Meet Miguel Ángel Rivera, the New President of the Alliance of Chile

A new chapter is beginning for the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Chile. The national assembly has elected Rev. Miguel Ángel Rivera Rodríguez as president, entrusting him with the mission of leading the church into a season of renewal and generational transition.

Rev. Rivera, who has served for more than two decades as pastor of the Alliance church in Villarrica, brings to his new role a strong background in pastoral leadership and a clear vision for generational renewal within the Chilean church. His election took place on August 9, 2025, during a national assembly of pastors and delegates. His term will begin on March 1, 2026, and continue until February 28, 2029.

“The Chilean church must be of one mind and one heart,” Rivera said. “Prayer, teaching, preaching, and missionary service will continue to be our essence.”

Born in the coastal mining town of Lebu, Rivera is the eldest of three children of María and Cristóbal, who dedicated him to the Lord before his birth. He grew up under the influence of his grandmother, who taught him to pray and love Scripture, and of Sunday School teachers who modeled faith and reverence for God.

At the age of 8, Rivera accepted Christ as his Savior during a Vacation Bible School led by missionary Eunice Boenke. His pastor, Osiel Ibáñez, later sent him into ministry at age 20—a formative experience that he continues to honor.

Rivera graduated from the Alliance Theological Seminary in 1996 and was first commissioned to reestablish a church in the town of Laja. Since 2000, he and his wife, Ivonne Palma Sandoval, have pastored the Alliance church in Villarrica, where they have helped develop four pastors and 22 key leaders for ministry.

Rivera holds a master’s degree in pastoral ministry, a master’s in church planting and establishment, a master’s in leadership formation, and is completing a doctorate. He has also served as vice president of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) of Chile for the past six years, coordinating a nationwide leadership development process.

Now 53, Rivera sees his presidency as a time of transition to prepare a new generation of pastors “according to God’s heart.” He said, “I long for the next generations to receive the deposit of faith and sound teaching.”

Rivera invites prayer “for the more than 300 churches and congregations throughout the country, for the 160 pastors, the National Executive Board, and every servant in regional and local leadership. May God anoint our heads with oil and cause our cups to overflow.”