Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Kenneth Manders Steps Down After 12 Years as Bermuda Conference President

Pastor Kenneth Manders is stepping down from his role as president of the Bermuda Conference of Seventh-day Adventists after 12 years in the position. His tenure, which concluded on September 27, marked the end of his third and final four-year term, making him the longest-serving president in the conference’s history.

For Manders, the milestone was less about the title and more about the trust placed in him by the congregation. He expressed gratitude to God for the opportunity to lead the nearly 4,000 members of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Bermuda. The people of God voted for him to serve for a maximum of three four-year terms, an honor he described as a privilege.

During his time in leadership, Manders faced a range of challenges, including financial difficulties, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and efforts to meet community needs beyond the church. He noted that the organisation experienced a positive financial turnaround, despite inheriting the position in debt. God, he said, provided the increase.

Manders also highlighted initiatives that brought free medical and lifestyle services to hundreds of Bermudians without health insurance. These efforts were led by Leonard Gibbons, who collaborated with private and public medical professionals. Additionally, he pointed to the fundraising success for the Bermuda Institute, the Seventh-day Adventist school.

The personal impact of his ministry was evident in the lives of those he served. Manders mentioned baptizing over 600 people during his 31 years of pastoral work and seeing an additional 756 individuals join the Adventist church during his presidency.

The pandemic presented a significant challenge to the conference, affecting worship attendance and threatening the organisation’s finances and the employment of approximately 66 workers. Manders described the period as one of the most challenging seasons of his ministry. Despite the difficulties, he credited God with providing the necessary support and guidance. The conference adapted by moving worship services online and developing a model for reopening churches with limited numbers.

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