SeLD Conference Urges Church Leaders to Embrace a Model of Service and Sacrifice

Church administrators, department heads, local pastors and elders urged to follow Jesus’ leadership example.

July 23, 2024 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Hundreds of Seventh-day Adventist executive officers, administrators, department directors, local pastors and church elders were challenged to take part in a paradigm shift in leadership as the first day of the Inter-American Division’s Segment Leadership Development Conference (SeLD) began this week in Miami, Florida, United States.

SeLD Conference is an event designed to foster the growth of leaders across the territory and aims to enhance their leadership skills and prepare them for active involvement in leadership development activities.  The conference utilizes interactive methodologies to facilitate shared experiences among participants, fostering a collaborative learning environment.

More than 800 church leaders also tuned in online to the annual event as Pastor Elie Henry, president of the IAD, urged them to reject the power base model of the world and to embrace a model of service and sacrifice.

“Let us follow Jesus, serving one another in humility and love and thereby reflecting the true nature of the Kingdom of God,” said Pastor Henry. “We must strive to lead by serving just as Jesus served.”  The calling set the tone for the three-day annual event that seeks to inspire church leaders at every level of the church organization to grow, collaborate, be transformed, and enhance their skills to make a difference in leadership responsibilities.

To be a leader like Jesus, “we must be in total submission to the Master,” he said. There must be servitude over greatness, Pastor Henry said.  “We must emulate his humility and willingness to serve, submit to Jesus completely and dedicate to serve His people.”

Pastor Henry pressed leaders to grasp the real-life application they must draw from the way Jesus led. “Jesus’ teaching is not a theory, it demands real dynamic and effective service.”  It’s all about continuing to evangelize, education and serve the community as the church in IAD has been committed to doing during the past six years, he said.

A leadership paradigm shift

“We appreciate your interest and shared commitment to achieve excellence and innovation in service to our Lord and His people,” said Pastor Henry. There must be genuine care and sacrifice for the well-being of others, he added. “There must be a paradigm shift now,” he added.

The shift needs to be about leading like Christ, he emphasized.

The annual conference’s vision is to push for greater satisfaction for service to the church, and the community, finding joy in service to God, reaffirmed Pastor Henry. This year becomes the 8^th SeLD Conference held in the IAD, a significant milestone for eight years, church leaders said and one that will continue to push to constantly be “Growing in Leadership” as the theme of the conference points to, Pastor Henry said.

More than 32 speakers from the General Conference, North American Division and Inter-America Divisions were scheduled for the annual leadership event, which ends today.

A mindful leader

In the first plenary session, Dr. Lowell Cooper, retired former general vice president of the General Conference, highlighted the five dimensions of a mindful leader.

“It’s important to be self-aware, know what is in the mind, spend time to think what is going on with myself,” said Cooper.  It’s about looking at “one’s view of leadership that points to Jesus, who is our model, our example, our challenge.” Leadership is about exercising power and authority for the good of others, he said. It’s about the humility that needs to abound not out of comparison with someone else but with only comparing to Jesus.

Social awareness is about recognizing the inherent value of every individual, he said. That’s where being compliant with the law, equal opportunities, ensuring atmosphere of safety and happiness, respect for human dignity, effective teamwork elements, come into play.

Situational awareness is referred to perception of the elements in the environment, understanding of a situation, and projection of future status, he said. “When it comes to structural awareness, said Cooper, it is about understanding that “you are part of something much bigger than yourself,” he said. We are a worldwide organization, many pieces, many parts, we need to recognize that we are a part of, just a part of it, but our challenge is to contribute to it and its future.”

“When a leader looks after his life with God, his public life will look after itself,” said Cooper. Spiritual awareness is an important dimension of a mindful leader, he added. “When the model of our life is Jesus, it will influence the way you lead.” One of the greatest mistakes of leadership, he said, “is to think that God sees the world the same way I see it.”

Cooper asked leaders to pause to think which dimensions are the most challenging, what dimensions of mindfulness in others do they see have the most influence, and how the church can be more proactive in training for mindful leadership.

Legal issues facing leadership

Dr. Karnik Doukmetzian, general counsel of the General Conference, addressed the audience on legal issues facing leadership in the church.

Issues of church governance and conflict of interest and what that means as employees and leaders are important.  Usually it is “how we deal with these issues that lead us to problems,” said Doukmetzian.

To face legal issues, leaders must understand how the Adventist church functions and how it is organized at every level.

“It’s not just enough to understand the function of each organization but we must follow governing documents,” he said. “When members take the organization to court, if the church has rules put in place but doesn’t follow through, that’s where the courts can interfere because rules aren’t followed.”

Working policy and how it’s put together at every level is important, he said. “Governing documents need to be constantly updated so our organizations can effectively deal with issues that come up. Know the role and function of each level of leadership so we don’t exceed our authority.”

In reference to employees, employment laws created by governments must be considered and understood, said Doukmetzian. In addition, he highlighted the conflict-of-interest issues within the church organization in many forms, financial issues, disciplining ministers, as well as other employment issues that may arise.

“How can leaders avoid legal problems in the organization?” asked Doukmetzian. It’s important to understand laws of jurisdiction, have a relationship with and consult legal counsel, be consistent in the application of discipline, and not exceed authority as a leader.

“We have to be consistent in how we deal with our employees too,” he said.

Doukmetzian also reminded leaders to be cautious about independent ministries which have goals and objectives that do not further the mission of the church, the importance of cybersecurity protocols and the need for education and training.

Being vigilant

For David Celis, president of the Southeast Mexican Union, the start of SeLD Conference allowed him to clearly see the reality that leaders face. “The keynote addresses were very relevant for me and my team,” he said. A dozen administrators from the seven fields in the territory and the hundreds more church leaders from the union territory were registered to watch online during the opening night on July 22, 2024.

“It’s a wakeup call to be better prepared to deal with, care and better anticipate the legal issues that come up and affect the church at every level,” said Celis. “Sometimes the church can be very vulnerable for many reasons but as leaders we must be vigilant to ensure to guard the church properly.”

Wilfred Designes, field secretary of the Tobago Conference, said that again this year SeLD began with very timely and dynamic presentations. Designes was reminded on the importance of employee-employer relationship and the proper process needs to be in place.

“Often times we react too quickly instead of responding the way we ought to,” said Designes of some things he learned from Cooper’s presentation.  “We should be intentional, look at persons with another perspective, see them at face value but follow Jesus when it comes to treating people.”

About the conference

Each year the SeLD Conference intends to serve as a catalyst for transformation, innovation, and collaboration, said Pastor Balvin Braham, vice president of the IAD in charge of leadership development.  “Our three areas of emphasis in organizational leadership this year are about leading self, leading others and leading the organization,” he said.

“SeLD serves to deepen the understanding of faith and spirituality among leaders, enabling them to lead with greater effectiveness, and to enhance leadership skills and competencies to lead more effectively,” said Braham.  The leadership conference is also about equipping leaders with knowledge and tools to identify and address factors contributing to growth as well as an opportunity for leaders to share experiences, challenges, and best practices and foster a sense of community and collaboration, he explained.

Church leaders took time to pray together, worship and network.

For more information on this year’s SeLD Conference, visit seld.interamerica.org