Inter-America’s Institutional Boards Reaffirm Their Mission of Transforming Lives

October 31, 2023 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Administrators of three Inter-American Division (IAD) institutional boards reported growth, scope of impact, challenges, and development plans yesterday ahead of the church’s year-end business meetings this week. Dozens of church leaders and board members met in Miami, Florida, to be updated on the church’s theological seminary, health food company and healthcare services organizations on Oct. 29, 2023.

IATS

“When the Inter-American Adventist Theological Seminary was organized it was with the intention to give the opportunity for each pastor in the territory coming into the ministry to obtain a master’s degree in pastoral theology to better serve their congregations,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the IAD and chairman of the IATS board. “For board members and union presidents here, you must look at what you can do to help your pastors reach that goal.”

Pastor Henry’s appeal came after statistics were presented on the ratio between the number of pastors in each of the 24 IAD unions and their completed graduate studies through IATS. There are several unions that have nearly 50 percent of their pastors with master’s in pastoral theology (MAPTh) and some as low as 20 percent, he commented.

In terms of the largest number of pastors with a MAPTh is the Caribbean Union where 142 of the 304 pastors have obtained a master’s degree, or 46.7 percent of their pastors. In the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, 141 out of their 333 pastors have the master’s degree, or 42.3 percent. The Dominican union has 113 of their 265 pasors with the MAPTh degree.

Other unions with smaller pastors like the Atlantic Caribbean Union have 54.4 percent of their 44 pastors with the degree, and the Central Mexican Union with 50.5 percent of their 105 pastors have obtained a master’s degree. Other unions have percentages in the 30 percent and lower. The ratio of pastors with doctorate degrees across the unions is in the low 11 percent down to zero, IATS leaders said.

Dr. Efrain Velázquez, president of IATS, reminded board members and union administrators of the quality of graduate programs the theological seminary has been offering for decades now. “Let’s be clear about the quality of our theological seminary,” said Velázquez. “There are only two Seventh-day Adventist Seminaries around the world that have accredited PhD programs by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and that’s Andrews University and IATS,” said Velázquez.  The seminary has been possible thanks to the visionary leadership of the division and the hard work of Dr. Jaime Castrejón, first and former president of IATS, who led IATS from three sites to 10 sites to full ATS accreditation, explained Velázquez.

Velázquez said that IATS keeps lifting pillars to provide spiritual revival to its students and professors, refocus on mission, as well as fostering a culture of accountability in its management personnel.  The seminary has had an external accounting firm assess its financial management in additional to General Conference Auditing Services and its own assessment team, he said.

IATS currently has 620 students, 33 of which are working on their thesis, 87 teachers and professors in 10 sites and 9 coordinators, reported Dr. Angel Guzman, vice president of academic affairs of IATS. “We are working on a new syllabus for every single subject, pushing for more emphasis in the area of research among the graduate degrees IATS offers, and working on the final revision of the MAPTh curriculum,” said Guzmán.

Board members voted to confirm Nolwin Guillarte, who has been serving as the treasurer of the West Venezuela Union, to serve as vice president of financial affairs for IATS, effective Jan. 1, 2024. Board members also took a vote of thanksgiving for the services of Abilio Cima, who has been serving as vice president of financial affairs of IATS while serving as under treasurer of the IAD.

Carlos Robles was voted in as vice president of institutional effectiveness, strategic planning, and distant education for IATS.

Board members were briefed on the evaluation of each one of the 70 courses taught through IATS with a 95 percent positive response from students. Robles presented a new project that provides theological education in many topics to students through virtual reality experience.

During his financial report to the board, Cima shared that from January to September, the income is much higher than what was budgeted because of an incentive obtained from the government, savings on several positions including the vice president of financial affairs and other staff members who retired this year.

IATS board members voted to approve its budget for 2024.

IAHFC

“This has been a year full of blessings from God,” said José Flóres, director of the Inter-American Health Food Company (IAHFC), as he began his report to the board. What has been key is the integration of the branches in support of the church and its mission, he said. There are 491 employees in the 11 branches under IAHFC.  “Integration is important for advancing as an organization successfully,” he said.

Flóres reported that there were 9.2 million kilograms of food produced this year, which is equivalent to 550 containers measuring 40 feet that if you line them up it is a distance of 9 kilometers, he explained. Sales showed a 13 percent increase from January to September compared to 2022, resulting in more than 2 million dollars of net income.  “God has been extraordinarily wonderful to us, even with serious problems in different parts of the world and in our territory.”

Any earnings for the food company means that there are more funds to give as tithe, to go towards education, and the construction of churches, explained Flóres. It’s about supporting the church in its evangelism efforts. He reported several export negotiations that will help branches grow and essentially the food company as well.

Pastor Teofilo Silvestre, president of the Dominican Union, took a few moments to thank God for the success of IAHFC and the growth of the food branch on the campus of the Adventist university which immensely supports education, evangelism, and church development on the island.

IAHFC board members voted to approve next year’s manager’s meetings to take place in Lima, Peru, April 2024. In addition, a vote was taken to move the equipment from Medellin to the factories in Bucaramanga and Cali, in Colombia.

Board members also voted IAHFC’s budget for 2024.

AHSIA

In his report to the board, Franck Géneus, M.D., AHSIA president and health ministries director of the IAD, said that the healthcare system across the territory is providing more and more services each year. “In 2022, we provided services to over 300,000 people in our healthcare institutions,” said Dr. Géneus. The ratio of Adventist employees versus non-Adventist employees is also declining, which is an important trend across the institutions, he said.

A brief report on the advances in the Adventist Hospital in Haiti saw a new oxygen generator acquired that has been able sustain the hospital and supply oxygen to sister institutions, as well as the purchase of a new generator and installation of solar panels, a new water well to keep the hospital running, to better navigate through the difficult and high level of violence the country is experiencing.

Bella Vista Hospital’s Chairman and Puerto Rican Union President Pastor Luis Rivera, reported that more than 200 persons have been baptized, thanks to the mission-driven initiatives to share the gospel that the 69-year-old Adventist health institution has been running.

“We want to continue strengthening institutions so they can continue to spread the message of health and hope as well as continue the commitment of serving the community,” said Dr. Géneus. In addition, he said that quality is part of the culture, so supporting and helping healthcare institutions are a top priority.

Primary health care will be a top priority for 2024. Priority initiatives include:

• Establishing AHSIA Board Committees for better governance, greater transparency, and accountability in the operation of the headquarters of AHSIA.
• Establishing fundraising and philanthropy programs to raise external funding and resources via donations, philanthropy, and grants from external sources.
• Health prayer network to participate in the “Back to the Altar” permanent prayer initiatives.
• Touching the lives of one million or more individuals with health services in partnership with the local churches.

“Partnerships are very important within the healthcare institutions and the local church,” Géneus said.  It’s about making a difference in every community where there is a hospital or a clinic or an Adventist Church, helping transform the lives of people with the love of God, he said.

To learn more about Inter-American Division’s institutions, its initiatives and activities, visit us at interamerica.org