South America: Simple Methods Lead to Phenomenal Growth

Brazil has more Seventh-day Adventist church members than any other country in the world, according to a report presented this evening at the church's 58th business session in St Louis, Missouri. July 5, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri, United States John Surridge/ANN

Ruy Nagel president of the South American region of the Adventist church. [Melita Pujic]

Brazil has more Seventh-day Adventist church members than any other country in the world, according to a report presented this evening at the church's 58th business session in St Louis, Missouri. Brazil is just one of the countries in the South American region of the Adventist church, but its 1,290,000 members make up more than half of the total membership of 2,480,000.

Throughout the South American region the church operates hospitals, universities, food factories, publishing houses, radio stations and satellite television channels. What is the secret of this phenomenal success?
The answer was presented to delegates and guests in a collection of videos interviews with some of the people who had helped to create the success story. These were not business executives or even high-powered evangelists - they were ordinary people, but with extraordinary stories to tell.

In Quito, Ecuador, a former drug dealer stopped selling drugs and began selling Christian literature. "I wanted to have a new life, but I didn't know how," he said. After a visit from an Adventist he began taking Bible studies and was baptized. He then started to witness himself, selling Adventist books to drivers at stop lights. "When Jesus returns I want to meet the people I sold books to," he said.

In a factory in Eastern Brazil more than 1,000 pans are made every day. One Adventist woman there decided to put tracts in the bottom of each pan as they were packed ready for sale. One of these reached the home of another woman who was eager to learn about the Bible. She signed up for a study course and was later baptized. In a happy conclusion to this story the two women finally met, live on an Adventist television show.

12,500 feet up in the Andes' mountains, a young pastor spoke of his work in the Lake Titicaca region. With an incredible 99 churches to care for he could justifiably complain of work overload, but, on the contrary, he is more than satisfied with his responsibilities. "I dreamed of being a minister since I was young," he said. "I am the happiest man in the world."

In Santiago, Chile, a former guerrilla spoke of his conversion to Christianity. Following an illness which almost killed him he became interested in religion and learned about Jesus while in hospital. After a period of recovery he was baptized one morning, and started a program of witnessing the same afternoon.

In a mountainous region of Peru, at an altitude of some 16,000 feet, a young Adventist woman witnessed a rockslide. The rocks had crashed into a dam and weakened it. With a young baby to look after and only a horse for transport she rode through the night to warn others of the danger. After riding for 30 miles she reached the nearest town and gave the warning. When the dam burst there was terrible damage, but there were no casualties. After hearing her story 24 people were baptized and a church was planted.

In the capital city of Brasilia, Brazil a man was sentenced to 23 years in prison, but after becoming an Adventist he started witnessing to his 3,000 fellow inmates. To date 60 of these have been baptized. As a result of his changed life and good behavior the man was released from prison after only 8 years.

In Buenos Aries, Argentina, a woman converted her house into a church. Different rooms were assigned specific functions for church work - youth in one room, community services in another, and the main worship service in the laundry. Sixty members now worship there regularly.
There were even more stories. A dentist who runs a small worship group in her clinic after working hours, has seen 60 people baptized as a result. A teenage girl with a passion for witnessing travels on her bicycle to have studies with people - 30 have been baptized. A lady who works with alcoholics takes them in, cares for them and teaches them of God's love. An Adventist judge sentences people as part of his work, but in his spare time goes to visit them and study with them in prison. Some of these former criminals are now leaders in the church.

Telling stories is a powerful means of communicating a broader message. In the South American region the Adventist church is growing, not because of some grand strategy, but because of the dedication and witness of many committed individuals.

The South American region comprises the countries of: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, with adjacent islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. There are nearly 8,000 churches in the region and in the last five years 1,104,821 people have been baptized.

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