New Website and Petition Launch Calling for Equality in Ministry

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On October 3, 2018, the website “Love Serve Lead” launched, along with a petition for individuals to sign if they “support equality in ministry and the recognition of the calling to pastoral ministry, as is appropriate for each individual setting.”

Created by the Pacific Union Conference and born out of the discussions held in San Diego this past summer, and the London Unity Conference the summer before, the new website features videos, articles, and media releases from both individuals and groups who support “conscience above compliance.”

Statements from official church entities who have spoken out against the General Conference’s compliance committees and documents are included, as well as articles from William G. Johnsson, retired long-time editor of Adventist Review and Adventist World, and George R. Knight, prominent Adventist historian, theologian, writer, and retired professor.

The “Love Serve Lead” video, which premiered on September 21, is featured on the homepage and includes conversations with prominent church leaders including Reinder Bruinsma, former president of the Netherlands Union; Sandra Roberts, president of the Southeastern California Conference; Roy Adams, former associate editor of Adventist Review; Bradley Kemp, former president of the New Zealand Pacific Union Conference; Bill Miller, president of the Potomac Conference; Thomas Müeller, president of the Danish Union; and more.

Those wishing to add their voice to the website’s petition can do so at: https://loveserveleadsda.com/add-your-voice/

“Love Serve Lead” is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Alisa Williams is managing editor of SpectrumMagazine.org

Image courtesy of Love Serve Lead’s Facebook page.

We invite you to join our community through conversation by commenting below. We ask that you engage in courteous and respectful discourse. You can view our full commenting policy by clicking here.

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://spectrummagazine.org/node/9071

[tjzwemer (Thomas J Zwemer)]

I may have told this story before. it is slightly vulgar but it is really to the point of the debate… My sister an orthodontist taught at both UCLA and Southern California.,At a faculty meeting at Southern, the male head of orthodontics said something to denigrate women in the man’s world of orthodontics. my sister took exception and stood and said, I can do anything you can do better except stand up and pee. She won the day, women, faculty and students loved her. I think it applies to most if not all legal professions.

[niteguy2 (Steve Mga)]

1 Samuel 16:7 is discussing the quandry put to Samuel to choose a new King of
Israel from one of the sons of Jesse. And he had quite a few to choose from.
Samuel saw all these good looking guys, handsome, well built in their late teens
and early 20’s. And Samuel WAS IMPRESSED!!.
But every time Samuel begins to touch his oil flask, God say, “NO!!!”
He told Samuel – “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks at the heart.”
The New Testament – Peter and Paul – tell us that God is no respecter of
persons, and that ALL are the SAME, including men gender and women gender.

“God looks on the heart”. Soul and Heart are at times used interchangeably.
The Soul–Heart hold the Mind, the Will, the Emotions – One’s personality.
THIS is what God looks at.
The Naked Body [let’s face it, male babies and female babies look different].
The Body – arms, legs are ONLY to carry out the commands of the Brain and
to see that the body feeds the Brain and keeps it functioning and safe.

God is NO RESPECTER of Brains. God calls ALL Brains to enlist in His service,
and God accepts ALL in His service.
It is MEN who tell Female Brains – “You are God’s rejects!!” Therefore have no
business telling the Gospel Story, no business Baptizing lost sinners, now children
of God. No business organizing believers into congregations so they can learn the
skills needed to spread the Gospel Story.

For some reason [probably culturally from the 600s or so, that ONLY MEN were
allowed to be Priests, Clerics who could give Communion, could Baptize] the
leaders of the SDA church are following the Religious Culture of our Cousins from
the 600s.
Our SDA church Leaders have rejected the teaching of God in 1 Samuel, the teaching
of God through Peter and Paul.
This animosity against WOMEN is so strong that they would THREATEN PUNISHMENT
to any person, any group that would put the message of God, Peter, Paul into practice.
Any person, any group that would ELEVATE WOMEN to Equal With Men Priests.

NOTE-- Continued on “A Statement From Women Clergy”.

[sam (Sam Geli)]

Congratulations on initiating this mission and service “calling for equality in ministry”.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Gen. 1:27)

Man and woman were created equal as “image of God” (Gen. 1:26-27). The context suggests that this has to do primarily with the fact that they are given joint dominion over all living creatures—they have been entrusted with the management of the abundant life which God created. The statement gives us no reason to think that the woman was created subordinate to the man.