Inter-America To Lead With The Largest Delegation At GC Session
May 31, 2022 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Inter-American Division (IAD) will have the largest delegation among the 13 world church division delegations that will attend the 61st General Conference (GC) Session in St. Louis Missouri, United States, June 6-11, 2022.
Four-hundred-forty-three (443) delegates from Inter-America will take part in making decisions that will affect the future of the church in the coming years. The GC Session has a total of 2,672 delegates this year.
With more than 3.7 million members across the territory, the IAD stands number three among world divisions with the largest membership, but it is the one with the most unions and conference/mission fields and that allows for certain quota of delegates, said Pastor Leonard Johnson, executive secretary for the church in Inter-America.
IAD delegates during the 60th General Conference Session in San Antonio, Texas, United States in June 2015. The IAD has 443 delegates representing the territory during this year’s General Conference Session in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, June 6-11, 2022. [File Photo: Daniel Gallardo/IAD]
The 24 unions comprised of 156 conferences and missions as well as the division office overseeing the unions and institutions will be well represented during session, said Johnson.
“Our delegates include men and women administrators, pastors, laypersons and youth leaders based on total membership on the books broken down to each union according to delegate selection set out by the Constitution and Bylaws of the General Conference,” explained Johnson.
IAD delegates include union/conference mission administrators as well as delegates from the division office and institutions, pastors or teachers or non-administrative leaders, and lay delegates, including youth delegates, said Johnson.
Being that the GC session will have a hybrid format where delegates can be on-site or online, the IAD will have most of its delegates on-site with approximately 70 who will vote during session from their countries, according to Johnson.
“There are many factors that prevent our delegates from taking part in on-site session in St. Louis, which include visa issues, vaccination status, and other circumstances,” he said. But every delegate regardless of location will be able to vote on the important issues, initiatives and plans that will be voted during session, he added. IAD leaders have already had several orientation meetings online this month in preparation for the upcoming session.
Delegates for Nominating Committee
First on the agenda for Inter-America will be the nomination of the members who will be part of the General Conference nominating committee on Monday, June 6, 2022. There will be 44 delegates from Inter-America who will be selected by the IAD delegation, or the IAD caucus, early before the GC Session officially begins at 8:00 a.m. Members of the nominating committee will propose the names of top officers from the GC level as well as corresponding Division-level leadership.
In the case of Inter-America, nominating members selected will propose names of top officials—president, secretary, and treasurer– who will lead in the Division territory during the next term until 2025. IAD’s Executive Committee members already elected its vice presidents and department and ministry leaders to serve until 2025, during a special meeting in June, 2021.
“You can imagine the excitement among the delegation to have the opportunity to come together as a world church after [GC] session was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic,” said Johnson. “Delegates and members in general will get to look at the operation of the church during the past five-year period, evaluate those in leadership, elect leaders and join efforts to carry out the mandate in regard to the mission of the church.”
“This will be a time to meet with brothers and sisters throughout the world, exchange cultural activities and learn of what each division around the world church is doing,” he said.
An Inter-American youth smiles during the 60th General Conference Session in San Antonio Texas, Jul 2015, The Inter-American Division will present its quinquennial report on June 10, 2022, at 12:15 p.m. (or 1:15 p.m. Miami Time) in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. [File Photo: Daniel Gallardo/IAD]
Inter-America will get to feature its growth on Friday, June 10, where world division reports will be presented in the morning and afternoon segments. Inter-America is scheduled to feature its report at 12:15 p.m. (or 1:15 p.m. Miami Time).
“People in Inter-America are passionate about Jesus and this passion is seen everywhere throughout the territory,” said Johnson. “We are excited to highlight the uniqueness that IAD represents with our 42 countries, varied cultures, different languages, and spirited manner in which we worship and serve God in purpose and commitment to fulfill the mission of spreading the gospel.”
The church across the IAD territory has been been praying for God’s Holy Spirit to keep the world church together and renew efforts to proclaim that Jesus is coming soon, said Johnson. “This is the reason we preach the Word and operate schools, hospitals, and publishing houses. It’s all about lifting up Christ everywhere,” he said.
Inter-America will also be featured during the “Mission on the Move” which used to be called the Parade of Nations on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at 5:35 p.m. (or 6:35 p.m. Miami Time)
To learn more about the 61st General Conference Session, visit gcsession.org
For news updates during the GC session in English, Spanish and French, visit us at interamerica.org
To watch the session every day during June 6-11, 2022, click HERE:
English
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdventistOrgChurch
Spanish
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French
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