Adventist leaders review church growth across Inter-America
Inter-America’s Executive Committee members view evangelism progress reports during the church’s second part of its annual business meetings held at the Central Adventist Church in San Salvador, El Salvador, Oct. 29, 2016. Image by Alex Sánchez/IAD
November 4, 2016 | San Salvador, El Salvador | Libna Stevens/IAD
Top Seventh-day Adventist administrators and church leaders from the Inter-American Division (IAD) concluded their annual year-end business meetings this week. They looked at the membership and financial growth of the IAD’s 24 major church regions so far this year. The more than 100 leaders representing the 44 countries and islands in the IAD gathered for the final two days of meetings in San Salvador, El Salvador, held Oct. 29-30, 2016.
IAD Execituve Secretary Pastor Elie Henry reports that 436 new churches have been organized throughout the territory so far this year. Image by Abel Márquez/IAD
Membership Growth
IAD Executive Secretary Pastor Elie Henry gladly reported that 282 new churches were organized so far this year as well as 9 new local fields, a significant growth compared to previous years.
“Our church membership in Inter-America is still growing strong,” said Henry. More than 138,000 new members were added to the church through September, he added. Leaders are expecting that 60,000 more will join the church at the end of the year as many evangelism activities continue in the weeks to come.
The church membership stands at 3.6 million, with 21,653 churches and congregations spread across 142 conferences and missions, reported Henry.
Membership books are reflecting more accuracy as more than half of the unions, or church regions, are now enrolled in the church’s official platform software to manage and audit local church memberships.
Henry said that audits across thousands of churches are ongoing to ensure that members who have not been found, passed away or transferred to other congregations are cleared from the books.
Financial Growth
Funds coming into the church continue to grow in Inter-America, not just because the membership is growing but because tending to the spiritual needs of the member, leading towards a discipleship through a personal and transforming relationship with Christ has been the focal point in the growth, said Filiberto Verduzco, treasurer of the church in Inter-America as he presented his financial report to committee members.
IAD Treasurer Pastor Filiberto Verduzco reports on the financial growth and challenges in San Salvador, on Oct. 30, 2016.
“This lifestyle that our church member in Inter-America lives by, of sharing the eternal Gospel with every person just like our church’s mission states, is what has resulted in such growth in the church,” said Verduzco.
To show the financial growth, Verduzco reported that from 1998 to 2015, there has been a 160 percent growth in tithes, while there has been a 111 percent growth in church membership, 200 percent growth in the number of unions from 12 to 24, and 182 percent growth in the number of local fields from 78 to 142.
Those numbers indicate that an average of one union and four fields have been organized every year since 1999, reported Verduzco.
“Dividing our local fields and consequently unions as a strategy of tending to the church member closer has allowed that the Inter-American Division become one of the world church divisions with greater growth in the mission of the church,” explained Verduzco.
Creating a spiritual environment that leads the church member to seek God daily and share the message of Gospel, is what can directly influence the behavior of the church member to finance that mission, referenced Verduzco. “It is evident the church members in Inter-America are very faithful. His or her commitment with the financing the mission of the church is indisputable.”
Giving on the part of the member has been constantly growing, yet because the US dollar has been strong for the last three years, it has affected the soft currencies in the IAD territory, weakening them, said Verduzco. “This brings a reduction in the Division’s operating income, which has moved us to take measures in regulating expenses more carefully.”
“We must recognize that the times in which we are living force us to use resources strategically so that the mission of the church will not be affected,” said Verduzco. Verduzco explained that he is studying those weak currencies and projecting their behavior during the next four to five years in order to plan accordingly.
Church administrators from Mexico enjoying the program at the Central Adventist Church in San Salvador, El Salvador, October 29, 2016. Image by Alex Sánchez/IAD.
As of September 2016, the working capital was at 197 percent and liquidity at 199 percent.
Response to Hurricane Matthew
Verduzco reported that initially ADRA Inter-America sent funds to assist those affected by Hurricane Matthew last month.
In addition, committee members took a vote to thank the South American Division for a special donation to assist church members affected by Hurricane Matthew in south Haiti.
The IAD also sent a special donation to help affected families and IAD unions and institutions will be sending funds to all those affected church members in Haiti, Cuba and The Bahamas.
Assistance to Pastors in Venezuela
Committee members voted to provide special assistance to the more than 200 district pastors in Venezuela due to the deteriorating economy affecting their basic salary to $38.00 US dollars per month. The group of pastors is diminishing due to many leaving the country, thus leaders voted to assist church pastors with a special stipend of 50 percent of the pastor’s basic salary for the last quarter of this year and continue to be granted beginning January 2017.
The funds will come from 22 participating IAD unions and sent to Venezuela every quarter.
Celebrating 125 years of the book Steps to Christ
Committee members voted to promote the reading or rereading of the Book “Steps to Christ” during a special 125-year anniversary celebration in the month of January 2017. All departments, institutions and pastors will plan on executing the following initiatives based on the book: plan devotionals, hold weeks of prayer, distributing the book, study in small groups, holding evangelistic programs, and more.
Waveney Martinborough is honored for becoming the first to be appointed as women’s ministries director in the Inter-American Division in 1996. Her husband Pastor Gordon Martinborough stands next to her. Image by Abel Márquez/IAD
IAD leaders paused during the business meetings to honor Waveney Martinborough, who became the first to be appointed as women’s ministries director in the Inter-American Division.
“We thank you for getting this women’s ministries department going in the Inter-American Division,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America.
Martinborough is originally from Guyana and retired from Inter-America after serving as IAD women’s ministries director from 1996 to 2005.
Heather Dawn-Small, women’s ministries director for the world church sent a video message thanking Martinborough for her leadership and for touching the lives of so many women in the church. Small thanked Martinborough for mentoring her years ago when she lived in the Caribbean Union territory.
Waveney was honored with a special plaque while she was accompanied by her her husband Pastor Gordon Martinborough, who also retired from serving in the Inter-American Division.
In addition, church leaders reported on regional initiatives and evangelism growth, policy amendments, and took part in the inauguration of new headquarters office in El Salvador.
To learn more about the Inter-American Division, its initiatives and events, visit us at interamerica.org