Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am writing this from Orlando, Florida where our denominational conference is winding down. About 1,000 people attended. As you know, we hold regular national, regional and district-level conferences for our ministers and members. But once every three years we come together from around the world for an international conference like this one. It takes a lot of work to pull it off, but it is well worth it. My sincere thanks to the many who worked so hard to make it so wonderful.

Though small in numbers, we truly are an international denomination. We are blessed with close relationships around the world—some going back many decades. But those relationships deteriorate unless we maintain them. That is why a conference like this is important. It helps us see who God has made us. We see what God is doing through our collective ministries around the world and our local ministries close to home.

Each day at the conference we enjoyed general sessions with inspiring worship and thought-provoking presentations from GCI leaders and guest speakers including Jeff McSwain and Gerrit Dawson. We also had a wide array of workshops facilitated by GCI leaders and guests. All these meetings focused on our conference theme: Participation-Fellowship-Communion. Recordings of many of the sessions will be posted on our website as soon as our media team can prepare them.

During meals we heard updates from some of our national leaders concerning what is happening in their area of the world. My friends and colleagues from all over the world shared their stories, showing what God has been doing as we strive to follow his lead.

Some areas, like Europe and Australia have become spiritual “stony ground” and the Christian church faces a challenge to survive. In other regions we are experiencing explosive growth. Kalengule Kaoma, our mission director in East and West Africa, told us of whole networks of congregations in Namibia, Tanzania and Burundi that are lining up to join us. We could be adding dozens of congregations in those countries in the next few years. This type of growth already has happened in Mozambique. Tim Maguire, our mission director in Southern Africa, told us that 96 congregations in that region have joined us in the last three years.

As the conference draws to a close, I am encouraged. Though we face many challenges, we are seeing many successes as we join in what God is doing to reach people and transform lives. Though statistics help measure progress, they don’t tell the whole story. As Kalengule pointed out in his presentation, the most important progress is made at the deeply personal and individual level, whether in an American inner city or in a remote African village.

You’ve probably heard the expression “the devil is in the details.” I disagree—in our gospel work, the Holy Spirit is in the details. He guides us to share in what Jesus Christ is doing to transform one life at a time. At this conference, we heard many testimonies concerning the Spirit’s work.

A conference like this reminds us that perhaps our greatest asset as a denomination is our relationships with each other. As one of our pastors posted on his Facebook page, “On earth, I get to know a bit more about heaven all the time in moments like this.” As we worshiped and fellowshipped we had many opportunities to deepen relationships with people we already knew and to forge friendships with those we were meeting for the first time.

In my address to a general conference session, I reflected on our miraculous transformation—from an exclusivistic sect, to an outwardly focused church that joins Jesus in his work to redeem and restore his creation. I am deeply grateful that God has shown us the foolishness of our former ways. Looking back, I find it hard to believe that we thought that was how God wanted us to live. I pray that he will continue to work through us as we join together in his mission throughout the world.

As Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, “The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20 The Message).

Our world needs that message. Our denomination is living proof that human beings can put their differences behind them and work together in harmony, love and mutual respect.

As I write these words, my friends are beginning to go home to their various responsibilities. God willing, we will meet again in three years. As we say our temporary “goodbyes,” we are reminded that God has given us this new life that will last forever. So there will always be a “next time.” And there will never be a “last time.”

Your brother in Christ,

Joseph Tkach