Secretary’s Report Highlights Mission-driven Focus Across Inter-America

November 1, 2023 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

The Inter-American Division (IAD) has always been mission driven, mission focused and mission committed, stated Pastor Leonard Johnson, executive secretary of the IAD, as he addressed church administrators, institutional leaders, department heads and lay members during the start of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s business meetings, Oct. 30, 2023, in Miami, Florida, United States.

During his report, Johnson highlighted the upcoming 150^th anniversary of Adventist Worldwide Mission in 2024 and its significance to the growth in the IAD territory even before the church was organized as such in 1922.  “It was through D. T. Bordeau and J. N. Loughborough who visited Haiti, Panama and other parts of Central America spreading the message of truth,” said Johnson.

Persons like W.J. Boynton, one of the workers of the International Tract Society who, in 1883, sent a box of tracks in a ship from New York to British Guiana in 1883; through George King who traveled to the Caribbean in 1887, and was followed by William Arnold; Mrs. E. Gauterau, who shared tracts and other literature in Honduras; colporter T.H. Giggs who was sent by the General Conference to visit Honduras and the Bay Islands in 1887.

As of the second quarter, the membership in the IAD stands at 3,703,637. There are 24,534 churches and congregations organized in 156 local fields and 24 unions, reported Johnson.

“We know that the first official Adventist church was organized in Inter-America with 40 members in Georgetown, British Guiana, in 1887,” said Johnson. “You see,” he said, “it has been 160 years the Seventh-day Adventist Church was organized solely for the purpose of mission.” In Inter-America, mission preceded organizations for it [mission] gave rise to structure within the church.”

Against that backdrop, Johnson shared statistics on Inter-America’s church and membership growth, ways of keeping the mission going, and efforts to restate mission around the world.

There have been 217 new congregations organized during the first six months of 2023, which represents an average 36 new congregations each month.

Unions with the most churches and congregations include the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union with 3,448, followed by Chiapas Mexican Union with 3,419, and North Colombia Union with 1,673.  The Haitian Union reported 79 new churches and congregations this year, which is remarkable, considering the challenges and crisis in Haiti, said Johnson. “The work of advancing the mission keeps moving head,” said Johnson.

In terms of ratios between members and pastors, there are 1,162 members per pastor in the IAD. Each pastor has an average of 7.7 churches.

Johnson pointed out that there is one Adventist to every 81 persons in the IAD. By comparison, the rest of the world averages one Adventist per 359 persons. “Looking at these figures helps us understand where we are and where we are to advance focused more on mission.”

In looking at the IAD memberships in the three major regions, there are more than 837,000 in Mexico (5 unions), 1.3 million in Central America, Colombia and Venezuela (10 unions), and 1.5 million members in the Caribbean (9 unions).

Total members added in the first two quarters were 114,763, with 91,064 attritions, showing a difference or net gain of 3,699. “We are growing and minimizing our losses, but we have much more to do,” said Johnson.

Mission continues to be maintained with recent trainings of union secretaries and their staff across the territory on Adventist Church Management System (ACMS) and more, informed Johnson. Outstanding evaluations saw the Atlantic Caribbean, Chiapas Mexican and the Southeast Mexican Unions receive special secretariat recognition during the executive committee meetings.

Johnson reported that there are 26 Adventist volunteers from the IAD serving the world church as of now. In addition, Johnson reported that 2,679 service requests have been processed and 630 travel reports have been filed by the leadership of the IAD so far this year.

Pastor Johnson appealed to the more than 150 executive committee members to keep the mission of the gospel very present in their daily responsibilities. “When we forget the mission, we forget why we exist,” he said. Johnson reminded leaders that they are not leaders of an organization but leaders of a mission.

In addition, Johnson paid tribute to G. Ralph Thompson, who was the first West Indian and African American to be elected as executive secretary of the General Conference in 1980. “He remained in this position serving the church for four five-year terms, making him the longest-serving person to hold this position in Adventist Church history,” remarked Johnson. Thompson died in May 2023.

IAD Executive Committee members voted to accept the secretary’s report.