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Spotlight on Leadership
BY STEPHEN CHAVEZ, MANAGING EDITOR, ADVENTIST REVIEW
With these challenging words Paulsen introduced the first of five presentations made during this General Conference session designed to address the crucial need for spiritual leadership at every level of church administration, from local congregations to the General Conference. Contrasting contemporary, corporate models of leadership with that which is biblically based, Paulsen observed, "We are a community of individuals, united by love and a commitment to Christ and His church, who have voluntarily chosen to be Seventh-day Adventist. We have to trust each other. It is vitally important that trust not be swallowed up by an obsession for control." Paulsen also spoke of the need to deal creatively with the tension between permanence and change, rigidity and flexibility. He pointed out that change is a reality in modern culture that cannot be ignored. "It is the responsibility of leadership to clearly identify the values of faith and conduct that transcend time and culture," he said. The primary qualities for leadership mentioned by Paulsen are humility, integrity, and vision. "Transparency is the filter through which humility and integrity are seen," he said. "These are the highest qualities needed in Adventist leadership." Other topics addressed in the leadership series included "Integrity: A Twenty-first Century Imperative," presented by B. Lyn Behrens; "Leaders and Ecclesiastical Authority: Acceptance of Authority," by Angel Manuel Rodríguez; "Acting With Responsibility: Aspirations of a Servant Along Pathways of Governance," by Ted L. Ramirez; and "Profiling Adventist Leadership: Responsiveness to Diversity," by Leslie N. Pollard. After his address, Paulsen responded to questions and comments from the floor. The questions, asked by delegates from various parts of the world, reflected some wide-ranging concerns: how to develop leadership among youth and young adults; giving leadership responsibilities to local leaders who may not have had the benefit of an Adventist education; and how to mobilize the talents of women in leadership positions. Paulsen responded to the need for integrating future leaders into the church's ministries by reminding delegates of the General Conference Office of Leadership, which has prepared a four-year, broad-based leadership curriculum presented in various parts of the world by experienced pastors, administrators, and educators. "There is no magical way this will happen," Paulsen confessed. "Part of your job," he said to those present, "is to see that those whom you serve get an opportunity to develop their spiritual gifts, their personalities, and their characters, to see how they can flow into the leadership services of the church."
YESTERDAY AT THE SESSION
Celebrations BY ALICIA DE PALACIOS WORLEY Gabriel and Daniel are definitely caught up in the excitement of being at their first General Conference session. They vigorously applaud everything, from powerful musical numbers to powerful statements such as the one Pastor Bediako made in his Sabbath sermon: "I am going to say it, I hope this will be the last General Conference session." Actually, that isn't soon enough for Gabriel. "Mommy," he tells me, "I want Jesus to come now!" I can only imagine how this event is seen through the eyes of a 3- and a 5-year-old. To be sure, there is a little confusion as to how all the exciting things happening in St. Louis fit together. When someone handed Daniel a flag in celebration of America's Independence Day, he broke out singing, "Olé . . . Barcelona!" (his favorite soccer team). But from what I can tell, this session is one big celebration of family and fun for them. Unlike their mother, they are not acutely aware of the fact that decisions being made during this great festival of faith will impact their future and the way in which they will experience God through their church. Yesterday, at a press conference with Dr. Ella Simmons, the first female vice president of the General Conference, a reporter from West Africa told her how news had come that women back home in Ivory Coast were "rejoicing" at her appointment and saying, "There is hope for us!" And I felt the celebration. I want my sons to grow up in a church family in which everyone has a voice and leadership is inclusive. Dr. Simmons' election confirms that we are moving in that direction. Undoubtedly, not everyone in our Adventist family finds this a reason to celebrate. We are a diverse group, with diverse backgrounds and varying perspectives. But the fact that we are all here, hugging each other, arguing with each other, and praying with each other assures me that we are on track. And it makes me long for the great celebration when we all get together and all see Jesus, united in every way. |
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f we are still here in the year 2020, we will be a faith community of possibly as many as 50 million," said Jan Paulsen, president of the General Conference, in the first session of "Profiling Adventist Leadership" series, Sunday morning, July 3. "Of these," he continued, "only 12 percent will have been Seventh-day Adventists in the year 2000. This prospect alone compels us to consider how we pass on identity and values from one generation of believers to the next."
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