Meet Armando Duardo, the New President of the Alliance of Cuba

From a rural community in Sancti Spíritus to the leadership of the national Alliance, Rev. Armando Duardo’s journey has been shaped by a series of calls—to faith, ministry, church planting, leadership, and now national service.

On March 21, 1999, Armando Emiliano Duardo Amat made a decision that changed the course of his life. In a Cuban community influenced by African-rooted spiritualism and Roman Catholicism, he heard the gospel through his younger brother and placed his faith in Christ. That same year, he began theological training, was baptized, and sensed God calling him to pastoral ministry.

Twenty-seven years later, that calling has led him to a new responsibility: serving as president of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) Church in Cuba.

Armando was elected to a four-year term, from 2026 to 2030, during the national assembly held July 7-10, 2026. His election follows many years of ministry in church planting, evangelism, regional leadership, pastoral service, and theological education. Since 2023, he has served as chaplain at the national theological seminary.

Armando was born on August 8, 1968, in a rural area of Sancti Spíritus Province in central Cuba. He lived there until the age of 12, when his parents moved the family to another rural community in the same province. At 18, he completed his formal education and qualified as a mid-level agricultural technician.

He grew up with 12 siblings in a home with limited economic and educational resources.

The Christian faith entered Armando’s family through his younger brother in 1998. The following year, Armando says, he came to faith in Christ. On June 5, 1999, while attending his first course at the theological institute, he was baptized. That same afternoon, he says, he received an audible call to pastoral ministry.

“I entered our theological institute that same year because of my calling and because of the need to prepare new workers for our emerging ministry,” he said.

His theological preparation continued over the following years. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theology in 2003 and completed his licentiate degree in 2008. In December 2002, he was ordained as pastor of the church where he had come to faith and in the community where he had lived since the age of 12.

In 2008, Armando was called to plant a church in Sancti Spíritus, the provincial capital. One year later, he joined the regional leadership team responsible for evangelism and church planting.

In 2012, he assumed leadership of the national evangelism and church-planting department, serving in that role until 2016. He then moved to eastern Cuba to advise emerging churches in that part of the country. His ministry contributed to the planting of a new church in Bayamo and to the development of a regional headquarters.

In 2020, following a previous leadership transition, Armando was called to serve as vice president. He remained in that role until 2022. The following year, he joined the national seminary team as chaplain.

Now, after years of serving in different regions and areas of the national church, he has been entrusted with leading the Alliance in Cuba.

The Development of the Alliance in Cuba

Armando assumes this responsibility within an Alliance church that has expanded across the island during the past three decades.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Cuba began in 1995 through the ministry of two Dominican pastors based in New York. Alliance churches from Chile, Peru, and Colombia became involved in 1996. Support from Canada began in 1999 and was formalized in 2000.

Cuba became an official member of the Latin American Alliance Fellowship (CLA) in 2012 and joined the Alliance World Fellowship (AWF) in 2016.

According to 2024 statistics, the Alliance in Cuba has approximately 6,000 members, 63 churches, 35 ordained ministers, and two missionaries. A significant period of organizational development began in 2011, as the Cuban Alliance clarified its vision and direction for ministry.

This history provides the context for the responsibility Armando now carries. His priority is not simply to administer the national church, but to strengthen local congregations through evangelism and discipleship.

“Our desire as the national board is to see a great awakening of evangelism and discipleship in every church that forms our national work,” Armando said. “In this way, our churches can become stronger and multiply.”

His vision also extends beyond Cuba. During his four-year term, he hopes the church will begin training young couples for cross-cultural missions and, perhaps, send one of those couples to the mission field before the end of his term.

A Shared Calling

For Armando, leadership is also deeply personal.

He and his wife, Miriam Maria Garcia Bernal, married in 2003 and have shared 23 years of marriage. Miriam had two daughters before her conversion, and Armando embraced their family. They now have four grandchildren.

As he begins this new chapter of ministry, Armando asks the global Alliance family to pray for him and Miriam as they seek to fulfill the calling God has given them.

He also requests prayer for his wife’s health; for his daughters and grandchildren to remain firm in their faith; for the pastors and workers facing the difficulties affecting Cuba; and for every Alliance church in the country to develop a clear vision for growth and multiplication.

The next chapter will be written as Armando and the Cuban Alliance seek to strengthen churches, make disciples, and prepare a new generation to carry the gospel beyond their own communities.