At SeLD, Administrators Challenged To Make a Positive Difference as Leaders

July 26, 2023 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

“You may be the least likely candidate in the minds of those around you or maybe in your own mind to get the job done as a leader. You might have to spend more time alone with God, face doubts, threats, despair and be judged, but you must wait on the Lord,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the Inter-American Division (IAD) as he addressed more than 1,600 Seventh-day church administrators, pastors, educators, department heads and elders from throughout the territory this week.

“I know that leadership is not always easy,” said Pastor Henry, “but don’t let fear take over, be strong, remembering that God is your strength and will see you through the challenges moving forward.”

Pastor Henry thanked the more than 400 church leaders gathered in Miami, Florida, United States, and over 1,200 leaders connected online for being exceptional leaders, professionals, and change-makers throughout the territory as IAD’s Segment Leadership Development (SeLD) Annual Conference began Jul. 24, 2023.

Fostering effective leadership

The three-day conference event marks a significant milestone in the journey towards fostering effective and impactful leadership during the past seven years, said Pastor Henry.  “SeLD has been committed to empowering individuals with the knowledge, skills, and inspiration to make a positive difference in leadership here in our Division,” he said. “We firmly believe that strong leadership is the cornerstone of progress in the fulfillment of the mission.”

Pastor Henry encouraged leaders to embrace the opportunities SeLD brings to learn from one another, exchange ideas, forge meaningful connections, and absorb knowledge imparted and apply it in the execution of their responsibilities.

Themed “Treasures in Broken Vessels for Fulfillment of the Mission,” the conference this year resonates with the challenges and opportunities of leadership in the rapidly evolving global landscape, organizers said. The annual event included over 30 speakers from the General Conference, and North American and Inter-American Divisions.

“As leaders, we must continually adapt and evolve, fostering agility, resilience and innovation based on the Word of the Lord and the demands of this end time in which we live,” said Pastor Henry. It’s about sharpening skills with the tools and strategies needed to navigate the complexities of today’s world, leading with vision, compassion, and authenticity, he added.

“Live an authentic life with God, be assured of His calling and let Him use you for His glory,” said Pastor Henry, as he reflected on the lessons in the life of King David.

Carrying out the message

Seventh-day Adventist Church President Pastor Ted Wilson thanked the SeLD delegation through a brief video message. Pastor Wilson encouraged greater collaboration among leaders in the fulfillment of the mission of the church, understanding what it really means.

“Look to Jesus at all times, realize as broken vessels that we are not completely whole until we are in Christ, then He can fill us with the capacity that we can serve Him,” said Pastor Wilson. He challenged leaders to continue carrying out the last message, pointing to Christ, His righteousness, His sanctuary service, the health message, the Three Angel’s messages of Revelation, and the true day of worship.

Dr. Lowell Cooper, retired former general vice president of the General Conference, led the first plenary session on the character of leadership, leadership patterns, core leadership responsibilities, risks in thinking about re-election and why church leaders are re-elected.

Character more than status

“If a position is entrusted to you, your purpose is to live for the glory of God,” said Cooper. It’s about character more than status when you are a leader, he said.  “Trust is a function of two things, character which is your integrity, your motive, your intent with people, and competence, which includes your capabilities, your skills, your results, your track record.”

Two words that underscore all principles of leadership are trust and truth, added Cooper.  “Our lives become influential for somebody else, so we don’t have to think of the strength of a position,” he said. “Any position based on trust and truth is going to make a positive influence in this world.” And as for popularity, he said, that should be a side effect of good leadership and not the goal.

Cooper highlighted eight statements of why leaders get re-elected: They are trusted, committed to excellence, mission focused, seek to develop others, practice what they preach, forget self in pursuit of service, attend the core responsibilities of leadership and their constituency desires their continuation.

Elected leaders perform under the spotlight, added Cooper. “Everything is observed, the microphone is always on, everything they do is magnified.” It’s not about bringing attention to self but attention to God. “That is the most stabilizing influence in leadership, because my purpose is to bring glory to God, which brings quality, brings ethical content to my leadership, morality to my leadership.”

Cultural intelligence and inclusive leadership

In a second plenary session, Dr. Sung Kwon, associate professor of Leadership at Andrews University, encouraged leaders to see cultural intelligence as an essential skill and ministry imperative in today’s global and multicultural world.

Kwon challenged leaders to seek the highest place or position in their service at the foot of the cross. “We are not in need of servant leaders but in need of leading servants,” he said. Leaders must listen and change focus for the church to become part of the community.

“What are the ways we need to change in order to engage the people in our community who no longer consider church part of their life?” asked Kwon. We must build trust between church and community and through that trust relationship established, the church will earn the right to share the good news, he said.

Not everyone sees the world through the same cultural frame, so as leaders there must be an open mindset, a deep curiosity about others, and listening without judgement while seeking with empathy to understand others in the community, he said. There are basic cultural systems, basic value dimensions, and VUCA world views—which refers to the volitivity, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity foresight and insight as well as the behavior of groups and individuals.

“Our focus must be on the life journey [of individuals] not their behavior and that will help us begin to understand the ‘why’ we can build trust,” said Kwon. To succeed in today’s globalized, multi-cultured world there must be a holistic leadership development that includes academic, emotional, social, and cultural intelligence, he said. “The key to successful cultural intelligence is to function across various cultural contexts.”

It’s about allowing people to express what they see, why they see what they see and not to insist that one plus one equals two. “We have to be interested in people and the cultural knowledge to understand the differences and similitudes, look for strategies, plan for multicultural interactions, and be adaptable and collaborative as a team. “Highly inclusive leaders are confident and effective in cross-cultural interactions,” he said.

Christ’s method alone

In essence, Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching people, emphasized Kwon. “The Savior mingled with men and desired their good, showed sympathy, was interested in their needs and won their confidence and bade them ‘follow me.’” Relationships are the method—life on life evangelism, said Kwon. “When we are faithful with the life-on-life evangelism, we will have greater success in our public evangelism. You cannot have effective public evangelism without investing time and resources in relationships: life on life.”

The problem is, said Kwon, “Christians have divorced the teachings of Jesus from the methods of Jesus, yet they expect ethe results of Jesus.” It’s time to change the way we think and change the way we work, Kwon said.

Providing new and effective perspectives from a cadre of diverse, cross-cultural, tested, and proven, experienced presenters it’s what SeLD’s annual conference seeks to do, said Pastor Balvin Braham, vice president of the IAD in charge of leadership development. “We recognize that leadership is a dynamic force that adapts to the ever-evolving challenges of our time, so our aim is to equip leaders to navigate the complexities of leadership in today’s rapidly transforming global landscape,” Braham said.

Church leaders took time to pray for unity and mission during the three-day leadership training event.

For more stories on this year’s SeLD Conference, visit us at interamerica.org