IAD Leaders Pledge to Mobilize Church for Mission Across Territory

Nearly 600 administrators review strategic priorities and initiatives aimed at strengthening mission across Inter-America through 2030.

March 6, 2026 | Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Top Seventh-day Adventist administrators from the 25 unions and 156 local fields throughout the Inter-American Division (IAD) pledged to use their leadership, talents, and influence to mobilize church leaders and members to proclaim the message of salvation in their communities during the next five years.

The commitment came as nearly 600 leaders concluded a three-day leadership summit  on  March 3 in Mexico, where the I Will Go: Living the Mission major strategic priorities and initiatives were reviewed.

Grounded in Scripture and aligned with the global mission focus of the General Conference, the strategic framework emphasizes practical implementation across the division’s territory while allowing local churches to adapt the plan to their unique contexts.

Drawing on the biblical mandate of Matthew 28 and Revelation 14, the “I Will Go: Living the Mission”  initiative seeks to align the actions of church entities across Inter-America while empowering local congregations to experience spiritual renewal and mission-driven growth.

Leaders challenged To Embrace Mission

During the closing session, IAD President Pastor Abner De los Santos challenged union presidents and local conference and mission leaders to fully embrace their responsibility in advancing the church’s mission.

“It is time for the church to mature for the honor and glory of God,” De los Santos said. “We must challenge the church to fulfill its mission while walking alongside our members so that we may have a church ready to meet Christ.”

Addressing union presidents directly, he urged them to inspire the wider church to unite in mission.

“Are you willing to use your influence, your talents, and your leadership to fulfill the mission God has entrusted to us?” he asked. “We must raise our voices so that the whole church can move forward together with one voice.”

Union presidents were invited to the stage to publicly affirm their commitment to advancing the mission across their territories. Each received a planning agenda and their administrators present, intended to help guide and track the implementation of the division’s strategic initiatives.

Affirming Mission Focus

IAD Treasurer Ivelisse Herrera also called on financial leaders to reaffirm the purpose of church finances in advancing mission.

“We must recognize that the finances of the church are not an end in themselves,” Herrera said. “They are a sacred instrument at the service of the mission.”

She urged treasurers across unions and local fields to ensure that budgets, financial decisions, and reporting all support evangelistic outreach.

“Everything we do must serve the advancement of God’s work and the preaching of the gospel,” she said.

Herrera added that strengthening the church’s financial systems will be essential in supporting mission initiatives across the division.

“Our church is dedicated to a mission that requires both consecration and resources,” she said. “And we accept that challenge, trusting that God will provide what is needed for His work.”

Secretaries Commit To Mission-centered Administration

Inter-American Division Executive Secretary Pastor Pierre Caporal, who joined the session virtually, affirmed that the secretariat will actively support the mission emphasis across the territory.

“We commit ourselves to ‘Living the Mission’ and making the secretariat an agency for mission,” Caporal said. “We will use every tool available—policies, the church manual, and administrative systems, to advance the mission across the Inter-American Division.”

Caporal invited executive secretaries across unions and conferences to join in the commitment to support evangelism and church growth through their administrative work.

Strategic initiatives to drive mission

To translate the strategic vision into action, IAD leaders outlined three major initiatives designed to mobilize churches throughout the quinquennium:

OneVoice27 will culminate in a territory-wide celebration in September 2027 marking the 2,000th anniversary of the baptism of Jesus. The initiative will combine large-scale media outreach with active local church engagement, encouraging Bible study participation and connecting people with Jesus through coordinated initiatives led by departments and ministries throughout the Inter-American Division.

Impact 2028 seeks to establish at least 100,000 preaching centers across Inter-America. During the summit, union presidents announced projected preaching sites in their territories, totaling approximately 93,000 locations, with a collective commitment to reach the 100,000 goal.

Every Church, One Church challenges every organized congregation across the division to plant a new church by 2030.

Strengthening churches to reproduce

Church leaders described the church-planting initiative as one of the most significant priorities for the division over the next five years.

“In the next five years, nothing will be more significant or more relevant for Inter-America than the initiative we are presenting today—Every Church, One Church,” leaders said during the presentation.

The initiative focuses on strengthening existing congregations so they can reproduce naturally rather than simply dividing existing churches.

“We are not asking unions or local fields to divide the churches they already have,” leaders explained. “We are asking churches to grow spiritually and become strong enough to reproduce another congregation.”

The initiative will unfold through a timeline that includes mobilizing congregations in 2026, identifying new territories in 2027, preparing leadership in 2028, establishing new congregations in 2029, and celebrating the results across the territory in 2030.

“It is possible, by God’s grace, for every church to plant another church within five years,” Pastor De Los Santos said. “But it will only happen when the church itself embraces the vision and commits to grow and mature.”

IAD Leaders outlined in depth the four pillars of the strategic plan: Communion with God, Identity in Christ, Unity in the Spirit for Service, and Mission for All, and the initiatives designed to advance these mission priorities across the IAD territory.

Children and young people will also receive special emphasis during the quinquennium, division leaders said. “During this quinquennium we want to place special emphasis on children and young people,” De Los Santos said. “They are not only the future of the church—they are part of the mission today.”

To support the implementation of the strategic plan across the territory, the Inter-American Division will provide a set of five mission-focused books to every organized church and pastor throughout the division. The resource series, aligned with the four strategic pillars of the quinquennium, will be distributed free of charge to help pastors and congregations remain focused on mission during the next five years. The books are being printed through the Inter-American Division’s two publishing houses and are intended to serve as practical tools for spiritual growth, leadership development, and evangelistic engagement. During the summit, several division institutions and organizations also shared how their own initiatives will contribute to advancing the strategic priorities across the territory.

Leaders Reflect on Mission Opportunities

Union presidents attending the summit said the gathering strengthened their determination to implement the initiatives across their territories.

For Pastor José Bouchot, president of the Chiapas Mexican Union, the simplicity and flexibility of the strategic plan stood out.

“The strategic planning presented by the division is simple but allows us to adapt it to our territory,” Bouchot said. “We are determined to work with the ‘Every Church, One Church’ initiative and are already planning to establish at least 30 new churches each year in new territories.”

Bouchot said Chiapas, which currently has more than 3,600 churches and groups, hopes to surpass 4,000 congregations by the end of the quinquennium.

“The greatest challenge is not financial,” he added. “The greatest challenge is ourselves—being fully convinced and willing to place our resources where they belong: in mission.”

Pastor Teófilo Silvestre, president of the Dominican Union, said the summit provided valuable ideas and administrative insights that leaders are already planning to apply in their territory.

“The general perception among our administrators is that this has been an excellent gathering,” Silvestre said. “We are already identifying ideas we can replicate and encouraging our leaders to apply these best practices, so we remain in tune with ‘Living the Mission.’”

Silvestre said the Dominican Union plans to establish more than 3,000 preaching sites as part of the Impact 2028 initiative.

In Venezuela, Pastor Orlando Ramírez, president of the West Venezuela Union, said the territory is seeing renewed openness that could expand mission opportunities.

“There is great enthusiasm for the new strategic plan,” Ramírez said. “We have seen strong receptivity and acceptance for the initiatives presented, and we believe there are new opportunities for outreach.”

Ramírez said the current environment in the country is allowing the church to envision broader evangelistic outreach and stronger engagement with communities.

Pastor José Smith, president of the Panama Union, said the summit came at a providential time for the territory, where many administrators have recently taken new leadership roles.

“In Panama we have 610 congregations, and by God’s help we want to reach 1,050 by 2030,” Smith said. “We have also committed to 3,300 preaching centers for Impact 2028.”

He acknowledged that reaching people in Panama City’s high-rise apartment buildings will present a challenge but said the church is exploring new approaches to small-group ministry and urban outreach.

“The time has come to stop playing church,” Smith said. “If we want Christ to come, we must give our very best effort to the mission.”

From the East Caribbean Conference, Pastor Anthony Hall, who serves as president overseeing Barbados and Dominica, said the summit was valuable because it allowed leaders from the fields to participate directly in conversations shaping the church’s future.

“This makes me feel that our leaders care and want to hear from us,” Hall said. “It reminds us that the church moves forward when everyone fulfills their role and we work together.”

Hall said mission will advance not only through media and technology but also through personal relationships and grassroots involvement within local congregations.

“It will happen when real people share experiences and talk with one another,” he said.

For Pastor Henry Beltrán, president of the South Colombia Union, the summit reinforced the sense that the church is moving forward with greater unity and clarity.

“More than ever, the church is united in a strategic plan to advance together in mission,” Beltrán said.

Beltrán said the union is mobilizing 13,000 small groups and hopes to see 27,000 baptisms by September 2027 as part of the OneVoice27 initiative. “Now more than ever, the church is focused on preaching the gospel,” he said.

As the summit concluded, leaders stood together in a moment of dedication, repeating the commitment I Will Go—Living the Mission.

“We are here because we share a commitment,” Pastor De los Santos said. “A commitment to go and inspire the church to live the mission because Jesus is coming soon,” he said.