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Our Name and Mission

Our Name:
The name Seventh-day Adventist includes vital beliefs for us as a Church. 'Adventist' reflects our passionate conviction in the nearness of the soon return ('advent') of Jesus. 'Seventh-day' refers to the Biblical Sabbath which from Creation has always been the seventh day of the week, or Saturday.
Our Mission:
The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to proclaim to all peoples the everlasting gospel in the context of the Three Angels' messages of Revelation 14:6-12, leading them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and to unite with His church, and nurturing them in preparation for His soon return.
Our Method:
We pursue this mission under the guidance of the Holy Spirit through:
Preaching: Accepting Christ's commission (Matthew 28:18-20), we proclaim to all the world the message of a loving God, most fully revealed in His Son's reconciling ministry and atoning death. Recognizing the Bible to be God's Revelation of His will, we present its full message, including the second advent of Christ and the continuing authority of His Ten Commandment law.
Teaching: Acknowledging that development of mind and character is essential to God's redemptive plan, we promote the growth of a mature understanding of and relationship to God, His Word, and the created universe.
Healing: Affirming the biblical emphasis on the well-being of the whole person, we make the preservation of health and the healing of the sick a priority and through our ministry to the poor and oppressed, cooperate with the Creator in His compassionate work of restoration.
Our Vision:
In harmony with the prophecies of the Scriptures, we see as the climax of God's plan the restoration of all His creation to full harmony with His perfect will and righteousness.

Traveling the world is exciting. When you cross cultural borders to work and witness for Christ, your life becomes an adventure! So let us help prepare you and your ministry for this experience. Since 1966 the Seventh-day Adventist Institute of World Mission has helped thousands of missionaries and others interested in cross-cultural ministry to deal effectively with the challenges of adapting to and working in new cultures.
The Institute of World Mission fosters and facilitates the cross-cultural outreach of the Seventh-day Adventist world church. The Institute provides appropriate cross-cultural training for all full-time, short-term and volunteer workers, and facilitates their re-entry to the home field. The Institute cooperates with a tentmaker program (Global Partnerships) and further serves the church with consulting, training and strategic planning for the worldwide mission of the church. The IWM brochure can be seen by choosing this link: IWM Brochure
Each regularly sheduled missionary-preparation institute brings together an experienced group of trainers from its staff, based at Andrews University, and from around the world. Some of the regular trainers are:
Lester Merklin, Director, DMin in Missiology. Lester came to IWM in 2005 from the mission field. From a background as a pastor and academy chaplain/teacher in the United States, he has served as Bible teacher in Belize, and ministry/mission professor in Pakistan and the Philippines. In addition to the administrative work at the Institute, Lester helps prepare missionaries in the areas of cross-cultural communication and witness.
Wagner Kuhn, Associate Director, PhD in Intercultural Studies/Missiology. Originally from Brazil, Wagner Kuhn has extensive cross-cultural experience. He has served as a Pastor in the United States, worked with ADRA as country director in Azerbaijan; as regional and program director in Naxçivan Autonomous Republic and as Professor of Mission and Theology at the Adventist University College of São Paulo. Wagner joined IWM in January 2005. His life’s purpose is to honor and serve God by ministering, teaching, serving, and caring for the people of this world, God’s people.
Cheryl Doss, Associate Director, PhD. An MK (missionary kid) who later served in Malawi, directing rural clinics and teaching family life and health, Cheryl is a pastor/teacher’s wife who home schooled her children. She conducts research on families in global transition and is involved in the Institutes ministry to missionary families.
Enid Harris, RN. Enid, who hails from South Africa, is a former missionary in Africa. Currently Enid serves as the Office Manager for the Institute. She is also very active in support for and ministry to missionary families and is a regular teacher in the children's program for mission preparation.Vernieta Porras, BA. Vern was born in Indonesia and immigrated to the USA with her parents when she was 7. She was a student missionary teacher in Palau and taught 11 years in SDA schools since her graduation from La Sierra. She and her husband, Sean, have come to Andrews for his further education. Vern is the IWM administrative assistant and an excellent teacher for the teen age missionaries attending our institutes.
Pat Gustin, MA. Until her retirement in 2005, Pat was the director of IWM for 9 years. Add this to her 23 years of missionary service in Southeast Asia and her years of contribution to mission committees of the church, and you will understand why the IWM continues to find opportunities to invite Pat back to assist in missionary preparation and leadership in the Wecome Home seminars. She also continues to assist in Student Missionary training at some of our colleges.