IAD Leadership Votes Five-Year Plan to Advance Church Mission

The “I Will Go” plan guides efforts in spiritual growth, education, evangelism, and community service through 2030.

May 22, 2025 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Top leaders of the Inter-American Division (IAD) concluded their Mid-Year Executive Committee meetings recently by praising God for His blessings over the past 10 years across the territory’s churches and institutions, and by seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance as newly approved strategic plans are set to guide the church through 2030.

More than 87,000 new baptisms took place alone this year up to April reported Pastor Balvin Braham, vice president of the IAD overseeing evangelism. Comparative baptismal reports showed number of persons who were baptized in each of the 25 unions for the periods of 2015 – 2019, with 2020 to 2025. “The Lord has blessed us with 1,687,815 new members during the past 10 years,” years stated Braham.

Thanks to the comprehensive efforts throughout the IAD with its recent ‘All the Family in Mission’ initiative launched in 2024—which aimed to help every member engage in both personal and public evangelistic outreach in preparation for the soon return of Jesus—the church has grown significantly, noted Braham. Union administrators were honored with a special trophy in recognition of their comprehensive efforts throughout the quinquennial period, and especially during the first four months of this year.

Strategic Vision for the Next Five Years

Building on the success of these efforts, the IAD voted to continue laser-focused during the next quinquennium.

“We are continuing with the ‘I Will Go’ initiative for the next five years 2025 to 2030, which embodies our collective commitment to actively engage in the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church across the territory,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the IAD.

Executive committee members reaffirmed the “I Will Go” strategic plan, which centers on four priorities reflecting a dedication to spiritual growth, community outreach, leadership development, and the advancement of education, health, and all other ministries and institutions within the organization. These priorities are Communion with God, Evangelism and Mission, Education, and Service to the Community. The comprehensive plan includes 52 measurable goals, with actionable strategies led by each department and ministry to guide efforts and ensure accountability.

“We recognize that the success of this plan hinges on the active participation and collaboration of all stakeholders—pastors, church leaders, educators, health professionals, and every member of our congregations,” stated Pastor Henry. He encouraged leaders to integrate the strategic plan into local contexts and to share their insights and experiences as they move forward.

Pastor Henry thanked administrators and leaders for their unwavering commitment to mission and urged them to continue as a unified body to “go forth in faith and purpose ready to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.”

Complete with numerous initiatives, activities, and events aimed at achieving its goals in alignment with the church’s mission, vision, and values, the strategic plan also incorporates the administrative and executive components necessary to fulfill the objectives of the “I Will Go” initiative, said Braham, who oversees strategic planning for the IAD. “The strategic plan is like a fundamental structure that guides us, but we need to put some wheels on it to get it going,” he said. “Otherwise, it will be a beautiful plan that goes nowhere.”

According to Braham, it is up to union and institution administrators and their teams to take ownership of the plan and adapt it to best fit the needs of their local churches and communities.

Expanding the Digital Footprint of Mission

The four-day biannual church business meetings brought together more than 160 administrators, leaders, department heads, and lay-appointed members from May 5–8 in Miami, Florida, United States.

The group voted on several initiatives from the General Conference, including the Guidelines for the Digital Expansion of Mission in Seventh-day Adventist Churches, aimed at increasing the church’s online presence to share the gospel more effectively. They also addressed the role of supportive ministries in advancing the church’s mission, as well as the need for greater understanding of independent ministries and the distinctions between the two.

In addition, union administrators committed to reaching more than one million people each year through the Total Health Movement, spreading the church’s health message via medical, wellness, compassion, and hope-centered initiatives across cities, churches and their surrounding communities.

The committee also voted on the Missionary Book of the Year for 2026, selecting Words of Hope: Stories of Everyday Living by Ellen G. White, and designated Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, also by Ellen G. White, as the official Book of the Year.

Preparing for Global Church Engagement

Executive committee members received updates on upcoming General Conference Session plans, including related meetings and activities, evangelism reports from each union, and summaries of outreach initiatives carried out by IAD departments and ministries over the past year.

Policy amendments and various mission initiatives and programs were also reviewed and approved.

IAD institutional boards—including the publishing houses IADPA and GEMA Editors, the Inter-American Adventist Theological Seminary, the Health Food Company, Adventist Healthcare Services in Inter-America, and various educational boards—reported on their growth and shared plans for the coming months.

Youth Representatives Share Fresh Perspectives

For several young people participating for the first time as youth representatives during this year’s IAD Mid-Year Meetings, the experience of seeing the church’s top leadership in action was eye-opening.

For Kamila Soto, 19, from the West Venezuela Union seeing that the church is so organized at this level was impressive. “I have seen that everything has purpose, is carefully planned, backed up, monitored and audited—and that gives me great confidence as someone who’s spent my whole life in the church,” said Kamila, who studies in Caracas. The spirit of unity and comradery was very palpable she said. “I see such a sense of community between all leaders, very united, greeting and embracing each other and discussing matters to advance the church in their territory.”

For eighteen-year-old Wilbert Rodríguez, a first-year theology student from the Dominican Republic, attending as a youth representative was initially a bit intimidating. “I thought the leaders would be very strict and rigid,” he said, “but then I realized they’re quite funny. They laugh from time to time, and I really appreciated the human side they show.” Wilbert said he especially enjoyed how clear and transparent the reports and presentations were. “They don’t hide anything—they’re very open. It felt like getting a behind-the-scenes look at how God is leading the church here.”

Joandra García, 25, from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, who has participated in several IAD events over the past five years and holds a degree in accounting and finance, said that being part of the executive committee meetings this year was a true blessing. She found it particularly inspiring to see how God is blessing the church. “Every time they report on financial statements, it fascinates me—they show clear evidence that this is God’s work; there’s no doubt. God always provides,” she said.

Joandra wants other young people to understand how important it is to give their lives to Jesus and discover where He can lead them. “I never thought I would be here at a mid-year meeting, witnessing how, despite so many different cultures, we are all united under one mission—everyone focused on serving God.”

Authorized meetings and events voted included:

• October 17-18, 2025, – Spirit of Prophecy Symposium, hosted in Costa Rica.
• November 10-13 – Year-End Executive Committee Meetings in Miami, Florida.
• November 15 – Bible Connection Finale in Trinidad & Tobago.

To learn more about IAD initiatives and activities, visit interamerica.org