GC President Lauds Inter-America Focus on Evangelism, Church Multiplication
A delegation of Seventh-day Adventists welcomes Pastor Erton Köhler, president of the General Conference, and his wife Adrianne, along with Pastor Abner De los Santos and his wife Leticia, with steel drum music upon their arrival at Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on May 28, 2026, for the Intercultural Mission Church Planting Summit. [Photo: Curtis Henry/IAD]
May 28, 2026 | Port of Spain, Trinidad | Marcos Paseggi, for Inter-American Division News
With words of affirmation and congratulations, General Conference President Erton Köhler arrived in Port of Spain, Trinidad, May 28, as the keynote speaker of the Intercultural Mission Church Planting Summit which takes place until May 30.
Köhler arrived with his wife Adrianne and Inter-American Division (IAD) President Abner De los Santos and his wife Leticia.
Local Pathfinders and Master Guides salute Pastor Erton Köhler and his wife Adriene as they exit the arrivals area at Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on May 28, 2026. [Photo: Curtis Henry/IAD]
Pressing Forward
Köhler highlighted the role the IAD plays in that mission, sharing that he got excited when he heard regional church leaders talking repeatedly about “multiplication.” In that sense, he referenced an initiative of the Adventist Church in the IAD, which seeks that every current local church plants a new congregation by 2030, and that every member may lead one more person to baptism.
A young Pathfinder smiles moments before the presidential reception for Pastor Erton Köhler takes place at Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on May 28, 2026. [Photo: Curtis Henry/IAD]
In that regard, he shared about the special place the IAD has in the consciousness of church leaders. “In the General Conference, everybody sees the Inter-American Division as a center of evangelism for the world,” Köhler told regional church leaders. “And we come to a program that [shows] that the whole division is focused on mission and multiplication, I believe the Lord has special blessings prepared for us during these days.”
Finally, Köhler shared his wish. “I hope we can help bless our church and strengthen our commitment to be a church which is grounded in the Bible and is living the mission.”
Pastor Kern Tobias, president of the Caribbean Union Conference, formally welcomes Pastor Erton Köhler and his wife Adrianne during a private reception at Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. [Photo: Curtis Henry/IAD]
Before Köhler’s remarks, several regional church leaders lined up to greet the visiting leaders.
“We are really happy to meet you here in Trinidad,” Kern Tobias, president of the Caribbean Union Conference (CUC), told Köhler in his opening remarks. “We were looking forward to your visit.”
Samuel Telemaque, IAD Adventist mission director, explained that the initiative to multiply churches has motivate the region to organize the summit. “We want to facilitate this movement of expanding God’s kingdom,” he explained.
Inter-American Division and union leaders stand with Pastor Erton Köhler and his wife Adrianne during a May 28, 2026, reception at Piarco International Airport ahead of Köhler’s participation in the Intercultural Mission Church Planting Summit in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. [Photo: Curtis Henry/IAD]
South Caribbean Conference president Leslie Moses and CUC mission director Clive Dottin also greeted Köhler and the rest of the leaders to the country and to the event, emphasizing the multicultural nature of the country’s population and faiths. “We want to reach them all for Jesus,” Dottin said.
Pastor Abner De los Santos, president of the Inter-American Division, speaks during the special welcome reception on May 28, 2026, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, reaffirming that mission remains at the heart of the church’s purpose and growth. [Photo: Curtis Henry/IAD]
Among the regional church leaders, De los Santos highlighted the meaning of the visit to the country. “It is a special time to be here, because Trinidad and Tobago is an essential part of the Inter-American Division territory,” De los Santos said. “The Inter-American Division would not be Inter-American Division without Trinidad and Tobago.”
De los Santos added that regional church leaders are “totally convinced that mission is key for the church program.” He added, “to fulfill God’s mission is to walk in the center of God’s will.”
A Master Guide takes a selfie with Pastor Erton Köhler and his wife Adrianne during their welcome reception at Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on May 28, 2026. [Photo: Curtis Henry/IAD]
De los Santos then addressed Köhler directly.
“We pray that the Lord will use you to inspire our people here,” he said.