NAD Administrators’ Conference Unites Leaders to Shape Future of the Church

North American Division event seeks to chart a new path for the years ahead.

December 4, 2024 | Columbia, Maryland, United States | Christelle Agboka, North American Division, and Adventist Review

Ten years have passed since Seventh-day Adventist conference and union presidents, secretaries, and treasurers gathered in one room to brainstorm how best to carry out the church’s mission in North America. In 2014, the historic “Dulles meetings,” held near Dulles International Airport outside Washington, DC, United States, took a hard look at church finances, governance, structure, and education.

The long-awaited follow-up, the 2024 administrators’ conference, hosted more than 200 conference and union officers at the NAD’s Columbia, Maryland, headquarters October 30-31, just before the NAD Year-End Meeting. While the NADYEM allows leaders to share their views through breakout discussions and post-report “Q & As,” the conference offered a deeper level of engagement. Moreover, while leaders typically separate to meet in advisories, the conference brought all voices to the table; notably, leaders from different territories sat together, allowing for what NAD president G. Alexander Bryant called a “cross-fertilization” of ideas.

In a session on October 30, Bryant asked, “What can we do more effectively and efficiently together?” He added, “Every single administrative decision is a mission decision.”

The conference addressed critical topics, including the church’s early organization and policies; challenges with remuneration, IT, and employee shortages; and possible changes to retirement plan funding, health care, and risk management. Each segment was followed by roundtable and full-group discussions, with a central question being, “What prevents people from accepting change in an organization?” Responses highlighted that resistance to change often stems from tradition, time constraints, fear, and reluctance to leave comfort zones.

In an early session titled “Together in Mission,” Lowell Cooper, a retired General Conference vice president, shared historical examples to illustrate that while policy provides “stability, continuity, and relational symmetry across entities,” it can and should evolve as circumstances change.

Morning devotionals set a spiritual tone. On Wednesday, Kenneth Denslow, Lake Union Conference president, drew from Acts 4 to illustrate that when Jesus touches a person’s lives, they cannot help but share His goodness. On Thursday, Elton De Moraes, Texas Conference president, urged leaders to be “risk takers” for God, following the early church’s example — particularly on the Day of Pentecost — of relying on the Holy Spirit for power and unity in mission. “If we’re united in prayer and work together, the Lord will do the addition,” Moraes concluded.

Brainstorming Creative Ways to Confront the Pastor and Teacher Shortage

A session titled “Church Employee Shortage: Strategies and Marketing,” led by Ivan Williams Sr., NAD vice president of strategy and leadership, prompted much debate. Williams revealed that 94 percent of conference and union leaders surveyed reported shortages of pastors, teachers, and other church workers. He shared that pastoral attrition is driven by retirement, with 880 pastors currently eligible for retirement, transitions to administrative roles, and issues such as conflict with members, lack of support, theological differences, and remuneration.

Participants shared best practices from their territory, including offering scholarships to theology and education majors, with a report that one union tripled the number of incoming theology majors and boosted education majors by nearly 50 percent with scholarships, and added four new teachers to the workforce in another. Another recommendation was supplementing educators’ salaries for their first three years, which helped one union hire 22 new teachers; and accepting second-career and associate degree teachers and second-career pastors.

Other suggestions included offering student loan forgiveness and signing bonuses; raising salaries through NAD-wide policy; supporting women pastors in pursuing their calling; and providing mentorship for prospective church workers. The group also discussed the importance of encouraging the younger generation, including children, toward ministry.

One administrator shared that her then nine-year-old daughter, after expressing interest in children’s ministries, was appointed junior children’s ministries leader under her pastor’s mentorship. Over the course of four years, she has attended ministry meetings, helped plan initiatives, and given reports. Recently, she asked her mother what it takes to become a pastor. This leader stated, “If she could start at nine, why not take our young people once they’re baptized and get them involved in ministries? Give them what they can do, bite-sized, challenge them, and help them grow; and maybe they’ll consider [becoming Adventist pastors or teachers].”

The group considered intentional recruitment strategies, such as online promotions, pastor and teacher testimonies, and a central website for pastoral jobs.

This segment ended with a simple prayer: “Lord, help us invest in kids in a way that will inspire them to finish the work.”

As he concluded, Bryant thanked the administrators for their presence. “It’s been a delight to have all of you here.” He then spoke on his recent trip to Papua New Guinea, where he, GC leader Ted N. C. Wilson, and others led evangelistic efforts resulting in over 300,000 baptisms. Local church leaders and members had previously taken advantage of COVID-19 restrictions to form small groups of 10 people, which multiplied into 100,000 groups, preparing hearts for baptism before the evangelists arrived. Bryant said, “If God can do that in Papua New Guinea, then maybe God is using our challenges to get us to do something we wouldn’t do [otherwise].”

Bryant prayed for a fresh daily baptism of the Holy Spirit as division leaders tackle various complexities. He underscored, “Lord, help us look at these challenges and concerns as opportunities for a new day, [so] we can advance your church forward and finish what You’ve given us to do so we can go home.”

The original version of this story was posted on the North American Division news site.