From June 14 to 17, Adventist Family Ministries directors from the EUD Division gathered at the Adventist University of France, for their five-year strategic advisory, led by world director Dr. Willie Oliver, and by the newly appointed Family Ministries director for the Inter-European Division (EUD, Roberto Iannò. Dr. Elaine Oliver, departmental world co-director, was absent from the meetings due to family reasons.
Emotional and Cultural Intelligence in Ministry
A major highlight of the training was Dr. Oliver’s presentation titled "Emotional and Cultural Intelligence for the 21st Century." Oliver challenged leaders to develop a deep awareness of both emotional needs and cultural dynamics when ministering to modern households. These intelligences require both Cultural Adaptability—understanding regional family structures and traditions without compromising biblical principles—and Emotional Resilience—equipping leaders and pastors with the empathy needed to navigate complex family crises, mental health challenges, and interpersonal conflicts.
Advanced Leadership Certification
To counter rising global challenges like marital instability and shifting cultural norms, leaders reviewed the updated Leadership Certification Program 3.0 under the guidance of Dr. Willie Oliver. This digital-ready curriculum equips regional pastors and lay leaders with evidence-based counseling strategies and biblical foundations.
Perspectives from the Inter-European Division
The Advisory served as a launchpad for a unified international vision. Directors engaged in collaborative planning to ensure that resource distribution and training programs reach local churches effectively across the EUD Division, not to mention the discussion about the GC project OneVoice27.
Dr. Roberto Iannò also stressed the urgent need for comprehensive pre-marital education and marital enrichment frameworks tailored to the European context.
Prioritizing the Leader's Home
A profound moment of shared reflection emerged during the meetings as directors unanimously emphasized the absolute necessity of caring for their own families as a first priority. The leaders highlighted that the spiritual and emotional health of a ministry leader’s household is the ultimate prerequisite for any effective public outreach. Taking intentional time to nurture marriages and support children was framed not as a distraction from ministry, but as the very foundation of pastoral credibility.
A Final Call to Action
The participants returned to their fields tasked with cascading these resources down to unions, conferences, and local churches.
The Advisory concluded with special prayer of consecration for the families of the directors and for the shared mission in the EUD region.
