Elders Urged to Lead ‘Mission-Driven’ Churches at Annual Retreat

Last weekend, the Chesapeake Conference held its annual Elder’s Retreat at the Mt. Aetna Retreat Center. The event, which took place from March 3-5, aimed to equip elders with the tools necessary to develop a comprehensive discipleship program in their local churches.

James Howard, director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, served as the weekend’s featured speaker. Howard’s presentations focused on the theme “Leading a Mission-Driven Church,” and offered strategies on how to create a culture of discipleship at the local church level. Seminar titles included “Jesus Loves Sabbath School,” “The Message is Still the Mission,” and “New Member Multiplication.” 

Elders who attended the retreat were provided with a range of elders’ resources to assist them in their local ministry.

Eli Rojas, Ministerial director for Chesapeake Conference, praised the engagement of the elders who attended. “You could see in their eyes the excitement from what they were learning,” he said. “Most of the presentations were interactive.”

Plans are already underway for the 2024 Chesapeake Conference Elder’s Retreat, which will take place from March 1-3, 2024.