In Inter-America, Top leadership urges its church leaders to use technology

Pastor Israel Leito, IAD president urges church leaders to be totally involved in using technology to advance the work of the gospel during the first CommSession held online in Miami, Florida, on July 5, 2016. Image by IAD

July 6, 2016 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens/IAD

Top Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Inter-America want administrators, ministers and leaders across the territory to be innovators in using technology to strengthen their congregations in support of the mission of the church. Leaders spoke during a live online session coined as CommSessions yesterday from the Inter-American Division (IAD) Headquarters in Miami, Florida.

The one-hour CommSessions brought top church leaders and communication leaders to collaborate on how to use available technology to share the gospel in their communities and on cyberspace.

“The use of technology, of innovation and other forms to reach the people with the message of salvation is not an option that can be left for tomorrow, as it’s something that we should be totally involved in,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America, as he opened the session.

Pastor Leito emphasized that if leaders want to reach the people they have to be where the people are. “Times are changing, things are changing, the message is the same to sinners who need salvation from Jesus, so let’s use the technology we have to reach them.”

Abel Marquez, IAD communication director leads the CommSessions. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD

Reaching the millions of people who live in the IAD territory is going to take much thought and prayer and the available technology, said Filiberto Verduzco, treasurer of the church in Inter-America.

“Before we invest in resources for the preaching of the gospel, let us ask the Holy Spirit to take over our minds so that we can use technology wisely,” said Verduzco.

Channeling collaboration among leaders at all levels of the church from the local church level, to the local field, union and division is what the vision is, said Abel Marquez, communication director for the church in Inter-American and organizer of the online CommSession.

“We must transform the way in which we are doing things, we need to be innovators, generate new ideas, look for new possibilities, be more creative,” said Marquez. “We must get on the platform of working as a network.”

Networking includes using technology to create social campaigns to inform about initiatives from the world church level and division level, generate quality content and share inspiring stories with church members, explained Marquez.

CommSessions, organized by the IAD Communication department, is a series of talks on innovation, creativity and collaboration for pastors and leaders in the church that takes place every three months. The next CommSession is scheduled for November 3, 2016.

To watch the full one-hour of Inter-America’s July 5th CommSession in English, Spanish and French, go to webcast.interamerica.org