{"id":26347,"date":"2020-10-30T00:00:48","date_gmt":"2020-10-30T06:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/?p=26347"},"modified":"2023-08-29T11:28:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:28:40","slug":"on-mission-in-portugal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/on-mission-in-portugal\/","title":{"rendered":"On Mission .\u202f.\u202f. In Portugal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Igreja de Deus do S\u00e9timo Dia de Portugal (ID7DP, or Church of God of the Seventh Day of Portugal) is a merger of two Sabbatarian Christian organizations: the Igreja Universal de Jesus Cristo (IUJC, or Universal Church of Jesus Christ), founded in 1931, and the Congrega\u00e7\u00e3o Crist\u00e3 de Portugal (Christian Congregation of Portugal), founded in 1941.<\/p>\n

During the 1950s, there were contacts between the IUJC and the Church of God (Seventh Day) based in Denver, Colorado. For an unknown reason, that connection was lost. But thanks to God and to previous contacts, a letter was sent in the 90s from Lisbon (Portugal) to the old address in Denver. After a few months of delay, the president of CoG7 at that time, Calvin Burrell, replied to the letter, restarting contacts between the two countries.<\/p>\n

In 2002, the Church of Portugal became a member of the International Ministerial Congress (IMC) and participates actively in it, with human and financial resources. Since 2018, the ID7DP has obtained the status of Igreja Radicada (\u201crooted church\u201d), the highest administrative status given by the Portuguese State to religious communities.<\/p>\n

Church challenges<\/h2>\n

For several decades the number of ID7DP members has decreased. This happened for various reasons: a lack of evangelistic strategy and training adapted to the rapid changes in society, a \u201cturning inward\u201d of the Church, the internal divisive influence of former members influenced by liberal theology, and others involved in Judaizing messianic movements. In addition, the Church aged and did not know how to deal with adolescents and young adults, showing a lack of generational renewal.<\/p>\n

This negative context led to a more than 50 percent loss of members compared to the organization\u2019s \u201cgolden years\u201d (1950-1970) that gave rise to the ID7DP.<\/p>\n

However, despite this decline in human resources, the past few years have been characterized by an administrative consolidation of the Church in Portugal.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

Strategic vision<\/h2>\n

God teaches us that we should not despise small things (Zechariah 4:10) and that even from stones He can produce children of Abraham (Matthew 3:9). So instead of lamenting over what the Church\u2019s existence in Portugal had become, one day, empowered by God, we would rise and rebuild what had been torn down (Nehemiah 2).<\/p>\n

After prayer, group analysis, and reflection, the ID7DP adopted a new strategic vision in 2019. It is developed in the following concepts:<\/p>\n