‘Everything Needs To Be About Mission’ Adventist Church Treasurer Says at Leadership Summit

February 14, 2023 | Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

“Everything needs to be about mission. If it’s not about mission it shouldn’t matter,” said General Conference Treasurer Paul Douglas as he addressed hundreds of church administrators and department leaders from throughout the Inter-American Division (IAD) during the start of a special leadership summit in Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico, on Feb. 13, 2023.

The leadership summit, which is the second one held by IAD leaders within the last four years, brought more than 300 church leaders to review ongoing mission initiatives, the funds that propel those initiatives, and redouble efforts to advance the spreading of the gospel to every corner of the territory.

Stronger in mission

To be stronger in the mission at hand, leaders need to understand the privilege and urgency of leading in the end times in carrying out the mission of reaching more with the gospel, said Douglas.

Douglas applauded IAD administrators for the territory-wide gathering of union, conference, mission, institutional administrators and stewardship and evangelism directors to “sharpen the saw” doing their part in preaching the gospel so Jesus can come soon.

As he reflected on Malachi 3:8-10, Douglas reminded church leaders that the “storehouse” is a place of relationship between God and His people, not a place of collection or compliance.  He challenged leaders to not look at the “storehouse as just some location, some place that we have organizations designed to manage our finances, but instead look at the storehouse as a place of relationship with our God.”  Whatever resources needed to do mission in the territory of the IAD, God can and will provide, he assured.

What can make a true impact, he said, is that stewardship must be looked as more about faith raising than fundraising. “Our responsibility is to nurture the faith of our members, to nurture the relationship between them and God.”

Nurturing the faith of members

Nurturing the faith of the members is at the core of fulfilling the mission and the reason for the five-day summit meetings, said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in the IAD. “We need you here to review, evaluate and be clear in everything we do in the church to fulfill the mission and go where God has shown us,” he said.

Following the mission strategies laid out in 2019 for 2020-2025, gives an opportunity for church administrators to check mid-point during the quinquennium to ensure that initiatives are working, and adjust where things need to be adjusted, explained Pastor Henry. “We are strong in finances, evangelism in our strategic plans, but we want to be stronger and advance with more determination with the mission and fulfill the purpose we have been called at this moment in leadership.”

A simple financial plan

Carrying the mission forward is going to involve a steady financial plan but a simple one, said Ivelisse Herrera, treasurer of the IAD. The plan is simple because it’s based on the plan of God as the provider of all resources, on understanding and meeting pressing challenges and seeing the financial system as a ministry.

Less than two months into her new position, Mrs. Herrera shared three concepts, or pillars, that the financial system in Inter-America will follow: consecration, order, and innovation. “It’s important that all of who work in finances understand that we must be nurtured in the Word of God and pray daily to do our work without losing sight of our commitment with the Lord’s work,” she said. To see the hand of God at work in the financial system, there must be order, teamwork, and a clear comprehensive knowledge of financial policies and how to apply them at each organizational level, she explained.

“The IAD has been immersed in a very wide process of technological innovation, to be more efficient and ensure that financial levels are moving forward,” said Herrera. She called on financial administrators to dive into the technology systems running in the IAD, assimilating platforms therein and be open to adapting to new projects out of their comfort zone.

“The lack of resources should not slow us down for we must have faith and invest more funds into accomplishing the as we collaborate together,” Mrs. Herrera said.

Strengthening stewardship ministries

Investing more funds into the mission is going to involve strengthening stewardship ministries in each of the 156 local fields organized into the 24 unions in Inter-America, said Pastor Roberto Herrera, stewardship ministries director of the IAD. The goal is to see local congregations growing spiritually, he said. “We must not lose sight that the center or the focus is the church, ensuring that churches grouped under its local field are cared for,” said Pastor Herrera.

The role of the local field is to keep an ongoing campaign on the use of tithe, the use of offerings and an effective stewardship plan, explained Pastor Herrera. It’s going to take local pastors on board with a stewardship plan in each of their churches, including engaging members in the study of new books and new resources published each year through both of Inter-America’s publishing houses, as well as resources prepared by local unions territories, he added.

Pastor Herrera showed the growth of tithe and offerings in local congregations in each of the 24 unions throughout the IAD territory. “We can see that in 2022 tithing and offerings increased across local congregations,” he said. Out of the 23,058 congregations which reported last year within the 137 local fields, more than 15,000 showed an increase in tithe in offerings.”

Being clear on stewardship principles

Bringing the tithes and offerings to the storehouse is eminently spiritual, said Pastor Marcos Bomfim, stewardship director of the General Conference. “We should accept this as a direct indication from God found in His Word and the counsel from the Spirit of Prophecy,” said Bomfim.  “Jesus praised the widow who brought everything she had to the temple and did not discourage her from giving her offering despite the corrupt temple system.” said Bomfim. “Jesus could have disavowed the established storehouse, but he did not do so, then why should we question that now?”

Pastor Bomfim urged church administrators and leaders to be clear on the stewardship principles given to the church “so that by example and teaching we can show the church what it means to bring our tithes and offerings to the storehouse.”

Leaders took part in prayer sessions throughout the first day of summit meetings, took part in a question and answer session, and more.

To learn more about Inter-American Division’s Leadership Summit this week through Feb. 16, 2023, visit us at interamerica.org

To view a photo gallery, click HERE

Melchor Ferreyra contributed to this report.