The Nominating Committee of the 2025 General Conference (GC) Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church elected Stanley Edilson Arco as president of the South American Division (SAD), the church's regional administrative body across eight South American countries.  

Arco will be responsible for the spiritual and administrative leadership of 2.7 million members, more than 30,000 church congregations, and seven institutions overseen by the denomination in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. 

Originally from Laranjeiras do Sul, Paraná, Brazil, he is the son of teachers in the Adventist educational system. He graduated in theology from Brazil Adventist University (UNASP). He is pursuing a master's degree in Family Relations at Montemorelos University in Mexico.

He began his ministry as a chaplain at the Central American Adventist University in Alajuela, Costa Rica. He served as district pastor in Várzea Grande, Brazil, and was later elected director of Youth and Family Ministries in the Mato Grosso Mission. He worked in youth ministries for 17 years in several regions: the Mato Grosso Mission, the Rio de Janeiro Conference, the Chilean Union Mission, the South Paraná Conference, and the Southeast Brazilian Union Conference. 

In his administrative career, he began as secretary of the South Paraná Conference and later at the Central Paraná Conference. He also served as assistant to the SAD president. 

He was elected president of the SAD in April 2021, succeeding Erton Köhler, who led the church in South America for nearly 15 years. At the GC Session held in June 2022, Arco was officially elected for the 2022–2025 term.

At the time of his election, Arco was serving as SAD vice president. He previously presided over three unions: the Bolivia Union Mission (2011–2014), the Chile Union Mission (2015–2018), and the East Brazil Union Mission (2019–2020). 

Arco is married to Regiane dos Reis Arco. Together they have three daughters: Dilsiane, Monise, and Thaís; three sons-in-law: Carlos Alberto, Renan, and Alison; and three grandchildren: Matías, Nicolás, and Noah. 

The original version of this article was published on the South American Division Spanish news site. For more coverage of the 2025 General Conference Session, including live updates, interviews, and delegate stories, visit adventist.news and follow ANN on social media.