New Adventist conference president urges outreach beyond church walls

Pastor Jermaine Johnson, a widely known motivational speaker, has assumed leadership of the North Jamaica Conference (NJC) of Seventh-day Adventists with a sharp appeal for the church to widen its role in national life and help bring lasting change.

Speaking at the installation of newly elected officers, directors, and executive committee members at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Falmouth, Trelawny, on Saturday, May 16, 2026, Johnson told the gathering that influence for the Kingdom must reach people wherever they live and work. “If we are to achieve maximum impact for the Kingdom of God we must become intentional about engaging people everywhere they are — not for prestige, not for political advantage, but for transformational influence,” he said in his inauguration address.

He described the day as more than a change of leadership. “Today is not merely the inauguration of a president and his fellow officers and team members; it is a recommitment to the mission. The NJC has not been called merely to preserve tradition, we have been called to transform communities, disciple nations, uplift families, engage institutions, and proclaim the everlasting gospel with urgency, fervency, and emergency,” Johnson said.

“The time has come,” he added, “for us to think bigger, pray deeper, work smarter, and move boldly. The mission field before us is no longer confined to the four walls of the church. Our mission field is Parliament, the hospital, boardrooms, police stations, universities, the media landscape, the digital space, and every sphere where people seek hope, integrity, purpose, and truth,” he added.

Known affectionately as Pastor JJ, Johnson is a justice of the peace for St Ann. He is also an accomplished pastor, motivational speaker, and strategist in personal and professional development. A native of Port Antonio, he is an award-winning toastmaster whose speaking and leadership have earned national and regional notice. He is a graduate of Titchfield High School and Northern Caribbean University.

Johnson has held several national roles, including president of the National Youth Council of Jamaica, ambassador for the National Youth Service, and Jamaica’s delegate to the Commonwealth Youth Parliament in Australia. He wrote the theme song for the governor general’s I Believe initiative and received the Governor General’s Gold Medal of Honour in 2023 for work in social transformation. He has published two books, The Seven Ps to Effective Church and Don’t Chicken Out.

Citing Seventh-day Adventist World Church President Pastor Erton Kohler’s words that “A hopeless world is in desperate need of a hopeful church,” Johnson stressed that the church exists to meet human need. “The church must not isolate itself from society while expecting to influence society, for we cannot impact that with which we are out of touch,” he said.

He pointed to Christ’s example of public engagement. “Jesus did not merely preach in synagogues; He walked among the people; He entered cities; He engaged leaders; He transformed culture through compassion, truth, and service. (No rank, or class, or type of mankind). We must let the world know that except God is placed in His rightful place, which is first place, things will always be displaced in this place.”

Johnson was chosen president at the conference’s Fourth Quadrennial Session on April 20–21, 2026. Pastor Carlington Hylton serves as executive secretary and Pastor Onyeka Nevins as treasurer. The NJC covers St Ann and Trelawny and reports more than 22,936 members across 85 congregations.