2 March 2026 | Riviera Maya, Mexico [Libna Stevens]
“To a world that is disintegrating, God calls His church to move in the opposite direction.”
Against that sobering contrast, Pastor Erton C. Köhler, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, delivered a devotional message on integration on the second day of the “I Will Go—Living the Mission” Leadership Summit in Riviera Maya, Mexico, on 2 March.
Addressing Inter-American Division (IAD) presidents, executive secretaries, treasurers, and department leaders, Köhler framed integration not as an administrative strategy but as a spiritual necessity for the 21st-century church.
A World Disintegrating
Referencing ongoing global conflicts—including war in the Middle East and four years of war in Ukraine—Köhler described a planet “losing control.”
“The world is disintegrating before our eyes,” he said. “To a world that is disintegrating, the Lord calls His church to work in the opposite direction—integrated.”
If the church wants to remain salt and light, he warned, it must demonstrate something the world cannot produce on its own.
“If we live and work as they live and work,” he said, “they will tell us they do not need us.”
Grounded in the Bible, Focused on Mission
Köhler connected his appeal for integration with the church’s global emphasis: being grounded in Scripture and focused on mission.
That expression, he explained, summarises the Inter-American Division’s four emphases: communion with God, identity in Christ, unity through the Holy Spirit, and mission for all people, which fall under the General Conference’s overarching focus of being grounded in the Bible and focused on the mission.
“There is no Bible without communion,” he said. “The Bible generates identity. And when we unite the Bible and mission, unity becomes the consequence. Mission is the best medicine for unity in the church.”
The Pattern of Pentecost
Turning to Acts 2, Köhler highlighted the sequence of the early church: First—unity. Then—the Holy Spirit. Then—a revolution in mission.“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place,” he quoted. “Unity opened the door. The Spirit descended. And three thousand were baptised.”
“Everything begins with unity,” he emphasised. “If there is no unity, there is no Spirit. If there is no Spirit, there is no revolution in mission.”
Köhler cautioned leaders against functioning like “an archipelago”—islands sharing the same name but disconnected.
“The church is not an archipelago,” he said. “It is a body.” Different departments remain distinct, personal ministries, Sabbath school, education, and communication, but integration means alignment.
Integration does not mean uniformity, he clarified. “It means everyone moving in the same direction with shared purpose and common commitment.”
When that happens, he added, “United we are stronger. We go further. We arrive faster. And we open the door for the Holy Spirit to work among us.”
A Vision from the Spirit of Prophecy
Quoting Ellen G. White, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Köhler reminded leaders of the promise attached to united action, as written in The Acts of the Apostles, p. 90: “As they continued to labor unitedly, heavenly messengers would go before them, opening the way; hearts would be prepared for the reception of truth, and many would be won to Christ.”
“Is this not why we are working?” he asked. “To see angels opening closed countries, resolving challenges we cannot overcome, and preparing hearts for truth?”
“But that only happens,” he emphasised, “if we work unitedly.”
Leaders Who Integrate
Köhler outlined several qualities of leaders who foster integration, noting that they prioritise unity over personal territory and function more like conductors than soloists. Such leaders intentionally promote participation, regularly evaluate their effectiveness, simplify initiatives to maintain focus, and communicate consistently to keep everyone aligned in purpose and direction.
“People will help accomplish what they help plan,” he said, urging leaders to involve others in strategic processes. He also warned against what he called “electric failure,” continuing methods that once worked but no longer produce results.
“We must evaluate,” he said. “If we want to move together, we must focus on what is essential.”
Simple. Bold. Relevant.
Any major initiative, he said, must meet three criteria: it must be simple, bold, and relevant.
He pointed to the upcoming global initiative OneVoice2027, calling Adventists worldwide to proclaim Christ in September 2027.
“If we want to preach with a loud voice,” he said, “we must preach with one voice.”
Köhler closed by underscoring three essentials for integrated mission: prayer, clear direction grounded in Scripture and focused on mission, and intentional movement forward together.
“When we work, we achieve the results of our effort,” he said. “When we pray, we achieve the results of God’s work.”
He then asked the leaders directly: “Are you in?”
As hands rose across the auditorium, Köhler prayed that integration, though difficult, would become a miracle worked by the Holy Spirit across the 42 countries of the Inter-American Division.
“This is easy to talk about,” he prayed, “but difficult to accomplish. May the Lord perform this miracle among us.”
As the summit continues, leaders are expected to explore practical ways to strengthen alignment, simplify priorities, and mobilise members across Inter-America—moving forward not as islands, but as one body, grounded in the Bible and focused on fulfilling the mission, organisers said.
[Photos: Daniel Gallardo]
The original version of this article was posted on the Inter-American Division website.
