Newbold College, UK — November 2025
Over three days at Newbold College, ADRA leaders from across Europe came together to talk honestly about the challenges we face, the world we serve in, and the kind of network we want to become. With the humanitarian and development sector changing so rapidly, it felt important to pause, think together, and reconnect with ADRA’s mission of serving humanity so all may live as God intended.
Country Directors, colleagues from ADRA International, and the ADRA Europe team gathered around one central question:
How can we work more closely, more sustainably, and more visibly rooted in our values to better support the people who need us most?
These conversations were open, hopeful, and full of a shared desire to grow stronger together—both as a network and as a faith-driven community.
Capturing this spirit, João Martins, ADRA Europe’s Regional Director, said:
“In times when the humanitarian and development sectors are facing dramatic disruption, it is inspiring to see European ADRA leaders committed to acting together to seek even greater impact in the lives of the most disadvantaged we serve. It is uplifting to witness our shared, biblically rooted commitment to service, as we explore new funding models and strengthen the sustainability of our operations.”
Pictures: ADRA Europe: Participants of the ADRA European Forum gathering in groups to discuss important issues our sector and we as offices are facing.
Moving Toward Greater Unity
One recurring theme throughout the Forum was the desire to work more as “One ADRA” team across Europe and less as individual offices solving similar problems alone.
Leaders emphasised the need to strengthen communication and coordination, agree on shared priorities where cross-country collaboration adds real value, and clearly map who is working on what so innovation can flow more easily across the network.
Faith and Values at the Centre
The Forum began each morning with worship sessions led by Dr Ján Barna, Head of Research & Principal Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Newbold College. He invited us to reflect on God’s deep involvement in human life and on ADRA’s calling within that reality. Through biblical stories about justice, economics, and God’s vision for human flourishing, he reminded us that our work is part of God’s own mission of restoration. His reflections helped frame our discussions in a way that grounded strategy in spirituality.
An important part of the conversation focused on how we live out our faith in a world that is becoming more secular and more divided. Leaders agreed that ADRA’s core values—Justice, Compassion, and Love—give us a way to communicate who we are in a practical way that is meaningful to everyone, regardless of their background. What became clear is that our faith identity is something to express through practical service and integrity.
These commitments include communicating our mission in language and practice that resonates both within and beyond the faith community, working more intentionally with the Adventist Church in ways that strengthen impact on both sides, and investing in the next generation of ADRA leaders through initiatives like One Year in Mission, which gives young people the chance to serve with ADRA teams across Europe.
Building Sustainable Funding in New Ways
With humanitarian budgets tightening around the world, leaders explored new and creative ways to build financial sustainability.
Ideas ranged from expanding foundation fundraising and strengthening storytelling and digital engagement, to developing and testing social enterprise models that generate income for community work, and pooling expertise across offices so no one has to reinvent the wheel.
Better Data, Better Decisions
Another strong focus was the need to use data more intentionally. Leaders saw the value of making decisions based on evidence—not just intuition—and of communicating impact more clearly to supporters and partners.
When we manage and interpret our data well, we build trust and make wiser choices about where and how we serve.
People and Leadership: Caring for Our Teams
Behind every programme and every fundraising campaign are people. Leaders spent time reflecting on how to support teams so they can continue serving with energy and purpose.
Key points included offering supervision and psychosocial support where needed, fostering leadership cultures that are open, transparent, and safe, building up young talent through internships and volunteer opportunities, and using strategic plans as practical tools that reduce stress and guide daily decision-making—because healthy teams create healthy impact.
A Spirit of Hope and Certainty
Throughout the Forum, one feeling kept coming back: hope.
Hope that collaboration will help us make a bigger difference than any office could make alone.
Hope that new, sustainable models will help us serve more people in more meaningful ways.
Certainty that God and our biblical values continue to guide us wisely in a complex world.
ADRA has always stepped into hard places with courage and compassion. In a time of global uncertainty, European ADRA leaders left Newbold with a renewed commitment to do just that—together.