Nigeria Evangelistic Series Benefited From App Developed in the South Pacific

A major evangelistic campaign in Nigeria is demonstrating how collaboration and technology are helping the Seventh-day Adventist Church respond to global mission opportunities in real time, regional church leaders from the South Pacific Division (SPD) recently said.

The Arise in Hope: Africa for Christ evangelistic campaign was recently held at the University of Lagos, bringing together students on site along with many more joining through downlink locations across the region and beyond. The event, featuring General Conference (GC) chief financial officer Paul Douglas, reflected a coordinated effort between local organizers, the GC, and supporting teams around the world.

A key element of the campaign was the use of Thrive, a platform developed by Adventist Technology in the SPD. Using a simple QR code, attendees were able to register their interest, with the system capturing their details and supporting immediate follow-up.

Using a simple QR code attendees were able to register their interest. [Photo: Adventist Record]

Thrive brings together both registration and nurture in one platform, enabling churches to communicate with attendees and coordinate discipleship efforts at a local level. It also supports the transfer of data into the church’s global membership and management system, ACMS, helping create a pathway from initial interest through to ongoing involvement in church life.

By strengthening follow-up and coordination, Thrive helps address a long-recognized challenge in evangelism—ensuring that those who respond are not lost through the “back door” after the initial decision, but are supported in an ongoing journey of faith.

“What we are witnessing is a glimpse into the future of mission,” Douglas said. “Missional technology is removing barriers, expanding our reach and enabling immediate, meaningful connection with those responding to the Spirit’s call. As the world church moves toward OneVoice27, digital tools have become a mission multiplier that can help unify our global mission.”

Church leaders say that solutions such as Thrive are increasingly important as the global church prepares for large-scale evangelistic initiatives.

“Thrive solves a critical challenge that the world church is facing as we prepare for a year of evangelism across the globe next year,” said Richard Stephenson, a GC associate treasurer who oversees technology strategy and operations for the world church. “OneVoice27, the global outreach initiative, will generate millions of contacts who will need nurture and discipleship. The South Pacific Division has become a valuable mission partner in helping the world church to meet this need.”

General Conference chief financial officer Paul H. Douglas prays for people about to be baptized during the recent Arise in Hope: Africa for Christ evangelistic series in Nigeria. [Photo: Adventist Record]

The platform was deployed rapidly in preparation for the campaign, with teams working together across regions to support the initiative.

“We had just four days to prepare for this event,” said Ben Thomas, a pastor who is director of technology operations and strategy at Adventist Technology. “I’m so proud of our team, and we thank God for this mission success!”

“We are working closely with local churches to ensure that every person is cared for beyond the event,” said Thembi Moyo, director of world church platforms. “Thrive is helping our teams coordinate their follow-up efforts as they build relationships and support people in their faith journey.”

The impact is already being seen, with many individuals making decisions for baptism during the series.

As the church continues to explore how best to support global outreach, collaborative, mission-focused technologies such as Thrive are expected to play an increasingly important role, regional church leaders said.

The original version of this story was posted on Adventist Record.