The Nevada-Utah Conference sponsored an elders' training seminar in Las Vegas last fall. Sixty people attended, representing 13 of the 19 churches and companies in the Las Vegas area. The training was not limited to elders though; pastors and lay persons in leadership positions were also encouraged to attend.

The idea for the training was formed when the Centennial Hills church coordinated a three-day training seminar in February 2004 for their elders and lay leaders. This was during a period when the Centennial Hills church did not have a pastor and lay people were in charge of all aspects of running their church. The Centennial Hills training was such a success that Paul Lightfoot, head elder at Centennial Hills, suggested to conference leaders that an area-wide training be held. “The training we received truly helped us serve our members better,” said Lightfoot.

Lightfoot then coordinated with Jim Brackett, ministerial and church ministries director, for the area-wide seminar. Some modifications were made to the program to meet the needs of an area-wide training, such as a condensed one-day seminar instead of the three-day model from Centennial Hills. Participants also received a copy of the General Conference’s newly-released Elder’s Guide on CD-Rom.

Presenters for the training were Conference President Bradford Newton and Brackett. Topics included sermon preparation, preaching, the church board/church manual and how to teach a Sabbath school class was also included. According to Larry Pedrodalasol, head elder at Las Vegas Paradise church: “This seminar was very well-rounded, informative and based on biblical principles. The teaching atmosphere kept everyone’s interest and allowed attendees to participate and not just listen.”

Fellowship was another motivator for the training. Elders and lay leaders were encouraged to share their experiences with one another in hopes of addressing topics that were not covered by the seminar. “I believe that the fellowship with other lay leaders was the main highlight,” said Lightfoot. Seminar coordinators wanted to insure that participants spend as much time together as possible, so arrangements were made with the Las Vegas Maranatha Spanish church to serve lunch on the premises.

Seminar coordinators received overwhelming positive feedback so seminars have been arranged for the Salt Lake City and Reno area elders and lay leaders. “This was not the first training of this kind that I have attended, but it was the best. I strongly recommend that any lay leader and elder that can attend another seminar of this magnitude should,” added Pedrodalasol.

The Salt Lake City area training will be held Sunday, March 5, at the Salt Lake Junior Academy, and the Reno area training will be Sunday, April 2.