The GC Session is fast approaching. Amid the rumors, chatter, and plans for this event here are some things to ponder.
Prayer. Please pray for this meeting. Our two great needs are a return to the Word of God, and a gift of the Holy Spirit. We would like to see the Holy Spirit fill this arena with conviction, courage, and clarity.
Identity. We are in a bit of an identity crisis in the church. What we need is to know who we are (in Christ) and where we are going. This is our identity (1 Cor. 6:20; Revelation 12:11).
Presidential election. Two online publications have offered suggestions for a new GC president. None of their suggestions satisfies me. Here are a few suggestions from Fulcrum7, after speaking with hundreds of Seventh-day Adventists. Maybe thousands.
o Jim Howard. Jim is currently the director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries at the General Conference. He’s a good choice.
o Chris Holland. Chris is currently the pastor of the Battle Creek SDA church in Michigan. Chris used to be an elder at Mark Finley’s Church. He’s a good choice.
o Gary Blanchard. Gary is the president of the Northern New England Conference. He used to work at the General Conference. Another good choice.
o Magdiel Perez. Magdiel is the current man Friday of Ted Wilson. Prior to this, Magdiel served as the executive secretary of the South American Division for six years. Magdiel has been a capable assistant at the GC level.
o Eugen Hartwich. Eugen is the president of the Baaden-Wurttemberg Conference in Germany. Eugen stood bravely against moral capitulation in Germany in 2023. He is a very worthwhile consideration. Eugen would be a great choice.
o Ron Kelly. Head and shoulders above other names that are being suggested for GC president is Pastor Ron Kelly. Ron Kelly achieved worldwide recognition during and after Covid for his courageous and principled stand for liberty of conscience. The Village Church was a light on a hill for many people around the world since 2020 (until the Michigan Conference policy men broke it up). Ron has outstanding leadership ability.
PARL Leader. There is some evidence that Ganoune Diop may be retiring. What are some good choices for a new PARL director? There are a couple.
o Greg Vatistas. Greg is the Director of Gates of Canaan Ministries. Greg’s focus has included evangelism, revival work, the education and training of gospel workers and missionaries, as well as foreign and domestic missionary endeavors. He is well versed in the topic of religious liberty and how it must come from a biblical worldview, not a secular or United Nations worldview. Greg is the religious liberty leader for the Northern New England Conference.
o Conrad Vine. Conrad’s name is almost universally presented as a man that people would like to see as PARL director. He is well versed on international affairs, more so than the outgoing PARL director, and has a strong commitment to our biblical worldview. He also has experience managing an international organization, and a strong commitment to liberty of conscience—the cornerstone of religious liberty.
o Non-starters. Who would we not like to see as PARL director? We have been asked this question repeatedly. Here is our short list of non-starters. People with red hair should be automatically disqualified (this will keep Prince Harry, Charles Kennedy and other liberal gingers from getting the job). People who sweat in the winter should also be disqualified, such as former Review editors, etc. Editors of Liberty magazine rank high on our do-not-call list, as does NAD RL people. Way too liberal. What is needed is someone who will not bow to the United Nations or drag the church deeper into an ecumenical morass. Anyone who is a fan of political social justice, DEI, WO, Abortion, LGBTQ+, Critical Theory, and cultural Marxism should be disqualified from the position. These worldly (unbiblical) impulses fight against our charge to share the Three Angels Messages.
Qualifications. When it comes to selecting a GC president, I am told that an unwritten rule is the man must have overseas experience and a college degree, preferably a doctorate. Ridiculous. What the fellow really needs is Christian principle and character. He can hire people with overseas experience, but he must have principle, above all else. Get that quality, and the rest will fall in place. As to degrees, our church hierarchy is way too infatuated with degrees and not excited enough about principle. Degrees come and go, but principle? You either have it or you don’t, as we are reminded in God’s qualifications for an elder (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1:5-9).
“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of an overseer, he desires a good work. An elder then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who manages his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
The Nominating Committee. This is an important committee. How does it work? Each division will get together (caucus) and recommend names to be on the nominating committee. The General Conference (GC) Nominating Committee for the 2025 General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church consists of 252 delegates. This includes 233 delegates from the Church’s 13 divisions and 19 delegates from the General Conference world headquarters. Many of them of them are church employees.
Chairman. The Nominating Committee chairman is an important position. He can often steer the conversation and may discourage or encourage names that are nominated (raises ethical questions). Among the GC nominating Committee delegates there will probably be an individual planted in there to nominate a chairman and then someone else will immediately second the motion and it’ll probably get passed. Dear delegates, don’t allow this to happen. Slow the process down, and ponder carefully who you elect as chairman. A lot of the people on nominating committee are from the southern hemisphere or Third World divisions and they are easily swayed when someone who’s eloquent gets up there and is persuasive. The nominating committee chairman is pretty good at steering the voting process. By now, a lot of groups have an idea of who they would like to see as GC president. May the Lord take over this process and guard it from political posturing.
Fulcrum7 will be hosting a private meet & greet in Saint Louis. It will be catered with light snacks and drinks. We were scheduled to do this in 2020, but there was this pandemic thing. Location and time will be announced on the Fulcrum7 site. We look forward to meeting and greeting fellow Adventists. Bring a smile, and your desire to make new friends.
Fulcrum7 will be providing daily updates of the GC Session, including personal anecdotes and interesting back stories. We hope to see you there.
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“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but encouraging one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).