Pastor Jorge Merino Riffo is surrounded by the previous Bishop Pedro Correa Montecinos and past bishops of the Methodist Church of Chile. Photo courtesy La Iglesia Metodista Unida/ Comunicaciones Hispano-Latinas.
Pastor Jorge Merino Riffo was elected as the new bishop of the Methodist Church of Chile (IMECH) during the church’s VII General Assembly that began January 17, in Angol, Chile.
Pastor Merino was elected with 154 votes among three candidates, achieving three fifths of the votes in accordance with the provisions of the Rules of the Methodist Church of Chile.
At the time of his election he received the official salutation of the assembly and prayers, at a very significant moment, led by the outgoing Bishop Pedro Correa Montecinos, who was his pastor in the III Methodist Church of Concepción, where he invited him to dedicate his life to the pastorate while was a young layman active in this congregation.
The assembly began with an inaugural service that was attended by Bishop Pedro Correa Montecinos and the emeritus bishops Pedro Grandon Seguel, Mario Martínez Tapia and Neftalí Aravena Bravo, as well as the District Superintendents, laymen and pastors of the local churches.
Bishop Merino will begin his episcopal functions in 2018 and his term will end in 2021.
This story originally appeared at La Iglesia Metodista Unida/ Comunicaciones Hispano-Latinas.
