Imagine. What If...?

What if 2,000 Adventist churches each began a small group of eight people, each with the single purpose of bringing at least one person to Christ in six months? If that happened, 2,000 people would meet Jesus within six months. Pretty basic math.

Then what if the original groups each split into two groups, asked four more Adventists to join them, and repeated the scenario? That would be 4,000 people brought to Christ in six months.

Total for one year: 6,000 people. The groups split again and again. In the second year: 24,000 people. Third year: 96,000. Fourth year: 384,000. Fifth year: over 1.5 million.

The numbers are theoretical and practically impossible. But the fact is we know that this sort of phenomenon will happen before Jesus returns. It happened in the early Christian church.

This kind of lay-driven small-group ministry is what the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Euro-Asia Division is undertaking.

Planting Model Churches

It may be unrealistic to expect that all of the nearly 2,000 Adventist churches in the former Soviet Union will begin this kind of small group immediately. So to begin, 300 Global Mission pioneers are being trained and are organizing 300 model churches based on small-group ministry. They are working in 300 unreached areas in this territory, recruiting Adventists from the churches nearest to them and are working to plant new congregations. Soon, if not already, 300 new Adventist congregations will be meeting where before none existed. These are not typical churches. They are lay-driven churches, run by the members and modeled after the New Testament church.

Houses of Prayer

It's critical for young groups like this to have a permanent place to meet. Fortunately, prices for buying houses in this territory are at rock bottom-in some areas as low as $5,000. Because we must move quickly before prices go back up, the division has promised that if the conferences will fund a pastor for each new church and if the new church members themselves will remodel the houses into churches, then the division will find sponsors to buy the houses.

Each church should seat no more than 250 people. Why this size? Because it's the size of church that grows fastest. When one church fills, the congregation will divide and begin another church nearby, then do it again and again. A similar model has been used in South America with astounding success. It's the model that has exploded and made South America one of the fastest growing divisions in the world.

Firing Up Laodicea

Very soon this new ministry will spread like wildfire across the vast area of this division, extending from Moscow, deep into Siberia, and into the 10/40 Window (specifically Central Asia) where many countries are quickly closing their doors to Christianity.

The 300 Lay-driven Churches project is moving forward even as you read this, and already we need churches for these new groups.

We are looking for sponsors to help buy these house churches. Consider taking one (or several) as a project for yourself, your family, church, Sabbath school, conference, etc. Become a part of this incredible movement-a movement that could set Laodicea aflame with the Holy Spirit.

This program is beginning as you read this, and soon we will need churches for these new groups. I will keep pictures and stories here for you to see as we progress.

If you're interested in helping, please contact me ASAP! Click here for contact info: Contact Us