Inter-America selects its members for GC Nominating Committee

Inter-American top church leaders decide on names for the GC nominating committee earlier today, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, July 2, 2015. Image by Daniel Gallardo/IAD.

July 2, 2015 | San Antonio, Texas, United States | Libna Stevens/IAD

IAD President Pastor Israel Leito speaks to the nearly 400 delegates today before choosing members for the GC nominating committee to name the next Adventist World Church president. Image by Daniel Gallardo/IAD[/caption]

Hours after the official opening of the 60th General Conference Session today in San Antonio, Texas, nearly 400 delegates and top church leaders from throughout the Inter-American Division (IAD) territory met to choose 40 nominating committee members. The new committee members will represent the IAD when nominating the next president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide, which is scheduled to take place tomorrow.

Out of an IAD delegation of 400, 10 percent were chosen according to the policy set out by the world church, said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America, as he addressed the crowded room at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

IAD President Pastor Israel Leito speaks to the nearly 400 delegates today before choosing members for the GC nominating committee to name the next Adventist World Church president.

“We have come up with a process to guarantee proper representation from all of our unions,” said Pastor Leito. “The General Conference simply allows the Divisions to decide who those nominating committee members will be.”

The breakdown of the 40 new nominating members is as follows: all 24 union presidents, 2 union secretaries, 2 union treasurers, 1 local field president, 2 district pastors, 1 female worker, 1 female layperson, 3 laypersons, 1 youth, and 3 institution leaders – one each from the Inter-American Theological Seminary, Herbert Fletcher University, and Montemoreslos University.

The entire nominating committee representing all 13 world divisions will meet later in order to bring the nominations for world church president to the nearly 3,000 delegates at the session.

View photos of today’s meeting HERE