Pastor Danny Philip has a big vision for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific—that it will have one million members by the end of 2025.
With current membership sitting at around 600,000, it will be a significant challenge. But it’s something that Pastor Philip will focus on in his new role as South Pacific Division (SPD) discipleship strategy leader—one of several leadership appointments made at last week’s Division Executive Committee (DEC) meetings. (Scroll down for a list of appointments.)
Pastor Philip believes that every Adventist has a role to play in disciple-making and he will be encouraging widespread participation.
“It means every Adventist should not remain idle,” said Pastor Philip, who has served the Church as president of the New Britain New Ireland Mission in Papua New Guinea since November 2018. He previously served as a local church pastor, district director, mission secretary and ministerial secretary.
Pastor Philip has played a key role in the disciple-making efforts in PNG where many house churches and church plants have been established and thousands of people baptised.
“House church became a movement—it has been established everywhere and promotes being in connection with the larger church family,” he said.
Pastor Philip said he and his wife Susie are excited by his appointment. They have three sons, aged 10, five and six months.
“Though excited to face the challenges and work on the opportunities available I can feel the enormous task and expectations to execute the core business of the Church—making disciples,” he said.
Pastor Philip was among several new appointments made at last week’s DEC meetings. There were also a number of reappointments.
DIVISION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
New appointments:
- Professor Lohi Matainaho, vice chancellor, Pacific Adventist University (currently working as a professor at the University of Papua New Guinea)
- Julian Archer, stewardship director (North NSW Conference stewardship director)
- Pastor Wayne Boehm, director, public affairs and religious liberty, and associate director, ministry and strategy (Hope Channel South Pacific director)
- Dr Edyta Jankiewicz, associate ministerial secretary—women in ministry (formerly family ministries specialist in the Discipleship Ministries Team)
Reappointments:
- Kevin Jackson, director, Health Food Department (Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Group) and commercial ministries director
- Dr Brad Kemp, CEO, Adventist Media, and media strategy leader
- Brett Goods, CEO, Adventist HealthCare (Sydney Adventist Hospital)
- Dr David McClintock, director, Adventist Education
- Dr Wayne Krause, Mission to the Cities strategy leader and director, Adventist Mission
- Dr Darius Jankiewicz, field secretary, Spirit of Prophecy coordinator and ministerial association secretary
- Greg Young, director, ADRA South Pacific
- Geraldine Przybylko, health strategy leader
- Dean Banks, leadership strategy leader
- Tracey Bridcutt, director, communications
