Church Leaders Urged to Lead With Love, Prayer, and Spiritual Authority

Sam Neves calls for spiritual authority rooted in the Holy Spirit during Inter-American Division Spring Meeting.

May 6, 2026 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

“Your authority does not come from your position. Your authority comes from the degree to which you love the people that you lead,” Pastor Sam Neves told church leaders during the opening devotional of the Inter-American Division’s Spring Meeting today, in Miami, Florida. He was calling dozens of administrators, pastors, and laypersons members of the Executive Committee to lead through prayer, compassion, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Neves, vice president for Advancement and Communication at Hope Channel International, centered his message on the book of Ephesians, describing the Christian life as part of a larger spiritual conflict between Christ and Satan. He emphasized that God’s ultimate purpose is “to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

“The battle between good and evil is not symmetrical,” Neves said. “There is no comparison between Christ and Satan, between God and the forces of darkness.”

Throughout the devotional, Neves repeatedly stressed that true authority in God’s kingdom is rooted in sacrificial love empowered by the Holy Spirit rather than titles, methods, or organizational structure.

“Do not confuse power with authority,” he said. “It is love that gives Christ the legitimacy to act.”

Personal Testimony of Prayer and Mission

Neves shared personal stories from his upbringing in Brazil, illustrating how prayer and faith shaped his path into ministry and global mission service.

He recounted how his parents struggled for years to have children before his mother began studying the Bible with an Adventist family. Inspired by the biblical story of Hannah, she prayed that if God gave her a son, she would dedicate him to ministry.

“She became pregnant. I was born, she named me Samuel,” Neves said. “I never had a choice, friends. I was dedicated from the womb.”

At age 13, Neves moved from Brazil to England after his mother became convinced that he needed to learn English for future global ministry. He described how his father initially resisted selling the family home to finance the move, while his mother persisted in prayer.

“She talked to the King of kings and said, ‘God, I’m doing my part, it’s now your turn. Send somebody to buy the house,’” Neves recalled.

Two weeks later, a buyer unexpectedly appeared with the exact amount the family needed.

“When you exercise your authority in the unseen realm, you decide the future of your family, of your church, of your neighborhood, of everything that you touch,” Neves said.

Calling Leaders Back to Spiritual Authority

Using Ephesians 2, Neves reflected on what it means for believers to be spiritually “seated with Christ in the heavenly realms,” describing it as a present reality for Christians who surrender fully to God.

“If you surrender to the Holy Spirit and begin to live under the fullness of the Spirit, He will give you a supernatural love that will grant you authority in the heavenly realms,” he said.

Neves challenged church leaders not to depend solely on organizational methods or evangelistic strategies to accomplish mission.

“I am sick and tired of searching for methods,” he said candidly while reflecting on his years as a district pastor in London. “Every year there was a new method.”

Although his churches experienced significant growth, Neves said he later realized that the true spiritual power behind the ministry came from faithful church members praying earnestly behind the scenes.

“What I did not understand is that the success came from the three ladies that would meet at the back of the church and pray earnestly for the success,” he said.

“Our pastors need to have spiritual authority again,” added Neves. “When a pastor kneels down and prays for his church member before he visits them that day, the spiritual realm within that house begins to shift.”

He described prayer as the channel through which God receives “permission and legitimacy to act” in human lives and circumstances.

“If you are not seeing any miracles in your life ever, there is something wrong,” Neves said. “The greatest miracle should be your own transformation.”

A Global Mission Beyond Borders

Addressing the church’s worldwide mission, Neves urged leaders to look beyond their own territories and pray intentionally for unreached regions where millions still have no access to the gospel.

“There are today 7,130 people groups that have no sustained witness of the gospel,” he said. “This means that 43 out of every 100 people walking the planet will be born, grow and die without ever hearing the gospel of Jesus.”

“I don’t accept this and neither should you,” he added. “We are called to preach to every nation, tribe, tongue and people.”

“I don’t accept this and neither should you,” Neves said. “We are called to preach to every nation, tribe, tongue and people.”

Referring to the church’s upcoming OneVoice27 evangelistic initiative, Neves said the movement must be grounded not in human methods alone, but in prayer, spiritual revival, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

He urged leaders to move beyond administrative responsibility and develop a deeper burden for unreached people groups around the world, calling the church to rely fully on love, prayer, and God’s guidance in its mission efforts.