At the 62nd General Conference Session, Denzil and Donna McNeilus from the Minnesota Conference shared how personal ministry in their small town sparked a spiritual movement, aligning perfectly with the Global Total Member Involvement strategy and the North American Division’s Pentecost 2025 initiative.
Total Member Involvement, or TMI, is a worldwide call for every church—and every member—to become actively involved in making disciples using Christ’s method. It focuses not just on evangelism, but on developing a disciple-making culture in every local church. With Pentecost 2025, the North American Division is aiming for at least 3,000 proclamation initiatives in 2025, supported by a year of preparation in 2024. The McNeilus family is living proof of what happens when members fully engage in the mission.
“COVID forced us to look closer to home,” said Denzil. “Once we started working locally, our lives completely changed.” Together, the McNeilus family began giving Bible studies and helping people come to Jesus. But the real turning point came when Donna felt impressed to begin daily prayer at their local church in Dodge Center, Minnesota.
“At first Denzil didn’t think it could happen,” Donna admitted. “But I told him we are called to pray—for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And we’ve been doing that every day since.”
That daily prayer commitment transformed their church. People began walking in off the street asking questions. The church became more united. “We saw things we’d never seen before,” Denzil said.
With renewed energy, the church held an evangelistic series in their small sanctuary. Despite living in a town of only 3,000 people, over 60 visitors came to watch a video presentation about the gospel. From that meeting, Bible studies and small groups began to form.
One remarkable story came from a man who received a visit from colporteurs (Christian book distributors). He was handed a copy of The Great Controversy and unknowingly signed up for Bible studies. Within two days, he had three separate encounters related to Seventh-day Adventists and Saturday worship. That Sabbath morning, unsure of what else to do, he came to the Dodge Center church.
The McNeilus family welcomed him, invited him to lunch, and included him in their Bible study group. Eventually, he joined the church. But it didn’t stop there. “He said, ‘I want to know more about Jesus,’” said Denzil. “I told him, ‘Then you need to start giving Bible studies.’ And he did.”
Now that man is leading a literature ministry team at the church and distributing books around town. “That’s the power of multiplication,” Denzil said. “Not just adding new members, but making disciple-makers.”
The McNeilus story perfectly illustrates the five phases of disciple-making: preparing the soil, planting the seeds, cultivating interest, harvesting decisions, and preserving the harvest. Their efforts have touched every phase—from health and friendship-building to Bible studies, evangelism, and new member training.
As members of ASI (Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries), Denzil and Donna are no strangers to ministry. But they believe the key to true impact is personal labor—the core principle of TMI. “We’ve had the joy of seeing people come to Christ and then start sharing their faith, teaching Sabbath school, and leading Bible studies,” said Donna. “It’s beautiful.”
Pentecost 2025 calls every Adventist in North America to get involved in sharing the gospel, and the McNeilus family shows that big results can come from even the smallest towns. Their experience is a reminder of Jesus’ promise in Matt. 24:14—“This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world… and then the end will come.”
To learn more about Total Member Involvement and access training and resources, visit globaltmi.org. Every member. Every church. Every mission. We are in this together.
