Channel Toussaint, team editor, Vision 300
On October 25 and 26, 2025, the Small Groups Festival, an initiative of Vision 300 from the Personal ministries and Sabbath school departments of the Quebec Conference, brought together many participants around a common mission: to celebrate the spiritual progress made through small groups and to encourage evangelism in Quebec.
The speaker, Pastor Eli Rojas, a teacher at Andrews University in the United States and Associate Director of the North American Division Evangelism Institute, shared his experience and tools for developing committed disciples. The theme of his presentations, “A big church thinks small,” emphasized that establishing small groups fosters spiritual growth, member integration, and multiplication of baptisms. “Yes, small groups work. Should we implement them? YES. And NO, we don’t have a choice,” he declared.
Pastor Rojas explained that Jesus is the founder of small groups, forming twelve disciples first, before their numbers grew, and that the early believers met in homes (Romans 16:3-5). These groups are essential for maintaining unity and fellowship within the church, as loneliness is one of the causes of members leaving. Drawing on the writings of Ellen White, he reminded participants: “The formation of small companies as a basis of Christian effort has been presented to me by One who cannot err.” (Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, p. 350).
Participants also heard inspiring testimonies. Julie, from LaSalle New Life Church, shared: “I had never understood the importance of small groups before hearing Pastor Rojas… This is how the church grows.” Pastor Sylvain Duval added: “Thanks to God, we were able to form a small group in a transitional home for inmates… With this type of group, our goal is to build a church without walls.”
The Small Groups Festival 2025 highlighted that the mission always begins on a small scale — in homes, circles of friends, and local communities — and that God accomplishes great things through these initiatives.
Missed it? Relive the event through these videos!
