North German Union Votes Statement and Motion Appealing Annual Council Warning

Spectrum Website
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At its year-end meetings, the North German Union (NGU) Conference voted a statement and motion regarding the warning issued by the Executive Committee of the General Conference at the 2019 Annual Council. On October 15, a warning was voted toward this union, along with several others, for taking “actions that are not in harmony with Working Policy and practices on credentials.” Read more about the vote by clicking here.

The NGU leadership released a statement shortly following the vote, on October 18, which stated the Union’s belief that the warning was not justified. Since 2016, the NGU has been commissioning both men and women, rather than ordaining anyone. In its October statement, the NGU leadership said it would examine whether an objection could be raised against the warning, and that along with the Inter-European Division it would analyze the situation and agree on measures to promote unity and development. (Read the October NGU statement here.)

The most recent statement and motion, dated December 2, 2019, officially appeals the Annual Council warning for several reasons, including the fact that Working Policy allows for the commissioning of both men and women, and does not require ordination. The statement goes on to say that it “is our [the NGU Executive Committee’s] feeling that the GC officers exploited the [Annual Council] ExCom for an unjust and unspiritual process in order to demonstrate might and power.”

The full statement originally appeared in both German and English on the Union’s website. The official version in English is provided in full below:

Response of the Executive Committee of the North German Union Conference to the Warning Issued by the Executive Committee of the General Conference

The North German Union Conference gladly belongs to the worldwide Adventist family appearing in cultural and theological richness. We are aware that this causes tensions and, at times, pain. This experience will always be part of a worldwide family of faith. We see ourselves as people redeemed by Jesus Christ, commissioned and enabled by him to bear witness to our faith, living it in our time and place. In this, we are united with many women and men worldwide — brothers and sisters in faith.

In this awareness of solidarity, the North German Union Conference (NGU) lodges an appeal against the warning issued by the Executive Committee of the General Conference (ExCom).

Appraisal of the Content of the Warning

- The practice of commissioning (Segnung) by the NGU moves within the limits of the Working Policy (WP). We perceive no obligation in the WP to issue pastors Ministerial Credentials, i.e., a commission to the worldwide pastoral ministry, referred to as “ordination” (WP E 05-10 [2b)]

- The NGU has obtained no document from the General Conference establishing from the text of the WP a cogent and reasonable argumentation for the necessity of ordination (Ministerial Credentials). During the ExCom session on 10-15-2019, the chair merely stated orally that the WP must be understood as regarding ordination an obligation, not an option.

- The “Commissioned Minister Credential” (WP E-05-10 [2a]) issued by the NGU since 2016 authorizes female and male pastors to exercise all pastoral functions in Germany.1 In order to distinguish it verbally from “ordination,” we refer to the Commissioned Minister Credential as “blessing” (Segnung).

Account and Appraisal of the Process Leading to the Warning of the NGU

In our view, the real difficulty here is the procedure and the leadership culture revealed by it, to be accounted for by the officers of the General Conference.

- Since 2012, the GC officers are acquainted with the position of the NGU regarding women’s ordination. In addition, the practice of blessing (Commissioned Minister Credential WP E-05-10 [2a]) applied by the NGU since 2016 has repeatedly been communicated through the EUD.

- The procedure voted by the GC ExCom in 2018 for settling cases of non-compliance has not been followed.2

- Neither the EUD nor the NGU have received minutes, meeting documents or other decisions of the GC Administrative Committee (AdCom) giving reasonable explanations of how and why the NGU has been put on the agenda of the ExCom.

- NGU President Johannes Naether was informed only at the beginning of the ExCom session on October 13, 2019, that a warning of the NGU was to be put on the agenda of the ExCom.

- During the ExCom session of October 15, 2019, the chair (Ted Wilson) repeatedly asserted that, in June 2019, the GC had indicated in a letter to the officers of the EUD a noncompliance of the NGU with regard to the WP. This is not in accordance with the facts, for the NGU is not mentioned in this letter.

- No information or documentation was submitted to the ExCom as basis of decision-making describing the conduct, the motives or the alleged irregularity of the NGU. The document distributed by the GC to the ExCom on October 14, 2019, merely contains one sentence: “The following entities have taken actions that are not in harmony with Working Policy and practices on credentials.”3

- In order for a committee to resolve upon a disciplinary measure against an entity, the passing on of ample and well-founded information is an essential part of a fair process. At least, the NGU document of 20164 could have been circulated at any time by the GC officers to the ExCom. Against this background, the ExCom was unable to reach a knowledgeable decision.

- The voting process also contradicted democratic and spiritual principles of a respectable procedure. There should have been no collective warning; rather, each Union should have been voted on separately.

Additional Perception

- It is our feeling that the GC officers exploited the ExCom for an unjust and unspiritual process in order to demonstrate might and power.

- For the NGU officers, the GC officers have become an unpredictable counterpart. Trust is deeply shaken. According to our perception, in recent years, a more and more rigid behavior of the GC officers in dealing with people and entities who are not conforming to the views of the GC officers has become apparent.

- According to our view, what is described here is alarming for the entire world church, causing great harm to it as a whole. The exemplary course of action against six unions begs the question of the culture of interaction and, beyond that, of the spiritual condition of our church. Both are significantly threatened, constituting a crucial test for the church.

For these reasons and observations, the NGU strongly objects to the warning and lodges an appeal against it at the GC.

We request the GC officers to provide insight to the NGU into the process against the NGU and to disclose all relevant documents.

We encourage our world church leadership to enter into an open dialogue with the Divisions and Unions about the understanding of leadership within our worldwide church.

For the time being, the NGU will not change its practice of blessing (Segnung) in accordance with the rules of the Working Policy.

NGU Executive Committee

Mühlenrahmede, 12-02-2019

1 “Statement of the North German Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists on the Ordination of Women to the Pastoral Ministry”

2 “Regard for and Practice of General Conference Session and General Conference Executive Committee Actions”

3 “Recommendations Resulting from the 2018 Annual Council compliance Action”

4 ”Statement of the North German Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists on the Ordination of Women to the Pastoral Ministry”

Official Statement in English:

Official Statement in German:

This statement, in both German and English, originally appeared on the North German Union’s website.

Further Reading:

North German Union Responds to Annual Council Warning, October 18, 2019

Alisa Williams is managing editor of SpectrumMagazine.org.

Image provided by NGU Executive Committee delegate.

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://spectrummagazine.org/node/10097
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#2

By now I think it should be clear that the Ted Wilson’s leadership has reached a point of failure. We must have a new General Conference president in 2020 to lead the world church into more a more fruitful process that will allow it to flourish in different contexts around the globe. Wilson’s unyielding, ideological, and policy-centered approach has only created more division and dysfunction. We are paying a high price for his hubris. Even Wilson himself admitted at the last Annual Council that he has no exit strategy for this languishing process.

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#3

One can only hope and pray that some people will have a change of heart;
but can the leopard change its spots?
News from the South Pacific Division has it that the GC president with 30 of
his staff are travelling to Papua New Guinea to hold evangelistic meetings in
May, 2020 ( 3 months before Indianapolis).
It is reported that the goal is for 100,000 baptisms and the building of 2,000
new churches.
What would normally be an event for rejoicing and thanksgiving, for the Spirit’s
moving, may now be perceived merely as an act of opportunism!
Lord, help me not to judge motives, but this … I loathe to think that …

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#4

I suppose an endless stream of warnings and appeals is the new “normal”. (sigh) At least we still have…unity?

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#5

I am thankful for the plain speaking of the NGU and hopeful that others will take a similarly steadfast position.

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#6

More requests for documents, more studies, more meetings, more debate, more speeches, more articles, more votes, etc without resolving anything.
There is no evidence I can find in the NT that upholds the policy that pastors and higher church offices have to be filled with someone that has been ordained. This get rid of the ordination requirement policy so we can stop using it as the reason women can’t be pastors.

The push in the NAD to appoint women as pastors arose as a smoke screen to distract members away from the fact churches in the NAD are dying because its male pastors have failed to grow the church. They spend so much time getting degrees so they can preach they don’t have time to preach. Their higher degrees has made them afraid to preach the truths of our message for fear it might offend someone. Better to write a book or develop some program you can sell so you can move up in the system and be invited to camp meetings where you can give a talk and promote your book.

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#7

He needs to take every pastor in the NAD with him and have each one hold an evangelistic meeting. And then require each of them to return home and hold one.

#8

"The push in the NAD to appoint women as pastors arose as a smoke screen to distract members away from the fact churches in the NAD are dying because its male pastors have failed to grow the church."

This is certainly “creative”, Clyde…do you truly believe that this is the only reason?

"Their higher degrees has made them afraid to preach the truths of our message for fear it might offend someone."

Now, this is just plainly ludicrous…

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#9

What I wonder is –
Will all those people in the South Pacific Division be able to
understand American English with our American English
accents??
Will they just come out of curiosity in order to “hear” Americans talk “funny”.

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#10

LOL .Now that’s funny, Steve!

#11

It’s going to take more than making women pastors to save the NAD church from dying off.
Our young people are coming out of our academies and leaving the church in droves. Some churches are trying to change to keep them but is an upbeat music program going to be enough.
The truth is most Christian churches in North America and Europe are losing young people because we are failing to convict them religion is important.
Saying we could grow if only we made women pastors and high church officials, and then burning up decades with debates, meetings and studies to determine if that’s the right thing to kicks the can farther down the road to allow people to retire before they have to face the fact women ordination wasn’t the answer after all.

A recent study shows only 9 out of 10 young people cannot determine the difference between fact and opinion in the news because they are not being taught critical thinking skills.
Our churches used to help children learn these skills because in church they would hear pastors say this is right and this is wrong. We have gone from black and white to everything is gray.

If someone is a lay pastor and a church is offended by what he is preaching getting fired won’t hurt him as much as a pastor that has spent thousands of dollars and decades chasing degrees.

#12

Friend Ecclesiastes,

As much as I disapprove of the way Ted Wilson has managed the whole episode of which we are speaking, the fact remains that Ted Wilson in engaging himself in leading an evangelistic effort to PNG as he has in several other places around the world. Some of these places have been in places where the converts are very few. Others of these places are in rich harvest fields.
As I understand it, many pastors from Australia will also be involved all over PNG including the SPD President and my Conference President and also my local pastor.
There are 3 main Christian groups in PNG - the Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Seventh-day Adventist’s. When the governments of many South Pacific nations wish to action many forward moves they talk to the church leaders. In PNG this means that the Adventist PNG Union Mission President is invited together with the RC and Anglican archbishop. The Prime Minister of PNG is an Adventist -the son of an Adventist pastor. The Chief Justice is also an Adventist as was the Governor General.

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#13

The truth is most Christian churches in North America and Europe are losing young people because we are failing to convict them religion is important. I agree, because it isn’t! Belief in Christ is important, as was taught by His disciples, salvation was/is through belief in Christ and not religion, as the Jewish religion leaders taught.

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#15

"It’s going to take more than making women pastors to save the NAD church from dying off."

Clyde, I have never heard anyone on this site (past or present) make the claim that “making women pastors” would.

"The truth is most Christian churches in North America and Europe are losing young people because we are failing to convict them religion is important."

Are you sure that it is “religion” that is most important?

"A recent study shows only 9 out of 10 young people cannot determine the difference between fact and opinion in the news because they are not being taught critical thinking skills.

Our churches used to help children learn these skills because in church they would hear pastors say this is right and this is wrong. We have gone from black and white to everything is gray."

Interesting that you think/believe that the SDA Church has ever taught “critical thinking skills” which really has nothing to do with Pastors telling any of us what is “right and this is wrong”. In fact, it is the opposite of learning “critical thinking skills”.

"If someone is a lay pastor and a church is offended by what he is preaching getting fired won’t hurt him as much as a pastor that has spent thousands of dollars and decades chasing degrees."

Wow…what a compelling argument against getting a college degree. :grin:

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#16

Thank you, North German Union, for appealing the Annual Council vote to punish.

Your speaking out in this official manner is uplifting and encouraging. Thank you.

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#17

I am sure current Adventist members in New Guinea, and undoubtedly the multiple new converts anticipated by TW, are upstanding, “salt of the earth “ fine people.

However, culturally, they are tribal, “third world “ and have a patriarchal ( headship ) family structure — so easily cajoled into the heinous heretical “ headship “ dogma.

The antithesis of the modern, egalitarian educated GERMAN / European / American Adventist.

Just as the Democratic Party in USA advocates an open border policy,
openly encouraging all comers, vetted or otherwise —— because they hope the newcomers will eventually vote Democratic Party…

So TW avidly augments his base of patriarchal, third world converts to numerically overwhelm the slow growing demographic of NAD and European Adventists.

There is method in his madness!

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#18

Did Jesus send his disciples to colleges and universities, especially ones run by other denominations/churches to learn to preach?

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#19

No Formal Religious Training –
Just like Old Time Country Preachers!!

I also appreciate they will continue Commissioning ONLY. So
that both men and women may be authorized pastors in their
territories.
Perhaps the European Division can change their rules so that
any Commissioned Pastor can be eligible for any position int
that Division.

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#20

JR, Kim –
It is Not BELIEF in a Religion that is important.
It is the development of a RELATIONSHIP with the
God of that belief system.
Only RELATIONSHIP makes a religious belief system alive.
How many SDA church congregations have an on-going Christian
Education program for encouraging Relationship.

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#21

Dear Ezbord,
You amaze me many times.

The SPD including our “mission fields” have not followed the path of many other Divisions within the developing world in opposing WO.

My brother-in-law was the very Australian President of the PNG Union Mission from 2011-2015.

The SPD will have a dozen or so people in its Division Caucus of the Nominating Committee. Perhaps there will be 3 or 4 committee members from the PNG Union Mission. Maybe one or two of these will have a white face.

My father arrived in the territory of PNG from Australia in 1927, more than 90 years ago. He worked for a copra merchant. In 1936 he returned to PNG as a missionary. My mother was also a missionary in PNG in her own right in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. She was one of the very first women among Australian Adventist’s to “burn the hat” (to coin a phrase) on Sabbath mornings.

Your surmising about PNG and WO are way off the mark. The PNG Union Mission is in many respects ahead of its neighbouring Union Mission which is based on the other South Pacific Island Nations in this regard.

Ted Wilson is an Adventist leader on a mission. He wants the Adventist movement to catch a vision of what Total Member Involvement looks like. I’m sure he will appreciate being away from Silver Spring for a time before the GC Session.

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