On Sunday, September 12, approximately 350 delegates to the ninth regular Mid-America Union Constituency Session met in the College View Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. The meeting was later than usual — from 3 pm to 9 pm.
In attendance were Alexander Bryant (NAD President), Kyoshin Ahn (NAD), and Randy Robinson (NAD). Also in attendance was Tom Lemon (GC Vice president).
Gary Thurber welcomed the delegates to the meeting, and Alexander Bryant gave a 25-minute devotional.
The WO Agenda Item
The last item on the schedule was titled “Pastoral Credentialing.” Early in the meeting, a delegate went to the microphone and asked G. Alexander Bryant if that agenda item involved women’s ordination. He replied “Yes.” She asked if she could make a motion to table the agenda item. She was audibly boo’ed by several pro-WO delegates for asking the question. Bryant suggested that she wait until Thurber was chairing the meeting later.
Later, when this agenda item came up (around 8 PM), the pro WO-Thurber gave a speech in which he outlined the history of WO in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He said there have been three votes on WO at the General Conference Session level (90, 95, 2015). He said that the opposition to WO was diminishing with each vote, and the support for it was increasing, so it was inevitable to occur eventually. He failed to see the self-indictment in his statement, namely if his prediction is true, why not patiently wait until the inevitable happens, rather than rebel against the will of the world church?
Thurber stressed that this issue of WO is not a theological issue—it is a policy issue.
The same delegate that asked Bryant if she could make a motion to table this item, now made a motion to table the WO agenda item. And well she might—this was an illegitimate agenda item that went against the Mid America constitution, which states that their policies will be in harmony with the World Church. The motion to table failed.
Thurber said this agenda item came not from the Union (who, me?) or the Conferences, or from women, but from male pastors in the Union. He said the female pastors in the Union were humble and mostly docile individuals. Later a woman pastor went to the microphone and resoundingly lamented the fact that she doesn’t have full equality with men. According to onsite sources she was pretty agitated, for a humble and docile woman.
According to sources at the meeting, Tom Lemon (GC Vice President) said “I have very strong feelings about this issue” (we know he is pro-WO). He said he had spoken by phone with Ted Wilson, and was conveying a message from the GC. He advised the Union that this move was out of compliance with the world Church and there could be consequences for doing it. He said,
“There may be consequences, there might not be consequences, I don’t know. I don’t have a crystal ball.”
Mike Ryan (who, being retired, was not representing the GC) stood in line to speak on the motion, but they cut off discussion before he got there.
The Motion
This was read to the constituents by Thurber:
Voted: Whereas the Mid-America Union Conference Executive Committee (MAUCEC) voted on March 8, 2012, to look with favor on the ordination of women to the gospel ministry, and,
The Mid-America Union recognizes the right and responsibility of each local conference to prepare and recommend names for ordination, and will consider all recommended persons for ordination as submitted by the respective local conference Executive Committees.
The motion passed 82-18%.
Observations
This voted action is in direct defiance to the formal will of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. That makes it a rebellious act.
There were two rebellious unions who were under discipline for ordaining women already (Columbia and the Pacific Union). Now there are three. Our advice to the GC Executive Committee, pick one of these unions and disband them into a mission. Formulate a new balance of leadership for the good of that union and our entire world church. We need to know that we are still accountable to each other. This brings security, and respect into the world church (1 Timothy 5:20).
This voted item is out of order with the Mid America Union policy, and also with General Conference Working Policy.
To chair such a meeting effectively, Gary Thurber should be neutral on items of controversial significance. He wasn’t.
The issue of female headship is very much a theological issue. It is not a mere policy issue; it seeks to undermine biblical dualism in our church. It should be resisted and exposed.
Lemon’s half-hearted statement that there may or may not be consequences for ecclesiastical rebellion in the Seventh-day Adventist church arises from the fact that our church has not dealt swiftly or decisively with rebellion in the past. We should change that, and deal swiftly with this third rebellion.
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“Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11).
