The 2024 Annual Council Agenda is available. Click on the image below:
Observations
Page 54, line 29. The equity and fairness statement is back, after being ignored last year. At least they removed the word gender, but we don’t need statements like this that will potentially be used against the church in the future. It seems like so much virtue signalling.
Equity, Fairness, and Non-Discrimination—The General Conference will treat all individuals and groups with fairness. It will not practice or condone discrimination with regard to race, national origin, sex, age, marital status, or disability that does not prohibit performance of essential job functions.
While the Adventist Message is a very biblically conservative message, many of its food chain administrators lean politically left or liberal. It is this group of people that are constantly trying to import liberalism into the church—they often do it without transparency. If you ask the GC, “Who puts these kind of changes into the agenda?” you will probably be told “I don’t know. It may be this committee or that committee...” It is difficult to get a straight answer. This is a common scenario with large organizations.
Page 43 line 29. Church Manual (CM) notes can now be changed at the GCEXCOM level without being coordinated with CM changes for the next GC Session.
Page 37 line 35-40. This could compel Unions to ordain pastors in accordance with GC Working Policy (something they should already be doing!):
Decisions regarding the ordination of ministers are entrusted to the union conference or union mission/section (see L 45 05, paragraph 5.), to the divisions (see L 45 05, 37 paragraph 6), and to the General Conference (see L 45 05, paragraph 6.) in accordance with General Conference working policies (see L 35, L 45, and L 50); mission/section; and the definition of denominational beliefs is entrusted to the General Conference in session (see BA 40 12).
Page 37 line 30-32. Notice that church membership exists at the discretion of the local church. The CM section that allows conferences (like Michigan and Potomac) to blacklist speakers from church pulpits is at variance with local church authority to decide who can hold membership. If an individual is a member in good standing, it is inconsistent for heavy-handed conferences to try to prevent them from speaking in churches. If they are so bad (or apostate) that Seventh-day Adventists cannot listen to them, they probably should not hold church membership either.
Page 58, line 17. This is an odd definition of apostasy. Maybe aimed at Conrad Vine?
Apostasy—In the case where an employee identifies with, or gives continuing support to, any activity subversive to the denomination, and/or persistently refuses to recognize properly constituted church authority.
Page 111 line 38-46. Notice the liberal buzz word equity is inserted here. This word is not necessary, it is likely added by the SDA swamp.
V 04 25 Central Store House—1. Just as God has been very specific in regard to the use of His holy tithe, He has also given explicit instruction regarding where members should return it. His command is, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” (Mal 3:10). From ancient times the storehouse has been the name given to the temple treasury (Malachi 3:10; cf. CS 82). In Deuteronomy 12:5, 6 the Israelites were commanded to bring their tithes to the place where God said He would choose to dwell, among His people, in the land of Canaan (cf. 6T 39). From that central place of worship, the tithe was to be equitably distributed, by appointed individuals, to the Levites and priests (cf. 2 Chr 31:4-19). The system provided a check and balance on the proper distribution and use of tithe.
Page 119, lines 36-43. This is a new policy on tithing and tithe farming,
V 65 Special Appeals V 65 05 Offering Appeals—All denominational entities making direct appeals to church members should include in their donor materials an affirmation of the individual’s primary responsibilities to worship God by returning tithe and support the Church through regular systematic offerings. Such affirmation shall include a statement such as: “Contributions to the appeal should be above and beyond your regular return of tithe and systematic offerings through your local church.”
This Fall Council reminds us that laymen in the Seventh-day Adventist have less and less input as you go higher up the food chain. The local church board has almost 100% representation from laymen. The Conference Executive Committee (which I served on for nine years) has 40-60% laymen involvement. Conference Constituency committees are heavily weighted with church employees. Unions have very little lay member involvement, Divisions have even less, and the GC Executive Committee has the least lay member involvement.
On July 3, 2010 in Atlanta, Ted Wilson said “Hold your leaders accountable.” It’s a noble thought, but the higher up the food chain you go, the more difficult that actually is.
Stay tuned, and stay faithful! Updates will be provided as they occur.
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