Anyone who has been involved in local church leadership understands how important elders are to the health of their church. Across the Oregon Conference, elders help shape the culture, keep up with the many responsibilities, and care for their local church congregations. This March, more than 100 elders and pastors undertook a weekend of training and growth together at the first of two spring Elders Training events, which included preaching workshops from Dr. Seth Pierce, leadership training from Dr. Erika Puni, Pastor Kessia Reyne Bennett, and Pastor Benjamin Lundquist, roundtable discussions and planning activities, and much more.

“One of the best things about this training was that it pulled together the elders of our own church and connected us with each other as well as people from other churches. That was very valuable!” said Carol Altman, who serves as an elder at the Crosspoint Adventist Church. “I also found the preaching workshops very helpful, and I think this will help us be more effective. I think we’re working together as a team now more than before we went, and we’re probably more supportive of our pastor, too.”

Josh Withers, who now serves as the pastor of the Newberg Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Gathering Ground church plant, shared, “The Elders Training event was wonderful for building up individuals and teams! I’m blessed to serve with a team of elders that is already intentionally engaging in a development journey. They took the initiative to register for this event and I was blessed to simply tag along with them. Each of the presenters were inspiring and practical, and they invited us to take further steps in our leadership and ministry in tangible ways. They clarified our roles as church leaders and gave us helpful tools to employ in the service of Jesus’ mission. It was affordable and a great value. I also feel like the network of ministers in our local SDA churches was really grown and strengthened during this event. I hope it’s the first of many like it!”

When asked about his experience, Meadow Glade Adventist Elementary School Principal Ric Peinado shared, “Each presenter gave me insights into my leadership as an elder in my church. Dr. Kessia Reyne’s presentation on leadership and the posture we adopt gave me the perspective that how I frame an issue is the issue! Pastor Ben Lundquist’s presentation on leading ourselves well reminded me about the importance of being intentional in my leadership and how I lean in and plan forward. Dr. Seth Pierce’s practical presentation in the afternoon on putting together a sermon was inspirational and a great reminder that when preparing a sermon it’s vital to study each text in depth rather than proof texting. He also shared several helpful Bible tools for preparing sermons: concordances, commentaries, Bible dictionaries, etc. I appreciated his outline for sermon illustrations–Me, We, God, You. This will be a tool that I use in my sermon prep, and I think this workshop will not only impact my leadership in productive and meaningful ways not just at my church, but in my workplace and with my own family. That’s my first and most important ministry.”

The next Elders Training event will take place at the Roseburg Adventist Church from 9:00 AM-5:00 PM on April 6th. If you would like to attend, please register at orad.us/elderstraining before March 26th!