Tuesday Morning
The Ukraine Union conference president shared that 17 SDA’s have died in the war. He shared how many miraculous things have occurred to protect our people and church buildings. Witnessing and evangelism are continuing in spite of the war.
21 policy agenda items.
The first 10 items addressed were regarding attendance at spring and annual council meetings and what type of business is conducted at each. Historically, spring meetings were limited in scope compared to annual council. Spring meetings will now be attended by all ex.com. members on line, zoom, and division and GC officers meeting in person at the GC. Because of this more items will be able to be addressed at spring meetings. Changes were made in both the policy and constitution with final approval coming at the 2025 GC Session. TED/EUD had four delegates that opposed this recommendation for fear that something might be put to vote during spring meetings that would be better handled at annual council when everyone is present “in person”. A great deal of time was spent debating the concept of what is a substantial agenda item and if we can trust our GC and Division officers to make a decision whether or not to have something decided at spring or annual council. It ultimately passed to have spring council be a hybrid meeting with some GC Excom members present via Zoom and GC/Div. Officers present in person, with an expanded ability for agenda items.
It should be remembered that in 2019, Annual Council voted to not automatically invite NAD conference presidents to every Annual Council. This was to prevent these mostly liberal conference presidents from flooding the microphone on every issue with their liberal voice(s). Ironically, when this was discussed before the vote in 2019, these individuals flooded the microphones with their liberal voices, thus proving the point. The 2019 vote passed. They stopped inviting them and giving them voice. THAT has been an improvement in the overall vibe at Annual Council. Four years later, we can look back and say “That was a good move.”
Religious liberty report
Ganoune Diop gave a report which is difficult to summarize because of the rapidity of his speech and complexity of his subject which was “religious liberty is total freedom.” Some of his slides are included. Some slides are not included because they were on the screen for less than a second so unable to read or photograph. Makes you wonder what his hurry is.
The Bible talks about being the friend of God, and not being a friend of the world. Diop should stop being a friend of the United Nations, which is two parts corrupt and one part incompetent.
Hope For Africa Report
Hope Channel and East Central Africa Division had a two week evangelistic series assisted by Mark Finley which reached millions of people through various means, live and internet. Laymen provided many downlinks of the meetings on their own, in a variety of innovative ways, that resulted in many baptisms.
Advent Healthcare report
The first and only NAD healthcare organization to directly cooperate with the church in the accomplishment of its strategic plan. They are adopting strategies from the (Strategic) plan to assist the church. The other healthcare organizations have resisted significant dialogue with the church regarding the I Will Go strategic plan. They adopted two goals from the churches strategic plan.
60% of their patients have no religious affiliation, a true mission field.
There are about 8-9 healthcare professionals on the GC Exec. Com.
The Reminded report
A mental health project presented by the GC Health Department describing depression and treatment. 300 million people suffer from depression. They have developed a series of videos on the subject.
Children’s ministries report
The director pointed out the growing problem of our SDA children being confused by the world’s emphasis on LGBTQ+ and our need to stand firm on our traditional Bible based beliefs of human sexuality. AMEN !!!!!
They have developed a new app (QR code on slide) for children called the Armor of God, full of Bible stories, activities and games. It’s free.
Tuesday Afternoon report
WAD (West Central Africa Division) I Will Go report
450 million population with almost one million members.
60 languages. Some churches have over 1000 members. They have a goal of two million members by the end of 2025.
Fiduciary responsibilities of the GC Exec. Com. were reviewed. (Slides)
Textually transmitted disease is spread differently by different age groups.
Church Manual items - 6
First Church Manual was requested in 1882. In 1932 the first one was accepted and printed.
One delegate said that the Church Manual was too big and unwieldy. It is like a closet that people stuff things into for decades and it has become cluttered and too large for most members to read. Many other delegates agreed. A suggestion was made to pare down the church manual to a more effective size.
Manual Changes
Each division has their own supplements which doesn’t change the GC manual but explains or adds to it.
A Divinely Appointed Ministry. The only church manual item not voted at the last session, but referred back to the manual committee has been split into three sections. It describes the various duties of a pastor far beyond just preaching. (Average pastor worldwide oversees 11 churches)
Credentials and Licenses
Delete a duplicate paragraph in another area of the manual. Page 34, I believe. It was during this part of the meeting that one of the paragraphs giving conferences control of church pulpits (a paragraph that has been abused in the last 10 months by liberal conferences) was deleted (it now has to go to the GC Session). The other page (126) needs to be balanced in order to prevent liberal conferences (which sadly is a majority of them in the NAD) from abusing conservative congregations—trying to prevent ministers who disagree with WO from speaking in their territory, for instance. This one will be amended and brought to the 2025 Session as well.
School Board
Secretary of the school board is usually recommended to be the principal.
Use of tithe to include useful references.
Soliciting funds
Eliminate old terminology no longer used in the church so eliminated one paragraph and various individuals words.
Mission to the cities report
Videos of various types of outreach in several cities around the world were presented.
One year in mission is something being used in many parts of the world where a member, usually laymen, volunteer to go to a mission field for a year.
Acts of Kindness is a center of influence developed in Canada primarily for mothers to help them improve their quality of life through food, physical relief, treating depression, help with self esteem, etc. They help 90 mothers each week. The local churches connected with the center have seen higher growth in membership. Discipleship is a significant part of the program.
They planted a new church in midtown Manhattan NYC. Pray and Go is their motto. Their goal was one contact per day. They used Sidewalk Evangelism, meeting people on the street. They grew to over a hundred quickly and broke down into small groups to meet the various needs of their contacts. Disciples disciple others to become disciples (tongue twister).
More Working Policy items
Re-wording and re-organizing one existing policies regarding Christs Method of evangelism.
Survey Commission to re-align geographic territories be allowed to conduct their committee work virtually in addition to on site.
The annual yearbook and the annual statistical report in the future will be combined into one annual publication. It will be the legal document for reference.
EGW centers can be developed in each division.
Student assistance for students in divisions outside their home division is increased due to inflation.
Composition of the Eurasia division. Ukraine Union was eliminated from this division and attached directly to the GC due to the war. Some talk about Israel. Information was not shared on livestream due to safety conderns.
New union organized in Sudan. The South Sudan Union in ECD division. It has recently grown from 17,000 to 75,000.
South Philippine Union is being split into two unions. Mindanao island is the geographic area. 26 million population with 800,000 members with 3 schools and 4 hospitals. 50,000 new members each year. 8 conferences and missions. It will now be the Southwestern Philippine Union Conference and the Southeastern Philippine Union Mission with churches and institutions being divided between them. This is the part of the Philippines that has a significant Muslim population.
Jewish Adventist Friendship Center report.
⁃ NSD I Will Go report
Japan opened a new center of influence in Tokyo
Taiwan conducted 21 evangelistic meetings
South Korea is building an Adventist nursing school in Pakistan
1000 missionary movement. 1000 young people go to a mission field each year. This movement has established over a thousand new congregations. Pretty impressive.
Public campus movement on public university campuses. This is needed, as well as reforming our own universities.
They are taking I Will Go digital. They distributed 300,000 Great Controversy.
MENA I Will Go Report.
Wednesday — Final Day of Annual Council
Missionary Book of the Year
Great Controversy. 50 million have been distributed this year. The Great Controversy will be the book of the year again next year with more translations. There are 128 languages now. What In The World Is Going On, is a tract version of Great Controversy compiled by Mark Finely that will be available.
Score Project is a Three Angels Messages tract for non Christians.
The Glow Tracts project is being moved to the GC so it can be more fully distributed worldwide with translations. Nelson Ernst has done a fine job on this ministry.
Global Mission Center for the Secular and Post-Christian report
1.2 billion atheists, agnostics, non religious, world wide. 3/10 in the US. Australia 10 million. In Europe, empty churches are being sold. They look like us but are much different. Right and Wrong is determined individually. Distrust of institutions. Very common in GenZ.
Health, Family, Community, Rest and Purpose are talking points with this group. Christ’s Method works with this group. At Home In Gods Living Room, home churches is another approach.
This mentality is spreading beyond the US, Australia and Europe.
Guidelines for online churches
Online churches are very useful and helpful in certain circumstances but they are not ideal. Limited fellowship, engagement with fellow members, pastoral care and counseling, weddings, funerals,baptism, discipling, mission activities, are less than ideal online.
Innovative ways are being developed to overcome some of these challenges. There are also advantages to online sharing and witnessing. The reality is that online activity is part of our human fabric around the world. It’s here to stay. “Exclusive”online worship is very difficult but hybrid online/in-person churches can work well. Non local language groups are better met with hybrid churches.
Exec.Comm. Information was shared with the members where they can obtain helpful background materials online. This website is public: executive committee.adventist.org
Consent Agenda
13 items voted by consent without discussion like schedule of authorized meeting for the next three years, schedule of offerings, replacing retired or moved GC workers by their replacement, etc.
A new Human Sexuality website will be posted online very soon. Sections: Love Truth and Life. A resource for parents, teachers and pastors.
The final agenda item traditionally is a reading from EGW. Today it was Testimonies vol.5 p.167-177
Nine people read various paragraphs from these pages.
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