Two key leadership roles not finalised during the recent Division Executive Committee meetings have now been confirmed.
Pastor Clive Tefaatau from Tahiti has accepted the call to serve as secretary of the Trans Pacific Union Mission (TPUM), and Pastor Sarah-Jane Riley from North New Zealand has been appointed South Pacific Division associate ministerial secretary for women in ministry and associate leadership development manager.
Pastor Tefaatau began his ministry on January 1, 2000, as pastor of two local churches. In 2001, he was appointed director of the youth ministries department of the French Polynesia Mission while continuing to pastor a local church for eight years. From 2010 to 2018, he attended the Collonges-sous-Salève Seminary before serving in pastoral ministry in southern France.
In 2018, he returned to French Polynesia where he worked as a pastor and district coordinator in the Leeward Islands. Since 2022, he has been youth ministries director for the French Polynesia Mission.
Pastor Tefaatau is married to Mirella and they have two adult children, Vaitea and Vaitini, both 20. Reflecting on his appointment, he said, “The weight of the call to the TPUM is felt, yet peace with God comforts our hearts.”
TPUM president Pastor Charlie Jimmy welcomed the appointment, saying, “I look forward to working closely with him to provide strong and unified leadership for TPUM. Together, we will serve with dedication, faith and a shared vision for growth and mission across the Trans Pacific Union region.”
Pastor Riley has served in a variety of ministry roles, including associate pastor at Papanui Adventist Church in Christchurch, high school chaplain at Christchurch Adventist School, youth director and discipleship director for the South New Zealand Conference and senior pastor of The Haven Church in Nelson. More recently, she has been associate pastor and then senior pastor of the Papatoetoe Seventh-day Adventist Community Church in Auckland.
Commenting on her new role, she said, “I am a product of my village—how they have shaped and supported me reflects how I want to serve our Church across the SPD. I am humbled by the invitation and I am excited to see how God is going to lead!”
New Zealand Pacific Union Conference president Pastor Eddie Tupa’i commended both appointments: “Pastor Clive brings a unique depth of ministry to this role. With broad pastoral and leadership experience across the Pacific, as well as time in France and Belgium, he combines cultural insight with administrative skill. His genuine care for people and attention to detail will be a great strength for the work of the TPUM.”
On Pastor Riley, he said, “Pastor Sarah-Jane enters this new season of leadership with a wealth of experience in both pastoral and departmental ministries. She is an inspirational communicator, passionate about helping people discover and live out their God-given purpose and calling.”
