Eighth Business Meeting
58th General Conference session, July 5, 2005, 9:30 a.m.

ERICH W. OLM: [Opening prayer.]

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Good morning, brothers and sisters. We have a partial report from the Nominating Committee.

JAN PAULSEN: Mr. Chairman, before we come to the report from the Nominating Committee, I would like to make a couple of comments. First, an apology. On Sunday evening a number of the finest leaders were honored at the Oakwood College Bradford-Cleveland Institute awards banquet. I stopped by to recognize these persons who have served the church in such an outstanding manner. I made a public recognition of three of the six names, but failed to recognize the full list.

Charles Bradford, E. E. Cleveland,

C. D. Brooks, Neal C. Wilson, Calvin B. Rock, and Phyllis Ware. These individuals are all household names in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They represent leadership and ministry of the kind that are models for many of us to emulate. So please accept my apology.

My second comment has to do with the reports that are being brought in from the Nominating Committee. I know that not having much information about them seems frustrating to many of you. We are going to have the individuals walk in here briefly for you to see them. We appreciate that many of you are at a General Conference session for the first time and that you may not recognize even those who are being returned to office. They will come on the platform, and you will see who they are, and a brief statement will be made about their service and their current position.

That was not an oversight, but rather a choice we made. It has been the way we have done it. We work through a Nominating Committee that is a large committee of some 200. You chose the composition of the Nominating Committee, and by the choices you made, you also expressed due trust in those individuals. They are the ones that will look at the details and say yea or nay, and look at the candidates and weigh them against other possible candidates. It's tempting to ask, "Are we only rubber-stamping?" But there is an element of trust that has to go into this. You need to know that these names that are being brought forward have been carefully considered, that many details have been examined by the people you chose to be Nominating Committee members.

One additional comment about the relationship between the General Conference as a world headquarters and the North American Division. I understand that there was some discussion generated here on the floor about the nature of this relationship and about the status of some of the officers who serve in the North American Division and those who serve at the world headquarters.

As you know, until very fairly recently (that is, about 15 years ago) there was no North American Division. There was no boundary between the General Conference and the North American Division, our church in North America. They were blended into each other. And the governance for our church in North America was directed out of the world headquarters by the officers elected at the General Conference session as officers of the global church.

And this simply reflects the fact that since our very beginning our church in North America has been the largest partner, the one on whom the rest of the church historically has depended for so much of our outreach, for so much of the international work we have engaged in as a church, and for the selection of personnel for overseas assignments and the distribution of financial resources. North America has been the major contributor to the finances and resources of the church. But about 15 years ago we decided that it would be good for the church in North America to be organized as a division, the same as our other world divisions. You have officers selected and chosen who have a particularly designated responsibility to their own region. It does not wipe out the special relationship between the North American Division and the General Conference as a world headquarters.

It is, after all, our host division. We share offices together. What is done in one part for one segment is applied similarly to the other, so that we are bonded together in the policies and the way we do things. North America is not separated in the same way that our world divisions that operate in their specific regions away from the General Conference are separated.

When we set up the North American Division as a separate division and loosened it from the General Conference, we allowed it to have its own budgetary provisions and finances, which it uses to administer the work in North America. However, there are a number of institutions in North America that are General Conference institutions, owned and operated by the global church, such as universities, publishing houses, etc. They clearly are in North America, and it could well be argued that they belong to the North American Division, but we chose to make them General Conference institutions because they serve the global church. All the other divisions have their own universities and publishing houses. North America is different. For that reason it is important that we keep a close relationship with the officers of the North American Division and the officers of the General Conference. They are part of our thinking and planning process. In recognition of that close tie, the one who is chosen as secretary of the North American Division is also an associate secretary of the global church, the General Conference. The one who serves as treasurer for the North American Division is also an associate treasurer of the General Conference. This arrangement was made long before we set up the provisions for a separate North American Division. The president for North America, however, is not listed as a general vice president; but he (as well as all other division presidents) is listed as a vice president of the General Conference. And those of us who work at the General Conference and in the North American Division know how important it is that we stay together. Thank you very much.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Thank you, Dr. Paulsen, for your comments. [Called on Jere Patzer, chairman of the Nominating Committee.]

JERE PATZER: We have 15 names to present to you from the Nominating Committee this morning. These 15 names are ones that are, with exception of one, incumbents. And so they may very well be familiar to you.

DELBERT BAKER: I will read the complete list first, and then we will go back and take each name one by one. [The list can be found in the actions of this session.]

JERE PATZER: We will now take each of these individuals name by name and ask our chairman to call for the vote.

DELBERT BAKER: For the director of publishing we have a new individual, Howard Faigao, and our chairman will comment about our recommendation.

JERE PATZER: This is to take the position that Jose Campos has been so ably fulfilling since the year 2000. Jose Campos is retiring at this time. Brother Howard F. Faigao is a very talented, committed, dedicated individual. He speaks Filipino as well as English. Ordained in 1981, he has served in several different fields, but his love has been publishing. He has been associate director since the year 2001, and so in a sense he is an incumbent to that office. Before that, he served in various parts of the world in publishing work and publishing leadership. That's a very brief biographical sketch, which should at least give you a little sense of who Howard Faigao is. [Each name was voted on and accepted.]

ARMANDO MIRANDA: You will recall that we are considering an amendment to Article IV of the General Conference bylaws. We have spent a considerable amount of time on this item. Hopefully we will be able to bring it to a resolution during this session. Please go to item 304.

CLAUDE RICHLI: I don't know if this is in order, but I rose to the microphone last afternoon for the matter that pertained to item 207, Growing in Christ.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Well, it's not the time; we have on the floor the motion regarding 304, thank you.

DIONISIO OLIVO: Mr. Chairman, I move the previous question.

[The motion was seconded and voted.]

ARMANDO MIRANDA: We can now take up item 304, an amendment to the General Conference Constitution and Bylaws, Article IV, Section 2, which now reads as follows: "The secretary of the North American Division, by virtue of election to that responsibility, shall also be an associate secretary of the General Conference."

[Item 304 was voted.]

Let's go to item 305, which is related to item 304: "The treasurer of the North American Division, by virtue of election to that responsibility, shall also be an associate treasurer of the General Conference."

[Item 305 was moved, seconded, and voted.]

In harmony with a promise I made to him yesterday, I would like to ask Dr. Geraty to speak.

LAWRENCE T. GERATY: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First, I want to affirm our General Conference president and the Nominating Committee and this general body for electing Dr. Ella Simmons to the position of General Conference vice president. Having worked with her for four years at La Sierra University, I can tell you that she is a spiritual as well as academic leader. She is a person who is articulate and carries herself with dignity, and I know that her whole life has really prepared her for this responsibility.

Sunday morning I stood to support the two resolutions that we voted on the Holy Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. As you all know, it is much easier to pass resolutions than to live with the implications in ordering our lives accordingly.

Too often our traditions or cultural norms seem to influence us more than the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

So I want to commend the organizers and again this body for adopting these resolutions. Ellen White tells us in Testimonies to Ministers to search the Scriptures, and states, among other things, that "we should not study the Bible for the purpose of sustaining our preconceived opinions, but with the single object of learning what God has said" (p. 105).

So with that spirit I move that in the next quinquennium the General Conference Committee systematically review denominational policies and procedures in light of the two resolutions we have voted. In that way, we will not lose the value of those two documents that were voted. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [The motion was seconded and voted.]

CLAUDE RICHLI: Mr. Chairman, I have been waiting in line to have the opportunity to speak, and I was twice reminded that I was out of order, but I believe that I am in order now, since the chairman made a promise to me yesterday.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: You are right. I apologize for that. Please go ahead.

CLAUDE RICHLI: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I am rising, in the wake of the technical problems that occurred yesterday when I was unable to make my points, to make a motion to reconsider the action on the fundamental belief Growing in Christ, and send it back to the committee.

Mr. Chairman, I wish to state emphatically that I am not bringing this motion out of a sense of being personally slighted by the procedure, but because I wish to give us a chance to be perceived by millions of Muslims as their friends and not their enemies.

I believe that this is of vital importance as we seek to answer the greatest evangelistic challenge that still remains before us. Thank you. I move to reconsider the action on the fundamental belief Growing in Christ, and send it back to the committee.

ARMANDO MIRANDO: Let me say that under the General Conference Rules of Order, the motion to reconsider must be made by one who voted for the motion, and since you voted against, you cannot make a motion to reconsider.

CLAUDE RICHLI: If that is not possible, Mr. Chairman, then let me move to rescind the previous action.

ARMANDO MIRANDO: OK, you are now asking to rescind the motion. Is there a second? We have a second. In this case, according to our rules and procedures, we need to have a two-thirds vote to rescind the action. Is there any discussion?

OKORIE C. ANYAOGU: Mr. Chairman, I need clarification. Has this issue been voted yet? Are we discussing the election of Ella Simmons as one of the vice presidents?

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Please allow me to interrupt you, because we are discussing at this moment whether to rescind the item on fundamental beliefs. Please come back later. This is the time to make some comments or observations regarding the motion that we have on the floor. Thank you very much.

PETER ROENNFELDT: Mr. Chairman, I rise to support the motion to rescind and give this item the opportunity of going back to the writing committee. You've heard explained from Claude Richli the problems that we have had with the technology yesterday prior to vote, and I was one of those who had registered my name to speak before the chair called for the person who moved question on the previous motion. This is a most important issue for us to give consideration to, and the fact that such a large number of people voted against that motion is a matter of serious concern to the church.

And I believe that their voting was based on two issues. One was our concern to include just a couple of words that would give explanation to the cross. The cross was not seen as an icon in this setting. The other was the concern that the process simply was not working yesterday prior to this most important vote, and I would urge the delegates to give the opportunity for this item to be discussed and go back to the writing committee to take into account the seriousness of the mission that we have as a church. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Thank you very much. We need to be focused on the fact that the motion is to rescind.

RICHARD ELOFER: Yes, Mr. Chairman. I would like to say that I support fully this motion from Claude Richli. I would like to address my remark to every delegate here. Please don't vote against this motion. We are not against this fundamental belief. We agree with the fundamental belief. We just want correct formulation so that it helps us reach the people we have to reach. And if we have this opportunity to send the text back to the writing committee, we will have a chance to be heard by this committee, and maybe we will have a correct formulation.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Thank you, Elder Elofer. We have a point of order.

VIOLETO BOCALA: Yes, Mr. Chairman, point of order. If I understand it right, the previous speaker's motion was to rescind the action.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: That's correct.

VIOLETO BOCALA: If we vote to rescind, we will dispose of the action. And if I understand it right, he has no objection to that fundamental belief, but only to some technicalities. Mr. Chairman, I think the right motion should be to reconsider so that we can rediscuss it. But rescinding the fundamental belief will dispose of it.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Thank you, but we have the motion to rescind on the floor.

VIOLETO BOCALA: Mr. Chairman, that is the very reason I call for the point of order. Elder Richli has no objection to the recommendation. He wants to make some revision only. So it should be simply a reconsideration.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Yes, the delegates are hearing what you say, but we are here to decide what we're going to do with the motion that we have on the floor. Thank you very much.

KEN STANTON: Mr. Chairman, I rise to support the motion. I want to draw the body's attention to the protocol for the revision of the fundamental belief that we recently voted. And part of that protocol indicated that the purpose of adding to or revising a fundamental belief was for the benefit of the church as a whole. Now the result of some suggestions of minor changes to the wording of the proposed fundamental belief has created significant opposition. That indicates that the expression in the form it was presented did not meet what leaders in some areas of the church considered would be of benefit to that part of the church, and therefore it didn't meet the test of that protocol. With some minor changes it will meet that test, and I therefore support the motion to rescind.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: All right, you are in favor.

NEIL WATTS: I was concerned that some may have received the impression that Dr. Paul Pedersen from our Biblical Research Committee was not representing the leadership of our division, and that is incorrect. The presidents, the executive committee, and the unanimous vote of the Biblical Research Committee did support his objections to the statement as originally given.

So I'd just like to support those who would like to reconsider this. I think that with just a few words changed to alleviate some of the concerns we could have consensus. This is such an important statement. It is not worth going away from this General Conference session with tension and contentions over such an important issue that I think can easily be resolved by a few minor modifications of the statement as originally presented. Thank you.

ARMANDA MIRANDA: Thank you very much. Let me clarify: the issue before us is not to reconsider; the motion is to rescind.

JOHN FOWLER: Mr. Chairman, I stand to speak against the motion. If some think that certain words expressed here, such as the cross representing an icon or an idol offensive to certain population groups, then I would like to submit that there are phrases and statements in the entire 27 fundamental beliefs that are also offensive to many population groups. I come from a country that has more than 900 million Hindus who cannot conceive of the shedding of blood as a remission of sins or to accept Jesus as the Son of God.

What we vote here is not to please various populations. What we vote here is not an evangelistic statement. This particular statement has had input from the world church for two years, and I do not think it is proper after voting that statement by an overwhelming majority to come back and reconsider or rescind the statement. Therefore, I would appeal to the delegates to reject this motion and let the statement stand as it is. Thank you.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Thank you. We have two points of order.

PATRICIA GUSTIN: Mr. Chairman, I am not sure whether this is a point of order or simply a question for clarification. For some of us who perhaps are less familiar with this procedure or for whom English is not our primary language, perhaps we need to clarify the difference between rescind and reconsider.

ARMANDO MARINDA: Thank you for calling our attention to that.

ROSCOE HOWARD: Let me just share something with you. The reason Elder Richli could not move to reconsider was that he was a dissenting vote and that by parliamentary procedure you cannot move to reconsider the motion if you were a dissenting vote. Thus he changed his motion, making it to rescind rather than to reconsider.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Thank you very much for the clarification.

PATRICIA GUSTIN: What are the implications if we vote to rescind?

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Elder Howard, can you help us?

ROSCOE HOWARD: If we rescind the motion, then it would be completely deleted, as though it has not been brought to this body. On the other hand, to reconsider would make it possible to amend the motion.

PATRICIA GUSTIN: Is our choice, then, either to vote this down or wait five years to reconsider?

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Not necessarily.

PATRICIA GUSTIN: What are our choices, Mr. Chairman?

ARMANDO MIRANDA: If this motion is defeated, the next step will be to reconsider.

PATRICIA GUSTIN: Thank you.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: I would like to invite Dr. Walter Carson, our parliamentarian, to present an explanation.

WALTER E. CARSON: Let me basically tell you where I think we are. The first proposed motion was to reconsider. If we had voted to reconsider the motion, the new fundamental belief proposal would be before the body for further consideration and discussion once again. The body could refer the matter to a committee, or it could process the matter in some other way, if it were once again before us. But the gentleman that made the motion to reconsider could not properly, under our rules, make that motion, because he had voted against the motion when it was first before us. He understood that, and when he was told that fact, his recourse, on his own volition, was to make a motion to rescind.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: Thank you very much, Dr. Carson. Our time is over, but we need to continue the discussion. We need to table the motion. Does someone want to make a motion to table?

ROSCOE HOWARD: I would so move, Mr. Chairman.

ARMANDO MIRANDA: [The motion to table was seconded and voted.]

JOHN GRAZ: Mr. Chairman, brothers and sisters, dear friends, it is a great honor and a pleasure to introduce Reverend Jean Arnold de Clermont, president of the French Protestant Federation and chairman of the Conference of the European Churches, which represent more than 220 million believers. Reverend de Clermont is the official voice of Protestants in France, among whom Seventh-day Adventists are included. He has been a great defender of religious freedom, and his interventions have been helpful for Adventists.

JEAN A. DE CLERMONT: Brothers and sisters, I bring you the warmest salutations from the French Protestant Federation and the Conference of European Churches. This morning I want to say that in our secularized Europe and maybe secularized world we should not be in competition one with the other, but should fully respect our diversity of spirituality and theology, working together in our common mission to bring to the people the Word of God. This is my strong conviction, and this is why I am so happy to share this conference with you. Thank you.

JOHN GRAZ: Mr. Chairman, brothers and sisters, dear friends, Adventists and Baptists share many common beliefs. Baptists, like Adventists, believe in the Word of God, baptism by immersion, and religious liberty. In many places Adventists and Baptists join together to defend and promote religious freedom. It is a pleasure for me to introduce Pastor John Truex, who represents the Baptist World Alliance and its nearly 50 million members.

JOHN TRUEX: Thank you, Dr. Graz. It brings us great joy to bring you greetings on behalf of the Baptist World Alliance and our president, Dr. Billy Kim, of Korea. Later this month in Birmingham, England, the Baptist World Alliance will meet celebrating 100 years of existence. So we join with you-may God bless your congress and give you much joy and hope in the coming years of ministry. Thank you.

BERT BEACH: Brothers and sisters, I take great pleasure in introducing to you another distinguished churchman, Dr. Paul Reiter, who is the executive presbyter of the local regional body of the Presbyterian Church (USA), with whom we have had very good relations, especially through the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Dr. Reiter tells me that he has been very interested in watching our proceedings, and we are happy to have him here to give a few words of greeting to this body.

PAUL REITER: Good morning, sisters and brothers. I bring you greetings on behalf of the Presbyterian Church (USA), 11,000 congregations across this country representing nearly 3 million Presbyterians. I serve as the executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Giddings Lovejoy here in the Greater St. Louis area, serving 100 congregations, and all of those congregations and our 25,000 constituents bring you a word of greeting and welcome here to Greater St. Louis. Our title, "Giddings Lovejoy," comes from Salmon Giddings, who was a church planter and evangelist west of the Mississippi, and Elisha Parish Lovejoy, who was an abolitionist who was martyred in his opposition to slavery. This tension of mission and evangelism is at the core of our work together as Presbyterians and also in the interfaith work that we have done together with the Seventh-day Adventists. On behalf of my sisters and brothers, I bring you these words of greeting and am delighted that we can share in this transforming work of Jesus Christ that is at the core of our united mission together as we seek to bring to the world the face, the witness, and the life of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your kind welcome.

SAMUEL MISIANI: [Benediction.]

ARMANDO MIRANDA, Chair
ROSCOE J. HOWARD III, Secretary
BILL BOTHE, ATHAL TOLHURST, FRED THOMAS, and CLAUDE SABOT, Proceedings Editors

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: In the interest of time we are making a quick transition. The house is still in session, and so business is in order. We are simply changing to another item on the agenda. We have listened thus far to two excellent presentations on leadership. We have the third presentation today, and Linda Koh is going to introduce the presenter.

LINDA KOH: It is my privilege this morning to introduce the speaker of this hour. Dr. Angel Rodríguez is the director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference. He is from Puerto Rico, and is very fluent in both Spanish and English.

Dr. Rodríguez comes to us with a wealth of experience. He started his work as a pastor; he has served as a professor at and president of Antillian College, as a professor at Southwestern Adventist College, and as the assistant director of the Department of Education in the Inter-American Division.

Dr. Rodríguez obtained his bachelor’s degree from Antillian College, and Master of Divinity and Doctor of Theology degrees from Andrews University. He is also a well-established author, writing in many of our Adventist publications.

[The presentation by Angel Rodríguez is recorded in Profiling Adventist Leadership. Dr. Rodríguez closed his presentation as follows:]

ANGEL RODRíGUEZ: Authority is a trust for which we are accountable to the global church and to our Lord. Modeled after Christ’s authority, ecclesiastical authority constantly aims at the care of and the sincere concern for God’s people. For the apostles, the most important thing as leaders was the building of the church, not their personal reputation and self-image. The use of ecclesiastical authority required from leaders is always to do what is good and right for the church and for the Lord. Thank you very much.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Thank you very much, Dr. Rodríguez. We now go to the questions and remarks from the floor.

JUAN R. PRESTOL: Dr. Paulsen spoke and utilized the phrase “Adventist values” and the importance of having those values prevail. Dr. Behrens spoke about integrity. Now, in light of this most recent presentation, I have a question that I wish we could have some clarification on. At times integrity, truthfulness, honesty, and sincerity are not evident in an entity; in fact, often the opposite values prevail. It becomes impossible for an individual to point out the wrongs, because deceit, dishonesty, and lack of sincerity have already become systemic. When a group of individuals create and nurture an atmosphere of corruption, and when institutionalized corruption is accepted as a way of life, what means are left to the individual seeking change?

ANGEL RODRíGUEZ: This is a very complex question. There are several things that I suppose could be done. No doubt a change in leadership is required in such a situation, and since the system is so corrupted, the next level of church administration is responsible to find ways to effect changes to the system. So the stakes are very high when leaders do not live up to what is expected from them as leaders of the church by those who entrusted that authority to them.

SAMUEL KORANTENG-PIPIM: I’d like to express my appreciation to Dr. Rodríguez for this beautiful exposition on authority. In my opinion, this is one of the finest that has been presented anywhere. My question is this: What happens when the church goes beyond the boundaries of authority and enacts doctrines, practices, or procedures that may be contrary to God’s will? What recourse is available?

ANGEL RODRíGUEZ: The church is not infallible. We don’t believe in the infallibility of the church, because the church is composed of individuals like me. And that is saying a lot. Therefore, mistakes are always possible. And that’s why we have the famous preamble to the Statement of Fundamental Beliefs that calls us from time to time to revisit the expression of our fundamental beliefs in order to make sure that they express in a very clear and concise way true biblical teaching. The problem with the question raised is How do we decide that a particular expression of a biblical truth or a particular procedure is not biblical, particularly when the Bible itself is not explicitly clear about the issue? We cannot legislate in every detail, because the Bible does allow for diversity in areas. I give you a quick example.

We have never defined the nature of Christ. And consequently the church has allowed for diversity of opinions. Why? Because of the tremendous mystery that is present there. And because the Bible does not reveal the full depth of that ministry to us, we’re looking forward to eternity to begin to understand.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Thank you for your comments. We appreciate them very much.

VALENTINE C. ONWUBUARIRI: I want to underscore the fact that if ever there was a time that we needed a series like this, it is now. But my problem is: How do we get this presentation to those who follow?

I have a suggestion, Mr. Chairman. When the first presentation was made, we were told that we are to learn by doing. I agree with that, but if we depend on learning from those who are already on the job, I’m not sure that is the best. I want to suggest that this management involves the curriculum of our colleges and universities.

A graduate becomes a pastor, and before long is elected president. That graduate is elected to positions that demand the application of management principles. But what if the graduate doesn’t know them? I suggest that students be introduced to management programs.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Thank you for your observations. These proceedings are being recorded so that your recommendations and suggestions can be evaluated and utilized.

SAL N. OKWUBUNKA: Authority is something that is passed on to an individual; it is a skill. And often those who are charged with authority transfer authorities to someone else. Pastors in churches transfer authorities to elders. Some of the elders are educated, and some are not. Imagine how somebody who is not educated will perform. That person will feel on top of the world.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Permit me to interrupt you. Could you finalize your presentation?

SAL N. OKWUBUNKA: Is it possible to get this material disseminated to all the people?

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Thank you. Let’s go to microphone 3. What you say is very important, so please use your time efficiently.

RENEE SKEETE: Mr. Chairman, I read this paper very closely last night and was saddened by the division between what was presented here and the way we often make our presentations; I’m thinking specifically of our dealings with the twenty-eighth fundamental belief.

I am addressing the issues on page 54. In order to stem corruption, perhaps our leaders should examine not only themselves and the motivation behind their administrative style but also the reason they are pastors. I am still unsophisticated enough to believe that ministers are called and that this is not merely a profession. And perhaps keeping that in perspective will help with corruption issues.

I would like to end on a very debatable note. Perhaps it is time that our church should consider returning a pastor to the field after 10 years in any administrative office. Thank you.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Thank you for your observations.

HAKEEM SMITH: Mr. Chairman, this is indeed a very engaging paper, and I thank the presenter, Dr. Rodríguez.

I’m interested in the subject of diversity in the church and how we handle it. On page 54 of your paper you said, in paraphrasing the idea therein, “Diversity is subservient to unity.” But when one looks at such passages in the Bible as Romans 12,

1 Corinthians 12, and especially Ephesians 4, it seems to me that diversity comes before unity. And I want to believe that it is the way we handle diversity within the church, the local church or world church, that matters, and I believe that if we effectively handle diversity within the church, it leads naturally to unity.

Because Ephesians 4:13 says (after presenting the various gifts in the church), “Till we all come to the unity of the faith,” I contend that diversity comes first.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Thank you for the observation.

ANGEL RODRíGUEZ: I agree with you. Diversity comes first. I stated that diversity is natural. Unity is something that you have to go after in the context of diversity.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Thank you.

JOHN L. WANI: Mr. Chairman, when the presenter came to the microphone, he announced that the topic was a difficult one, and I think it is true. We are here in a session of the General Conference, the world body that governs the church, and I read here the challenges that Dr. Rodríguez presented, and it says, in part, “Authority should always be accompanied by the authoritative presence of a life fully consecrated to the Lord.” And he also says, “A second challenge leaders confront is that of balancing local needs with the needs of the global church.”

Again he says, “In such cases the authority Christ entrusted to the church would have been surrendered to the pressures of interest groups, and could threaten the unity that leaders would be attempting to preserve and nurture.” And fourth: “Personal agendas are often promoted by individuals from outside the organizational structure of the church, through the creation of parallel organizational structures that compete with the appointed leaders for the attention of the world church.” Mr. Chairman, these statements are a bit unfortunate in a way, because if they are within the Adventist Church, then we are in great trouble. But definitely they are there.

Now, Mr. Chairman, there are many of us, leaders of the church, delegates to this session, who have observed that there are diverse activities in some areas, even here. I don’t know what the leadership of the General Conference and leaders on other levels are going to do about such persons. In such situations the church is requested to pray, which I believe is good. We have to pray and consult with the Holy Spirit to give us guidance how to approach certain issues, but I believe there are times that the church needs to act. Mr. Chairman, what do we say about groups of people who divert attention of members into different thinking and different activity from the established authority of the church?

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Dr. Rodríguez, would you like to speak to this?

ANGEL RODRíGUEZ: Yes, let me make a comment. One of the responsibilities of church leaders is to protect the message given to the church. You remember that triad that I mentioned? Mission, Message, Unity. That’s one of the responsibilities of leaders. And by leaders we’re not limiting this term to the General Confer­ence, the division, the union, the conference leaders, or the mission leaders. We’re talking about pastors.

We’re talking also about church elders. And that requires from all of them a clear understanding of the message of the Bible, of the church, and the courage in the love of Christ. It also requires kindness and love to protect church members from the deception of those who want to work within the church while not supporting the message and the mission of the church.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Thank you.

BRICE SAINTIL: First of all, I would like to congratulate Dr. Rodríguez for his presentation. This topic is very, very important. And yesterday we talked about values and integrity, which appears once more in his presentation. I think that I would recommend that all the leaders here today make plans to integrate these values into our education system. When I say education system, I mean at all levels of the learning and teaching process-from the beginning up to the university.

And there might be some who misunderstood your presentation, Dr. Rodríguez, when you said that once decisions are made by the global church, ecclesiastical leaders are entrusted with the authority to implement the will of the church in their respective areas of the world. I believe that leaders are not there just to implement the decisions of the church. Leaders are also there to have dreams, to invent, to be creative. They have to mobilize the followers in the mission of the church. I think they are not there just to sit down and implement; they are supposed to be creative, too.

There is another point that I would like to make relating to the fourth challenge to leaders. Leaders also face the challenge of attempts to usurp the power by well-intended individuals within the church. This might be a problem. Sometimes there are leaders that are in fear of losing their power. But someone who has leadership needs to encourage and to promote other people to become leaders too, because we are leaders today, but our followers will be tomorrow.

When we fear of losing our power, we can become authoritative without exercising our authority. That’s another deviation, another challenge for our leaders. Thank you very much for your attention.

ANGEL RODRíGUEZ: I fully agree with the speaker, and when I address the issue of usurping authority I am thinking that church leaders will prepare leaders to handle such situations.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: We have eight minutes more. I am hoping we can take at least two speakers in those eight minutes.

PETER COUSINS: Allow me also to express my appreciation for the inclusion of this segment in the General Conference session. My spirit and confidence rose as Elder Paulsen introduced this long-overdue subject into our business session.

My concern today clusters around our strong cognitive emphasis. It has been said that the longest journey is the journey between the head and the heart. This is a journey that in my view we have only just begun. It seems to me that we poorly understand the relationship between authority, control, and power and the unity of the church. My concern, Mr. Chairman, is that our fervency for the purity of the message and mission of the church is sometimes precisely that which threatens to destroy our unity. This in turn impacts the power and integrity of our mission.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: Thank you very much.

CYNTHIA TUTSCH : I would like to express appreciation to Dr. Rodríguez for this very important, even urgent, document on authority, particularly in today’s context. We should not allow ethnic, gender, or racial discrimination to ignore a segment of the global church or to conclude that others have little to offer to the global community of faith. Many times in various aspects of church governance the youth are left out. In view of the crisis that faces our church in this earth’s last hour I think it is very important that no hand be stayed, no voice stilled, that could engage in evangelism and service and leadership. But not only should these voices not be stilled; I think it is imperative that leaders should intentionally provide opportunities for leadership that are ethnic-, gender-, racial-, and also age-inclusive.

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE: We want you to know that your observations, your questions, are all greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, the time restraints prevent us from having as broad a discussion as we would like. If you have recommendations or suggestions that you would like us to look at, please give them to me so that we might utilize them in our preparation and development of future plans.

Our time is now expired. We appreciate your involvement and your participation in these discussions. And thanks again to Dr. Rodríguez for his presentation. [Applause.] I now declare the meeting adjourned until this afternoon. I ask you to stand for the benediction.

SARA DE BULLON: [Benediction in Portuguese.]

HAROLD W. BAPTISTE, Chair
BILL BOTHE, ATHAL TOLHURST,
FRED THOMAS, and CLAUDE SABOT, Proceedings Editors

Eighth Business Meeting Actions
58th General Conference Session, July 5, 2005, 9:30 a.m.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT #6
VOTED, To approve the following partial report of the Nominating Committee:

General Conference