The executive committee for the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted October 29, 2020, to elect Elden Ramirez, Montana Conference president, to serve as the next NAD undersecretary.
Following his election, Ramirez said in a letter to Montana members, “My family and I have been praying for the Lord to make it clear to us whether or not this was our next assignment. We trusted that God would speak to us through the committee process that He has put in place in our Church. … I will now begin the process of transitioning to the next assignment that God has placed before me as undersecretary for North America.”
John Freedman, North Pacific Union president, said, “Elden’s passion and heart for ministry will be missed here in the Northwest. I will work closely with the Montana Conference board of directors to initiate a careful presidential search process to find the best possible person for this important leadership role.”
Ramirez is an ordained minister who served as the Montana Conference president since 2017. Prior to this post, he served as director for the NAD Office of Volunteer Ministries. He was responsible for overseeing missions for the Adventist Church within this territory and focused on connecting Seventh-day Adventist volunteers from throughout North America to mission opportunities around the world.
In addition, Ramirez has served as assistant to the president for the Central California Conference, where he also served as youth ministries director and camp ministries executive director. In the early 1990s, he worked as a young adult civic leader in the criminal justice department at San Francisco City Hall, developing public policies for children and youth. He was part of a citywide leadership program that provided solutions on youth issues and worked with city gangs to stop youth violence.
Ramirez completed a Bachelor of Arts in theology and accepted the call to the gospel ministry in 1996. Later in 2004 he continued his education and attended the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University in Michigan, where he also had the privilege of serving as the Andrews University Seminary Student Forum president.
During his ministry he has served in five different states as academy chaplain, youth pastor, senior pastor, church planter and departmental director in the areas of family life, camp ministries, health and temperance, national servicemen organization, and youth ministries.
Ramirez and his wife, Jenny, a registered nurse, have two daughters: Elennie and Jasmine. His favorite Scripture is found in Joshua 1:5: “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”
