ALFRED C. MC CLURE: I want to welcome you this morning; I�m glad to see that so many are involved in the business sessions as well as the devotional periods.

As we begin this morning I would like to take time to remind you that there are some very important days that we have been celebrating. Sabbath, July 1, was Canada Day, a special day for the nation in which we find ourselves, the great nation of Canada.

Yesterday was United States Independence Day, July 4, and a lot is made of that in that nation.

Today is another very special day. You may not be aware of that. I am not sure that it is a national holiday anywhere that is of particular importance this morning, but it is a special day to a very important figure in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Today is the birthday of Elder Neal Wilson, and it is a very special birthday, his eightieth. Elder, would you please stand?

[Delegates sang �Happy Birthday� to Elder Wilson.]

A remarkable man, one whom we all love and who has served this church for most of those 80 years. His father was a leader in the church; Elder and Mrs. Wilson have served the church in many capacities internationally, as well as being our General Conference president. So, Elder, we want to wish you the very best of birthdays and many, many more.

There is another item of business that we need to care for before we return to our agenda. The Nominating Committee has another report.

NIELS-ERIK ANDREASEN: Yesterday, you remember, we brought a recommendation to you and you voted it. The recommendation was to refer the election of general field secretaries to Annual Council. Several people have asked us what this means for these persons between now and Annual Council time. The General Conference policy manual has made provision for just such a thing. These field secretaries do remain in General Conference office until the time of the Annual Council. And now the secretary of the committee will read the new names.

DELBERT BAKER: For the position of treasurer of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division I move we accept the name of R. Martin Moores. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of secretary of the Euro-Asia Division I move the name of Michael F. Kaminsky. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of treasurer of the Euro-Asia Division I move the name of Guilleimo Baiggi. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries Department I move the name of Richard Stenbakken. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Children�s Ministries Department I move the name of Virginia L. Smith. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Communication Department I move the name of Rajmund Dabrowski. [Motion was seconded and voted.]

For the position of director of the General Conference Education Department I move the name of Humberto M. Rasi. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Health Ministries Department I move the name of Allan R. Handysides. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of secretary of the General Conference Ministerial Association I move the name of James A. Cress. [Motion was seconded and voted.]

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: We are back to the agenda. We are in the midst of a discussion of item 487, beginning on page 231 of the agenda book. Before we resume our discussion of this item, the chair needs to remind you that there is a motion before us to adopt this proposal. That motion has been seconded. So we are in the discussion phase of this action. The chair should also remind you that yesterday we voted a two-minute time limit on those who go to the microphone. Also, please remember that while it is important that we have opportunity to have open and free discussion, we should do our best to avoid repetition. Again, before we go to the microphone, I have asked Lowell Cooper, the chair of the Church Manual Committee, who brought this proposal before us, to make a statement about where we are and how we need to proceed.

LOWELL C. COOPER: If I transgress the two-minute limit, I beg your forgiveness. I would begin by saying that while Dr. Veloso and I have had the privilege of working with the Church Manual Committee, the document that is before us is not a Church Manual Committee document. It is here as a document of the General Conference Executive Committee. The Church Manual Committee has been the servant of the General Conference Executive Committee and is continuing in that capacity here at this session.

We would like to make a couple observations and then hopefully draw us back to the large picture. I noticed yesterday that there were some concerns on theology that were referred to in the document before us. I fear that we are heading into some difficult waters if we attempt to import all theological positions into this document. I would appeal to the body to let the document speak to the issue at hand. When a musician plays the piano, he or she does not play all the keys on the piano, even though they are there. And so I am rather concerned that we avoid trying to do theology here in this document, particularly theology that relates to other positions expressed or unexpressed by the church.

Second, I want to cover a point that has been implied in a number of the speeches, and that is the matter of legislation in the church. I understand and accept the statements that have been made that the Holy Spirit is able to speak to a local church concerning some delicate issues. But I am wondering if the Holy Spirit speaks only in small groups. Is it possible that there are times that the Holy Spirit speaks to the collective body and that the body also has a right to speak? The issues that we are dealing with here are often extremely divisive in a local church. They can threaten the existence of the local church. Is there not then a place for church order? Is there not an opportunity for a local church, in the throes of these highly polarized and intense and volatile issues, to receive counsel from the world church? I would appeal to the body to think of the Holy Spirit�s role in the responsibility that we have in being a world church. Discipline is always hard. And I think that part of our difficulty in dealing with the topic is that of discipline. It is never pleasant. And even when administered in love, it is always distasteful, it is always dangerous, it is always delicate, and yet it is also defensible.

And so I would like to draw us back to the broad picture of what is before us in this chapter, to see again what were the broad objectives of both the commission and the Church Manual Committee and the General Conference Committee in sending this document to this session. First of all, it was the intention to bring together a statement of biblical teaching and not just disciplinary procedures, as is the case in the chapter that currently exists in the Church Manual. There is something that the church needs to affirm about marriage. But there are also times when, having made affirmation, the church cannot be silent.

We have intended and attempted to use less judgmental language in this chapter. The existing chapter almost implies that in a situation of marital tension and divorce, one party is guilty and the other is innocent. But that is not always the case.

We have attempted in this chapter to acknowledge that there are situations in which divorce may be the only practical option for a couple.

We have tried in this chapter to indicate that the basis for divorce is not always the basis for remarriage. There is a difference.

We have tried to indicate in this chapter that the administration of discipline is always inadequate and incomplete without a redemptive intent. Discipline is not only to express our inability to live with a certain situation, but to reclaim, and to restore, and to bring back a situation that is in harmony with the Word of God and with human relationships.

And finally, we have attempted in this chapter to speak about ministry to families�to those preparing for marriage and to those who are in a marriage.

At the end of our discussion, at the end of our General Conference session, we need to take something home that will be of value to the church. We feel that the item that is before us represents, in several dimensions, a significant improvement over what we already have in the Church Manual.

Our appeal today would be that we look at the document in the context of these overarching objectives. If there is a need for editing, I would suggest that the matter should be referred back to the Church Manual Committee during this session. I would hope that we are not going to descend to the point of dealing with all the threads of theology that can possibly be attached to some of these statements. I would hope that by the end of the morning we can have some indication of the will of the body as to how to treat this document, and whether or not it can be helpful to the church.

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: Thank you very much, Elder Cooper, for that extremely helpful statement. I believe that�s good counsel you have given us. And I too trust that by the end of the morning we will have voted something that will help us as a church understand and deal with this very difficult issue of divorce and remarriage.

Unfortunately, at this point the chair must do something most unusual. I�m going to interrupt this discussion briefly to bring back the chair of the Nominating Committee, to correct an error that occurred in the earlier presentation.

NIELS-ERIK ANDREASEN: I would like to apologize for the mistake that was made earlier today. A wrong name was read. And now I�ll ask our secretary to present the correction.

DELBERT BAKER: By mistake we presented a name for Ministerial Association secretary earlier today. The name for that position is still to come. We now wish to present the name that should have been presented earlier. For the position of director of the General Conference Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department I move the name of John Graz. [Motion was seconded and voted.]

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: Now the chair would like to suggest that as was mentioned by Elder Cooper, and in keeping with what was agreed to as we opened this General Conference session, we deal with matters of substance by referring them back to the committee, rather than making amendments of substance on the floor.

So please keep that in mind. The chair would also like to suggest that rather than referring the matter back to committee before the entire document has been discussed, it would be best to discuss the document in its entirety, and then if there is a motion to refer, we consider that possibility at that time. With that understanding, we are going to begin the discussion at the microphones.

HENRIK INGO: I believe I have a point of order. I was waiting here all day yesterday to make a motion that relates to wording that is still three pages away from where we are now. Since you will not accept my motion at this time, please acknowledge when it will be appropriate.

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: It is appropriate to deal with moving the previous question by section. And since there has been discussion on the first section, the chair is open to the possibility of a motion to close debate, which means moving the previous question on the first section. Is that what you are doing?

HENRIK INGO: Yes, that is what I want. [Motion was seconded.]

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: This motion, to close debate, does require a two-thirds vote. So we will attempt to discern whether or not there is a two-thirds vote. If we cannot determine that, we will take a count. [Motion was voted.]

We now move to the second section, beginning on page 233, dealing with the subject of biblical teachings on divorce.

ELLIOTT OSBORNE: Since we are in the second section, there is a point I want to deal with.

LOWELL C. COOPER: We have heard the discussion; the point, I think, can have some validity. If the whole document is referred back and the Church Manual Committee wants to take this into account, we could do so. Again, it is an editorial problem that may assume a larger dimension than some of the issues we should be addressing.

MARIO VELOSO: In biblical studies it is very common to quote someone who dealt with the same issue. You quote from the Bible and then make references to other sources, and in this case it is Ellen G. White. But this is not new material being added.

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: It is being suggested that we need to go back to something that we voted earlier that was brought in from the Nominating Committee. It is the recommendation for the position of Ministerial Association secretary of the General Conference. It was voted on the floor, but not voted in the Nominating Committee before coming here. It is being suggested that that item be referred back to the Nominating Committee. The chair would request a motion to that effect. [Motion was seconded and voted.]

LESLIE POLLARD: In the document there is a conspicuous absence of the historic Seventh-day Adventist understanding of the qualifications for marriage. The notion of spiritual compatibility is absent from the document, and yet as Seventh-day Adventists we have taught incessantly throughout our history that marriage should occur between believers and other believers, and we mean within our own denomination. [He then read a prepared statement that he asked the Church Manual Committee to consider.]

MANUEL TORNILLA, JR.: I am speaking to page 234, lines 4 and 5, �Grounds for Divorce.� The Bible and Spirit of Prophecy are very clear that adultery is the only cause or ground given by God for divorce. First Corinthians 7:10-15 relates to relationships between believers and unbelievers. Spouses are going to either stay together or be separated. It does not say that the one who is left, the believer, is now given the right to divorce the unbeliever. Therefore I would make a strong recommendation to change lines 4 and 5 on page 234 so that they will be based on Scripture. Abandonment is not grounds for divorce.

HECTOR E. HERNANDEZ: I am not going to speak against or in favor of the motion, only to suggest that the whole matter be returned to the committee with instructions that the material be sent back to the field with instructions that within a specific time they discuss and return a draft of their suggestions. After working with this document for two or three years, the church would be in a better position to act on it formally.

SILVANUS CHIOMA: I want to react to the issue of abandonment. What constitutes abandonment? Some us have to leave our wives and families behind when we go for further education. I did that for four and a half years; I went to Newbold College and Andrews University. If this policy had been in force then, would the church have allowed my wife to divorce me?

LOWELL C. COOPER: I would say that these scriptural references and the assertions in the document have not been put here without consideration and without scrutiny by theologians of the church who are much more competent than I am. And this particular text did occasion a lot of discussion, but through the processes that we used, it survived in this form as contributing to this particular meaning. If the body sees otherwise, we can have it removed.

HEATHER TREDOUX: I would like to make a comment regarding the document as a whole. The impression was given yesterday that this document has to do with women�s ordination. I would like to say that it really does not have to do with women�s ordination, but purely to do with basic human rights.

LUPITA A. ARAGON: I am wondering why the Church Manual Committee did not include the fact that sexual immorality includes a range of improper sexual behavior, such as rape and sexual violence.

MARIO VELOSO: That item is properly called attention to in another part of this document. We need to emphasize that lines 4 and 5 on page 234 are talking about the biblical teachings about divorce or separation, and are not saying anything about remarriage yet. That section comes later. This quotation talks specifically about �abandonment by an unbelieving partner.� This is exactly the item that Paul is talking about in the text. Therefore, there is really no need to make any change in that particular place, because we are not dealing with remarriage.

PASSMORE HACHALINGA: I also just want to make a comment on page 234, lines 4 and 5. This deals with only certain situations. Where I come from, we have many women who are married to believers who are polygamists. This complicates matters for the wives, for the church has no control over the husbands. So we probably need to have something about such divorces. Of course, it is not a ground for remarriage, but this is a situation we are living with.

THOMAS M. QUALLS, SR.: It seems to me that when we talk about grounds for divorce, we need to look at what marriage is all about. Marriage partners are instructed to love, respect, honor, and obey. When one partner does not do this, I don�t think it�s in the church�s purview to force the other member to remain a part of that partnership. So we need to consider that when we talk about grounds for divorce.

THAINE CREITZ: I want to speak to lines 4 and 5 on page 234. Sin isn�t about just what we do; it�s also about what we don�t do. I believe that our scriptural reference here is not complete, and I would ask the committee to include the earlier parts of 1 Corinthians 7 that talk about the fact that a husband�s body belongs to the wife, and the wife�s body belongs to the husband. And that gives us some focus on what it really means to have abandonment. Abandonment may be that I refuse to provide the emotional and physical support that my spouse needs. The marriage relationship is such that no organization or person has the right to presuppose on its sanctity. It�s some of the things we don�t do that cause these problems.

RONALD BISSELL: I think part of the problem here is that while divorce is assumed to give the right for remarriage in most societies, in many countries one sometimes has to have a legal divorce in order to obtain a legal separation.

ROBERTO BADENAS: I have just a small suggestion on page 234, �Grounds for Divorce.� I think it would be good to stress the biblical reason for divorce given by Jesus, which is �pornea.� A small explanation of the broad meaning of this word would help very much and give biblical basis and clarification for the grounds for divorce.

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: This concludes the discussion on this particular section. Now a very brief section on biblical teaching on remarriage. And since the chair sees no one at the microphone to address that section, we will then move on to the next section, which is the church�s position on divorce and remarriage.

ROB FROHNE: I would like to address the brief section, entitled �Biblical Teachings on Marriage.� This section reads that there is no direct teaching regarding remarriage after divorce. In Mark 10:11, 12, and Matthew 5:31, 32, and 19:9 Jesus seems to indicate that there is some direct teaching.

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: We are ready for the next section, �The Church�s Position on Divorce and Remarriage.�

HENRIK INGO: I want to speak on the fourth section, on page 236. The section says basically that if there is repentance we should forgive the sinner, and since this is also what Jesus does, the church should also try to act in the same way. I would now like to focus on the sentence that begins on line 22: �In case the violation has brought public reproach on the cause of God, the church, in order to maintain its high standards and good name, may remove the individual from church membership even though there is evidence of repentance.� I understand that this sentence says that if we have a sinner who repents (and now in particular we are speaking of divorce), we should forgive him or her except when he or she has become the object of gossip and rumor in the secular press or media, in which case we just abandon the poor person and save ourselves. This doesn�t sound like Christian behavior. In any case, I can�t see any reason we should listen to the secular press in church membership issues, and I haven�t found any biblical support for this sentence, so I would like it to be removed.

JIM PHIRI: I don�t have problems with what we are debating now, except in what appears on page 237, lines 9 through 15. According to the Bible, the grounds for divorce are unfaithfulness to the marriage vow. I feel that the cases of physical violence shouldn�t be treated like other cases of discipline in the church. These lines should be done away with.

JUDY ST. JOHN: I am speaking to page 235, line 38. I am concerned with the word �child� in the phrase �child sexual abuse.� I would like to see that word deleted. Abuse is abuse, regardless of the age or the gender of the individual who is involved. If you read the text that is cited there, you will note that all sorts of sexual perversions are included in those verses. The marital vow is to love and to honor. In Ephesians 5:25 husbands are exhorted to love their wives as Christ loves the church. Therefore, sexual abuse such as rape within the marital relationship should be included here. Christian wives should not be subjected to rape or forced to participate in degrading sexual practices.

ELLIOTT OSBORNE: I am referring to page 237, beginning at line 35. �Readmittance to membership of those who have been removed from church membership for reasons given in the foregoing sections shall normally be on the basis of rebaptism.� If we used just the word �baptism,� it would be fine. Rebaptism, unfortunately, takes on other kinds of meanings, because we use it in different ways. Individuals who are members sometimes request rebaptism. In such cases this doesn�t alter the books or their standing; they just get wet again.

ANDREJ GODINA: I am referring to page 236, lines 20-25. How is general genuine repentance measured? Is it by the amount of crying done? Is that not judging? I think we all know what the Bible says about judgment.

HUDSON KIBUUKA: I am speaking to page 236, line 22. A previous speaker referred to the term �public reproach,� referring to the media and the newspapers. Is there a definition for this term?

LOWELL C. COOPER: Brother Chairman, I don�t think the manual has a particular definition for that term. This is not a new recommendation; it is something we have had in the manual for quite some time, and I am not quite sure when it originated. But I suppose that one of the aspects we need to keep in mind with this is that when a local church deals with the individuals involved in a marriage breakdown, particularly of the type described here, often it is not only one or two individuals who are involved.

There is a lot of collateral damage when families fall apart within the church or community. Public reproach happens not just in newspapers, but within the community of the church. I think that the intention here is to allow local churches the facility to deal with the effect on the congregation and the collateral issues related to it. There may need to be a time of healing both in the community and in the individuals that have been dealt with specifically, and this is why that phraseology is used here. It is not intended to be something that is pharisaical or a legalistic application of a procedure to two individuals. It is a recognition that we have to deal with a much larger situation.

KEITH ALBURY: I would like to seek clarification from the Church Manual Committee on section 7 of page 237, which says that a spouse who has violated the marriage vow and been divorced and removed from church membership and remarried, or a person who has been divorced on other grounds set forth in sections 1 and 2 and has remarried and been removed from church membership, shall be ineligible for membership except as hereinafter provided. I would like clarification on this section, as it relates to section 8, which talks about exceptions. And I am asking because it seems to me that this section is inconsistent with page 23, which speaks to God�s acceptance of repentant individuals who commit the most destructive sins, even those that carry with them irreparable consequences. There seems to be some inconsistency here, or we seem to be circumscribing the framework in which God�s grace is exercised.

MARIO VELOSO: There is really no inconsistency between the two sections, but I would like to highlight the word �consequences� in the first section, on page 232. There is forgiveness. There is restoration, but even with God�s best intentions to forgive and restore everyone, He never removes the consequences of the sin. In this case section 8 helps on the consequences, particularly when the new marriage involves children and the parties have been together for quite some time, and the new family seems well established.

ARTHUR RODD: I also regret that we do not have the opportunity of moving an amendment, and I hope that my comments on lines 12-15 on page 237 will be considered. I would say that after 38 years of wonderful marriage to one wife, I totally agree with our church�s effort to safeguard the beauty and sanctity of marriage. And I deplore the current state of divorce and remarriage that we find within the church. However, we are living within a world in which marriage and remarriage does take place. All who get remarried for reasons other than adultery or other sexual sins are placed, by lines 12-15, under the same discipline of being removed from church membership without giving the local church or pastor any chance of considering the circumstances.

PAUL ANANABA: I think the word �rebaptism� should be removed from line 37 on page 237. Also, sexual perversions, which I think would also include rape, should not be listed as grounds for divorce. They could be grounds for discipline in the church.

JESUS URIATE: As I read page 236, lines 22-25, I understand that some may feel the language there may sound harsh. As a legal practitioner I am faced with the fact that laws present consequences to our actions. As a Bible student I see that there are consequences to our actions. I would submit that the language here is correct language and should remain in our final draft of the document so that our church membership will understand that there are consequences to our actions and that we cannot go through life saying simply �I am sorry� and everything will remain the same. That is not what I see in the civil world; that is not what I see in the Bible. Therefore I would encourage the committee to maintain the language as it is.

EARLA SANZ: My problem is with page 237, lines 9 and 10. I have difficulty reconciling line 9 with line 10. In the minds of many women, unfaithfulness to the marriage vow includes physical violence.

MARTIN ANTHONY: I am troubled with the statement on page 237 regarding the items related to bringing back into fellowship through the conference committee rather than through the church board of the local church. It seems to me that this primarily should be a local church matter, as the local church knows the full situation involved.

GILBERT CANGY: I appreciate the need for procedures and rules to facilitate the business here. But what we have decided is now standing in the way of good business. We should have the option to review that. Therefore, I�m moving that we rescind this morning�s motion not to take recommendations from the floor.

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: I�ve been consulting with the parliamentarian. And we are faced with the problem of whether we should take such a motion and vote on it, even though we have already discussed several of the sections, or whether it would be better to refer this to the committee and allow the committee to deal with it, and bring it back for discussion at a later time. However, the chair will take the motion, and we will vote on the motion that is before us, which is to rescind the ruling of the chair and the agreement that was made at the outset of this General Conference session that we not take such issues on the floor, but that rather they be referred to committee. And this does need a two-thirds vote, according to the parliamentarian. [Motion lost.]

JOAO FELIX MONTEIOR: If we keep the document as is, has the committee considered a member�s rebaptism in another church?

RONALD BISSELL: I�d like to speak to page 236, lines 22 to 25. First Corinthians 5 suggests that there are three primary purposes for church discipline.

The order in which they are given is first, redemption or the preservation of the witness of the church; second, preservation of the purity of the church; and third, redemption and preservation of the individual.

One could wish that these could always be accomplished equally in each given situation, but that is not always possible. I think that decision can best be accomplished by the individual local church, which is as this reads now. It does not say that a church is required to remove a person from membership, but it may. So that decision is left to the individual church, and I think that is a very balanced position to take.

DAN JACKSON: Elder Cooper earlier informed us, and correctly so, that the paper that is before us today has been processed through Annual Council, which is a representative of the world church. So my comments are addressed to my church family. From the time I was a child, I was taught that the Seventh-day Adventist Church based its faith on the principle for sola scriptura. Mother never put it that way, but that is the way it is. I was taught that in Sabbath School, I was taught that at the SDA Theological Seminary. Now we come here this morning with a document in which we say that there is no direct teaching in Scripture regarding remarriage after divorce. Yet on page 237 the statement between lines 9 and 15 disallows any potential for remarriage on the part of a woman who has been violated. My challenge to my church is that if you believe in the principle of sola scriptura, put your money where your mouth is. Show me on the basis of the Scriptures that your position is biblical.

EMMANUEL MATIZA: I would like to express appreciation for the work of the committee on this paper. As a matter of fact, our church believes in committees, and this committee suggests that we need to trust one another in the work that we do.

SAUSTIN MFUNE: I want to pose a question: What is the real purpose of this document?

MARIO VELOSO: This document is an improvement on the language and an attempt to deal with the issue in a more Christian manner. As you know, the Bible is much clearer on divorce than on remarriage after a divorce.

SAUSTIN MFUNE: So the bottom line of the document is a change of language and hopefully a change of attitudes. To assure a more Christian attitude toward the problem, but not to change the biblical principles.

LOWELL C. COOPER: The document does not rest on one reason alone. As I tried to indicate earlier today, we hope that the changes proposed set a new tone and a new posture for the church in addressing a very difficult and divisive issue. It is not just language that has changed on these pages. We trust that the attitude and the position from which we approach these issues will give us a clearer understanding of how to deal with a difficult reality.

ALFRED C. MC CLURE: I�m sorry, but we are going to have to conclude this discussion. This will have to be taken up again at the afternoon session.

WEI SAN LI: [Benediction.]

ALFRED C. MC CLURE, Chair

MARIO VELOSO, Secretary

FRED G. THOMAS and BILL BOTHE, Proceedings Editors

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT #7
Voted, To approve the following partial report of the Nominating Committee:

Divisions
R. Martin Moores, Treasurer, Northern Asia-Pacific Division
Michael F. Kaminsky, Secretary, Euro-Asia Division
Guillermo Biaggi, Treasurer, Euro-Asia Division

General Conference Departments
Richard O. Stenbakken, Director, Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries
Virginia L. Smith, Director, Children�s Ministries Department
Rajmund Dabrowski, Director, Communication Department
Humberto M. Rasi, Director, Education Department
Allan R. Handysides, Director, Health Ministries Department
James A. Cress, Secretary, Ministerial Association (rescinded by action which follows)
John Graz, Director, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department

CRESS, JAMES A., SECRETARY MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION�REFERRED BACK TO NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The Chairman and Secretary of the Nominating Committee returned to the platform and apologized for having brought a name to the session for voting that had not yet been approved by the Nominating Committee. Therefore, it was

Voted, To refer back to the Nominating Committee the election of James A. Cress as Ministerial Association Secretary.

DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE�CONTINUED DISCUSSION
There was continued discussion on the Church Manual chapter concerning divorce and remarriage.

Adjourned.

Alfred C McClure, Chairman

Vernon B Parmenter, Secretary

Athal H Tolhurst, Actions Editor

Carol E Rasmussen, Recording Secretary

CYNTHIA WALKE: [Opening prayer.]

CALVIN B. ROCK: We have some special items that we will now hear.

G. RALPH THOMPSON: For a number of years Elder Larry Colburn and I have had the privilege of being members of the National Advisory Council of the American Bible Society. We meet once a year in New York City. We have very important meetings, and we are always thrilled with the news of how the American Bible Society is working around the world. I am going to call on Larry Colburn now to introduce our special guest.

LARRY R. COLBURN: It is a very special honor this afternoon to introduce to you the president of the American Bible Society, Dr. Eugene Habecker. Dr. Habecker has served as the president of the American Bible Society since 1991. We have come to know Dr. Habecker as a very personal friend, a supporter of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The American Bible Society has a mission we deeply respect and support. According to their mission statement they exist for the purpose of making the Bible available to every man, woman, and child in a language and form that each can readily understand and at a price that each can easily afford. A couple years ago Dr. Habecker visited the church headquarters office. He took time from his very busy program and came so that we might get better acquainted. He understands that the Seventh-day Adventist Church deeply values the sacred Word of God. There is a close working relationship between the American Bible Society and the United Bible Society, for in addition to being president of the American Bible Society, he is also chair of the United Bible Society global board, as well as a member of other United Bible Society committees. Before Dr. Habecker addresses the delegates, we have invited Elder Bob Rawson, treasurer for the General Conference, and Elder Juan Prestol, treasurer for the North American Division, to make a special presentation. Before they make this presentation I extend a very warm welcome to Dr. Habecker.

ROBERT L. RAWSON: Those of us who have traveled far and worked in lands across the seas have had opportunity to run into the work of the Bible Societies and the part that they have in providing Bibles in many languages to every part of the earth. We appreciate the work they have done, and there has been a close liaison between their work and that of the General Conference, North American Division, and other divisions in the world field. It has been a long tradition and one that we wish to continue this day by providing a donation check to the American Bible Society on behalf of the General Conference and the North American Division for the outstanding work they do in our behalf and the help they are to us as we work together to accommodate the need for Bibles. Dr. Habecker, we are delighted to have you with us today. Juan Prestol will present you a check for $85,000 as a donation from the General Conference and the North American Division for this worthy cause.

EUGENE HABECKER: I bring you greetings this afternoon from the 135 Bible Society members who are all part of the United Bible Societies. These Bible Societies work in 200 countries around the world. I bring you special greetings this afternoon from both the Canadian Bible Society and American Bible Society. Last year, working together, we distributed more than 600 million Scriptures around the world. We distribute more Bibles than any Bible agency in the world. We like to say that we bring hope to people, not through our works, but through the Word of God. Think about the Bible as a source of hope to people. Listen to these words from the Bible: �Thou art my hiding place and my shield. I hope in thy word� (Ps. 119:114). And the Scriptures �were written for our learning, that we . . . might have hope� (Rom. 15:4).

The ABS, as do all Bible Societies, regularly launches new projects, and one that we have just launched, that hopefully you will hear more about later on, is the African-American Jubilee Bible�300 pages of supplemental material and artwork that tell the story of the African-American community in the United States. Kingsley Meadow is a video series for younger children that teaches them the Bible through stories and music. We often forget that the Bible is foundational for the work of the church. There is first the Word, then there are converts, then we have the church. Sometimes we make the Word a low priority; when we do, churches struggle. We also have to remember that Scripture is not merely the words of people, but the Word of God. As a result, God uses the Word in special ways to accomplish its purposes. Listen to these words from 2 Timothy 3: �All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness� (verse 16). And one of my favorite words from the Lord is Isaiah 55:11: �So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper on the thing whereto I send it.�

Last year the Bible Societies were unable to provide more than 30 million Scriptures from around the world. And that is repeated every year. And this year we hope to launch a $90 million campaign in addition to everything else that we are doing to help close this gap between those who seek the Scriptures and those who can provide them.

In addition to Scripture distribution, Bible Societies do Bible translation. We are the second-largest Bible translation agency in the world. Do you know that two thirds of the world�s language groups still have no part of the Word of God in their heart language? That�s a tragedy. It�s a tragedy that all of us need to do more about, and it�s my pleasure to work with groups like the Seventh-day Adventists, to help address this goal. It is my pleasure to help meet Scripture needs, especially in the United States and around the world. We encourage people to get into the Word for themselves. Have you ever thought about how daunting the Bible itself might be to the average reader? When was the last time you read a 1,500-page book for pleasure? And oftentimes people out there don�t know how to read the Bible. �Do I start at the beginning?� You can imagine a person out there taking this 1,500-page book and starting in Genesis (yes, there are some cool stories there), then moving on to Exodus (some cool stories there), and then getting into Leviticus, and Numbers, and before long simply putting it back on the shelf. The Bible Society has developed a five-minutes-a-day reading program to help the typical person read through just the New Testament. Think about it, a reading plan to have every person in your church and in your community read through the New Testament, spending only five minutes a day. Each day everyone would be reading the same thing. Some communities have had the Scripture read over radio stations; others have had the Scripture printed in the newspaper. The result is transformed lives, transformed families, and yes, transformed churches. When you get into the Word and the Word gets into you, it will change your life. I want to read one letter from a pastor. He said it this way: �Having the New Testament available this year with a daily reading guide in it prompts me to give these out in my church for people to use in their own devotions or to share with others. I have had numerous reports back that this hs prompted people who have not read the Bible before to read it.� And people are even doing devotionals at their workplace for their employees. The Word never comes back void. Thank you for your efforts to make this possible. Today I want to challenge each of you, if you are not already doing so, to get into the Scriptures daily for yourselves. The Bible Society stands ready to work with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, not only to provide help to do this, but in other ways as well. Thank you, my brothers and sisters, for the privilege of partnering with all of you, and thank you for the many ways you support Bible Societies all over the world. God bless you all.

CALVIN B. ROCK: Thank you, and now we have another presentation. We are honored by the presence of other guests. Dr. Beach and his associate in Public Affairs and Religious Liberty will make the presentations.

B. B. BEACH: Today we have two distinguished observers representing very important world bodies, and they are husband and wife. We are delighted to have in our midst this afternoon Bishop Terence Finlay, who is the bishop of the Anglican Church here in Toronto, which is the largest diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. He is the tenth bishop here in Toronto, and since he became bishop he has spent quite a bit of time fostering good relations with other churches. There is one thing about him that I like�he is the son of a minister, and I am a son of a minister. We are often told that sons of ministers are bad boys. Here we have a bishop, so not all of us turn out bad, and I am happy for that. We first met at the Lamberth Conference in Canterbury in 1998. I am delighted to have him here to give a few words of greetings to us. Please welcome the bishop of Toronto.

TERENCE FINLAY: Mr. Chairman, friends in Christ, on behalf of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, which covers some 10,000 square miles, I am grateful to have this privilege of welcoming you to our diocese and to this city. Our prayer is that your meetings are fruitful and that the Spirit of God is in your midst and is carrying you forward in the mighty work that you are doing. I bring you greetings from approximately 90,000 Anglicans who are on our parish roles. I hope your meetings have sensed the great Spirit moving in your midst. I bring greetings not only from our diocese but also on behalf of the worldwide Anglican Communion. And so I join with them in welcoming you and praying that the Spirit of Jesus Christ may move in the midst of all of us as we seek to be His servants in this world. Thank you, and I present on behalf of the Anglican Communion two small tokens of our appreciation to Dr. Beach and to his staff and to all of you, which we hope will be a symbol of our work together with Jesus Christ. God bless you.

B. B. BEACH: Thanks to Bishop Finlay for his kind words. Now we are happy to present to you, Mrs. Alice Jean Finlay, who is a member of the central committee of the World Council of Churches. She has come here representing the World Council, but also she is the world president of the World Day of Prayer. She has a letter to present to us from Dr. Conrad Riser, who is the general secretary of the World Council of Churches and has been an old friend with whom some of us have been associated for more than 30 years. So please, Mrs. Finlay, we are happy to listen to you.

ALICE JEAN FINLAY: May I first bring personal greetings to all of you and say how much I have enjoyed meeting Seventh-day Adventists on the subway system here in Toronto. I have had lovely conversations, and it has been a pleasure to get to know you, especially the women from Mexico and the Philippines. I promised them that I would wave today.

I now want to bring greetings to you on behalf of the World Council of Churches, in particular Dr. Conrad Riser, who is the general secretary. He greets you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he opens with a piece from Scripture: �Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God� (1 Peter 1:21, NIV). He goes on to say, �The meeting of the fifty-seventh General Conference session of your church on this young continent is taking place on the threshold of the third millennium of the birth of our Lord and Saviour. The timing implies that it will be a moment of renewed commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ. We have been aware of the desire of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to promote Christian understanding. . . . We have heard . . . reports about the commitments of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to bring the gospel to the world. We pray that this gathering of delegates, guests, visitors, staff, and volunteers from all around the world will be an occasion of thanksgiving for the redemptive gift of mercy and love that we receive through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We also pray that it will be an occasion to affirm what binds us as Christian brothers and sisters. More than ever we need to find together our common gifts as Christians to promote peace and justice in this divided world. We hope that this gathering will strengthen you in your faith, in your interchurch relations. Hope is the fuel of our Christian lives as we wait for the return of our Saviour. With our brotherly love, yours in Christ.� God bless you all, and God bless your deliberation.

CALVIN B. ROCK: Thank you very much for gracing us with your presence and your words, and thank you, gentlemen, for the presentation of these our guests. God bless you. We appreciate your presence.

Now, delegates, we will resume the business that we have been treating for the past few days. I would like to ask your attention to the business at hand as we now turn our minds this way to some observations and hopefully gain your cooperation and understanding with regard to procedure.

Elder McClure and I have done some consulting, along with our parliamentarian, Attorney Carson, and others. And we have sought to analyze where we are and how we can get to where we hope to go. [The chair then outlined the procedural problems that had been encountered in the morning, apologizing for any misunderstandings that may have resulted. He further made suggestions as to how the afternoon session might be conducted in order to facilitate discussion and possible actions that might result. There were numerous suggestions from the floor based on the chair�s observations; a lengthy discussion followed.] I just want you to be aware of where you are and ask you to make a decision as to how you want to get to some sort of logical conclusion. Now I am going to ask that we proceed with a motion.

HENRIK INGO: I move that we adopt what I believe was the first option suggested by the chair.

CALVIN B. ROCK: The motion is that this report from the Church Manual Committee be referred back to it, and that we continue our discussions, knowing that all observations will be relayed to them for their attention. And you have heard Dr. Veloso say that this may result in sending the recommendation to all the divisions, so that when we come together in 2005 every division will have had a chance to study it. Now, that�s not a part of your motion. I�m just suggesting that that�s probably one way the committee will proceed if you approve the motion. Did I get the essence of your motion?

HENRIK INGO: I had understood from the morning that we would still get something back during this session before we leave Toronto. If this is not the case, then I withdraw my motion.

BRIAN BULL: Now the motion, as I understand it, is to accept the document as proposed by the Church Manual Committee. I would like to amend the motion to state that any additional amendments, which I take it are now in order, would be limited to no more than 10 discussants. And at the end of those 10 discussions the chair will take a sense of the assembled delegates, and if two thirds are ready to vote, then the chair will call for a vote on that amendment. If the delegates are not yet ready, then another 10 be allowed to speak. [Amendment was seconded.]

GILBERT CANGY: I strongly support the amendment and letting the church now have a say in the process.

JOHN FOWLER: I speak against the motion. It�s too cumbersome, and by the end of the discussion we still may not conclude the matter. There are weighty theological matters being raised by way of amendments, and these require serious study, as has been noted by many speakers before. So I would like to suggest that we defeat this amendment and refer the document back to the committee, along with our suggestions.

ROGER DUNDER: I would like to second what the speaker just prior to me has echoed. I feel that this is a very serious issue. The consequences are great, and at this stage, with the confusion that seems to be reigning here, I don�t think that we are in a position to give it proper study. And I fear that we�re going to come up with things in that document that may prove an embarrassment to us down the road. I really would urge us to vote down this amendment.

LASSEW RAELLY: I speak against the motion on the floor right now. Besides the many reasons that have been given by the two previous speakers, I would like to remind us that because of the nature of the activity this afternoon, quite a few of us are not present. I would support referral back to the Church Manual Committee, so I�m speaking against the motion.

CALVIN B. ROCK: The chair is going to ask that we vote. The motion is that we proceed amending the document as necessary as we prepare to vote it up or down at this session. [The chair called for the vote and ruled that the motion was defeated.]

PETER ROENNFELDT: I move that we refer this back to the Church Manual Committee. [Motion was seconded.]

CALVIN B. ROCK: Are there any questions about that motion now before we vote? [A number asked for clarification of the motion.]

We have a friend of mine and a friend of Adventism and a senator in the great country of Canada who is waiting to speak to us. I don�t want to rush you, but I want you to meet her. She is a very special person, and she is going to be brought on in just a moment.

Now, the motion is that we refer this document to the Church Manual Committee, anticipating that they will bring it back to the world church in 2005 and that between now and then they will do diligence in whatever is appropriate to see that the world church itself has had a chance to comment on this. [The motion was voted.]

That puts us back on track, at least to where we can proceed in an orderly way, knowing where we are headed. We will see how far we can get.

Now we have a very delightful presentation to be made, and we will call upon Dr. Bert Beach.

B. B. BEACH: Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to welcome into our midst a distinguished member of the Canadian Senate who was appointed by the governor-general back, I think, in 1984. She has something very much in common with our previous General Conference secretary. They both come from the beautiful island of Barbados.

By wonderful coincidence you are the chair today, and you were the speaker at the camp meeting in Alberta when you met Senator Cools and invited her to come here. She has responded to your invitation and is in our midst today.

Senator Cools has been a leader in the creation of social services here in Canada; in fact, she founded one of the very first Canadian shelters for battered women. She has been very active in trying to protect the rights of children of divorced parents, so that they have an ongoing and meaningful relationship with both parents.

Senator Cools, please speak to us; we are happy to welcome you into our midst.

ANNE COOLS: I thank you very much indeed, and I would just like to say that it is an honor and a privilege for me to join with you today. I would also like to say to Dr. Calvin Rock that it is a pleasure to see you again, and you can invite me to your event anytime.

I would like to say that it was a real pleasure for me today to participate in one of your panel discussions on the question of religious freedom and persecution. I think it is very important that we pay attention to the need that we have as human beings to develop our souls and to develop our spirits and to live at one with God.

I would just like to take the opportunity to welcome each of you to Toronto; to invite you to enjoy our fair and glorious city. It has many wonderful tourist attractions, and I understand that many of you are enjoying them.

In addition, I wish you a successful and meaningful meeting. Most important, I invite you to join me in your continued service to your fellow human beings and to your God. We are joined together as members of this fine Christian community. Thank you.

G. RALPH THOMPSON: I want Senator Anne Cools to know that it gives me great pleasure to present a gift on behalf of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. As you already heard, she has fallen in love with Seventh-day Adventists. Senator, blessings on you. Thanks for coming.

CALVIN B. ROCK: We will hear from the speaker at the microphone.

PAMELA MAIZE HARRIS: I would like to move that a sufficient number of women be added to the Church Manual Committee to provide a geographical balance and a gender balance. [Motion was seconded. Following two suggested amendments that failed, the motion was voted.]

MACK TENNYSON: I move that the Church Manual Committee be comprised substantially of laypeople and pastors.

LOWELL C. COOPER: We can also tie the hands of the committee in doing its processing, because it is not always convenient for people who do not live near Washington, D.C. If people are unable to attend, the committee will have a difficult time functioning.

CALVIN B. ROCK: Let�s vote on the motion before us. [Motion was voted.]

LOWELL C. COOPER: I�ve been asked today to deal with the fourth of the five windows on mission. The topic that has been assigned to us is �Growth and Training Toward Spiritual Maturity and Discipleship.� There are several observations we would like to bring to your attention. First of all, the church is growing rapidly. This is no secret; you�ve been hearing the reports each night. But what about these new members that come into the church? They come from many different backgrounds; they often come without roots in Seventh-day Adventist teachings, values, lifestyle, understanding of the organization. They don�t have the biblical heritage that many of us who have grown up in the church have. Do you realize that 40 percent of our current membership has been in the church for less than five years? And another consideration that bears on this topic: during 1998 and 1999 our membership losses equaled 23 percent of membership additions. Is there something here for the church to look at? Does it raise questions about how we deal with spiritual maturity issues and discipleship? Our third observation is that the church has a vital role in membership development, in retention of members, in training and deployment. But it raises questions. What is spiritual maturity? What is discipleship? What do we expect from these 2,900 members who come to our church membership daily? What is church growth? How do we measure it? Is church growth membership growth or growth in the members or both, or something altogether different? And how is growth accomplished? Whose responsibility is it? And what are the resources that we have available to do something about it? We would like to explore some of these issues with you today, and I have asked Elder Ben Maxson to take the next few moments to talk about objectives�what we expect when a person becomes a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and what kinds of issues and challenges and opportunities that opens to us.

BENJAMIN C. MAXSON: During the past five years I have visited the divisions around the world, and there seems to be a growing concern over the lack of spiritual depth and maturity in our members. Oftentimes we confuse disciples and converts. Are disciples simply those who have been baptized? They have gone through an evangelistic crusade and become Seventh-day Adventists. We baptize them; are they now disciples? Are we asking too much of our young members who really have not had an opportunity to grow in maturity and perhaps have not had an environment that has nurtured the spiritual maturity that they need to have? So we want to ask ourselves: What would disciples look like? What would spiritually mature members look like?

As we go back to Scripture we find that the first identifying mark of disciples seems to be that they have a compassionate connection with Jesus Christ.

The second descriptive point of disciples or mature Christians might be that they have a practical knowledge of Scripture and the experience of salvation. As I work with church members and pastors around the world, I find that a high percentage do not have the joy and assurance of salvation in Christ. Can we expect them to grow beyond that if they do not begin with that foundational element of assurance and hope and the joy of knowing salvation in Christ? The question comes: Do they have regular daily time in the Word so that their connection with Scripture and their assurance of salvation is growing and maturing? And do they have a growing understanding of the application to Scripture in their daily life?

The third description of disciples might well be that they are public followers of Jesus Christ. In other words, they have made a public commitment. Are disciples public followers? Are they applying or integrating the relationship with God into the daily life, how they live in the marketplace or in the classroom, on the job or at home?

The next point that will describe a disciple is a practiced commitment to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. And what would that include? Could it include such things as regular church attendance, involvement in some form of ministry, consistent tithing, systematic offerings, and an honest yet realistic support of leadership?

The next point describing a disciple or a mature believer might be a personal involvement in witness and in mission. Each member biblically is called to ministry. As part of the priesthood of all believers each of us is a priest before God; in that aspect there�s no distinction between a pastor and a member. The distinction is in scope of function, not whether or not they are ministers under the gospel. And as we think of a priest, we realize that there are four characteristics of ministry: A priest is involved in (1) worship of God; (2) intercession; (3) teaching others; (4) reconciliation. The next point would be a positive impact for Christ on family and community. Mature, spiritually growing believers would be experiencing transformed families where healing is beginning to take place. The believers would be salt in the community, beginning to change and influence the environment in which they live. How do we help people carry their religion into an everyday life?

So the question comes to us: If we are to develop mature disciples, what kinds of things do we need to do to help people bridge that gap between theory and practice? How do we move out of the mind-set of religion as simply a spectator sport? That�s a rather significant concept when you think about where we are located here today. You understand what a spectator sport is, don�t you? Sixty thousand people in the stands desperately needing exercise watching 22 people on the field desperately needing rest. And every one of those spectators knows how to play the game better, knows the rules better, and becomes a professional critic, criticizing the players and the referees. And too often religion has deteriorated into a spectator sport and not a participatory process. How do we create the process or the resources? Do we equip pastors for a training and equipping ministry that allows them to maintain a high level of spiritual leadership?

Then another challenging question: If we are going to move members to maturity, how are we going to measure growth? Are we going to measure it by more than just baptisms? If we are going to emphasize disciples and discipleship, should we not also expand our growth measurement criteria beyond mere numbers of people baptized? And if so, what criteria or factors should we use to evaluate spiritual maturity or discipleship in our churches?

The next key point: How do we expand evangelism to make disciples? Far too often we think of evangelism as an event. We are going to conduct an evangelistic crusade. We go for five weeks, and when it is over we sit back and stop the process. How do we move beyond a focus on converts and baptism to discipling? With Jesus it took three years to work with 12 before He was able to leave them to continue in their ministry as disciples.

The next question then that comes to us is What about the issue of training leaders and assigning meaningful roles to these leaders�pastors and laity working together? How do we develop leaders in each area of our church so that they are functioning as leaders, not just managers?

And then how do we develop the spiritual leadership skills that will enable us to focus on developing mature disciples?

Pastors come to me after we�ve gone through a seminar and say, �Ben, I can�t deal with the kind of ministry you�re talking about. I don�t have time for that. I have 12, 14 churches in my district. We have 15 other groups. We have a total of 2,500 members under my direction.� But I know other pastors in similar situations who spend their entire time discipling and training leadership so that the churches are run by lay leadership. Can we return to a biblical concept of ministry�the gift of pastors being given for the equipping of the saints for their work of ministry? Can pastors someday be free from the expectations of church members and administrators and allowed to focus on training? How do we foster congregational life so that it is more than just a worship experience on Sabbath; so that it becomes something that pervades their everyday lives?

And finally, what kind of resources do we need to develop and share for discipling? What do we need to help members grow and mature spiritually? Can we develop materials to help members in their devotional lives by learning to practice spiritual disciplines and to integrate that discipleship into how they live life every day? Although I�ve asked a lot of questions, I hope we can spark some dialogue. We�re not going to solve the issue here today, but maybe we can get some ideas, and as this group of delegates goes back to their fields it can begin a process in which we begin to wrestle with these issues and face how the church can move to a greater and more intentional discipling and spiritual maturity process.

LOWELL C. COOPER: Thank you, Ben. By now you should have received a point-by-point outline of some of the things we�ve said so far. We�re eager to hear from you. How does this issue touch your life and your church? How might the church improve its performance in the areas of training for spiritual maturity, training for discipleship? How does it touch the area where you live? And how might your experience and expertise be shared with the world church?

BENJAMIN C. MAXSON: What are some of the challenges that you face? And what are the secrets that you have found that help you do this? What are the questions that you think we need to address organizationally? What kind of resources should departments begin to develop to help that ministry of discipling? [A number of individuals responded, making suggestions on how the challenge of discipling members could be facilitated.]

The level of concern and the challenge we face in every part of the world church must be taken seriously. It seems to me that there�s a place here for every one of us to be involved.

LOWELL C. COOPER: What I hear is that we should continue to rejoice over every person who comes to the church, but that a person is more valuable than a number.

CALVIN B. ROCK: We have another partial report from the Nominating Committee.

DELBERT BAKER: For the position of secretary of the General Conference Ministerial Association I move the name of James A. Cress. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Auditing Service I move the name of Eric A. Korff. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Family Ministries Department I move the name of Ronald M. Flowers. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Stewardship Department I move the name of Benjamin C. Maxson. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Women�s Ministries Department I move the name of Ardis D. Stenbakken. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Youth Department I move the name of Baraka G. Muganda. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of secretary of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division I move the name of Stanley Ng Wai Chun. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of associate secretary of the General Conference I move the name of Claude A. Sabot. [Motion was seconded and voted.] For the position of director of the General Conference Trust Services Department I move the name of Jeffrey K. Wilson. [Motion was seconded and voted.]

CALVIN B. ROCK: We will recess until tomorrow.

GARY B. SWANSON: [Benediction.]

CALVIN B. ROCK, Chair

DONALD R. SAHLY, Secretary

BILL BOTHE, LARRY R. COLBURN, and FRED G. THOMAS, Proceedings Editors

DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE�CHURCH MANUAL AMENDMENT
Voted, To refer back to the Church Manual Committee, Chapter 15 of the Church Manual, Divorce and Remarriage, pages 181-184, for further study with the understanding that recommendations from that committee will be shared with the divisions for study and input.

CHURCH MANUAL COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP�ADDITION OF WOMEN
Voted, To recommend to the General Conference that more women be appointed to the Church Manual Committee.

CHURCH MANUAL COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP�REPRESENTATION OF LAYPERSONS AND PASTORS
Voted, To recommend to the General Conference that a substantial representation of laypersons and pastors be appointed to the Church Manual Committee.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT #8
Voted, To approve the following partial report of the Nominating Committee:

Northern Asia-Pacific Division

Secretary, Stanley Ng Wai Chun

General Conference

Auditing Service
  Director, Eric A Korff

Family Ministries Department
  Director, Ronald M Flowers

Ministerial Association
  Secretary, James A Cress

Secretariat
  Associate Secretary, Claude A Sabot

Stewardship Department
  Director, Benjamin C Maxson

Trust Services Department
  Director, Jeffrey K Wilson

Women�s Ministries Department
  Director, Ardis D Stenbakken

Youth Department
  Director, Baraka G Muganda

Adjourned.

Calvin B Rock, Chairman

Donald R Sahly, Secretary

Athal H Tolhurst, Actions Editor

Rowena J Moore, Recording Secretary