed amazement that, in a context where thousands of young people are leaving some of the struggling economies in eastern and central Europe, where the church is aging in other areas, and where all religious groups are daunted by growth in Europe\u2019s increasingly secularised society, that the Seventh-day Adventist Church can grow at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are not big in numbers but big in challenges,\u201d he stated \u2013 and that is what encouraged him.  Listening to the mission reports, the challenges, even the requests in special times of prayer, he also emphasised that you are \u201cbig in providing the key for the future of mission.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"1TEDYEM<\/a>This was equally emphasised by GC Associate Treasurer, George Egwakhe.  Growing up in Nigeria, he was strongly influenced by missionaries from Europe who sacrificed to give him both an education and faith.  He was surprised to find some of their descendants sitting in the room! <\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate that missionary heritage,\u201d he stated, then went on to note that, within the context of Jesus important last words in the Gospel of Matthew, we still have a \u2018raison<\/em> d’etre\u2019<\/em> for our work as church employees: the Gospel commission to \u201c<\/em>go and make disciples of all nations\u2026\u201d along with that sure promise that \u201csurely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disciple-making was a strong emphasis throughout the five days.  Testimonies and reports from the 14 Unions and attached fields showed how the tide was turning in some areas. The establishment of more Centres of Influence, an emphasis on Children\u2019s and family ministries, and the development of discipleship tracks at local church level, improvements in media output, and the intergenerational Church of Refuge programme are all playing a part.<\/p>\n

The Adriatic Union is just one of those who presented an engaging report.  <\/em>(Reports from other Unions will be released in coming weeks.)<\/p>\n