Administrators Answer Questions During ‘Leadership Talk’ Session

February 28, 2022 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

The first of a series of question-and-answer leadership sessions was recently launched by top administrators of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Inter-American Division. Coined as Leadership Talk, the one-hour online program of Feb. 24, 2022, saw church leaders address pressing issues facing church members across the territory.

“We are here to respond to your questions and complement the leadership of your local churches and institutions,” said Pastor Balvin Braham, vice president of the church in Inter-America and moderator of the session.

The leadership session is about providing leaders, employees, and church members a forum to express their leadership concerns and receive responses that provide new perspectives, said Braham. “It’s about encouraging and affirming transparency in leadership practices at all levels within the territory while providing best practice solutions to recurring issues in organization leadership across the division territory.”

Questions came up on why church elders are not paid a salary, how local churches can receive funds for building or repairing their existing structures, when profession of faith is implemented, about membership transfers, what the bible says about wearing jewelry, among others.

“What biblical as well as references from the Spirit of Prophecy do we have to support women’s ordination?” the question was asked.

“This is a very sensitive issue,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in Inter-America. Women’s ordination has been an issue the church has been dealing with for so many years now, he said.

“There is no explicit mandate in the Bible for the ordination of women or men, yet there is no comment against that either,” said Pastor Henry. “It is where we have difficulty in our church to find the solution to that aspect on that specific issue.”

“What we have to recognize is that God gave church members many gifts for service and gave them to women and men,” he said.

There is a range of ministries like deacons and deaconesses that both can be ordained like [church] elders as well, he said.  “What we understand is that ordination is about setting people apart for a specific work of God and for the ministry.”

When it comes to pastors, said Pastor Henry, “we go with what the General Conference accepted the last time as a position and it is not appropriate to have women pastors ordained.”

Another question addressed: “What can we do to motivate more young people to participate more in the church?”

In his answer to online viewers, Pastor Leonard Johnson, executive secretary for the church in Inter-America, said that leaders and members need to take time to connect with young people. “Spend time with the young people, talking and listening to them,” he said. “Plan more activities just for them so they can remain in the church.”

Pastor Johnson encouraged leaders and members to not talk negatively about the church. “By example, I need to show my children that I’m excited about the church.” It’s important find ways of motivating young people to be part of the life of the church, he added.

Other questions on fashion wear, how the church deals with common law marriages that may be recognized as legal marriages in the different countries of the territory, and community outreach activities each local congregation can be involved in every week, were addressed.

Leadership Talk sessions will also deal with church employee issues, organizational issues, policy issues, conflict resolution issues and other issues, organizers said.  The dialogue sessions are part of the Division’s strategic plan. Questions for the panel of leaders can be submitted by church members, ministers, departmental leaders, administrators, employees, supervisors and more by visiting leadership.interamerica.org

Inter-America’s next Leadership Talk session is scheduled to take place on Mar. 31, 2022, at 8:00 p.m. at webcast.interamerica.org

To view the Leadership Talk session of Feb. 24, 2022, go to:

In English, Click HERE

In Spanish, Click HERE

In French, Click HERE