Leaders in Inter-America review financial system and recommit to fostering faithfulness among church members

IAD Treasurer Filiberto Verduzco speaks to about 320 union administrators and leaders across the territory on the financial system of the church, during the summit, Jan. 6-9, 2016, in Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Images by German Rodriguez/IAD

January 15, 2016 | Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Libna Stevens/IAD

Top Seventh-day Adventist leaders from across Inter-America’s 24 major church regions met last week to assess the behavior and management of incoming funds, review the growth these funds brought the church during the last 20 years, and reaffirm their commitment to sound spiritual leadership as good stewards of God’s resources during the next five years.

Pastor Roberto Herrera, stewardship director for the church in Inter-America.

“This was an important summit that was mostly dedicated to strengthening and establishing a more solid financial system,” said Pastor Roberto Herrera, stewardship director for the church in Inter-America and organizer of the summit.

More than 300 regional church administrators and stewardship directors reviewed how offering funds collected across more than 20,000 congregations in Inter-America were distributed to local church development, regional development and world missions, a plan which falls under the church’s 60-20-20 offering plan.

The 60-20-20 Offering Plan
The 60-20-20 offering plan states that 60 percent of the total offering collected at churches during a given period stays in the local church, 20 percent goes to the local conference for development projects, and 20 percent goes to global missions, explained Herrera.

The plan was adopted in the Inter-American Division (IAD) in 1995, and an evaluation in 2005 showed that all levels of the church were receiving more funds with the new plan. Now, 10 years later, church leaders are happy with the results.

“The Lord continues to bless our members who faithfully believe and contribute towards the mission of the church,” said Filiberto Verduzco, treasurer for the church in Inter-America as he spoke to the church leadership.

The church in the IAD has maintained an average growth of 7.98 percent of tithing funds and a 5.57 percentage of offerings during the past 23 years, stated Verduzco. Yet during the last 10 years the average has been slightly declining due to the soft currencies, which affect the financial system in place, he added.

“Even when the growth in tithes and offerings increases locally in most of our countries with soft currencies, there is still significant loss when these funds are converted to dollars,” stated Verduzco.

Church administrators go over the 13-point consensus on establishing a sound financial system for the next five years.

The key is to continue with the 60-20-20 plan and strengthen it by digging deeper and finding out what strategies at the union and local fields levels can to keep the growth steady, regardless of the factors that negatively affect the financial performance of the funds, Verduzco said.

In the Dominican Republic, the 60-20-20 plan has allowed for the establishment of 25 new churches every year among other initiatives, said Pastor Cesario Acevedo, president of the church in the Dominican Republic.

“Our church members see how their offerings help grow the church on the island and support our missionary projects around the world too,” said Acevedo. The church has added the project of remodeling schools and building new ones during the coming years, he added.

Consensus for establishing a sound financial system
Church administrators came up with a consensus for establishing a sound financial system within each union and local field. The consensus includes running comprehensive evaluations of its financial system, implementing more stewardship programs, creating initiatives to help church members deepen their spiritual relationship with God, during the next five years.

According to Herrera, there are areas in stewardship that need to be strengthened, because stewardship is a matter of spirituality in the church member. “Stewardship God’s plan so His children can live for His Glory, being participants in the fulfillment of the mission of the church,” said Herrera.

“God has entrusted us with many gifts, so that is where the resources come from to aid in the preaching of the gospel, construction of more temples, sustenance of our educational system, health institutions, and our publishing houses,” said Herrera

That’s why its key to have an ongoing stewardship program so that church members can understand that they are entrusted with gifts and resources which are vital to the fulfillment of the mission, emphasized Herrera.

Adventist World Church President Ted N.C. Wilson, speaks

The stewardship ministries focus comes after the Adventist World Church voted last year to take on the salary of stewardship directors across the 13 world church division headquarters for the next three years. IAD leaders took on the challenge and hired a second stewardship associate director to assist in the task of strengthening the ministry in the territory.

Focus on Evangelism
The theme of the summit, held in Riviera Maya, Mexico, Jan. 6-9, 2016, was “Worship, Faithfulness and Evangelism.”

Church leaders focused on evangelism as an important component in the success of an ongoing stewardship program.

“Stewardship is the total lifestyle of one who submits to Christ as his Savior, recognizes all of his possessions as the Lords’ and manages them to fulfill God’s purposes,” said Pastor Balvin Braham, assistant to the IAD President in evangelism.

“Obedience to the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:16-20 includes a call to be effective stewards of God’s resources. Thus, while stewardship is a matter of living life faithfully, evangelism is a matter of helping others to live their lives faithfully,” explained Braham.

It’s about fostering evangelization as good stewards, he explained. Braham spoke to leaders about how the IAD leadership under its “Lord, Transform Me,” initiative this quinquennium seeks to see transformation in every area of the church life and the life of its members.

“We are interested in quality as it relates to church wellness,” added Braham. “People want to go to a church that is healthy, where there is quality in the various elements of the worship service and where there is quality in the way people fellowship with each other and the quality in the way they express their commitment to the Lord and serve the community and others.”

Church leaders attend the four-day summit in Mexico.

Adventist World Church President Ted N.C. Wilson was joined by his fellow administrators and vice presidents during the Sabbath worship service on Jan. 9.

Pastor Wilson spoke to the IAD church leadership about ensuring that each one must be transformed by the trust developed in Jesus, much like the Apostle Peter did after he began to sink in the ocean because he took his eyes off Jesus.

“As leaders of the church, we must trust Jesus and that will lead us to transformation,” said Pastor Wilson. “When we are transformed by the Word of God, we are able to lead by example. Transformation is the leader and the member.”

That transformed life is what church leaders believe will continue to bless church members as good stewards to fulfill the mission of the church during the next five years and beyond.

To view pictures of Inter-America’s Worship, Faithfulness and Evangelism Summit, visit our photo gallery