Arise! Shine! Jesus is Coming! Praying for Mission from 60th GC Conference

We had seen a lot of changes in church leadership during this past week. Presidents and total administration changed in some regions of the world where concerns were expressed for more transparency, integrity and accountability.  A delegate from West Africa went to the microphone to testify that the Holy Spirit is indeed at work, seeing change of leadership.  In EuroAsia (former USSR, including Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and all the central Asian republics) a new godly President, Michael Kaminski, was elected.  He is the first ever Russian leader since the 1980s.  Until now, through all the turbulent years of perestroika, and fall of USSR, foreigners governed the church, raising a new generation of leaders.   The EuroAsian Division also receives new Secretary, a young leader from Ukraine who transformed the church there in the past 5 years as the Union president.  Many of you heard the report, how in two conferences the Conference offices were vacated to give its facilities for the Adventist Schools opening!  That’s setting priorities on Ministry!

Many retiring leaders were replaced with younger.  While it is God’s movement, the people are still human, with all kinds of limitations.  We must pray for new leaders elected in each of World divisions, and as many Unions will prepare to seek replacement for their leaders who had taken greater responsibilities, we must also pray for Union elections that will take place in the following two months.

There are also some things that stayed the same.  BY now most of you are in the know, that the vote on “Women Ordination” to be delegated to each Division did not pass.  On Wednesday, July 8, the Alamodome was filled as if it were Sabbath!  Some 700 delegates who were not around in the first 5 days of the session showed up for vote!  In total 2363 delegates voted: 5 abstained, 977 said YES, and 1381 said NO, a margin of 42:58 %

What does it mean for women in ministry?  The outcome of the vote is that we stay on the current policy, that we remain as is – each Union is responsible for making decisions on ordination J.  Women will continue as elders, preachers, teachers, pastors of churches, as no one, even among conservatives, would dare to object to the spiritual giftedness distributed by the Holy Spirit to women as well as men…but without official endorsement of their functional equality.  One of the discoveries made at this session was that the Global South is not only large in numbers, but more vocal than ever. While North America, Europe and Australia had invested financially over the past decades in developing Adventism in the “Global South,” more than money is needed.  Questions are raised that the time has come to consider the Mission at home, where the Gospel is needed most is in our neighbourhoods.  Pray for Mission everywhere!