Congratulations to the graduates of SALT! South Atlantic Leadership Training (SALT) is an institute of the South Atlantic Association of Seventh Day Baptist Churches which provides lay leadership training. SALT 1 started in January 2022 and ended with graduation on November 11, 2022.
The 8 modules covered in SALT 1 included: (1) Growing Toward Spiritual Maturity, (2) New Testament Survey, (3) Biblical Beliefs, (4) Principles of Biblical Interpretation, (5) SDB History, (6) SDB Polity & Parliamentary Procedures, (7) Biblical Leadership, and (8) Stewardship. Instructors were Pastors Nate Crandall, Carl Greene, Nick Kersten, John Pethtel, Luis Lovelace, Garfield Miller, Jasmine Lynch, and Andrew Samuels, along with author Janet Thorngate.
19 students from 7 South Atlantic Association Churches graduated, 15 with completion certificates and 4 with participation. SALT 2 will begin in February 2023 with 13 students who completed SALT 1 and indicated their readiness to move on to the advanced program.
Along with congratulating the graduates for their hard work and initiative, I would be remiss to not thank the South Atlantic Association for their innovative investment in SDB leadership development. As a Conference of SDB Churches, we are focusing our efforts on equipping emerging leaders, and the fruit of the labors of the South Atlantic Association is truly worth celebrating. Thank you to the SALT Executive Committee, Pastors Garfield Miller, Andrew Samuels, and Jasmine Lynch.
The collaboration behind SALT is also something that we look forward to seeing more of. The SDB General Conference and the SDB Memorial Board were partners in this initiative, and we anticipate more opportunities to join leadership development initiatives. A final thank you to Don Graffius, President of the SDB Memorial Board, for being the SALT graduation’s keynote speaker.
Actively Advancing God’s Kingdom Together
Together, our collaborative work in leadership development is a solid investment in the future of our Conference of Seventh Day Baptist Churches. To God be the glory.[1] Want to learn more about initiatives of the SDB General Conference? Register for the SDB Winter Virtual Delegate Forum The virtual forum takes place on January 8, 2023 at 2:00 pm Eastern. Delegates from churches of the SDB General Conference USA & Canada will gather together to receive information and updates from the SDB General Council and Directors, and also give feedback. Use the link above to register for this forum!
[1] Thank you to Pastor Garfield Miller for providing the information used in this blog. Photos are courtesy of Pastor Garfield Miller and Pastor David Stall.
