IAD Secretary Reports on Membership Gains, Losses, and the Call for Redemptive Audits
He appeals for deeper commitment and focus on discipleship amid membership loss concerns.
May 13, 2025 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News
During the opening of the Inter-American Division’s (IAD) Mid-Year Executive Committee Meetings on May 5, 2025, Executive Secretary Pastor Leonard Johnson highlighted membership trends that have shaped the current 2020–2025 quinquennium.
“In seeking to move forward with the membership audit from 2019 through 2024, our department focused on three strategic objectives,” said Johnson. These included: encouraging and supporting a systematic approach to the membership audit process; facilitating the training of key personnel at the church, local field, and union levels; and promoting full implementation of the Adventist Church Membership System (ACMS).
IAD Executive Secretary Pastor Leonard Johnson presents his report at the start of the Mid-year Executive Committee Meetings on May 5, 2025, in Miami Florida, United States. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
Pastor Johnson highlighted key membership trends, noting that 2019 marked the highest number of baptisms in the current quinquennium, with 195,159 new members. Numbers dropped significantly in 2020 to 104,056, then began to rise again through 2021 to 2023, reaching 164,658 in 2024.
“We praise God for all of these new members,” said Johnson, “but when you compare these gains to the losses over the same period, it becomes clear that this is an issue we must address.”
According to the Adventist Church Membership System (ACMS) reports, from 2019 to 2021, membership losses outpaced gains. However, starting in 2022, the trend shifted. In 2023, the church recorded 191,905 baptisms compared to 186,803 losses. In 2024, gains rose to 237,226, while losses stood at 211,806.
[Image: Courtesy of Leonard Johnson]
Gains include baptisms, professions of faith, and transfers into the church, while losses account for deaths, transfers out, and members leaving the church.
Redemptive Membership Audits Key to Growth and Retention
“We wish the losses were less. We recognize that we must encourage and support a thorough, systematic conducting of the membership audit process to facilitate the training of key personnel regarding membership audit at the local church, field, and union levels,” said Pastor Leonard Johnson, executive secretary of the Inter-American Division.
Johnson emphasized that the focus is not just administrative but spiritual. “It’s all about redemptive membership audit, which is the direction the world is focusing on,” he said. “Membership audit is not just about cleaning the records, but the objective is the most needed ministry—to review membership records and to approach this exercise in a Christ-like, redemptive way to pursue and go after every single soul, every former member.”
[Images: Courtesy of Leonard Johnson]
He noted that while all 25 unions are currently active in using the Adventist Church Membership System (ACMS), training is still ongoing across the unions and their local fields. “Sometimes reporting on the system is not as consistent as it should be,” Johnson acknowledged, “but it gives a better picture of what is going on across the territory to better strategize for additional discipleship initiatives among the new and current members.”
“The key,” he added, “would be for all unions to be fully ACMS compliant consistently.”
Comparative statistics from the previous quinquennium (2015–2019) show that the highest recorded membership during that period was in 2017, with 3,787,546 members. Membership numbers fluctuated in the following years, ending 2024 with a total of 3,730,460.
Dr. Ismael Castillo (right), president of Montemorelos University smiles next to Pastors Filiberto Verduzco, former treasurer and Israel Leito, former president of the IAD during the Secretary’s report on May 5, 2025. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
However, church leaders are optimistic. With more than 80,000 baptisms already recorded up to last month, they project that membership will surpass the 3.8 million mark before the end of the year.
As of now, the Inter-American Division reports a total of 16,589 churches and 8,566 companies, according to Pastor Johnson.
During his report, Johnson also acknowledged unions that have completed training across their territories. Among them was the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, which successfully completed evaluations in all eleven of its local fields this year. Additionally, administrators of the Caribbean, El Salvador, and South Colombian Unions were recognized for completing evaluations in their local fields this year.
Pastor Leonard Johnson (second from right) shakes Pastor Aaron Omaña’s hands, executive secretary of the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, for evaluating the 11 fields through the ACMS program this year. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
Pastor Johnson also shared how the Inter-American Division (IAD) is actively supporting five other divisions and two attached fields through evangelism initiatives. Additionally, preparations are underway to send young people to serve in the 10/40 Window by 2026.
He also highlighted the Mission Refocus initiative, which includes financial contributions from 19 IAD unions to support church planting and missionary families in the 10/40 Window—an area known for its high concentration of unreached people groups. In addition he paid tribute to Jose H. Figueroa from Puerto Rico who served as executive secretary of the IAD from 1970 to 1990.
Before the vote was taken to accept the Secretary’s Report, concerns were raised by committee members.
“This is a real issue—to see the number of persons coming in, but by the time we come to the end of the year, we have lost more than what we added,” said Pastor Balvin Braham, one of IAD’s vice presidents. “This is something to look at and should always be an area to pay attention to.”
Pastor Osvaldo Arrieta, executive secretary of the North Mexican Union, suggests taking a closer look at how many of the members baptized in 2024 have left the church, to more accurately understand the concerning membership losses reflected in the data. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
In response to Pastor Balvin Braham’s concerns about membership losses, Pastor Leonard Johnson addressed the committee, explaining the ongoing efforts by the Secretariat to strengthen its connection with local churches.
“Secretariat has been seeking to get to the local church,” Johnson said. “Once that is done more consistently, there would be a greater reduction in losses—but we have a long way to go,” he added. “Some people have migrated, passed, and there’s a large percentage of people we can’t account for.”
Osvaldo Arrieta, executive secretary of the North Mexican Union, added further perspective. He noted that the reported losses may not necessarily reflect a single year, but rather cumulative figures gathered over extended periods.
“I understand that the information on the losses is not from the year that ended, but from the historical total—20 years, or 14 years—depending on the work of the local church,” said Arrieta. “It would be interesting to zoom in to identify, from the 2024 group of those 170,000 that entered by the different guides, how many of those have left [the church]? And how many remain? That zoom would leave a different feeling.”
Pastor Elie Henry (center), IAD president, emphasizes the importance of timely and accurate updates in the Adventist Church Membership System, as Ivelisse Herrera (left), IAD treasurer and Pastor Leonard Johnson (right) IAD executive secretary listen in. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
Arrieta acknowledged the progress made in accounting for members, as reflected in the visuals shared, but emphasized the need for more comparative analysis. “The graphic shows the work being done with accounting for members; however, at some point, a comparison should be shown to reveal if we are losing more than we are actually winning. I think it can be done. It is a challenge, but it can be done.”
Call for Accuracy in Membership Auditing
Before Pastor Johnson responded, Pastor Elie Henry, president of the Inter-American Division (IAD) and former executive secretary, who chaired the session, emphasized the ongoing work in the Adventist Church Membership System (ACMS). He underscored the importance of updating membership records promptly and accurately.
“There is serious work being done in ACMS,” said Henry, “and it’s important that the books are updated regularly so that when a person is baptized, it is recorded in that month, in the actual quarter that person was baptized.”
Pastor Aaron Omaña, executive secretary of the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, comments on the Secretary’s Report as Pastor Daniel Polanco, executive secretary of the Dominican Union and Pastor Luis Rivera, president of the Puerto Rican Union wait their turn on the floor microphone. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
Pastor Aaron Omaña, executive secretary of the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, addressed one of the recurring challenges: delayed reporting of baptisms. “One of the issues is that sometimes there’s a term among pastors that is used—‘put them in the freezer,’” said Omaña. “That’s what some do—they report baptisms at a different time, not at the actual date or month a new believer was baptized.”
Omaña also noted the importance of context when analyzing reported losses. “We also have to take into account that there are people who died, especially during the pandemic,” he said. “Like Arrieta said, the loss amount is a historical record.”
He praised the transparency of the secretary’s report. “The report is presenting the reality of the work that secretariat is doing at all levels,” said Omaña. “I think it’s better that they show us the reality than for us not to be auditing and then present an inflated and unrealistic statistic. I commend Pastor Johnson’s report—that we can audit in a responsible way, in a redemptive way.”
Pastor Alvaro Niño (right), president of the South Colombia Union, is congratulated by Pastor Leonard Johnson, IAD executive secretary, for the union’s training and evaluation efforts in ACMS, as Ivelisse Herrera, IAD treasurer, looks on. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
For Pastor Daniel Polanco, executive secretary of the Dominican Union, the statistical report deserves commendation. “The report presents realities that hurt us, for we can see how this picture in Inter-America helps us to be able to identify what needs to be addressed,” said Polanco.
Looking ahead, Pastor Johnson expressed optimism about the growing accuracy and timeliness of membership data. “Within a few years, live reports from ACMS could be more accurate in real time,” he said. “We are getting there. We believe that as we embrace redemptive membership review, we will see an increase in baptisms, and we will see more members remaining in the church—and that is really our goal: to encourage disciple-making according to chapter six in the Church Manual.”
At the conclusion of the presentation, committee members voted to approve the Secretary’s Report for the Mid-Year annual business meetings.