Twelfth Business Meeting

58th General Conference session, July 7, 2005, 9:30 a.m.

HOWARD FAIGAO: [Welcomed the delegates.]

[Prayer was offered.]

ANDREW JABAGAT: [Sang "People Need the Lord."]

TED N. C. WILSON: We welcome each of you to the business session of the morning, and we very much want to thank Andrew Jabagat for that beautiful rendition. If there ever was a time in which we need our Lord and His power in our lives, it is right now as we come close to His second coming. In fact, as we begin, we are going to take a moment to spend just a period of time in reflection on what happened in London just a few hours ago. It's a reminder of the situation and the times in which we live.

We have a statement that the General Conference Communication Department is releasing. We have asked Elder Cecil Perry, the president of the British Union, to pray after we read this statement. We want our brothers and sisters, and all in London and in that portion of the world, to remember that we have deep sympathy and are in tune with the very difficult situation that they are facing. This is the statement: "On behalf of all of us attending the fifty-eighth session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church here in St. Louis we would like to express our shock and horror at the mindless acts of terror, brutality, and extremism seen in London today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and bereaved. We are living in an increasingly unstable and dangerous world.

"We recognize that there are those who mistakenly see violence as the way to promote their cause, claiming that their cause is absolute and that the taking of lives is fully justified. Seventh-day Adventists are people of peace and compassion. Our Lord is the Lord of peace. As a people we unequivocally condemn violence as a solution. Churches in southern England are currently open for special prayer, and the Advent Center, close to one of the explosions in central London, is remaining open to care for the needs of those in the area. The church is in contact with hospital chaplains in the area, providing support as needed. Sadly, we live in a world in which these atrocities continue to happen. It is a sign of the times in which we live, but even within the context of sorrow we thank God for the hope that He gives to all who believe. We look forward to a time when Jesus returns, and sin, death, and suffering are no more.

I would ask that all of us, in sympathy and solidarity with those who have been greatly afflicted by this situation, stand in prayer as Elder Perry leads us.

CECIL PERRY: [Offered prayer.]

TED N. C. WILSON: Thank you very much, Elder Perry.

EUGENE HSU: It is my great pleasure to read to you a fax message of greetings from the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and the China Christian Council, the governing body of the Protestant Chinese churches in China.

"To the delegates to the fifty-eighth session of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists: Thank you for your kind invitation to attend your session, and we intended to send a colleague to do that, but we regret that because of the visa problem he was not able to be there in person. Sabbathkeeping Christians, together with all other Christians in China, have been given full religious freedom and are now living joyful, religious lives and managing their church affairs based on the principles of independence and self-government.

"We believe that following the principles of loving one's country and one's church and maintaining mutual respect for unity within the Christian church and the unity between Christians, people in society will be strengthened day by day. May your session, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, achieve great success and contribute to the healthy development of Christianity as well as to the peace of the world. Elder G. G. Huong, chairman, Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee, and the Reverend Tsao Ging, president of the Chinese Christian Council." [Applause.]

TED N. C. WILSON: Thank you very much, Pastor Hsu.

We will now proceed to our items of business, and we will first recognize a point of order.

PAUL PETERSEN: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to appeal to the chair or the organizers that we be given more time for business during the remainder of the session. I think that a lot of delegates feel under pressure, and I think that is unfortunate. I would like to suggest that the business session be extended to 12:30 p.m. today and tomorrow. Thank you for considering this.

TED N. C. Wilson: Thank you, Brother Petersen. We appreciate your suggestion, which has already been somewhat reviewed this morning, in a special committee. I think that we are going to try to provide as much opportunity as possible. It is a privilege to work with you as a group, and I don't want you to feel that we are rushing you, but we do need to move ahead in as expeditious a fashion as possible.

We would like to move to the item that yesterday was still in discussion. It is an item having to do with term of office for the president. The minutes of the session reflect that the motion was made to refer the item back to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee. I think we ought to try to bring that to a vote, if possible. Before we do that, I would like to ask Elder Gerry Karst to make a statement regarding the actual process that has taken place in looking at this item in the recent past.

GERRY D. KARST: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Items of this nature that arise out of a session are dealt with through a process that I will try to explain for you. A recommendation from the previous 2000 session that consideration be given to imposing a term limit of two consecutive terms of service for the General Conference president was referred to the standing Constitution and Bylaws Committee, which meets between sessions.

That committee met and considered it; the request was thoroughly discussed. The recommendation from that committee was that a term limit not be approved. This recommendation was discussed by a number of other groups, and finally it came to a meeting of the General Conference Executive Committee, here in St. Louis, two days before the session. That body also rejected the concept of term limits, and so that is the way the recommendation now comes to the body of the session.

TED N. C. WILSON: Thank you very much, Elder Karst, and I think we need to go ahead and deal with the motion that has been made to refer this item to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.

We will call for a vote, unless there is any other discussion. You understand that what you are voting on is to refer this item back to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.

[The chairman called for the vote, but it was too close to call. Delegates were asked to stand with their voting cards. The consensus at the platform was that the motion to refer was lost.]

We are now back to the main motion that is before us, and that is to accept the report that has been brought. Is there any discussion on that?

Just remember that we are now looking at the actual suggestion not to do anything to the constitution. So if you're not in favor of not doing anything, you're going to vote against the motion that is on the floor. If you are comfortable with it, you're going to be voting in favor.

BERTHOLD H. STICKLE: Mr. Chairman, fellow delegates, I believe that not doing anything is not a kind thing to do. It is very difficult and painful sometimes to tell a fellow worker that it is time not to continue. It is much easier if we have a policy in place that eliminates some of that pain. It is also painful at times and difficult for one to accept that the time has come to step down. I am against the painful proposal of not doing anything.

TED N. C. WILSON: Thank you.

CARMELITO GALANG, JR.: I favor having a term limit for the position of the president.

TED N. C. WILSON: Thank you.

CLEMENT J. ARKANGELO: This is my first time to attend a General Conference session. I have listened to many things in admiration. I've listened to statements that young people should be promoted and brought into leadership. But my observation seems to indicate that the incumbents continue to serve. So there needs to be a way to promote bringing new blood into the system.

TED N. C. WILSON: Thank you very much. Before we vote on this, I'm going to turn to Elder Karst to make another statement as chairman of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.

GERRY D. KARST: I would like to remind the delegates that when we come together in session, those in elected office no longer have a job. It is the responsibility of the Nominating Committee and this body to choose to reelect them or to find others to fill the positions. I would also like to remind you that we operate differently from an outside government or corporation. We believe in the presence and the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit. And since we elect people for only a five-year term, it's within the hands of this body to determine whether they want them to continue. And so I would be reluctant to see the body impose limits that might hinder the direction that the Holy Spirit might move us at some future time.

TED N. C. WILSON: Thank you, Elder Karst. We are going to take a vote right now to see if you would like to continue debate. If you would like to end the debate at this time, it's going to take two thirds of this body to agree to do that.

[A motion to end debate was voted.]

HARLIN ABAYON: I am raising a point of order, Mr. Chairman, because if my memory does not betray me, under parliamentary proceedings a motion must be worded in the positive. In order for the proper understanding of the delegates and for us to be able to vote properly, my suggestion is that this be worded in the positive. Therefore, I move that the present provision of the constitution that has no term limit for the president remain as is.

TED N. C. WILSON: Your suggestion is a good one because it makes it very clear. I don't think the suggestion of rewording has any negative affect on the original intent.

[The motion to amend the original motion was seconded and voted. The amended motion was also seconded and voted, thus rejecting the idea of a term limit.]

JULIAN MELGOSA: I am with the General Conference. I have appreciated the rules of order that have been given to us, and I think that they have proved very useful in our process. However, I think that they can be improved.

I believe that incorporating something about limiting the number of times that a single delegate can speak throughout the business sessions would be useful, as well as specifying an overall time. I think that this would enlarge and enhance participation and would help the speakers to focus on what is truly important to them.

Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I would like to move that we refer the Rules of Order to the appropriate committee so that this matter could be addressed.

[Motion was seconded and voted.]

TED N. C. WILSON: Let's move ahead to discuss the item Growing in Christ. You should have the revised statement.

ANGEL RODRÍGUEZ: Thank you. Tuesday afternoon the committee met with a rather small number of people who wanted give us their input and concerns. I want to express my appreciation to those who came to talk to us. There was a wonderful spirit and desire to work together, and I want to acknowledge that before all the delegates.

We prayed together in some instances, and after the interviews ended, the committee prayed together, and we began to work on the statement. We made two additions and one main deletion.

You have it in front of you, and I'm going to ask Elder Johnsson to read the changes.

WILLIAM G. JOHNSSON: Mr. Chairman, there are just two changes, in the first sentence and in the last. The first sentence begins, "By His death on the cross." Before, it began: "By His cross." So just three words were added.

The last sentence now reads: "His constant presence with us through the Spirit transforms every moment and every task into a spiritual experience." A little longer, but the word sanctifies is being replaced by transformed, so that is quite an important point to some of the folks who came before us. These are the changes, Mr. Chairman.

ANGEL RODRÍGUEZ: Mr. Chairman, I move that these amendments be accepted. [Motion was seconded.]

TED N. C. WILSON: We have a number of people listed here for speaking; we hope we can move quickly on this.

PAUL PETERSEN: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I stand to speak in favor of this motion. In the light of the previous conversation, I just want to add a few comments.

It is a theological statement, and theology has two meanings: first, theology asks what God has revealed about Himself in His Word. Second, theology also means the way we speak together with each other about God. Now, I would appeal to you to remember that we are to prove and argue and teach our fundamental beliefs from the Bible. When we do so, I want you then to consider the concerns that some have about how we phrase our theology when we encounter, for instance, Muslims and Jews. There are areas of the world where holy flesh theology is very strong.

Some tend to twist whatever we say into whatever they want. We have charismatic triumphalists who say that when we are converted, there is no problem anymore.

Now, I commend the committee for its willingness to listen and to accommodate. I want to have us leave here in unity-united in the Word of God, in His revelation and theology. Let us then, when we as fallible human beings speak together about God, be sensitive to the way that different cultures and groups understand our words. But please, let us not be afraid to continue to speak with each other about God, not even in this setting and listening to the ways that other people understand and phrase our beliefs. Thank you.

TED N. C. WILSON: Thank you, Dr. Petersen, and could I ask that we make our comments very brief.

[Several delegates, including Bradley Kemp, William Johnsson, Angel Rodríguez, and John Testerman, spoke to the main motion. A motion to refer was made but not approved.]

TED N. C. WILSON: I feel bad about this, but we are five minutes over our time, and I wish we could have brought this to a vote, but I think we are going to have to hold this until the next business session. We have about six people standing to make speeches, and we do not want to deprive them of that opportunity. We are simply going to have to wait until the next business session.

[Extreme frustration over the discussion's being extended over many business sessions was expressed.]

JONATHAN GALLAGHER: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. My presentation is very brief. It is my delight and my honor to welcome among us three individuals who have done some very great work in the area of public affairs and religious liberty. They are delegates here, and I do hope that they are here on the floor. The first is the Honorable Jeannot Raberson, from Madagascar.

If he is here, could he please stand? He should be over in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division delegation. Thank you for standing, sir. He is the parliamentarian to the Equality of Genders, Children, and Youth Commission. He is a senator for Madagascar, vice president in charge of public relations and legal affairs, and a deputy in the Pan-African parliament. We are delighted you are here with us, sir. Thank you for the good work you are doing not only on behalf of your country but also on behalf of religious freedom, human rights, and the Adventist Church.

We also want to recognize Gyang Buba, the controller general of Nigeria. He is presently in the Nominating Committee. Please pass on to him our very best wishes and our appreciation. As controller general he is the highest rank in the customs office of Nigeria, and he has been very helpful in some very sensitive areas and with relations with the head of state. Thank you so much.

And we also have among us Congressman Harlin Abayon, from the Philippines. He is in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division delegation. Congressman Abayon has done a great deal to support the whole concept of religious freedom and human rights, especially as this relates to Adventist concerns.

He was able to introduce a law permitting Adventists in the Philippines to take their exams on a day other than the Sabbath. Thank you, sir, for that kind of work. His most recent intervention has been on behalf of some of the representatives of the 1000 missionary movement from Korea who came into the Philippines and were deported. He made a very special intervention, and it led to the opening of the doors of the country to 33 Korean missionary volunteers to enter the Philippines. We thank you, sir, for safeguarding that privilege of freedom of speech and religious liberty. We appreciate your help, and trust you will long continue in our regard. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

ELEONORA CENTOVA: [Closing prayer.]

TED N. C. WILSON, Chair
VERNON B. PARMENTER, Secretary
BILL BOTHE, ATHAL TOLHURST,
FRED THOMAS, and CLAUDE SABOT, Proceedings Editors

Twelfth Business Meeting Actions
July 7, 2005, 9:30 a.m.

TERM OF OFFICE FOR PRESIDENT-GENERAL CONFERENCE CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS AMENDMENT-REQUEST
VOTED, To not refer back to the Session Constitution and Bylaws Committee the item, Term of Office for President-General Conference Constitution and Bylaws Amendment- Request.

GENERAL CONFERENCE RULES OF ORDER-REVIEW
VOTED, To request the General Conference during the next quinquennium to review the General Conference Rules of Order, in particular to the length of time allowed for discussion on a particular item, and how many times a delegate may actually speak to motions during the session.

GROWING IN CHRIST-ADDITION TO THE STATEMENT OF FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS
VOTED, To not refer back to the ad hoc committee the item, Growing in Christ-Addition to the Statement of Fundamental Beliefs.

GROWING IN CHRIST-ADDITION TO THE STATEMENT OF FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS
There was discussion on the item, Growing in Christ-Addition to the Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. It will be brought back to the floor at the afternoon business session.