Collaborate or Be Ineffective

by Ivan L. Williams, Sr., D.Min.

It is futile for any ministry or organization to work in isolation. Working alone in the face of so many opportunities to benefit from others only hinders or stunts the potential for exponential growth. There are numerous benefits to sharing, partnering, and collaborating, and the North American Division Ministerial Association has decided to be intentional about collaborating.

The NAD Ministerial Association values the benefits of collaboration. It has been our intention to focus on building bridges, establishing partnerships, integrating the greater ministerial community, and being systematic in our collaboration by focusing on the ministerial journey from the call of God until retirement and beyond. Our work on the 7 Core Qualities, curriculum collaboration, ministerial director training, ministerial spouse leader training, women clergy, the InMinistry Center, recruiting of young people for pastoral ministry, church planting, life hope centers, convention planning, transformational evangelism, compassion, policy revision and development, continuing education, pastor development, best practices newsletters, CALLED digital magazine, and webinars has been forged through research, focus groups, and collaboration.

Effective churches and schools value partnerships across the broad spectrum of ministry in our division for the sake of mission accomplishment. Collaboration ensures a synergized, systematic, and aligned manner, however, isolationism only hinders growth.

We are currently partnering with conference and union ministerial directors, the Adventist Learning Community, NAD College & University Schools of Religion faculty, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, North American Division Evangelism Institute, local church elders, conference and union administrations, evangelism coordinators, church planters, the theological societies of ATS & ASRS, pastors and their families, secretariat for policy revision, GC global mission and life hope centers, NAD education, Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries, women clergy, ministerial spouses and leaders, and many more.

These are some of the benefits we have found through collaboration:

1. It is mission-critical.

2. It builds greater trust through communication.

3. It fosters greater listening among ministerial organizations.

4. It fosters innovation and ideas born from broader thinking.

5. Greater transparency emerges through agreed-upon partnerships.

6. Ideas are born out of best-practice experiences.

7. Relevance, meaning, and purpose rise when everyone is at the table.

8. Resources are discovered.

9. Competence and character are revealed.

10. It becomes more apparent that silo thinking and acting is not sustainable for ministry.

Why not join us as we collaborate "Together in Mission?"

Ivan L. Williams, Sr. Vice President & Ministerial Director of the North American Division.