Preface - Sabbath School and Personal Ministries | Home

1 1. Preface This Handbook is a guide for Per- the circumstances of local churches in sonal Ministries personnel worldwide. different areas of the world. It is based on policies and procedures Boxes and sidebars are used to ex- established by world advisories, the ad- plain which sections of the Handbook ministrative entities of the world Sev- apply to all churches and which refer enth-day Adventist church, and sug- to ideas and suggestions. gestions and ideas from Personal Min- istries personnel around the world. It Contents of the Handbook offers guidelines designed to help orga- This Handbook contains statements nize and run efficient and productive of the purpose and mission of Personal Personal Ministries programs in the lo- Ministries , worldwide, Personal Minis- cal church.

2 Tries policy, Personal Ministries orga- While the Handbook contains some nization and procedures, job descrip- policies set by the world Seventh-day tions for Personal Ministries personnel Adventist Church which are applicable in the local church, outlines and ideas for to all Seventh-day Adventist churches Personal Ministries programs, and in- throughout the world, it is not designed formation on how to set up and run a to be an inflexible policy book. It con- Personal Ministries program in the tains many ideas and suggestions that church. may be used in a way that best suits Personal Ministries Handbook, page 1. 2. The Mission and Objectives of Personal Ministries The Mission of Personal Personal Ministries Methods Ministries and Activities The mission of Personal Ministries The local church Personal Minis- is to provide resources and train church tries Department has historically spe- members to unite their efforts with the cialized in certain soul winning meth- ministry and church officers in the fi- ods, although they are in no way lim- nal proclamation of the gospel of sal- ited to these: vation in Christ.

3 The aim of the depart- ment is to enlist every member in ac- ? Door-to-door evangelism tive soul-winning service for God. ? Distribution of literature ? Giving Personal Bible studies Objectives of Personal ? Lay preaching ? Organizing and running the Ministries Community Service program of The Personal Ministries Depart- the church, including the ment was established as a major set- Dorcas Society ting for soul winning activities in the ? Organzing and running the an- Church. It exists to teach and proclaim nual Ingathering program the gospel of Jesus Christ in response ? Managing local church Bible to the command of Jesus, in the con- Correspondence Schools text of the three angels' messages of ? Cooperating with the Sabbath Revelation 14:6-12.

4 To honor this origi- School Department in organiz- nal purpose, the Personal Ministries ing and running Sabbath Department continues to communicate School Action Units. the good news with the objective to win, ? Cooperating with the local hold, and train for Jesus Christ, men, church pastor in the organiza- women, youth, boys and girls, in all the tion and management of small world, and to design programs and re- group Ministries sources to help those areas of the world where church growth is limited. Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary. The Desire of Ages, p. 195. Personal Ministries Handbook, page 3. 3. History of Personal Ministries Personal Ministries is a facet of the The Home Missionary Department church whose beginning can be traced In 1915, the General Conference rec- to a women's group established in 1869 ommended the appointment of home mis- in South Lancaster, Massachusetts sionary secretaries in both the General called the Vigilant Missionary Society.

5 Conference and the North American Divi- sion to promote church missionary work. The Tract and Missionary Society Home Missionary Department leaders, The work of the Vigilant Mission- then called Secretaries, were also ap- ary Society gave S. N. Haskell the idea pointed in unions and local conferences. of establishing Tract and Missionary General Conference president A. G. Societies in various New England con- Daniells said, The Home Missionary ferences in 1870. These conference T Department is not a campaign, it is a and M Societies, either directly or religious movement. It is a revival of through district or local societies, en- pure religion in the church, and the go- listed lay members to circulate Seventh- ing forth to bear it to others.

6 This day Adventist tracts, pamphlets, books, department is to train men and women and periodicals through sale or free dis- all over the world to go out about their tribution. They also conducted Personal homes to win souls to Christ.. evangelism through visits, correspon- dence, and helping the needy. Specific Assignments In 1874 the General Conference es- As time went by, five areas of de- tablished the General Tract and Mis- partmental evangelistic activities de- sionary Society, later renamed the In- veloped: ternational Tract and Missionary So- ? Bible correspondence course ciety. When the General Conference enrollments. Publishing Department was estab- ? Community services involv- lished around 1901, it absorbed the In- ing the work done by Dorcas-Welfare ternational Tract and Missionary So- Societies in local churches and Com- ciety.

7 In 1913 the fostering of lay evan- munity Services centers and units. gelism was assigned to a separate sub- Specific programs included emergency division called the Home Missionary provision of food and clothing, inter- Branch of the Publishing Department, viewing and referral, adult education with Edith M. Graham as secretary. Af- classes in first aid, home management, ter functioning thus for five years, the summer camps for disadvantaged chil- Home Missionary Branch was made a dren, and disaster relief. separate department in 1918. Personal Ministries Handbook, page 5. ? Ingathering. This annual ap- Church Ministries was not intended peal has made millions of Personal con- to change the organization of depart- tacts, enrolled thousands in Bible cor- ments at the local church level.

8 As ex- respondence courses, and raised funds plained at the 1985 General Confer- for medical, educational, community ence session, the action to bring these service, and evangelistic work around former entities together into one depart- the world. ment would apply only to the General ? Lay Bible evangelism , including Personal Bible stud- ies and public meetings. Many The Personal Ministries churches have organized groups Statement of Purpose specializing in lay preaching, prison evangelism , and specific Equipping and Mobilizing the Membership Community Services projects. to Accomplish the World Mission of the ? Literature distribu- Church. t i o n, including systematic house-to-house distribution, mailing programs, tract racks, and in- Conference and its divisions.

9 Later it dividual or church lending libraries. could be implemented at the union and then the local conference levels.. The Lay Activities Department At the 1966 General Conference Personal Ministries session the General Conference Home Some world divisions felt that Per- Missionary Department became the sonal Ministries better described the Lay Activities Department. It was as- work of the department than lay ac- signed the tasks of fostering the activi- tivities, and began using this title for ties of laity in local missionary service. the department. The title was officially Missionary service meant Personal or adopted in 1995. public evangelism or Community Ser- vice, once known as Health and Welfare Sabbath School and Personal Service.

10 There were corresponding de- Ministries Department partments in the divisions, unions, and In 1995, the Church Ministries De- conferences. partment was dissolved and Sabbath The Church Ministries Department School and Personal Ministries were At the 1985 General Conference combined into one department. This or- session the Lay Activities Department ganizational pattern functions at the became part of the newly formed Conference/Mission, Union, Division Church Ministries Department. and General Conference levels. At the Church Ministries was a merger of four local church level Sabbath School and former departments of the General Con- Personal Ministries continue to func- ference: Lay Activities, Sabbath School , tion as two separate entities.