Looking Back and Moving Forward

Editorial by Tim Bailey

This April, as the Mountain View Conference (MVC) moves into a newquinquennium, I cannot help but look back and see how far we have come. God has blessed our small conference with many new people who have committed their lives to Him and joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Since our last constituency, we have experienced an almost 10 percent growth in membership, almost double the attendance, and a 12 to 20 percent increase in tithe, depending on the year.

One of the reasons for growth stems back to November 2022, when the pastoral team met and made a commitment together. That commitment was that over the next five years we would work together with God to double our membership at the time and triple our church attendance.

MVC’s mission is that “we exist to grow healthy churches that reflect Christ’s love and compassion in our communities.” Under this guiding statement, we have undertaken careful evaluation and implemented nominal adjustments, placing a renewed emphasis on the proclamation of the soon return of Jesus Christ, with the utmost intentionality. Our administration and pastoral staff have collaborated closely to introduce and execute the “Tell Somebody About Jesus” initiative, which has yielded promising results in spreading the good news of salvation.

Prayer has been the foundation for any successes we have had and will continue to be as we press forward. Church planting regeneration and revival has fueled our mission to grow. To fulfil our part in the gospel proclamation, MVC will continue to link with active evangelism and Bible studies throughout our territory, by God’s grace, until Jesus comes.

Education and Youth Ministries also continue to be the heartbeat of our conference. By God’s grace, our schools and Valley Vista Camp will continue years into the future. Because a new emphasis is being placed on the powerful outreach possibilities of social media, we are finding many more people who are interested in Adventism than we ever dreamed possible. As a result, thousands of new people have reached out to be taught the powerful message of the Bible, as understood by the Adventist Church.

God is blessing in every way possible, demonstrating that, if we ask, He always blesses. Please join us in continued prayer and work, as we strive to tell everybody within our territory about Jesus and His church.

Tim Bailey serves as the president of the Mountain View Conference.