The Propel Podcast

In this presentation from the 2023 Propel Conference, Dr. Sherri Uhrig, the Children’s Ministries Director for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, explores the importance of nurturing children's faith and the power of relationships in this process. She talks about the importance of teaching children to be theologians with an understanding of their faith, the impact of reading th...

In this presentation from Tuesday night's main session at the 2023 Propel Conference, NAD Vice President Calvin Watkins Sr. emphasizes the importance of evangelism and being radical in faith. He reflects on his own time doing evangelism and reminds us of radicals from history, like Martin Luther,  Harriet Tubman, and Ellen White. He points us to Jesus as the ultimate radical, focusing on his teach...

In this presentation from the 2023 Propel Conference, Pastor Charles Byrd talks about the reasons why church members don’t give Bible studies, and emphasizes the importance of sharing one’s faith for personal spiritual growth. He also introduces Thunder in the Holy Land, a video Bible study series effective at growing personal faith and sharing faith with others. The series integrates a video less...

In this presentation from the 2023 Propel Conference, Dr. Stan Hudson talks about the significance of viewing scientific data through the lens of a biblical worldview. He discusses various scientific concepts and controversies, such as the challenges to Darwin’s theories, the complexity of life, and recent discoveries contradicting the Big Bang theory. He also touches on topics like the amalgamati...

In this presentation from the evangelistic innovation track at the 2023 Propel Conference, David Klinedinst delivers insights into keeping Christ at the center of evangelism while retaining the distinctive Adventist message. He emphasizes the importance of presenting various doctrinal topics in a way that highlights Jesus' teachings and love. He also covers practical aspects of evangelism, like ho...

What makes an effective church website? This talk by Larry Witzel, in the Evangelistic Innovation track of the 2023 Propel Conference, is all about how to turn your church website into an evangelistic engine. He shares some reasons why that’s important, reveals some key things that every church website needs to be effective as an outreach site, reports on some brand new research about church websi...

In the first presentation from Monday night's main session of the 2023 Propel Conference, Dr. Roscoe Shields Jr. talks about self-control, looking at Galatians 5. In our spiritual lives, we often face situations that require self-control and focus to overcome. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit, and with that power of the Holy Spirit, we can control our passions and impulses, placing...

Richie continues with the practical details of how to hold evangelistic meetings, talking about things like evangelism marketing, building your teams of volunteers, and how to make an appeal for decisions. If you want to improve your own effectiveness at holding evangelistic meetings, you’ll get a lot from this episode. This was the 4th breakout session in the reaping meetings track at the 2023 Pr...

In this episode, Richie Halversen gets into the practical nuts and bolts of how to hold evangelistic meetings, covering everything from vision and seed sowing to budgeting and style. This was the 3rd breakout session in the reaping meetings track at the 2023 Propel Conference. Episode sponsor: eAdventist

In this episode, Dr. Roger Walter explains that asking for decisions is a crucial step in the evangelism process. He points out the power of decisions to overcome emotional and mental barriers, describes a number of variations in how to ask for decisions, and explains how repetition prepares the soil of someone’s heart to make a life-changing decision. This was the 2nd breakout session in the reap...

David Klinedinst talks about how to do visitations as part of your reaping meetings. He makes the case for visiting people in their homes, even in this post-Covid world. Then he offers some practical tips on how to approach each visit, some guidelines on what to talk about, and how to ask for decisions. This was the first breakout session in the reaping meetings track of the 2023 Propel Conference...

Richie Halversen talks about ways you can meet felt needs in your community, the power of grace, and the importance of letting God’s Spirit empower life change in new believers. This content is from the Tuesday morning main session at the 2023 Propel Conference. Episode sponsor: Adventist Information Ministry

In this final breakout session in the Bible study training track at the 2023 Propel Conference, Sarah Grant talks about SermonView's LeadGenerator program, which guarantees Bible study leads every month, as well as InterestTracker, the cloud-based CRM for managing interest on their way to membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She also shares some tactics for making first contact with int...

In this presentation from the Bible study training track, Cyndi looks at Isaiah 58 and talks about how Sabbath should be a day of liberation and life. This is the day Jesus did so many of his miracles on, and she asks if in our traditions we have lost the true meaning of the Sabbath. She also talks about the importance of having a discipleship program for new members to help them integrate into th...

In this presentation from the Bible study training track, Cyndi talks about how to understand others by getting into their shoes. People flocked to Jesus because he was not judgmental, and that’s how we should be, too. She shares what the Spirit of Prophecy says about making friends for God, and how to nurture those relationships by focusing on them instead of yourself. Part 2 of 3 sessions. Episo...

In this first presentation from the Bible study training track at the 2023 Propel Conference, Cyndi shares her powerful testimony of how God brought her into this work. She talks about having a burden for others that comes from Jesus’ love, the value of just one soul brought into the Kingdom, and the power of prayer to change our own hearts. Part 1 of 3 sessions. Episode sponsor: It Is Written

In this episode, Richie Halversen shares his story of growing up in an evangelist's family and how God helped him overcome opioid addiction. He encourages us to take the circumstances we’re in, and the weaknesses we have, and allow God to use them to grow His kingdom through His power and strength. Episode sponsor: NADMinisterial

Dr. De León leads the final breakout session in the church revitalization track at the 2023 Propel Conference, talking about how to deal with conflict in your church. He points out that conflict is inevitable, but the way you handle the conflict can make an eternal difference. He talks about the sources of conflict, including the desire for stability and the feeling of shame. He also encourages us...

Tyler Long talks about Revangelism, a 6-phase program he has developed at the Washington Conference to help revitalize churches, whether they are growing, plateaued, or declining. He discusses personal preparation, building relationships in the community, how to find Bible study interests, and how to create a welcoming environment for your guests. This was a breakout session in the church revitali...

In this breakout session from the church revitalization track, Dr. Roscoe Shields Jr talks about his journey of revitalizing the Sharon Church. This presentation was given less than 2 years after he arrived as senior pastor, and in his first 18 months there he baptized over 60 people. He talks about how God led him to use social media and online marketing as the cornerstone of his growth strategy....

In this breakout session in the church revitalization track at the 2023 Propel Conference, Ryan Whitehead takes a look at the foundation of the Evangelism Pyramid, friendship. He talks about how we can build a better foundation of friendship in our churches, looking specifically at the importance of warmth and intentionality. Episode sponsor: eAdventist

In this talk from Monday morning of the 2023 Propel Conference, Dr. Roger Walter talks about how the language we use is not clear to our unchurched friends. He points out that most of the activities at a church are for the current church members and emphasizes the importance of making friends with people outside the church. He also provides an overview of the Evangelism Pyramid and how to apply it...

In this presentation from the opening night of the 2023 Propel Conference, Elder Bill McClendon asks the question, why do some Seventh-day Adventist churches grow, and others don’t? He talks about the power of passion, vision, and faith, and inspires us to embrace God’s plan for each of our churches to grow. Episode sponsor: Adventist Learning Community

In this opening presentation of the 2023 Propel Conference, Jose Cortes Jr talks about some metrics that have been developed for measuring the health of churches in North America. He reveals statistics about how many churches are multiplying, how many are growing, how many are plateaued, and how many are declining across the division. He talks about why churches die, and more importantly, the mind...

In this first episode of the Propel Podcast, Larry Witzel talks with Dr. Roger Walter, senior pastor of the Adventist Community Church in Vancouver, Washington. He is also the president of EvangeLead, a nonprofit promoting evangelism leadership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In this conversation, Roger talks about the early ministry experience that led him to embrace public evangelism, and s...