Haiti Now an Established National Conference
After years of diligent work, The Wesleyan Church (TWC) of Haiti has officially become an Established National Conference. Though it was resolved at the International Conference of the Wesleyan Church (ICWC) in January 2025, it was made official at the North American General Conference on May 18, 2026.
Celebration rang out as Dr. HC Wilson (General Superintendent Emeritus) stood with Reverend Denor Rosemond (National Superintendent in Haiti), and Dr. Abson Joseph (Vice President for Academic Services for Bethel University) in front of the General Conference crowd. Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, (General Superintendent Emerita) prompted attendees to sing “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” Tears fell from the eyes of individuals who have loved and prayed over Haiti for years.
This significant accomplishment has come amid violence and economic crisis in Haiti. Despite these obstacles, the church has continued to grow and has not lost sight of its goals.
Reverend Carl Gilles, Global Partners Francophone area director, who is also Haitian and a former missionary in Haiti, said he has felt great joy and pride to see this finally become a reality.
In the 2010s during their second term as missionaries in Haiti, Carl and his wife, Maya, felt burdened to help the national church better understand the process and requirements to become eligible for Established National Conference status. One of the first things they did was translate all the official requirements and criteria into Haitian Creole so it could be clearly understood and owned by local leaders.
Over time, a shared vision and growing determination among pastors and leaders grew.
“It has been deeply moving to watch the leaders continue faithfully working toward this objective year after year,” Rev. Gilles said. “They did not let the vision die. Instead, they persevered through enormous social, political, economic and security challenges facing Haiti, while continuing to strengthen the church and move forward with determination.”
David-Kensley Saintil Saintilus, national secretary and national education leader for The Wesleyan Church of Haiti, wrote that the church reached this level of becoming a National Conference through a “deliberate and sustained process of organizational strengthening, leadership development and mission expansion.”
Over the last several years, the church has accomplished much. Some of the ongoing and thorough list includes:
The church established a strong organizational foundation aligned with the 2018 Discipline (and later adopted the revised Discipline). It grew to more than 147 organized churches (exceeding the National Conference minimum requirement of 50 churches) and developed a membership base of more than 13,000 active members. Five fully functioning districts were created, each holding annual conferences and contributing to national governance. A regular system for collecting and reporting church statistics was also implemented.
Today, Saintil documents that 141 Wesleyan churches are functioning, although the buildings of seven remain closed due to insecurity. One new church was planted in 2025, strategically placed in the Port-au-Prince area, responding to many displaced individuals who have been affected by armed violence. The church has 12,798 baptized members with an estimated additional 2,000 members temporarily dispersed due to the ongoing security situation. Between 2024-2025, 526 people were baptized.
The church has also been heavily invested in discipleship and leadership development. Through structured programs, led by the Departments of Evangelism and Christian Education, the church has been equipping pastors and lay leaders.
Additionally, training systems have been developed for pastors, partnerships with theological institutions strengthened and efforts to reopen the church’s seminary are well underway. Remote training and international collaborations helped maintain these endeavors in the face of national challenges.
The church has also improved its financial stewardship and administrative systems and demonstrated a clear and active mission strategy outlining evangelism, discipleship pathways and ongoing church planting efforts.
Another major milestone and turning point in the life of TWC of Haiti took place earlier this year from March 31 to April 2, when a hybrid National Conference was successfully organized. There, Rev. Denor Rosemond was officially elected as National Superintendent. Due to ongoing security challenges, delegates from the five districts couldn’t gather at one location. Instead, they gathered with their respective districts and participated virtually. The conference was chaired by the National Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, providing oversight and ensuring alignment with global standards.
Over the last year, since this National Conference status was resolved at ICWC, a strong emphasis was placed on pastoral formation. Saintil said The Wesleyan Theological Seminary in Haiti has trained two cohorts of pastors who are preparing for ordination, with their graduation scheduled for July 2026. The seminary is also training pastors from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through a strategic partnership.
TWC of Haiti has one missionary family serving in Ivory Coast, who is actively working on the establishment of TWC in that location, while also strengthening leaders across French-speaking areas of TWC.
“These are challenging times, yet we remain confident in God’s call to go and evangelize in Samaria, Judea and to the ends of the earth,” Saintil said.
Join us in celebrating this monumental accomplishment, and in praying for stability and restoration for the country of Haiti, as well as for new conversions, growth and wisdom for the church.
Modified from original publication on wesleyan.org