The 2022 Annual Council meeting kicked off yesterday at the General Conference headquarters in Silver Springs Maryland. Over 200 delegates are present.
On Thursday there were numerous presentations, including an appeal for reformation from Mark Finley.
There was a presentation on Adventist education by Lisa Hardy, that failed to address significant theological and cultural challenges to our schools. It is my belief that those problems are correctable if we are serious about institutional reformation. We must first identify the problems, ask what is causing them, and then ask how do we fix it? Then we must roll up our sleeves and do the necessary work of renewal to honor the Lord. Replacing people who no longer believe and teach our beliefs with those who have an honest commitment to the Bible and the Seventh-day Adventist message is one pressing need, along with visionary schools leaders like the late Gerhard Hasel.
There was a presentation of city sidewalk evangelism on Thursday.
One thing not present at this meeting is any independent Adventist media. The General Conference decided to restrict the press box to ANN and the Adventist Review only. This of course prevents Fulcrum7 personnel (and others) from being on-site and reporting on the meetings, as we have done for many years in the past. I learned this via email as I was en route to Silver Springs yesterday morning. Curiously, this meeting is open to guests and visitors, but not to the Press. We were not given a reason why.
One individual suggested that the church is good at having committees and meetings but less proficient at figuring out what to do and then getting to work doing it. This is a common problem among large organizations, as they often struggle with inefficiencies and the blind spots of bureaucracy, imperialism and waste. I know this from working with large corporations like GE, GM, Cargill, and Honda (although Honda is somewhat better than the others).
Some of the more successful church projects are ideas that laymen have funded and implemented. Sidewalk Evangelism is one example of layman innovation.
These meetings often remind me that greater layman involvement is needed in our church. Especially since the farther you get from the local church board in the Advent Movement, there is less and less lay member involvement in matters of substance. A type of ecclesiastical imperialism is inevitable under this model.
One upcoming agenda item is the new Adventist Review editor. A nominating committee will be chosen and they will address that issue on Monday or Tuesday. We can tell you that Justin Kim has been suggested as a possible editor. We believe that is a good choice. Gerald Klingbeil is also retiring from the Review to relocate to Germany. This provides us (the Church) with a good opportunity to reformulate the vision and direction of the Adventist Review.
“The Lord will interpose to vindicate His own honor, to deliver His people, and to repress the swellings of unrighteousness” (COL 178).
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