On Thursday, April 22nd, the Steering Committee of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the body that administers the activities of the denomination worldwide, approved Pastor Stanley Arco as president of the Church for eight countries in South America.

The vote came after Arco was appointed to the position last week by the Plenary Steering Committee of the South American Division, which coordinates ecclesiastical activities in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.

“There was a very strong support and the approval was unanimous”, details Pastor Edward Heidinger, Executive Secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for eight countries in South America. “Several leaders expressed their support for [him].”

Conducted online, approximately 200 people from various parts of the world participated in the vote. In addition to General Conference officers, the Seventh-day Adventist World Headquarters' Steering Committee is composed of three administrators from each of the 13 Church Divisions around the globe; the group includes district pastors, members of local churches and Union presidents.

From now on, Arco will serve as president as confirmed by the Church Steering Committee worldwide. Last week, the Adventist South American News Agency (ASN) talked to him about the challenges and opportunities for the Church's work in the coming years. Among other issues, he pointed out the need to further strengthen the study and teaching of the Bible, especially in digital media, and service to our surrounding communities.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site