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In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus gave the church its mandate: “Go, make disciples of all people.”rnrnBut first He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. The disciples didn’t know exactly what they waited for, but when it came, they certainly recognised it. Combining Jesus’ last instructions with the fervent belief that Jesus would return soon, along with the presence of the Holy Spirit, the activity of the early church and its leaders became a dynamic discipling movement that grew into the early Christian church. Within a century this Christian movement had spread across the known world.rnrnOur own movement grew out of the Great Disappointment of 1844. Through careful study of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation our pioneers came to understand that the Seventh-day Adventist Church had a vital role to play in the closing stages of earth’s history. Through the symbolism of Revelation 10 they saw themselves as the fulfillment of the words ‘you must prophesy again’.  And so began the Adventist Movement, a movement that saw its role as making disciples of all people, of taking the gospel and the message of Jesus soon return to the world.rnrnThe NZPUC has taken this divine directive to make disciples and broken it down into three broad outcomes:rnrn every member a disciplern the gospel to every home, andrn every church be a centre of community influencernrnAll the activities and resources of the church are focused on achieving these utcomes.  The question is, how do we achieve them? What strategy do we use to make these outcomes a reality?rnrnThe Game ChangersrnrnThe first part of our answer to this question was to focus on the “Game Changers.”  In other words, what few things, if done really well, will make the most difference to the life and mission of our church.  We needed these to be:rnrn the big objectives that can change the church. Small in number & simple.rn consistently and simply communicated to church leaders and membersrn those areas most likely to have broad common support across the Union that everybody can get behind and support (and inspire to action).rnrnFour strategic pillars were chosen to form the foundation of the NZPUC strategic plan.rnrn For a disciple-making movement to be successful it needs a clear discipleship focus. This must use an approach to discipleship that connects people with God on a personal level.rn Comprehensive Health Ministry. Once termed the right arm of the message, Health Ministries provides a real opportunity to meet people in the community at their point of need.rn Comprehensive Media Ministry. The power of media connectivity plays a vital role in reaching every person with the gospel.rn Mission to our Communities. Being intentionally focused on their communities and providing a meaningful ministry begins to fulfill Jesus’ method “who mingled with people, ministered to their needs, gained their confidence and then called them to discipleship”. MH 135.rnrnEach of these pillars are interconnected. Together they build presence, involvement, and passion for the work entrusted to us. Together they help achieve the ultimate outcome of seeing every member passionately engaged as a disciple, the gospel going to every home, and every church active in their communities as a meaningful and relevant centre of influence.rnrnWe have also looked at our structure and processes, identifying areas where staff roles and resources needed adjustment to better support the four pillars – discipleship, health media, and mission to our communities. In this way clear focus is given to what is important.rnrnThis has been an ongoing journey of learning.  We constantly pray for the leading of God’s Spirit so that what is done brings maximum impact for the spread of the gospel.  We invite you to join us in this journey as we seek to create a disciple-making movement in the New Zealand Pacific Union.