Personal Ministries Leader:cover PRESS 8/31/09 10:46 AM Page 1

There is no greater privilege than to work with the

Holy Spirit in inspiring, organizing, training, and assisting
God’s people in sharing Jesus. If you need help mobilizing
the membership of your church for outreach, this book is
for you.
This book is full of practical advice to help you:
• Cooperate with church and conference leaders
• Develop a plan and strategy with specific goals
• Train members to witness
• And much more!
For lots more Personal Ministries resources visit
www.sabbathschoolpersonalministries.org. This website
has an extensive library of downloadable articles and
activities to enhance the preparation of Personal Ministries
leaders.

PERSONAL MINISTRIES LEAFLETS

• How to Run a Church- • The Work of the
Based Bible School Personal Ministries
• The Missionary Leader
Program for the Local • Reaching People
Church Where They Are
• Motivating Members • Health Evangelism
to Witness • Reclaiming the
• Giving Personal Bible Missing
Studies • Sermon Preparation
• Small Group Ministry • Public Evangelism
• Personal Witnessing • Principles of Church
• Methods of Door-to- Growth
Door Visitation • Adventist Community
• Bringing People to Services
Decisions for Christ • Prison Ministries

ISBN: 978-1-57756-584-0

9 781577 565840
Personal Ministries Leader is created by the General Conference
Sabbath School & Personal Ministries Department

Editor: May-Ellen Colon

Design: Linda McDonald

Available from:
AdventSource
5040 Prescott Avenue
Lincoln, NE 68506
800.328.0525
www.adventsource.org

Copyright © 2010 by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

All rights reserved. You may copy these materials for local church use.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise for sale or distribution
in any way outside of the local church leadership without the prior written
permission of the copyright holder.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-57756-584-0
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Exciting Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Making Your Work Easier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Not Limited to a Few—Aim at Total Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Barriers in Mobilizing Members—and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

History Inspires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The Personal Ministries Department and Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Cooperating With All Church and Conference Leaders. . . . . . . . 13

The Personal Ministries Council—

Its Areas of Activities and Its Duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Developing a Plan and Strategy With Specific Goals . . . . . . . . . 16

Where Do You Begin?

With the Whole Church or With a Few? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

“On-the-Job Training” Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

How to Keep It Going and Growing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Utilizing Special Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Encouraging Counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Appendix: The Interest Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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4
 THE WORK OF THE
PERSONAL MINISTRIES
LEADER
Exciting Work
The work of the Personal Ministries leader is exciting! There is
no greater work. Why? Jesus will come when the work is finished.
That will happen when the membership is mobilized in outreach,
but not until then. “The work . . . can never be finished until the . . .
membership rally to the work.”1 “The aim of the department [of
Personal Ministries] is to enlist every member in active soul-win-
ning service for God.”2 There is no greater privilege than to work
with the Holy Spirit in inspiring, organizing, training and assisting
God’s people in the joy of sharing Jesus.
This work is not easy. You can never do it alone. But when re-
lying totally and continually on the God of the impossible, there is
nothing too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:17). There can be no fail-
ure. Success is assured.

Making Your Work Easier

Personal Ministries is a spiritual work. Understanding (and
leading your members to understand and respond to) the following
biblical concepts will make your work easier. It will both motivate
and enable witnessing.
The membership personally and corporately needs to be led to
realize and understand the following:

Three Biblical Concepts

1. Everyone must recognize the honor of his/her holy calling.
“. . . for you have been chosen by God Himself . . . so that
you may show to others how God called you out of the
darkness into his wonderful light” (I Peter 2:9, Living
Bible). The reason they have been called from darkness to
light is that they might both reveal by their changed lives
the light of God’s love and tell others about their experi-

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 ences. They have been called to be witnesses. “Everyone
who has received Christ is called to work for the salvation
of his fellow men.” 3 Awesome responsibility? Yes, but
more so, a delightful privilege and honor to be chosen by
the empowering and enabling God of the universe. In-
stead of giving members a guilt trip for what they are not
doing, successful leaders always stress and illustrate the
privilege first, and then, if needed, the responsibility.
2. Every one of the members must recognize that they are
important in the plan of God for someone else’s salvation,
just as Philip was the vital one in God’s plan to reach the
seeking eunuch (Acts 8:26-39). Today members are
needed by specific people seeking for the light, peace,
and joy that those members have in Christ. They may be
the only bridge to eternal life for some people within the
circle of their influence. They may be the only mouthpiece
to whom some people will listen.
Furthermore, God could have sent an angel to the eu-
nuch, but to thrill Philip with the joy that can only come
from leading others to Him, God sent Philip. Today He
longs to thrill willing members, so He sends them that they
may be blessed. “And he who seeks to give light to others
will himself be blessed. . . . ‘He that watereth shall be wa-
tered also himself’ Proverbs 11:25. God could have
reached His object in saving sinners without our aid; but in
order for us to develop a character like Christ’s, we must
share in His work. In order to enter into His joy, ―the joy
of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice, ―we must par-
ticipate in His labors for their redemption.”4 “The spirit of
unselfish labor for others gives depth, stability, and Christ-
like loveliness to the character, and brings peace and hap-
piness . . . .” 5 Conversely, “. . . the Christian who will not
exercise his God-given powers not only fails to grow up
into Christ, but loses the strength that he already had.”6
The more we share, the more we have. What we do not
use in sharing we lose.
3. The members must believe in the ultimate success of their
work because it is the work of God, who has unlimited
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 power. Jesus promised, “All power is given unto me in
heaven and earth. Go ye, therefore, . . .” (Matthew 28:18,
19, KJV). God has provided all the power and wisdom
(James 1:5) to bring success. “Our heavenly Father re-
quires no more nor less than He has given us ability to do.
He lays upon His servants no burdens that they are not
able to bear. . . . All that He claims from us we through di-
vine grace can render. . . . when we give ourselves wholly
to God and in our work follow His directions, He makes
Himself responsible for its accomplishment. He would not
have us conjecture as to the success of our honest en-
deavors. Not once should we even think of failure. We are
to co-operate with One who knows no failure.”7
At times, both you and your members may feel inadequate
and unable to do God’s work. It is important to feel that way. That
feeling drives one to a more complete dependence on the power
and wisdom of God, which is the ultimate secret of success.

Not Limited to a Few—Aim for Total

Involvement
As stated above, every member is called to be a witness.
“Everyone is a minister performing some ministry for which he or
she has been specially gifted. . . . Every church member should be
matched with an appropriate ministry as part of the congregation’s
overall mission strategy.”8 This means that as the Personal Ministries
leader your work is not limited to a few members. Your challenge
and privilege is to involve every member in some form of witness-
ing—to aim at total involvement. “Wherever a church is established,
all the members should engage actively in missionary work.”9
In Jesus’ illustration in John 15 every branch is to bear much
fruit, not just a few of the branches. All do not have the same tal-
ents and abilities. All may not be able do the same things, but their
talents and abilities will grow as they utilize them and continue to
abide in the Vine, relying on His strength and wisdom. “The hum-
blest worker, [even with few talents and abilities] moved by the
Holy Spirit, will touch invisible chords, whose vibrations will ring to
the ends of the earth, and make melody through eternal ages.”10

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 When the public sees an abundance of branches laden with
the beautiful fruit of the Spirit they will desire and be drawn to par-
take—to become another productive branch united to the living
Vine. When the whole church works, God moves in a mighty way
to bring an abundant harvest of souls. It may take time; but plan
(trusting fully in the enabling power and wisdom of God) to aim at
total membership involvement.

Barriers in Mobilizing Members—and

Solutions
1. Fear of failure
This can be remedied by leading members into the vital contin-
ual Vine-branch connection with Christ, who longs to work through
them. A deep love relationship with Jesus will remove the fear.
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (I John
4:18, KJV). David said, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in thee”
(Psalms 56:3, RSV).
2. Abrasiveness:
The blunt, bold, abrasive, insensitive must be led to connect
with the gentle Shepherd. “The religion of Jesus softens whatever
is hard and rough in the temper, and smoothes whatever is rugged
and sharp in the manners. It makes the words gentle and the de-
meanor winning. . . . A kind, courteous Christian is the most pow-
erful argument that can be produced in favor of Christianity.”11 This
method will produce “one hundred conversions to the truth where
now there is only one.”12
3. “My life is a witness:”
Some say, “I don’t have to say anything; my life is a witness.”
Could someone who saw an accident and was called into court as
a witness declare, “I don’t have to say anything; my life is a wit-
ness?” Again, connection with the Vine is the solution. “All who re-
ceive the gospel message into the heart will long to proclaim it. . . .
It is unnatural for any to keep these things secret, and those who
are filled with the love of Christ will not do so. In proportion as the
Lord has made them the depositaries of sacred truth will be their
desire that others shall receive the same blessing.”13

8
Definition of a witness:
The Bible definition of a witness is very specific. Matthew
24:14 says that the gospel will be preached as a witness. The
meaning of the word “preach” is “verbal communication.” A Chris-
tian witness is one who tells what he/she knows from his/her own
experience. John said, “That which we have seen and heard [and
handled] declare we unto you” (1 John 1:3, KJV). “As witnesses
for Christ, we are to tell what we know, what we ourselves have
seen and heard and felt. If we have been following Jesus step by
step, we shall have something right to the point to tell concerning
the way in which He has led us. We can tell how we have tested
His promise, and found the promise true. We can bear witness to
what we have known of the grace of Christ. This is the witness for
which our Lord calls, and for want of which the world is perish-
ing.”14 “Our confession of His faithfulness is Heaven’s chosen
agency for revealing Christ to the world. We are to acknowledge
His grace as made known through the holy men of old; but that
which will be most effectual is the testimony of our own experi-
ence. . . . These precious acknowledgments to the praise of the
glory of His grace, when supported by a Christ-like life, have an ir-
resistible power that works for the salvation of souls.”15 Notice that
there must be a balance. The life of the “telling” witness must sup-
port or be in harmony with the words spoken.
4. “My members are not ready to witness:”
The above emphasis on spiritual preparation needed by mem-
bers to be motivated to witness definitely makes your work easier.
If, through an intimate relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit im-
pels them to share Jesus, you do not have to twist arms and use
all types of manipulation techniques to force them to do outreach.
However, you may say, “My members do not have the relationship
with Christ that is needed. Am I to take years nurturing them be-
fore they begin witnessing?”
The answer is a resounding No! Help them begin where they
are in their spiritual journeys and reach out. The best nurture is
witnessing. Often when members lacking in spirituality are just led
to surrender to Jesus and begin sharing what little they have to
share, God richly blesses their efforts. When they see that God
uses them, they are thrilled. They sense their need and immedi-

9
ately begin seeking that deeper relationship that they may improve
their witness. Here is a wonderful promise:
“He who begins with a little knowledge, [no doubt this in-
cludes knowing Jesus] in a humble way, and tells what he
knows, while seeking diligently for further knowledge, will
find the whole heavenly treasure awaiting his demand.
The more he seeks to impart light, the more light he will
receive. The more one tries to explain the word of God to
others, with a love for souls, the plainer it becomes to him-
self. The more we use our knowledge and exercise our
powers, the more knowledge and power we shall have.”16
5. “I don’t have the gift:”
The doctrine of spiritual gifts should enhance witnessing, but
sometimes it limits outreach as members use it as an excuse to
not witness. They shrug and say, “I don’t have the gift.” You must
not let that teaching limit anyone in what you expect of them. En-
courage each member to witness within his/her personality and
spiritual gifts.
Illiterates plant churches. A pastor was asked by an illiterate
layman to dedicate two churches in one day that he, in partnership
with God, had planted successfully. He had been the only one who
had not started a Bible study at a training session, but he per-
sisted.
Gifts may be dormant and unrecognized at first. Many do not
know what their gifts are until they begin and continue using what
seems to be very limited ability.
Some great evangelists and successful pastors were painfully
shy at first. Some found it impossible to speak in front of even a
small group. Yet as they prayed and practiced, God enabled them
to overcome their impediments, improve their talents, and become,
through the power of the Holy Spirit, exceedingly successful.
A great evangelist, who has spoken to larger groups than al-
most anyone and won many thousands for Christ, was a straight A
student. But he got a C in speech. He was so nervous in the class
his teacher feared he would never succeed. When he stood to
speak, his legs, arms, and notes shook. He prayed and prayed

10
and practiced and practiced, and he succeeded far beyond any-
one’s expectations. It is often said, “Practice makes perfect.”
“There is no limit to the usefulness of the one who, putting self
aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his
heart, and lives a life wholly consecrated to God.”17 “If set to work,
the despondent will soon forget their despondency; the weak will
become strong, the ignorant intelligent, and all will be prepared to
present the truth as it is in Jesus.”18 “The Lord imparts a fitness for
the work to every man and woman who will co-operate with divine
power. All the requisite talent, courage, perseverance, faith, and
tact will come as they put the armor on.”19 They become prepared
as they move into action.
As the chosen Personal Ministries leader of your church, God
will grant you great success as you work in accordance with the
above principles and depend on Him fully day by day for wisdom
and guidance.

History Inspires
In addition to the above principles, you have encouragement
from history. You have two thousand years of success on which to
build! You have the model of thousands of successful men and
women—beginning with the primary model, the personal ministry
of Jesus Himself. Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Philip, Stephen, Timothy,
and John Mark all figure prominently in church history. They
worked tirelessly and effectively to win new converts to Jesus
Christ, causing the first century church to grow. That pattern has
continued through the centuries to our day.

Here is a brief history of the Department of Personal

Ministries in the Seventh-day Adventist Church:
As soon as the Seventh-day Adventist Church came into exis-
tence, the Department of Personal Ministries became a natural part
of this living and witnessing church. First, in 1869, it was called
“The Vigilant Missionary Society” (a goal even more relevant now
that we are 140 years nearer to Christ’s return!). A year later, as
the activities expanded and the work grew, it became “The Mis-
sionary and Tract Society.” In 1874, as part of the General Confer-
ence organization, it was named “The General Conference Tract

11
and Missionary Society of the Seventh-day Adventists.” The work
then reached across the seas and continents, and in 1882 the
name “The International Tract Society” was adopted.
At the General Conference session in 1918 the department
was renamed “The Home Missionary Department of the General
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.” The duties of leadership
were described as promoting and building up the tract and church
missionary work by: “(a) developing such practical plans and sim-
ple instruction as will unite all our churches in a general mission-
ary movement. (b) The publication, through the medium of church
and conference papers, and personal circular letters, of such mis-
sionary reports and experiences as will lead our people every-
where to appreciate their opportunities, and stir themselves to
greater activities.”20 (Sharing success stories was prominent. It is
still one of the best ways to inspire and instruct.)
The Home Ministries Department became the Lay Activities
Department at the 1966 General Conference session. In 1985, the
Lay Activities Department became part of the newly formed
Church Ministries Department.21 The Lay Activities part of the
Church Ministries Department gradually began to be called
Personal Ministries. Then, in 1995 the Church Ministries
Department was dissolved and Sabbath School and Personal
Ministries became one department at the Conference/Mission/
Union/Division/General Conference levels. However, Sabbath
School and Personal Ministries function as two separate
departments at the local church level.22
So you are called to a noble heritage as you become involved
in coordinating the outreach of your local church. Again, welcome
to the most important task God ever assigned to church leaders!
Following is documentation on what you are privileged to do.
We begin with the departmental job description.

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The Personal Ministries Department and
Leader
“The Personal Ministries Department provides resources and
trains church members to unite their efforts with the ministry and
church officers in the final proclamation of the gospel of salvation
in Christ. The aim of the department is to enlist every member in
active soul-winning service for God.”23
“The Personal Ministries leader is elected by the church to
lead in training and directing the church in active outreach
(missionary) service and is chairperson of the Personal
Ministries Council. The Personal Ministries leader may
need assistants who would coordinate the Bible corre-
spondence school, Bible evangelism, literature distribu-
tion, Ingathering, small group ministries, member training,
and other means to enhance soul winning. It is the
leader’s duty to present to the church, in the monthly Sab-
bath Personal Ministries service and in the church busi-
ness meetings, a report on the total outreach (missionary)
activities of the church.”24

Cooperating With All Church and Conference

Leaders
As outreach leader for the entire church, you should be the ex-
emplification of cooperation in its broadest sense. You will deal
with the entire church and mingle with leaders of all departments.
You should not only demonstrate true cooperation in your own
contacts but must be able to secure cooperation from fellow work-
ers, thus forming a highly efficient organization.
Not only are you, as the Personal Ministries leader, placed in
the church to carry out the program of the local church, but you will
also be called upon to cooperate with the conference in carrying
out the plans of the denomination. This will involve close coopera-
tion with the director of the Department of Personal Ministries of
the conference/mission. You will want to recognize that the confer-
ence/mission director is especially interested in your work. There
should be real teamwork between the two of you. Where such unity
exists, both church and conference will be strengthened.
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The Personal Ministries Council—Its Areas of
Activities and Its Duties
The church leaders with whom you will have the pleasure of
working as the council chair person are included in this Church
Manual (page 102) description of the Personal Ministries Council.
Some of the various areas of activity with which you may be in-
volved, along with your church members, are included.
“The Personal Ministries Council guides the outreach
(missionary) efforts of the local church and works under
the direction of the church board. The council should meet
at least once each month. This council shall consist of the
following: Personal Ministries leader (chairperson), Per-
sonal Ministries secretary, Publishing Ministries coordina-
tor, pastor, an elder, church treasurer, Dorcas Society
leader, Dorcas Society secretary, Adventist Men’s organi-
zation leader, Interest coordinator [Very vital. Note appen-
dix.] Health Ministries leader, Communication secretary,
Sabbath School superintendent, Youth leader, coordinator
for Ministry to People With Disabilities, Children’s Min-
istries coordinator, Women’s Ministries leader, director of
Community Services center or Community Services
leader, Bible School coordinator, and other members as
deemed necessary. The Personal Ministries Council may
assign subcommittees for specialized tasks as deemed
necessary. All subcommittees report to the Personal Min-
istries Council.”25
“The duties of this council shall be the following:
a. To arrange for the outreach (missionary) meetings of the
church, to study its field of outreach (missionary) activity,
and to enlist every church member in definite lines of
service.
b. To enlist the members’ involvement in outreach
(missionary) activities sponsored by the Personal
Ministries Department, such as:

14
 1) Literature distribution and circulation of outreach
(missionary) periodicals, including subscription
magazines.
2) Bible course enrollments.
3) Community Services and/or Dorcas Society
activities.
4) Entry events, such as stop-smoking clinics, cooking
schools, stress management seminars, etc.
5) Outreach (missionary) activities, such as Bible
studies and follow-up of contacts, public
evangelistic meetings, seminar evangelism, and
other outreach plans and projects.
c. To be responsible for the planning and implementation of
the annual Ingathering campaign where conducted.
d. To train and lead members in Christian witnessing, such as:
1) Conducting or arranging for classes in how to give
Bible studies, methods of personal witnessing, the
operation of Community Services programs, and
provision of disaster relief services.
2) Giving practical demonstrations in how to do this
work.
e. To encourage reporting through the Personal Ministries
secretary.
f. To supervise the Community Services activities of the
church and serve as the governing committee of the
church’s Community Services center.
g. To cooperate with the Personal Ministries Department of
the local conference/mission/field in carrying out its
program.
h. To authorize disbursement of local church Personal
Ministries funds.
i. To plan for and conduct the weekly and monthly Personal
Ministries meetings as called for in the church calendar.”26

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Developing a Plan and Strategy With Specific
Goals
As coordinator of outreach for the entire church, you will need
to work closely with the pastor, Personal Ministries Council, Sab-
bath School Action Units, and with the church board for final ap-
proval of an overall coordinated outreach plan and strategy with
specific goals. Here are three points to consider in strategizing:

1. Focus on areas with the greatest potential.

Ask yourself what activities will have the greatest results. What
will be the most productive in terms of finishing God’s work? As a
leader you want to be balanced and strive to include and support
every ministry and associate leader. But you should still have an
opportunity to lead them to contribute to that which is most pro-
ductive towards the finishing of the work. It is easy for the most
vital areas to slip through the cracks and be lost in a multitude of
activities.

2. Utilize traditional methods.

Some are tired of and opposed to traditional methods of evan-
gelism. We realize other methods need to be used as well to
reach those which traditional methods do not. But, as a focus, can
anyone demonstrate by results a more productive way than that
which includes: cultivation of friendships, meeting felt needs in
your community, sowing through personal or small group Bible
studies, and a harvesting evangelistic campaign?
There are many types of cultivation/entry events that you can
employ, of course. And all members should be encouraged to
choose and participate with one or many of these methods of
getting close to the heart. But once the mind and heart are
entered there must be seed sowing or there will be no harvest.
Often it doesn’t take long to find the way to the heart. A three to
five minute encounter door-to-door with a religious survey very
often helps the individual to sense a need for personal Bible
studies. If the Bible study-sowing-the-seed-series is followed by a
harvesting campaign where the truths studied in the Bible are
reviewed and strong appeals are made, it often doesn’t take long
until a baptism occurs and this new convert will be able to
16
immediately join his/her teacher as a Bible worker trainee. By the
end of three months, or in less time, you will have a new
successful soul winner.

3. Help members set their own goals.

Although your strategy will include a broad and comprehensive
plan, its foundation should be built on the aspirations and goals of
the individual members. Experience has shown that if you first
present ideas and plans that work, and then give the members the
opportunity to make their own plans and set their own specific
goals, they will own them. Plus, their goals will always be larger
than if the Personal Ministries leader or pastor sets them and re-
quires the members to reach them.
People take care of their own babies better than someone
else’s. Members will follow their own plans and strive to reach
their own goals better than yours. And it is far more productive and
exciting for you to hold seminar training or personal one-on-one
training to assist them to reach their goals than for you to give the
training you think they need. It is better for them to ask for help
from you or the pastor than for you to ask them to attend a semi-
nar that may not fit their needs.

Where Do You Begin? With the Whole

Church or With a Few?
Where do you begin in your endeavor to reach your goal of
every member actively witnessing for Jesus? We suggest two
options:
1. Move the whole church at once or,
2. Begin with a few who are on fire for God.
Which do you choose? It depends on the spiritual condition,
vision, willingness, and expertise of the pastor, elders, department
leaders, and membership as a whole.
Number one is definitely the best if the whole church is united
and ready. Jesus longs for this objective to occur: “The entire
church, acting as one, blending in perfect union, is to be a living,
active missionary agency, moved and controlled by the Holy

17
Spirit.”27 And notice this exciting promise: “If Christians were to act
in concert, moving forward as one, under the direction of one
Power, for the accomplishment of one purpose, they would move
the world.”28
Only the Lord knows for sure if your members are ready to
move together as an army of workers. Seek Him in earnest prayer
for wisdom. Listen for attitudes and request advice from the pas-
tor, elders, and the Personal Ministries Council. You may want to
pass out a survey to the membership that will indicate their degree
of interest in doing something great for God. Solicit their ideas for
witnessing and ministry and ask about their willingness to devote
time to cooperate with God in making their ideas happen. You
could suggest in the survey large plans, such as planting a church
or churches in the area or forming a number of small groups from
which a new church may develop. You might also suggest two
evangelistic reaping meetings per year. Ask how many would like
to devote time in cultivation and sowing in preparation for these
harvests (and suggest some ways of doing that).
If only a few are ready to move forward together, we will dis-
cuss later a possible long range approach. However, if immediate
united action is possible here are some suggestions as to how you
might proceed.

Beginning With the Whole Church

Spend time in prayer with the pastor and then with him/her and
the elders. Become acquainted with the community which your
church serves.29 Make visionary suggestions to your pastor and
elders and solicit their input as to what they would like to do.
Come to a consensus. Then present this to your Personal Min-
istries Council. Get input from every individual. Discover what
each leader would like to do. Do your best to come up with a plan
and goals that all would be thrilled to support and make happen.
Discuss it with the conference/mission Personal Ministries leader
and get that person’s advice, support, and promise of help in giv-
ing training if needed. Inform the pastor and elders of any adjust-
ments and get their support for the final plan.
Ask the pastor to preach a strong soul winning sermon based
on the love of Jesus for the lost and how He longs for everyone to
18
share in the privilege of working with Him to save the lost. The
pastor may interview new converts and those who worked with
them to demonstrate the joy of witnessing.
Join the pastor in leading the congregation in prayer, prefer-
ably two by two, for all who want to pray, and in making a strong
appeal utilizing a commitment survey that includes all activities
needed. Have the deacons pass this out after the prayer. Go
through it with them point by point and get them to select every
activity in which they would be willing to participate. They may un-
derline their first choice. After sufficient time is given, have the
deacons collect all the surveys.
You now have a united base from which to build. The pastor
and the council may assist you in choosing and assigning person-
nel equipped with a job description that is based on the members’
wishes. Training may begin where needed. Share results every
week that will inspire others to become a part of the total church
plan that will soon be a reality.
You will be excited! You will praise God for progress. Just re-
member, God brought you to this starting point. Don’t forget the
need for all involved to be engaged in continual prayer. “Only the
work accomplished with much prayer, and sanctified by the merit
of Christ, will in the end prove to have been efficient for good.”30

The Sabbath School Action Unit Alternative

Here is an alternative and very effective way to start. It may
not involve the total congregation at first but it has a stabilizing
continuity the above approach does not have. You will also have
the advantage of having leaders to assist you in carrying it forward
and making it happen. This will add tremendous strength.
It is built on this inspired statement: “The formation of
small companies as a basis of Christian effort has been
presented to me by One who cannot err.” 31
One of the best ways to begin aiming at involving the total
membership in forming a strategic outreach plan for the entire
church is to utilize Sabbath School Action Units with classes of six
to eight. You, the pastor, and selected members can prayerfully
study the local community needs,32 and the potential outreach pos-

19
sibilities in which to involve the membership before arriving at a
plan. Then, along with a captivating sermon on the love of Christ
for the lost and inspiring stories of success, you could present
your potential plan at a Sabbath School Action Unit planning ses-
sion on a Sabbath afternoon.
After much prayer together, you would ask the units, led by
their missionary leaders (Care Coordinators) to, considering the
basic plan you presented, make and write out their own one-year
plans that incorporate the vision, expertise, and desire of each unit
member. Each written plan should have specific goals, such as
listing the names of individuals they plan to reach for the Lord,
what need(s) of their local community they plan to address, the
number of Bible studies each member would plan to give, and the
baptismal goal of the unit, etc.
You and the pastor should be given a copy of each unit plan.
This will enable the two of you to monitor progress and assist
where needed to help them reach their chosen goals.
Regular Care Coordinator leaders meetings with you and the
pastor are essential. In these encouragement meetings, suc-
cesses are shared and discussed, and lessons are learned from
each experience. Then you deal with challenges. (The Sabbath
School Leaflet Keys to Sabbath School Action Units,33 has the de-
tails of exactly how to do this.)
Experience has shown that the results of this type of planning
session where each member can own his/her plan will be far
greater than leadership would expect. And carrying out the plans
will also be exciting.
With the Sabbath School Action Units you have an assistant
Personal Ministries leader (the Care Coordinator) in each class.
You can encourage, train, work with, and pray with this individual
to obtain results. Again, continual prayer is the key to success.
Before we discuss how best to keep up the momentum once
plans and goals have been made by a church that is working to-
gether willingly, let us consider how you would mobilize your
church if the pastor and congregation are not interested in wit-
nessing; if your church is a Laodicean church, in which there
seems to be no passion for the lost.
20
 If this is the case, we would recommend option number 2
above: “Begin with a few” who are on fire for God.

Beginning With a Few

Pray. Listen. God has told us, “Many would be willing to work if
they were taught how to begin.”34 Here is how to find the “many.”
Find one or two who are interested, for example, in giving Bible
studies. Take some Bible lessons. Visit them in their homes. Explain
what you plan to do in starting a study, and pray together. Say,
“Come with me. You don’t need to say anything. If you can walk and
smile, I will help you.” Help them get started. When you have a
good experience, your trainee will immediately think of other friends
who would love this work. Visit them and help them start.
Share the good experience in church next Sabbath during the
praise time, or better, during the ten-minute Personal Ministries
time. (We will discuss the details of this time later.) If your trainee
is excited and thrilled about the experience and able to speak be-
fore the church, interview him or her. If not, tell the story yourself.
The enthusiasm will be contagious. At the end of the interview ask
your student in training if he or she plans to continue in this work
and why, and if he or she thinks others would enjoy doing it. Build
on the positive response. Make an appeal. Ask for everyone who
is interested in giving Bible studies to meet you after church in a
particular location. Set a date during the week to take them out to
start studies.

On-the-Job Training Class

After you have started a few, gather together all whom you
have started and begin a three-month “On-the-Job Training Class”
that meets once a week. This is a proven plan that works. We
have been instructed, “Let the teachers lead the way in working
among the people and others, uniting with them, will learn from
their example. One example is worth more than many precepts.” 35
Three months allows you to take the trainees through the
series of Bible lessons in the homes or offices of people, demon-
strating and educating them to meet most challenges. The class
should run for three hours, often from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, and include:

21
 1. 10-15 minutes in devotional study and prayer, giving
everyone the opportunity to pray.
2. 20-30 minutes in practical instruction and role-playing
geared to that day’s or week’s activity. If everyone starts
studies together, instructions can be given on the Bible
lesson being taught that week.
3. 1-2 hours working door-to-door with trainer-trainee. This
most important time must be protected. The devil hates it.
He loves to see you just talk about witnessing.
4. 20 minutes in afterglow learning from experiences re-
ceived. It is a thrilling time and you can teach related les-
sons from every experience, whether it is “good” or “bad.”
You can discuss how the experience could have been im-
proved. Trainees can remember the lessons much better
from actual experiences than from mere lectures.
If you are the only one who is able to train and you have sev-
eral people anxious to be trained, think of it as a great blessing.
God will help you to adjust schedules or whatever is necessary.
Share your dilemma with your pastor and ask the pastor to join
you as a trainer. You may be able to find others who have had ex-
perience in the past who, when hearing of the good response, will
be able to be trainers. What a blessing that will be!
Some of your trainees will be able to become trainers before
the three months end. Start out by letting them watch you and
then give them more and more of the study step-by-step until you
are watching them and they are able to become trainers. Team
them up with other trainees.
God has and will continue to greatly bless this approach to
total-membership witnessing that begins with only one or two. Re-
member, “Many would be willing to work if they were taught how to
begin. They need to be instructed and encouraged.”36

How to Keep It Going and Growing

There are a number of ways to promote witnessing and keep
all plans going and growing. But nothing succeeds like success.
Telling success stories in every possible venue is an unsurpass-

22
able method. If these stories are told by the ones who experi-
enced them, they have greater impact to inspire others to have a
part in the joy of witnessing. Stories told by new converts are even
more impressive than those told by the ones who participated in
their conversion.
You as the Personal Ministries leader have the privilege of
sharing success stories during the ten-minute personal ministries
period every Sabbath, the monthly personal ministries Sabbath
service, at all church boards, and at business meetings as part of
your report of the total outreach activities of the church. You
should keep the pastor, elders, and communication director in-
formed at all times of success as it happens.
Remember to explain how the stories relate to the overall wit-
nessing outreach plans and goals of the church so they will be a
means to instruct and inspire others to become involved.
The communication director should be urged to publicize
activities and progress in the union paper, Adventist Re-
view, church newsletter, church bulletin, on the bulletin
board, and when appropriate, in the local newspaper, on
the radio, and on television.

Utilizing Special Meetings

Let us now discuss each of the above-mentioned sharing/dis-
cussion venues and emphasize how you might utilize them in an
effective way to help produce greater results.
First, how vital are such meetings? Upon what authority do
they rest? Under the section entitled “Church Outreach (Mission-
ary) Meetings,” the Church Manual states: “The Saviour’s commis-
sion lays upon the church the task of heralding the gospel to all
the world. This also places upon each individual member the re-
sponsibility of giving the message of salvation to as many others
as possible. The Saviour ‘gave authority to his servants, and to
every man his work.’ He appointed a meeting with His eleven dis-
ciples after His resurrection for the purpose of giving them counsel
and encouragement, and at that time He gave the gospel commis-
sion to the disciples and to the assembled church, numbering
more than five hundred brethren. That was the first outreach (mis-

23
sionary) meeting of the Christian church; it was certainly not to be
the last.
“As a permanent and definite part of the services of the
Christian church, the outreach (missionary) meeting bears
the divine endorsement for all time. Through the Spirit of
Prophecy we are told: ‘God has committed to our hands a
most sacred work, and we need to meet together to re-
ceive instruction, that we may be fitted to perform this
work.’—Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 32. (Italics supplied.).”37
These meetings are vital now. It should be evident that the
nearer we approach the Second Coming, the more important
meetings related to sharing the message should be. Yet there is
an alarming neglect of such in many of our churches. In many
places there is a focus on sermons formulated to meet the needs
of the congregation only. Witnessing is rarely mentioned; yet it is
the reason for which the church exists! We are told emphatically
that we are to allow nothing else to absorb our attention.38 We
must never forget the urgency of that directive in full: “In a special
sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as
watchmen and light-bearers. To them has been entrusted the last
warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light
from the Word of God. They have been given a work of the most
solemn import,―the proclamation of the first, second, and third
angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance.
They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.” 39
The Church Manual says there should be “Personal Ministries
meetings at various times, as best suited to local conditions.” 40
Here are examples of very important congregational meetings:

The Ten-minute Missionary Service

This meeting is held each Sabbath, usually following the close
of the Sabbath School and just preceding the preaching service.
Where its importance is valued the most, it is held at the beginning
of the worship service when everyone is present.
Some provision should also be made in the children’s divisions
during or after Sabbath School for a missionary service adapted to
their age and interests.

24
 The ten-minute weekly missionary service has been endorsed
by the General Conference, and in the 1966 session it was voted
that every church conduct the ten-minute missionary service each
Sabbath. It was reinstated at the 1996 General Conference An-
nual Council.
During this service it is your privilege to emphasize the activi-
ties that are the focus of the church’s outreach. Make it an exciting
and brief time. The pastor’s support is important. Work with
him/her if possible. Review briefly the plans, goals, and target
dates of the church and demonstrate with visuals, if you are able,
the progress being made. Incorporate crisp, brief interviews of
successful witnesses and challenge the membership to increase
their participation.
Give essential brief training that is pertinent to that week’s ac-
tivity. You may pass out printed guidelines. Utilize as much as pos-
sible visual demonstrations using members to participate with you
or, better, have successful members demonstrate from their expe-
rience. For example, you may have members show how to share
a tract or make an ingathering visit or another visit.
Make sure every part of the program is concise and to the
point. Don’t go over time. No one will be disappointed if you fail to
take the full ten minutes. Be certain it is not boring. Plan well.
Seek God’s help and He will bless.

The Church Outreach (Missionary) Sabbath

“The first Sabbath of the month is generally recognized as
Church Outreach (Missionary) Sabbath. The worship serv-
ice of this Sabbath is focused on lay evangelism, but other
departments besides the Personal Ministries Department
may also have opportunity on these special days to pres-
ent their interests. This will be done, however, by careful
counsel with the departments concerned.” 41
It would be wise for you to, if possible, have the assistance of
the Personal Ministries Council in carefully planning to make this
service an occasion for spiritual revival, motivation, and practical
training that will help the church attain their outreach objectives.

25
 Long-range planning that inculcates the broader aspects of all
departmental outreach vision and activities would contribute to
making these regularly scheduled monthly meetings exciting, in-
spiring, and informative.
Many of the techniques used in the above-mentioned
Ten-Minute Missionary Service can be used effectively at these
meetings as well. Remember to work with the pastor, or an elder if
the pastor is unavailable.
This is a worship service. One must avoid making it just a pro-
motional occasion or one where the membership is criticized for
what they are not doing. Yet at the same time, the joys of sharing
Jesus can be presented in a worshipful way, praising God for His
goodness in working through His humble instruments. Success
stories given by ordinary members can make God very real and
inspire others to desire and decide to work together with Him to
enjoy a similar experience.
You may have the Personal Ministries secretary give a varied
and impressive report on the missionary work God has enabled
the church to do during the preceding month and to share objec-
tives for the coming month. The local church missionary offering
should be emphasized if needed and a generous response called
for. It is wise to plan ahead so that there are sufficient funds avail-
able for emerging opportunities.

Midweek Training
An “On-the-Job Training Class” with actual field work as de-
scribed above is the best, but “Midweek Training” is an alternative
with merit. The Church Manual describes “A midweek meeting
combined with the weekly prayer meeting. On this occasion, the
first part of the service may be given to a devotional message, fol-
lowed by a season of prayer, remembering that worship is vital in
spiritual growth and preparation for service. The remainder of the
meeting time may then be devoted to a training period for lay
evangelistic service. Instruction in soul-winning methods is pre-
sented, and the members are given opportunity to present for gen-
eral discussion problems they have met in lay evangelism.”42

26
 We would suggest, in addition to this, that it is always best that
the meeting begin with success stories and ends with challenges
that are being faced. (We prefer the word “challenge” instead of
“problem”. People are often bowed down with problems, but every
challenge can be met through the power of the Holy Spirit.)

The Church Board

The support that can be given you by the church board is
tremendous. You are not alone in your endeavors to mobilize the
church in witnessing. Here are directives from the Church Manual
that indicate your duties toward the board and the support you
should be able to expect from it:
“The Work of the Board—
1. Planning evangelism in all of its phases. Since evangelism
is the primary work of the church, the first item on the
agenda of each church board meeting is to relate directly to
the evangelization of the outreach (missionary) territory of
the church. In addition, once each quarter of the year the
entire church board meeting can well be devoted to plans
for evangelism. The board will study local field committee
recommendations for evangelistic programs and methods.
It will determine how these can best be implemented by the
church. The pastor and the church board will initiate and
develop plans for public evangelistic campaigns.
“2. Coordinating outreach programs of departments. The
church board is responsible for coordinating the work of all
church departments. This includes the outreach programs
of Personal Ministries, Sabbath School, Children’s Min-
istries, Youth, Health Ministries, and Education. Each of
these departments develops its plans for outreach within
its own sphere. To avoid conflict in timing and competition
in securing volunteer helpers, and to achieve maximum
beneficial results, coordination is essential. Before com-
pleting and announcing plans for any program, each de-
partment should submit its plans to the church board for
approval. The departments also report to the church board
on the progress and results of their outreach programs.
The church board may suggest to the departments how

27
 their programs can contribute to the preparation, conduct,
and follow-up of a public evangelistic campaign.
“3. Encouraging and helping the Personal Ministries Depart-
ment of the church to enlist all church members and chil-
dren in some form of personal outreach (missionary)
service. Training classes should be conducted in various
lines of outreach ministry.
“4. Cooperating with the Interest coordinator of the church to
ensure that every reported interest in the message,
aroused through whatever source, is personally and
promptly followed up by an assigned layperson.
“5. Encouraging each department to report at least quarterly
to the church board and to the church membership at
business meetings and/or in Sabbath day meetings.
“6. . . . The church roll should be studied, and inquiry should
be made into the spiritual standing of all the members,
and provision made for visiting any sick, discouraged, or
backslidden member.”43

The Church Business Meetings

By working with the Personal Ministries secretary you will be
prepared to present a report at business meetings of success in
the past and plans for the future. The Church Manual directs that
reports may comprise the following activities: “A report from the
Personal Ministries leader, giving a statement of outreach (mis-
sionary) activities, including Community Services activities, to-
gether with any plans for future work. This should be followed by a
report from the Personal Ministries secretary.” 44 Sometimes you
may want to request an action on a specific part of your plans.
God will help you to utilize these meetings effectively and to
assist all your members in becoming involved in the joy of sharing
Jesus. Here is a wonderful promise: “When church members put
forth earnest efforts to advance the message, they will live in the
joy of the Lord and will meet with success. Triumph always follows
decided effort.” 45

28
Encouraging Counsel
We invite you to ponder prayerfully the following as you per-
form your duties, when things are going well and when things
aren’t moving forward as you had wished. God needs
Leaders of Prayer. “Nothing is more needed in our work than
the practical results of communion with God. We should
show by our daily lives that we have peace and rest in the
Savior. His peace in the heart will shine forth in the coun-
tenance. It will give to the voice a persuasive power. Com-
munion with God will ennoble the character and the life.
Men will take knowledge of us, as of the first disciples, that
we have been with Jesus. This will impart to the worker a
power that nothing else can give. Of this power he must
not allow himself to be deprived.”46
Leaders of Faith. “God’s workers need faith in God. He is not
unmindful of their labors. He values their work. Divine
agencies are appointed to cooperate with those who are
laborers together with God.”47
Leaders of Courage. “Hope and courage are essential to per-
fect service for God. These are the fruit of faith. Despon-
dency is sinful and unreasonable.”48 “Courage, energy,
and perseverance they must possess.”49
Leaders of Action. “The cause of God demands men [and
women] who can see quickly and act instantaneously at
the right time and with power. If you wait to measure every
difficulty and balance every perplexity you meet you will
do but little....It is even more excusable to make a wrong
decision sometimes than to be continually in a wavering
position, to be hesitating, sometimes inclined in one direc-
tion, then in another.”50

29
Appendix
The Interest Coordinator
In addition to the Personal Ministries secretary, the Interest co-
ordinator is of vital importance. Here is the description found in the
Church Manual page 64:
“It is important that the many interests developed through the
church’s missionary outreach be cared for promptly. To this end,
an Interest coordinator, who may be an elder, should be elected at
the time of the election of church officers. . . . This person is a
member of the church board and the Personal Ministries Council
and works directly with the pastor and chairperson of that council.
The duties involved in this office include:
1. To keep an organized list of all interests received by the
church from every source, such as Community Services,
Ingathering, public evangelism, Bible studies, lay
preaching and witnessing contacts, outreach (missionary)
magazines, Sabbath School evangelism, literature
evangelism, temperance and health evangelism, radio-TV,
and church outreach (missionary) literature.
2. To assist the pastor and chairperson of the Personal
Ministries Council in the enlistment and recruitment of
qualified laity for follow-up service.
3. To render to the church board a monthly report on the
number of interests received and the number followed up.
When an interest is sufficiently developed, it should be
shared with the pastor.”

30
Endnotes:
1
Gospel Workers, p. 352.
2
Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, Revised 2005, 17th Edition.
(Hagerstown, Maryland: Review and Herald, 2005), p. 101. (Hereafter, Church
Manual.)
3
The Acts of the Apostles, p. 110.
4
The Desire of Ages, p. 142.
5
Steps to Christ, p. 80.
6
Ibid., p. 81.
7
Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 362, 363.
8
Church Manual, p. 67.
9
Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 296.
10
The Desire of Ages, p. 823.
11
Gospel Workers, p. 122.
12
Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 189.
13
Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 125.
14
The Desire of Ages, p. 340.
15
Ibid., p. 347.
16
Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 354.
17
Christian Service, p. 254.
18
Evangelism, p. 356.
19
Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 333.
20
Adapted from Lay Activities Leaflet No. 2, The Lay Activities Leader, (Takoma
Park, Washington, D.C.: Lay Activities Department, General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists, 1976), pp. 4, 5.
21
Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, vol. 11, p. 327.
22
Personal Ministries Handbook (Silver Spring, Maryland: Sabbath School and
Personal Ministries Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day
Adventists, 2002), pp. 5-6.
23
Church Manual, p. 101.
24
Ibid., p. 102.
25
Ibid.
26
Ibid., pp. 133, 134.
27
Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 47.
28
Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 221.
29
For basic information on how to become acquainted with your local
community and its needs, see the Personal Ministries Leaflet Keys to
Adventist Community Services (AdventSource, 2008), pp. 25, 26. For more
details, see Understanding Your Community, by Monte Sahlin, (available from
adventsource.org.)
30
The Desire of Ages, p. 362.
31
Testimonies, vol. 7, pp. 21, 22.
32
See Keys to Adventist Community Services, pp. 25, 26. For more details, see
Understanding Your Community, by Monte Sahlin.
31
33
Available from adventsource.org.
34
The Ministry of Healing, p. 149.
35
Ibid., p. 149.
36
The Ministry of Healing, p. 149.
37
Church Manual, p. 88.
38
Evangelism, p. 120.
39
Ibid., pp. 119,120.
40
Church Manual, p. 99.
41
Ibid., p. 89.
42
Ibid., pp. 98, 99.
43
Ibid., pp. 91, 92.
44
Ibid., p. 99.
45
Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 30.
46
The Ministry of Healing, p. 512.
47
Christian Service, pp. 233, 234.
48
Prophets and Kings, p. 164.
49
Gospel Workers, p. 39.
50
Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 497.

32
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34
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Personal Ministries Leader:cover PRESS 8/31/09 10:46 AM Page 1

There is no greater privilege than to work with the

Holy Spirit in inspiring, organizing, training, and assisting
God’s people in sharing Jesus. If you need help mobilizing
the membership of your church for outreach, this book is
for you.
This book is full of practical advice to help you:
• Cooperate with church and conference leaders
• Develop a plan and strategy with specific goals
• Train members to witness
• And much more!
For lots more Personal Ministries resources visit
www.sabbathschoolpersonalministries.org. This website
has an extensive library of downloadable articles and
activities to enhance the preparation of Personal Ministries
leaders.

PERSONAL MINISTRIES LEAFLETS

• How to Run a Church- • The Work of the
Based Bible School Personal Ministries
• The Missionary Leader
Program for the Local • Reaching People
Church Where They Are
• Motivating Members • Health Evangelism
to Witness • Reclaiming the
• Giving Personal Bible Missing
Studies • Sermon Preparation
• Small Group Ministry • Public Evangelism
• Personal Witnessing • Principles of Church
• Methods of Door-to- Growth
Door Visitation • Adventist Community
• Bringing People to Services
Decisions for Christ • Prison Ministries

ISBN: 978-1-57756-584-0

9 781577 565840