I WILL GO EVANGELISM CONTEXT

The Seventh-day Adventist church’s representational form of governance and its focus on unity has historically led to the participation of various level of the organization in the emphases and initiatives of the wider organizational level.

I Will Go is the main strategic emphasis of the General Conference, Inter-American Division, Atlantic Caribbean Union, and the Cayman Islands Conference for the year 2020 to 2025.

At the General Conference level, I Will Go focuses on Mission, Leadership and The Holy Spirit.
In the Inter-American Division, the I Will Go initiative has been contextualised to focus on Mission, Education and Service to the community.

The Atlantic Caribbean Union and the Cayman Islands Conference have adopted the the three strategic emphases of the Inter-American Division.

The Cayman Islands Conference I Will Go – Relational Evangelism Emphasis is concerned primarily with one of the three IAD strategic emphases: Mission.

The mission emphases of I Will Go – Inter-America is sets some broad parameters for mission planning in Cayman Islands Conference. These must be adapted, expanded and integrated into our mission planning to fulfil the local needs of our field.

I Will Go – Foundational Concept
Seventh-day Adventists must deliver God’s final message of hope and redemption to His people in the 21st. Century. Around 740 B.C. When the people of Judah faced fear and hopelessness as those of present day, God needed a messenger. He had a message to deliver to His people, so He expressed His desire for a messenger. Both the desire and Isaiah’s response are as relevant today as then; “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

The mandate of Jesus to the church (Matthew 28:19-20) is similar to the mandate to Isaiah. He is still asking, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”—He wants volunteers in His service— we must not hesitate to embrace the opportunity: “I will go” or “Here am I; send me.”

What Informs the I Will Go Initiative in IAD?

This strategic plan of the Inter-American Division is based on numerous studies conducted by the General Conference and the Inter-American Division and based on biblical and Spirit of Prophecy foundations. I Will Go – Inter-America involves inspiring and equipping all church members to use their God-given spiritual gifts in witness and service for Christ to reach all peoples in the territory and influence them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior.

Goals, Scope and Contextualization
The goal is to reach all peoples in the territory and influence them to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour.

While being prepared at the macro level, the content of I Will Go – Inter-America considers the hopes and desires of members, pastors, departmental leaders and administrators at every level within the territory. It offers a mandate for the entire organization — local congregations, missions, conferences, institutions, unions, and the division office. It’s a tool to be contextualized by Unions through to the local fields and churches to help each disciple become more focused and effective in performing critical tasks and ultimately fulfill the mission.

The Five Facets Inclusive Evangelism

1. To Reach – This is the intentional effort of the individual and corporate Church body, through the use of acts of service, verbal and nonverbal means, to connect with others within their context, develop friendly relationships and create understanding. This outreach paves the way for communication, conversation and discussion of social, spiritual and other issues relevant to people in their daily lives.
2. To Equip – This includes all the social, spiritual and other relevant instructions imparted to members and non-members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, that prepares them for enriched quality of life and service in this world and the joys of eternal life in the hereafter at the Second Advent.

3. To Rescue – This is the efforts of both clergy and laity to proclaim the gospel of Jesus to individuals, in a way that the Holy Spirit’s power inspire them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and non-members become baptized Seventh-day Adventists.
4. To Retain – This is the effort of the leaders and members of the Church to teach, mentor and coach those who accept Jesus as personal Savior, to develop trust in and commitment to Him and become permanent members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

5. To disciple – this includes all the nurturing instructions, programs and activities of the church to help members grow as faithful disciples serving and preparing for the Second Advent of Christ.

I Will Go Evangelism Targets

1. To develop and execute a model multi-ministries collaborative and inclusive soul winning plan to reach people within the following demographics:
   i. Upper Class Evangelism
   ii. Evangelizing Millennials
   iii. Traditional Evangelism
   iv. Children and Adolescent Evangelism
   v. Evangelizing people of other Faiths
   vi. Emphasis in Urban Evangelism
   vii. Unreached People Groups

2. To enhance the evangelism education training program for pastors and ministry leaders in the churches.
3. To provide integrated digital and other media resources to enhance fulfilment of mission.
4. To encourage the involvement of members in the mission through spiritual gifts, talents and career ministries.

Executing Soul Winning Initiatives

1. To enhance effectiveness in evangelism through Small groups, personal and public evangelism paradigms.
2. To execute cross-cultural evangelism exchanges to deepen passion for and broaden soul-winning experience.
3. To experience an increased number of church members participating in both personal and public evangelistic outreach initiatives with a goal of Total Member Involvement (TMI)

Retention of New Members

1. To ensure improved retention rates of young adults, youth, and children, based on the collection of specific statistics on those groups
2. Millennial Commitment (video and materials that explains the church and all its teachings, etc.
3. To develop specific members’ conservation plans and manual for the short, medium and long term
4. To take advantage of the enthusiasm and passion of new members to involve them in soul winning
5. To designate the year 2022 as the year of emphasis in consolidation and equipping

Evangelism an Mission

1. To identify and acknowledge all major unreached or under-reached majority populations in evangelized countries in the territory, and reports annually to the Global Mission Issues Committee on efforts to reach them
2. To develop mission-focused social media, Bible study and other mobile applications that are designed and widely used by all members of the church.

3. To achieve in each local field a measurable and significant increase (e.g., 30% over five years) in the number of newly planted worshipping groups
4. To facilitates, initiates, and liaise between interdivisional mission projects, with active support from division and union officers