October 11, 2005 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States …. [Wendi Rogers/ANN]
“Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas and department directors won’t vote themselves out of office,” an Annual Council delegate from Britain, Ian Sleeman, said in response to views that would protect status quo in church structures and ministries. His comments came as part of a discussion on a recommendation to set up the Commission on Ministries, Services and Structures that was voted by delegates Oct. 11 at the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s world headquarters.
The commission, made up of 100 people, including representatives from the world church and local church regions, as well as lay members and pastors, aims to study and outline a strategy for organizational change to better serve the church from its world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. This could mean a possible reorganization of the various departments located here, which oversee church mission and nurture activities around the world.
Several delegates raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest from some commission members to their respective positions at the world headquarters, and having enough lay representation in the commission. “I’m wondering if administrators really know the needs of the local church level,” said one delegate. “I think we think we know, and I’m not sure we do.”
Lowell Cooper, general vice president for the world church and a designated vice-chair of the commission, suggested there is a range of representation on the commission, including local church members, pastors and officers.
The commission is charged with researching the effectiveness of current denominational structure and reviewing information from relevant studies that address these issues. It will propose adjustments, outline an implementation strategy, and determine membership response to major proposals for organizational change, according to the document given to delegates.
The recommendation for the commission comes after the issue was brought to Annual Council in 2004 and a smaller commission was set up. “That commission went to work over a short period to do an appraisal of ministries and services,” Dr. Jan Paulsen, president of the world church, explained. The subject was brought up again during Spring Meeting this year, but it was voted to refer recommendations of that body to this larger commission, said Paulsen.
“We set up this larger commission by adding the term ‘structures.’ We’re talking about everything we seek to do as a church. It’s intended to be a very open agenda. Precisely for that reason, and because it is a very comprehensive assignment, we felt we needed a broad-based commission that will address these issues with people from a range of possible backgrounds and experiences in the life of the church.” He added that the commission sought a “significant weight” from the various church regions and entities.
“It’s very international. It reflects the whole church,” he said.
“I hope we have not conveyed in this document that this commission makes the final decisions,” Cooper said to a concern raised that the commission will make decisions affecting local church regions without a clear understanding of what they mean.
“It will create opportunities through the church structure to create public discussion and forums to ascertain both acceptedness and responsive … to ideas of change. It’s very important our membership have a very clear rationale as to how the structure facilitates mission and unity,” Cooper added.
Dr. Angel Rodriquez, director of the church’s Biblical Research Institute, spoke in support of the commission. “I believe the results will be contributed in a direct way to the fulfillment of the mission of the church.”
It is expected that the commission will meet twice yearly.
Copyright © 2005 by Adventist News Network.
