The Potomac Conference released a statement regarding the Gaithersburg SDA Church today. The statement is on their website. See below:
Observations
The statement has been characterized as a classic non-denial. It is overly vague and not specific enough to deny anything.
Genuine humility doesn’t call attention to its humility. Genuine servant leadership does not call attention to its servant leadership. They don’t have to, they are self evident to observers. When a person says “I am not a liar”, you can presume she just told another one.
Another source said it was the worst statement they have ever seen, saying nothing and avoiding key questions like “Where is the AV equipment that was taken from the congregation, and why was their checking account frozen?” “And did the pastor act on his own in this saga or did he have the blessing of the Conference in his actions?”
One concern is that this poorly handled situation between the Potomac Conference and the Hispanic Gaithersburg church has implications for the entire Seventh-day Adventist church. It has the potential to create significant suspicion between conferences and congregations across the world field, unless it is resolved quickly, and a place made in the church for the spiritual refugees of the Gaithersburg Hispanic Church.
All this has happened because the Potomac Conference took a hard line against allowing a ordained minister to speak in their territory, because he agrees with the World SDA Church on the issue of male leadership (WO).
The solution to this issue of Potomac’s own creating is to return the funds to this Hispanic congregation along with the AV equipment that these members paid for with their own offerings. And stop trying to blackball ordained Seventh-day Adventist ministers in good and regular standing in the church because they differ with your views of ordaining women. Your actions are an unnecessary indictment against the Central California Conference who credentialed Stephen Bohr as a pastor.
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“Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God” (Joel 2:12-13).