Introducing Vice President-Elect for Ministry: An Interview with Anil Kanda

Tell us about your background and spiritual journey.

I was born and raised in Orange County. My parents immigrated from Punjab, India, a region in the northwest. I grew up in a Sikh and Hindu household. Around 20 years ago, I encountered Seventh-day Adventists who gave me Bible studies and answered many of my questions. Through that experience, I chose to become a Seventh-day Adventist. From there, I had many wonderful experiences. While attending a public college, I felt a strong desire for a Christian education. God led me to Amazing Facts College of Evangelism, which I attended. Wanting to continue my studies, I went to an Adventist college. I started working as a youth pastor in Arroyo Grande before transitioning into traveling and evangelism. I pastored for about seven years, worked as a conference evangelist, and for the past seven years, I've focused on youth and young adult ministries. In my spiritual journey, I want to say that I love Adventism. I love its deep, foundational truths about who God is and the timeless relevance of Scripture. These truths are universal. As a young adult searching for answers about God, I found that Adventism provided clarity— offering philosophical, emotional, and intellectual understanding of who God is. During a period of uncertainty, when I was struggling to find my purpose, God powerfully transformed my life. I have a burden for people—not just for those within Christianity, but for those outside of it as well.

What is your overarching vision for the ministry department as you begin your leadership?

One thing that’s especially important to me is collaboration among directors, ministries, churches, laity, and pastors. I’d love to see a stronger, more connected relationship between the conference, laity, pastors, and churches, and I want to play a role in strengthening that bond. My hope is to see our ministries not only supported but thriving—receiving greater investment and attention than ever before. I also want our directors to develop a deeper understanding of what’s truly needed at the ground level.

My dream for the ministry department isn't about my success but about seeing those in leadership positions thrive. That’s what truly matters to me, and it’s where I find both success and joy.

How do you plan to enhance programs for children, Pathfinders, youth, and young adults under your leadership?

I may be a little controversial when I say this, but I firmly believe that the children’s ministry, Pathfinder ministry, camp ministry, youth ministry, and young adult ministry should be prioritized as the most important ministries of the church. Statistics show that investing in these areas creates a compounding effect that strengthens all other ministries. Research from Fuller Theological Seminary, including the Growing Young and Sticky Faith studies, further reinforces this idea. My personal philosophy is that we must invest more in youth, young adult, and children’s ministries. These should never be overlooked or allowed to struggle. I want to see these ministries not just sustained but truly supported and strengthened, with greater collaboration across the board. My goal is to help build stronger, more effective teams within these ministries.

How can members from the local field or organization get involved and support your vision and the future of your ministry?

Support can take many forms—from volunteering and stepping into leadership roles to serving on teams and mentoring young leaders. No single conference leader or pastor can carry this responsibility alone; it requires the collective effort of everyone. We need to create more opportunities for laity to be actively involved in leadership decisions and the volunteer process.

Statistics show that pastors who serve multiple churches experience alarmingly high rates of burnout. Research suggests that improving volunteer education, training, and retention is key to addressing this issue. This is something our leadership, pastors, and conference leaders must take seriously. How do we empower volunteers? By equipping and supporting them, we create a ripple effect—opening the door for even more volunteers, greater lay involvement, and a stronger, more engaged church community.

Do you have any final words you’d like to share?

One of my greatest passions is to see more prayers dedicated to seeking the Holy Spirit. I want to see “latter rain” prayer groups flourishing in multiple churches. Ideally, we will have a prayer ministry leader who shares this vision and can help cultivate it. Without these prayer groups—where people come together to pray specifically for the Holy Spirit’s presence in our churches—our efforts will only take us so far. Without revival through prayer, we’ll simply continue doing what we’ve always done.

By Justin Kim