Oregon Conference Executive Committee Statement Regarding 2018 Annual Council

Spectrum Website
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The Oregon Conference mission statement from 2009-2017 has been Called By God—Members In Ministry, advancing the biblical mandates of the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9, 10); the understanding of the Church as Christ's Body consisting of diverse parts called and gifted for serving Him in unity (1 Corinthians 12); and the principle of biblical human equality (Galatians 3:28; Romans 12). There is no provision for hierarchical rule in Jesus' New Testament Church, nor for a human caste system in His ministry of service. Leaders, committees and constituencies need to exercise care to remain consistent with these divine principles.

While the Oregon Conference leaders and executive committee deeply love, cherish, and value all brothers and sisters comprising our beautiful local and worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church family; and while there is respect for the office of duly elected church leaders and committees; and while it is recognized that there is a wide range of views in our Adventist family; as devoted followers of Jesus, based on Scripture and the counsel of Ellen White, it is difficult to agree with the 2015 General Conference action prohibiting the equal status of women clergy, as well as the Annual Council action 113-18G that approved the establishment of a system of hierarchical punitive accountability.

The Oregon Conference Executive Committee voted the following statement with an 85% majority.

Official Oregon Conference Executive Committee Statement Regarding 2018 GCAC and 2015 GC Session Actions, crafted and voted October 25, 2018:

"The Oregon Conference Executive Committee acknowledges Jesus as the Head of His Church (Col. 1:16-18), the authority of Scripture as the arbiter of belief and practice, and the leadership of the Holy Spirit as our motivation. Jesus called us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to make disciples. God is delaying His coming not wanting any to be lost. Therefore, while we remain in compliance with policy that we protest, we continue working to promote Biblical equality of women and men as the priesthood of all believers in twenty-first century Oregon Conference. We celebrate all women and men called to ministry and affirm equally and without reservation all those who demonstrate the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit in serving Jesus and others."

The Oregon Conference remains committed to our end-time mission that It's All About Jesus—Knowing, Loving and Serving Jesus and others, and Sharing Jesus with others. We will continue to focus our efforts on equipping and empowering all Oregon Conference members in accomplishing this mission in preparing as many as possible to spend eternity with Jesus, glorifying God and His Son Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

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This statement originally appeared on the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists website. Logo courtesy of the Oregon Conference.

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://spectrummagazine.org/node/9162
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… but yet refuse to ordain women? How can you state that you promote biblical equality and celebrate women and men equally, when you don’t? Are you saying that there are no female ordination candidates in Oregon Conference? Is that why there is no ordination, because there are no females that fit the non-gender requirements… or because you feel that a female can not be ordained because of gender?

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Can someone please help me to understand exactly what are they saying, in pragmatic ways?
Beautifully, carefully crafted statement, for sure. But,

  1. Are they going to actually ordain women in their territory?
  2. Do they have already ordained women pastors?

Just curious… :thinking:

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The Oregon Conference may recommend; however, is it not the NPUC that has the responsibility to authorize ordination of pastors?

Commissioned Minister Credential:

Honorary/Emeritus: Donald R Ammon, Darold Bigger, Kelly Bock, Leslie J Bumgardner, Glen Chinn, Willis Christian, Allen J Iseminger, Patricia Jesseph, Corleen Johnson, Penelope S Shell, Dan Toms, Cindy Tutsch, F Martin Ytreberg.
@Red

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You can just feel the passion and commitment to resolve hypocrisy and injustice. “We continue working to promote Biblical equality,” by issuing a statement that promotes the same. Silence on anything more. This will go a long way.

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You are absolutely correct @sokingcoo, it is the NPUC (North Pacific Union Conference) that has been entrusted the authorization of ordination in that region.

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Amen. This is the part that anti-WO see as rebellious?

Responding the the Holy Spirit’s call to ministry?

Isn’t rejecting what the Holy Spirit has blessed dangerous to one’s eternal destination?

Aren’t non-supporters of WO in noncompliance with the Priesthood of ALL Believers?

Aren’t non-supporters of WO in noncompliance with the New Testament Gifts of the Spirit?

Then we have Fundamental Belief #14. Non supporters of women in spiritual leadership are also in violation of that one.

Let’s get our facts straight and base our beliefs on Scripture, not man-made policies that must be obeyed or else.

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It looks like, but if the Conference does not support women’s ordination, then they won’t be recommending anyone to the Unions.

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Harrpa,
Don’t you think it’s time for us to recommend those “non-supporters of WO” to the GC’s Kompliance Komrades for proper interrogation?.. :wink:

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Yes, indeed, George. It is past time that these “rebels” in our ranks face compliance trials. :grinning::grinning:

They voted for it, after all.

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LOL. It seems to amount to a little chest beating. Just a tiny bit.

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Oregon has numerous women pastors. They simply function without the formality of ordination. Thus, how much does ordination matter there?

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As much as everywhere else as long as the church ties ordination to advancement in the organization and also to specific duties that only an ordained minister can perform.

There is no separate but equal.

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Is there more than meets the eye in the Norwegian Union?

Let ALL men and women’s ordination be Commissioned!!

Take the path of the old Jewish Priest instead…taking the “punishment as the one at fault”

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but all of those women are stuck under a glass ceiling…and what if one of them has the talent to lead a conference or a union…we’ll never know, and we’ll never benefit from that talent…

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If they simply violated the G.C. policy by asking the NPUC to endorse a woman from their conference for ordination, the Oregon Conference would do more for women’s ordination than any statement they could write.

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If they have male pastors ordained, and female pastors not ordained, they are playing the GC’s song. Those women have been discriminated, and the Conference is not eliminating discrimination from their territory.

For it’s not that complicated. If they have the situation above, I strongly challenge the relevance of their statement. I hope I am wrong.

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It seems that they thought we wouldn’t recognize the hypocrisy of their statement… :upside_down_face:

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Tim T #13 Re. “There is no separate but equal”
The impasse might be broken by moving forward through regarding that :

  1. Commissioning is for women & ordination for men, AND
  2. Both (employed) commissioned and ordained persons are eligible to all
    privileges and perform all responsibilities/duties within the organization.
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I appreciate your attempt as a solution, but…

Still not equal. If ordination is important (seems to be as we’re making such a fuss), then it’s important. If it’s important then anyone, regardless of gender, who fills the role of pastor should have the same chance to be ordained.

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