Growing Loving Followers of Jesus: God’s Work Advancing in the Nevada–Utah Conference
By Chanda M. Nunes-Henry, Executive Secretary/Ministerial Director
Since the Nevada-Utah Conference last convened in October 2022 for its Constituency Session, God has continued to move powerfully across this vast and rapidly growing territory. Beginning in 2022 with a membership of 10,704, the conference closed 2025 with 11,409 members—an overall increase of approximately 6.6 percent. Each year during this period recorded growth, including 1.76 percent in 2022, 1.63 percent in 2023, and 0.94 percent in both 2024 and 2025, reflecting steady progress rooted in mission and faithfulness.
The most recent growth from 2024 to 2025 highlights the impact of focused, Spirit-led evangelism. During that year, membership grew from 11,303 to 11,409, supported by 251 baptisms and professions of faith. This momentum was closely aligned with the North American Division’s “Pentecost 2025” initiative and the Pacific Union Conference’s “Sharing Jesus” year of evangelism emphasis. In response, 32 churches and groups throughout the Nevada-Utah territory conducted evangelistic meetings, seminars, and revivals, while two conference schools intentionally engaged students and families through spiritually focused programs. Together, these efforts demonstrated a conference-wide commitment to sharing Jesus in meaningful, contextual ways.
Alongside growth, the conference has also experienced sacred loss. From 2022 through 2025, 206 beloved members passed to their rest, leaving enduring legacies of faith and service. Though deeply missed, they are remembered with hope, resting in Christ while awaiting the promise that “the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, NKJV).
Scripture reminds us, “Neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7, NKJV), and Ellen G. White affirms that when God’s people unite in purpose, the church becomes a power in the world (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 90). What is unfolding in the Nevada–Utah Conference reflects that reality.
Yet the mission remains unfinished. This expanding region continues to need pastors, educators, healthcare professionals, and lay members willing to come as missionaries, partners committed to “Growing Loving Followers of Jesus” until the work is complete and Christ returns.
The Grace of Christ: Hope for the Modern Home
By Pastor Manny LaPorte, Family Ministries Director
Family is a foundational institution given to the human race by God Himself. In the book Patriarchs and Prophets, Ellen White writes that marriage is “one of the first gifts of God to man, and it is one of the two institutions that, after the Fall, Adam brought with him beyond the gates of Paradise” (p. 46). The other institution was the Sabbath (Ellen. G. White, From the Heart, p. 356).
As Seventh-day Adventist Christians, we know that throughout history God’s Sabbath has been under attack by Satan. In like manner, we should understand that family, the other institution given to mankind at the beginning, is also under attack.
In The Ministry of Healing, Ellen White writes that “society is composed of families.” And “the well-being of society, the success of the church, the prosperity of the nation, depend upon home influences” (p. 349).
A person does not need a specialized degree in family science to see that marriage and family are under attack in today’s society. Studies show that nearly all the social problems in this country are heavily correlated with child poverty. Further data indicates that the collapse of marriage is the principal cause of child poverty.
In the arena of crime, statistical findings reveal that children without fathers are roughly 20 times more likely to end up incarcerated and over 70% of men serving long-term sentences are from single-parent homes. Furthermore, empirical studies
show that on average, those who grew up without the benefits of a traditional family earn less,
produce less, are less educated, are not as healthy, and are not as happy as those who were raised in traditional families.
Because the home is a sacred institution that comes from the hand of God, Satan seeks to destroy it. Yet there is hope. In The Adventist Home Ellen White writes that, “The grace of Christ, and this alone, can make this institution what God designed it should be—an agent for the blessing and uplifting of humanity. And thus the families of earth, in their unity and peace and love, may represent the family of heaven” (p. 100).
