Adventist Leaders in Inter-America Begin Reshaping Mission Strategies To Empower Local Churches

Division leaders and union presidents focus on revitalizing evangelism, and reaching youth and urban communities.

September 17, 2025 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Inter-American Division (IAD) administrators and union presidents recently convened in Miami to review the church’s strategic plan, assess growth, and map a stronger course for mission across the territory. The three-day meetings, held Sept. 4–6, brought together leaders from all 25 unions to reflect on God’s guidance and strengthen the Division’s priorities for the next five years.

Pastor Abner De los Santos, president of the IAD, urged leaders to listen for God’s guidance and stay anchored in Scripture. “We are here to seek the will of God for the church in Inter-America,” he said. “Our goal is to free the hands of the church,” emphasizing the need to empower congregations and pastors to use their gifts and resources to advance the gospel. “Too often, even with the best intentions, we burden the church with too many activities. By narrowing our plan of action, we enable the church to focus on its true mission.”

De los Santos likened the church’s strengths to King David’s mighty men, each using their skills to achieve victory. “Our pastors and members have their own tools and abilities. We must allow them to use these to fulfill the mission,” he said.

The meetings also provided space for dialogue, allowing leaders to share ideas, express challenges, and collaborate on streamlining strategies for greater effectiveness. “We need to work together, basing decisions on our mission and vision, and ensure that execution at the local level is smooth and effective,” De los Santos added.

Reviewing Growth and Strategic Initiatives

Leaders examined the Division’s strategic plan, approved last year by the IAD Executive Committee, alongside a 15-year review of church growth. Key current mission strategies include: communion with God, evangelism, education, and service to the community.

Administrators analyzed membership increases, congregation expansion, and pastoral workforce development. With hundreds of thousands of new members joining the IAD each quinquennium, leaders emphasized the need for intentional retention plans.

“As we look at the data from past years, we need to study the account of new persons being baptized carefully,” said Arturo King, president of the North Mexican Union. “It would be good to have retention metrics with growth slightly optimized.”

Pastor Pierre Caporal, IAD executive secretary, reported that more than 6,000 new churches have been planted across the Division since 2010.

For Pastor Teofilo Silvestre, president of the Dominican Union, the thousands of new churches reflect the growth of the church’s membership and represent a significant strength. “This is a strength we should build on intentionally, not merely by counting baptisms and church planting,” he said.

The leaders brainstormed strategies to improve outreach across the territory for the next five years.

Strategic Use of Resources

Ivelisse Herrera, IAD treasurer, reviewed a 15-year overview of fund allocation for evangelism initiatives, illustrating how the church has maintained its missionary focus. “As we move forward, we want to continue managing our financial resources carefully to support mission and evangelism,” she said.

Herrera highlighted the need to target critical areas and strategic cities such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, Bogotá, Puebla, and Caribbean Union islands, ensuring funds are used where evangelistic impact is highest.

Rethinking Evangelism

A focus on more effective, localized evangelism was a common theme among leaders. Kern Tobias, president of the Caribbean Union, emphasized a shift toward multifaceted strategies that include small group ministry. “It’s not just about large crusades or big-name preachers,” he said. “Small group ministry, we believe, will allow us to use resources wisely.”

Echoing this perspective, Everett Brown, president of the Jamaica Union, noted that “large campaigns remain important, but the return on investment often falls short. We need to invest in Bible workers and lay members, treating evangelism as a year-round process, and giving local leaders flexibility to adapt programs to their communities.”

For Peter Kerr, president of the Atlantic Caribbean Union, effective evangelism requires preparation at multiple levels: member engagement, church readiness, territory preparation, and proper sermon and preacher preparation.

Supporting Pastors and Local Churches

President of the Chiapas Mexican Union, Ignacio Navarro, welcomed the dialogue on freeing the church to focus more on its mission. He highlighted the need to reduce burdens on pastors. “We’ve made the system too complex, leaving pastors little time to focus on their core work. Pastors are overloaded with responsibilities, and the burden on the church has made proper discipleship difficult. We need more churches and greater support so pastors can guide members effectively,” Navarro said.

Ricardo Marin, president of the Costa Rica Union, also chimed in, welcoming the focus on empowering local churches. “We’ve often focused on the ‘what’—large events and celebrations—but we need to invest more in the ‘how,’ equipping and empowering the local church,” he said. “Resources should go directly to congregations, training members and creating practical, mission-focused initiatives. It’s not the office that wins souls, but the local church.”

Preparing for the Future

De los Santos emphasized urban evangelism, youth outreach, and education. “Every union should identify its largest city and integrate health initiatives into evangelism. Hospitals, clinics, and even private practices can become centers of influence where the church actively engages the community,” he said.

Addressing education challenges, he added, “We must ensure our schools fulfill their mission while supporting evangelism. Our churches must focus on reaching youth, making them a priority rather than just maintaining current membership. Every church should work toward meaningful impact, aiming for significant growth over the next five years.”

During the dialogue sessions, leaders were invited to reflect on a guiding question: “What is God’s will for Inter-America in this new five-year period? If we can answer that, we must take time to pray and reflect,” said De los Santos. “Our priorities include spiritual renewal, helping members discover and use their spiritual gifts, nurturing members, and opening our doors to the community, especially to children and youth.”

Leaders took part in praise and worship, worship, prayer, and a special communion service during the three-day meetings.

IAD and union administrators will continue meeting in the coming weeks to clarify and streamline strategic mission plans, balancing tradition with innovation for greater impact across the territory.

For more information about the Seventh-day Adventist Church across the Inter-American Division, its mission strategies, and activities, visit interamerica.org.