Hot off the press,
OREGON SDA CONFERENCE— “Oregon Conference President Dan Linrud, after much prayer, initiated an executive committee meeting in which he offered his resignation today, Thursday, May 23, 2024. This action was accepted by the Oregon Conference Executive Committee.
The resignation is effective immediately and will initiate a four-month sabbatical for Elder Linrud. Following his sabbatical, Elder Linrud will be eligible to seek employment as a pastor within our conference, within the NPUC, or elsewhere.
The search for a new Oregon Conference president will begin immediately, a process that will be facilitated by NPUC President Elder John Freedman.
In the interim, Oregon Conference Vice President for Administration, Kara Johnsson, will serve as the ranking leader in the absence of a president. All other conference personnel will maintain their current roles.”
Observations
Due to severe financial shortfalls, the Oregon Conference has been forced to lay off almost 30 pastors and office staff.
Over twenty church boards in Oregon called for a Constituency meeting. We believe this may have influenced the decision to resign. To those churches—Well done, brethren.
Linrud and the Oregon Conference ‘leadership’ has been a vocal supporter of ordaining women—in opposition to the decisions of the entire Seventh-day Adventist Church. We suspect that the conference ‘leaders’ would like to place a woman in as president, but it is unlikely that an alert and engaged constituency will allow that to happen.
The Conference has put a woman (Kara Johnsson) in as interim President of Oregon (in violation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church ordination standards).
Linrud and the Oregon Conference was a big supporter of masks and mandates during Covid, including participation in the consideration of a permanent statewide mask mandate.
Linrud marched in a Black Lives Matter demonstration on June 3, of 2020.
Linrud was hired by the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference in Canada in the late 1980’s. Dan Jackson (of hooey fame) was also pastor and eventually president of the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference.
Linrud is on the board of Walla Walla, and he recently voted to elect Alex Bryan (of One Project infamy) as president of the college.
****
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2).