TED European Pastors Council 2024
This year’s European Pastors’ Council took place in Belgrade, Serbia from 27th to 31st August. It was themed “Engaged in Mission” and brought together nearly 1,200 leaders from across the Trans-European Division (TED) gathered on Tuesday evening at the Sava Conference Centre. Daniel Duda, TED president, and Patrick Johnson, TED Ministerial Association director, welcomed the audience at the opening ceremony, emphasizing the EPC’s role in continuing education, connection and growth.
This event marks a significant gathering for more than 1,200 pastors, Bible workers, departmental leaders, and accompanying spouses from the 22 countries of the TED. This year’s conference reflects the dynamic perspective of the current TED strategic plan, “Extend Love—Grow Lifelong Disciples—Multiply Communities.”
Delegates from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania lived in a hotel near the conference building. Breakfast could be enjoyed at the hotel from 6.45am after which hired buses took the delegates to the conference site, where the morning began with worship songs and morning service. It was then followed by several panel discussions or “talks”, but after lunch time everyone had the opportunity to participate in various seminars and workshops, which continued until the evening.
There were 11 plenary sessions and 50 workshop sessions on theology, psychology, counselling, church pastoring, outreach and mission conducted by our most gifted speakers in the church.
The programme ‘shone a spotlight’ on female pastors and pastoral spouses. They had the opportunity to meet three times during the event to discuss various topics, share challenges, support each other, pray, and network.
Pastor Karin Wieczorek from the Swedish Union of Churches Conference shared ideas on maintaining and developing close friendships while in ministry. Pastor Gry Beate Marley from the Norwegian Union Conference reflected on her family dynamic. She highlighted three major keys: the need to prioritize time together, accept differences, and maintain friendship. Pastor Kaarina Villa, Ministerial Association Director for the Finland Union of Churches Conference, inspired many attendees with wisdom from her own experience. “Prioritize your children and their well-being and make the Sabbath special for them,” she recommended. Breaking into discussion groups, attendees talked about their call to ministry, recognition, and how to uphold the pastoral calling through personal, public, financial, or spiritual challenges.
Mervi Cederstom, a pastor from Sweden pivoting on the story of the Samaritan woman,suggested this woman might also have believed she had nothing to offer her past husbands—possibly because she was barren. However, upon meeting Jesus, her dry bucket was filled to overflowing. “Buckets will always run dry,” said Cederstom, but encountering Jesus will make them gush, splash, and spill over others.
Pastor Jonathan Holder, serving at the North of England Conference, appealed for the Seventh-day Adventist Church to never allow knowledge to take precedence over love.
“Imagine what it would take for the Seventh-day Adventist Church to appear in the Top 100 Sunday Times list of best employers,” Pastor Holder challenged the audience. “It would take love to be prioritised over knowledge.
Extending Love is one of the key values of the Trans-European Division. Sophia Nicholls emphasised that there is a need to be intentional about it.
This conference was not only an opportunity to experience and learn a lot of new things, but also an opportunity to meet old, beloved colleagues from other countries, establish new contacts and make new friends.
The evening service began at eight o’clock in the evening, immediately after dinner, and usually ended around ten o’clock in the evening, when buses were already waiting for the participants outside to take each delegate to their accommodation.
The conference ended on a ‘high note’ on the last Sabbath with a musical festival. It featured the newly formed EPC Choir. Each conference delegate was encouraged to join in the joyous singing.
At the closing ceremony, TED President Daniel Duda spoke about the need to shift our focus away from what we are able to do to what God can do!