Inter-America: Leadership connects with thousands of church elders via the internet
Pastor Hector Sanchez, ministerial secretary for the church in Inter-America speaks to dozens of leaders during the church’s special virtual council for church elders held at the Inter-American Division Headquarters in Miami, Florida, Feb. 9, 2013. Images by Libna Stevens/IAD
February 11, 2013 – Miami, Florida, United States…Libna Stevens/IAD
Seventh-day Adventist leaders at the Inter-American Division (IAD) connected with thousands of its church elders throughout the territory via the internet for a historic virtual council on Feb. 9, 2013.
More than 100 leaders, district pastors, and church elders from throughout the IAD witnessed the historic virtual event.
The two-hour live program was part of the church’s plan during its Year of the Laity celebrations to thank and encourage church elders to continue working hand-in-hand with pastors overseeing the spiritual well-being of local congregations and reaching out into the communities further this year.
More than one hundred church leaders, district pastors, and lay persons traveled from throughout the IAD’s 22 regions to witness the online event while thousands more connected online to learn of the initiatives scheduled to take place in the coming months. Online participants also engaged in a question and answer session.
“You are part of the foundation of this church,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America. “We want to hear your concerns, we want to have these moments together to continue in united efforts as church elders and pastors in Inter-America.”
IAD President Pastor Israel Leito (right) speaks during the online event and encourages ministers and church elders to remain united as spiritual leaders to the congregations they serve. Pastor Roberto Brown (left) of Honduras translates the message.
“The church elder does not need to have the academic credentials of a minister—who is called by a conference and sent to a congregation,” said Pastor Leito. “The church elder is chosen by the congregation who knows him for his spiritual gifts, dedication and consecration. Both are called, both are spiritual leaders, both serve together – not in competition.”
It is that close teamwork between pastors and elders that has allowed the Inter-American Division to continue its steady growth with more than 30,000 church elders serving alongside 3,000 pastors in more than 11,000 churches and congregations, emphasized Pastor Hector Sanchez, ministerial secretary for the church in Inter-America and main organizer of the virtual event.
“Nothing really happens without the joint efforts of the pastor and the elder,” said Sanchez. “It’s like they are a swat team, they are like the nerve center of the church, and that is why we wanted to connect with them directly today through technology.”
During the virtual council, segments on the role of the church elder, how to organize and monitor the laity in specific ministries, and the pastor as leading out in evangelism under the Vision One Million discipleship initiative were discussed, as well as the need to continue motivating church members to lead a prayerful life and study their Bibles on a daily basis.
Pastor Balvin Braham, associate ministerial secretary for the IAD speaks during the virtual council for increased public evangelism efforts while to district pastors stand behind in commitment to the challenge during the Year of the Laity.
In addition a number of initiatives and activities were announced for the church’s Year of the Laity, including an event on September 28 when church elders will have the opportunity to baptize new members in coordination with their local conference office, and territory-wide health expos organized by church leaders and health professionals scheduled for October 6, among others.
As the program neared its question and answer segment, Pastor Leito announced plans to celebrate the work of 22 laypersons representing each of Inter-America’s church regions during the church’s executive committee meetings in May. In addition, Pastor Leito made public the plan to allow two of the outstanding laypersons to lead the executive committee meetings during a period of one hour.
Left to right: Ketlie Henry, Margaret Daniel and Oliva Florez of the IAD collect questions in English, Spanish and French during the virtual event.
Questions brought up through chat during the live program ranged from how to prevent members from leaving the church, the criteria for elders to baptize new members, plans for young people to be more involved in the activities of the church, the need for church elders to become better preachers, what plans will follow after the Year of the Laity, and more.
Pastor Leito also touched on a special commission that is working to establish an intensive informal education program to train active church members in all departments and ministries in each local field for 2014.
Pastor Daniel Lassonier, ministerial secretary for the church in French Antilles Guiana region, was pleased with how the role of the church elder was highlighted throughout the program. With a team of 56 pastors shepherding some 172 churches, the “more than 600 army of volunteer church elders are key to the success of the church, because they are spiritually nurturing and motivating members to become better disciples.” Lassonier said that hundreds of church elders were congregated in different churches and other locations to watch the live program in Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana.
Pastor Israel Leito answers online questions during the two-hour virtual council.
Juan Carlos Cariño, 33, a district pastor for 13 churches in the Cardenas 3 District in Tabasco, Mexico, traveled to Miami for the event and said his work is cut out for him. He meets with his church elders and church department leaders every two weeks to lead, plan, delegate and get reports on what every church is doing to reach new members. Without the hard work of the elders it would be impossible to do his job.
“My work is more of teaching and delegating so that elders and others can teach and delegate,” said Cariño. Cariño gets to visit one church per quarter and relies on elders to assist him with visitations during the week. “This work not only belongs to the pastor but it belongs to all believers who are in tune with the mission of the church.”
Courtney Perrin, 55, head elder of the Savannah Seventh-day Adventist Church in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, has been in tune with the mission of the church for over 20 years. Perrin was particularly glad to witness the program at the IAD Headquarter office. He felt encouraged and appreciated by the leadership on the important post he was called to do. He leads a team of 8 elders in the 400-member church and coordinates the prison ministries for the two large prison facilities on the islands.
Juan Antonio Pinedo, head elder at the Juarito ADventist church in Chiapas, Mexico, shares his experience as a church elder during the program.
“I’m humbled to have been chosen to be a church elder because it carries tremendous responsibilities in caring for the needs of the membership,” said Perrin. “We must strive to try to close the back door of our churches so our members won’t leave.”
Juan Antonio Pinedo, head elder of the Juarito Adventist Church in Chiapas, Mexico, felt ignited to be part of the program. Pinedo stood on the platform and shared his efforts in fostering an environment of spiritual revival and reformation in his 80-member church.
“I’m so overjoyed to see the interest that the church leadership has in promoting such unity among pastors, elders and church members in one single mission,” said Pinedo. Pinedo works as a public school teacher, but for 13 years he has dedicated his free time to visiting members, leading a small group ministry, Bible studies, leading a group of lay persons, sitting on the church board, and assisting the pastor.
Church elders like Pinedo and Perrin who make up the army of elders across the territory is who the church leadership seeks to connect with more, leaders said.
Nearly 200 church elders at the Colonia Terranova Auditorium in Villa Nueva in south central Guatemala, watched as Belkis Archbold, health ministries director for the church in Inter-America, speaks on the territory-wide health expos to take place during the year. Image by Gustavo Menendez/IAD
During the live event brief reports came in from churches viewing the live event. More than 1,000 elders gathered in an auditorium in Soconusco, in Chiapas, Mexico, while hundreds more gathered in Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, Colombia and more.
Leaders are happy that over 7,000 online viewers connected during the live webcast, more than the first virtual council for pastors held in 2011.
“This is the largest virtual council ever organized throughout our Division and one that shows us that the church is prepared for greater things,” said Pastor Sanchez. “We are closer and closer to our local churches and continue to work on being more united.”
Plans are underway for more virtual councils in the future, Sanchez concluded.
Inter-America’s Virtual Council for elders will be available to view online soon in Spanish, English and French. For this and more resources, visit us at www.interamerica.org
For information and resources during Inter-America’s 2013 Year of the Laity, visit 2013.interamerica.org
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