Record of New Pioneer Memorial Church Pastor Raises Campus Compatibility Questions

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But What About the Question?

In light of the tremendous benefits that a return to apostolic ministry might yield, we now need to answer that stubborn question: Should women be ordained—in this case, as apostles?

The answer is rather provocative: Of course women can be ordained as apostles—though it is an open question as to whether God will call many women to be so ordained.

Women can be ordained as apostles for the simple reason that, as alluded to above, the New Testament ushered in a gift-based[15] priesthood and dispensed with the genetics/gender-based priesthood. This logically means that if someone has been given the spiritual gift of being an apostle, and they meet the other requirements of ministry (character qualifications, for instance), we ought to ordain them—be they male, Martian, or female! God gives the gifts to the body as He sees fit (I Corinthians 12:11). And to say the least, it is unbecoming of any church to deny what God has already permitted.

Second, the role of an apostle can be a formidable impediment to raising a family. True, many women are not called to raise a family, nor wish to. There are also a handful of women that God has indeed called to ministry, but then specifically separated them from their children (as was the case with Ellen White). But for those who are called to be mothers, the demands of apostolic ministry would be a severe challenge during child-rearing years, making a call from God to do both at the same time seem unlikely.

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Ted Wilson does not have an unblemished record for choosing the right person for the job. Remember the disasterous short tenure of Wilson’s choice to lead ADRA.

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“Second, the role of an apostle can be a formidable impediment to raising a family. True, many women are not called to raise a family, nor wish to. There are also a handful of women that God has indeed called to ministry, but then specifically separated them from their children (as was the case with Ellen White). But for those who are called to be mothers, the demands of apostolic ministry would be a severe challenge during child-rearing years, making a call from God to do both at the same time seem unlikely.“

When reviewing and listing the many reasons people develop mental (and spiritual) issues, chief among them will eventually the ridiculous notion that only “women raise a family.” The fact that we ever thought one half of the parenting team had no input beyond making money to bring home, speaks volumes about adults growing up only to feel unloved and insecure. If Ellen White flunked parenting, then James failed as well, since he also left his children when he traveled.

I appreciate your mention of a gift-based ministry/apostle model. The veil was torn on the priesthood, and many would argue that their ceremonial role in religious ritual was never a model of ministry in the first place. At the appointment of Aaron as the first of the Levitic order, God also called Moses and Miriam as leaders. Their roles, Moses as prophet, organizer, and arbiter of disputes, Miriam as prophet and worship leader, both performed leadership much closer to what we define as pastoral ministry today.

An examination of the apostolic ministry of the early church would answer your earlier question of whether God would bother or be interested in “calling many women.” In fact, the early church was full of women working alongside men. Junia is listed as a female apostle, Lydia and Priscilla labored alongside Paul both as wage earners (:flushed:) and church workers. Euodia and Syntyche, who’ve populated countless sermons as emblems of bickering, petty female stereotypes, are actually described as women “who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel.” (Phil 4:2-3) It’s worth noting that Peter and Paul, and a good many male apostles knew a fair amount about bickering to the point of estrangement as well.

Dorcas had a ministry akin to the job of a deacon, when such were appointed to take some of the burden of meeting needs of the congregation, to ease the burden of the preaching apostles. Phoebe was sent between churches with sermons and letters. The list goes on and on, and does not even include Mary of Bethany who participated in the role of a disciple (sitting at Jesus feet during his teaching), or Mary of Magdalene, Johanna and others who financed and housed Jesus and his followers.

When we tell the full story— of how both mothers and fathers fully parent and matter, of how God calls and has always called women to lead and minister, we enter into a better reflection of the image of God in humanity. We realize a more fully-functioning body of Christ in the experience of church.

All that having been ignored by so many educated enough to know better, I’m very sad if it’s true that someone unsupportive of women in full ministry has come to pastor the major church body at the university where our denomination’s pastors receive their graduate training.

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Wonder why he thinks it too big of a challenge during child-rearing years? I guess he has ruled out men being involved in that process, there by bumping along that old road of it being a ‘women’s role’. Some not so knew thinking , rather old. And we all know the God would only call a women to be a mother because…well…because, men are just no cut out for it! I don’t think he would go down that road either. Oh wait, men can do more than one thing a a time, calling, but not a women! What’s the word for that…?

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He won’t be able to turn this institution into anything of the sort. Only 25% of students attend PMC anyway. Don’t see that increasing under Anderson’s leadership. There is a robust and very diverse spiritual life on campus. You only have the influence you can earn.

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As a lateral observation, and while I’m not going to name names, I’ve seen many cases where, in my opinion, paternal uninvolvement wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

Just sayin……

:wink:

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or maybe, after 18 yrs, Anderson was a full reflection of Shenandoah…or maybe, after 18 yrs, Anderson and Shenandoah were a full reflection of a vision they developed together…

i note that Anderson is a graduate from Walla Walla, hardly a bible college…he also holds an MDiv and Dmin from - wait for it - Andrews, of all places…this notion that this powerful fundamentalist cloud, completely incompatible with delicate progressive sensibilities, is about to descend on sweet, innocent Andrews is a bit overwrought in my view…obviously this appointment is a homecoming for Anderson…the actual reality is that Anderson is returning to an institution that he knows well, and that no doubt knows him well…the fact that Anderson accepted this appointment suggests he’s comfortable with the idea of being among his peers…perhaps he senses an ability to do what he may not have been able to do at Shenandoah…

in the Review account of this appointment, Dwight seems excited, and onboard with Anderson…and while i think Anderson will obviously have big shoes to fill, who’s to say his Celebration-style stool prop won’t appeal to stuffy, and boring, PMC…maybe they could use something more vivid, and down to earth, which Anderson appears to be…

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–David Bosch: Transforming Mission

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I watched Anderson on youtube and his delivery was so Dwight-ish like to me, if this makes sense! :innocent:

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You say all this whilst blasting right past the proof in the videos of his less than Christ-like comments and statements concerning any number of issues, already mentioned above. I’ve watched several random videos off the site and have to say, I’m much less than impressed with some of it. Many say these stances are biblical. The Pharisees had “biblical” teachings and look where it got them? It was all :lipstick: on a :pig2: according to the Creator.

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If one accepts a more or less literal interpretation of the NT, it’s obvious that Bible-thumping Christians, and “EGW says…” Adventists, who insist that their favorite passages from this or that supposedly holy book must be taken at face value and absolutely literally, are the philosophical peers of Jesus putative archenemies, the Sadducees.

So fundamentalist, Church Lady Adventists are SDA-ucees!?!?

:thinking:

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i wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Anderson did some of his Dmin under Dwight, or with reference to Dwight, assuming he did it on-campus - at the very least, i think they likely studied under the same Teachers…in fact i wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this transition from Dwight to Anderson has been some time in the making, with Anderson indicating interest some yrs ago, and that Dwight retired knowing that a replacement was in place…

i think it’s likely that Loma Linda’s Pastor Randy is also keeping an eye out for a suitable replacement…of course all of this could be speculation…but i think it would be quite natural for all of these icon pastors to be interested, and possibly involved, in what happens to their Churches once they leave…i definitely think TW is interested and involved in a replacement once, if and when he retires from the GC presidency…

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Back in May I sat down with our conference president—Jim Micheff, a wonderful leader—to share with him our decision and explore with what our next steps need to be. He reminded me—what you already know. Pioneer is an unusual congregation serving not only the local community, not only the state community, not only the national community, but Pioneer ministers to our world faith community.

Which means the search process to find a new spiritual leader will not only be prayerful but must be methodical and comprehensive as well. And by the way, I will have nothing to do with the search process.
–Dwight K. Nelson
Dwight K. Nelson Announces Transition Plans | Pioneer Memorial Church

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that’s very interesting that Dwight had nothing to do with the search process for a replacement…but, if he says he didn’t, i believe him…

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I am very surprised that such a decision could be made with so little input from the church members–or with no input at all. The distance between Michigan and California now looks even bigger than I had imagined: it is unthinkable that the Pacific Union or the Southeastern California Conference would try to impose their man or woman on the University Church in Loma Linda. I think the process in Michigan shows disrespect for the church members. The new pastor’s statements about public health measures and vaccines are eeriely similar to the sentiments loudly and widely canvassed by the pastors at the Berrien Springs Village Church. If a relatively small community like the one in Berrien Springs will have two major church pulpits espousing such sentiments, students who plan for a career in medicine or public health will be wise to go elsewhere.

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Did I miss a memo?

Since when has it been acceptable SDA practice for a pastor to remain more than four or five years with one congregation?

I remember when I was a kid being told that my good friend, the pastor’s son, was moving away because his dad, being part of “The Great Adventist Movement”, was being relocated to a different church.

Later, I learned the rationale for this and it seemed reasonable.

The idea was to avoid the possibility of a congregation becoming too attached to their pastor and thus risk their affiliation with him rather than the denomination.

I later saw this happen in real time when a pastor refused to accept a new “call” for over ten years and when he was finally forced to do so, he attempted to start an Adventist subcult of those members who were more attuned to his religious and philosophical aberrations, rather than move on and continue presenting the official quicks of SDA-ism.

I’m not making any predictions, I’m just sayin that having spent one year living on the other side of the mountain in Luray, and another three years in New Market at SVA, I have no idea what 16 years in the lovely, hick towns of east Virginia might do to a man’s psyche and ego….

:wink:

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If by “old-school Bible Prophecy” you mean he parrots the nonsense about 666=papacy, ‘sunday law’, 538-1798, the 1833 ‘falling stars’, 1844 and all of the other stuff that EGW and Uriah Smith got wrong, then he’s nuts. Whether or not it is effective is beside the point (IMO), because it’s plain wrong.

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Actually south-west Virginia.

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(Sigh.:rofl:)

But okay.

If we’re splitting hairs, New Market is much closer to Virginia’s northern border with either West Virginia or Maryland than to either North Carolina or Tennessee, it’s neighboring states to the south.

But in the interest of comity-and from my own sense of magnanimity-I’d be willing to compromise and refer to SVA’s location in the Shenandoah Valley and Rockingham County as “the west-central part of the eastern state of Virginia”.

(While I detest braggarts, I should perhaps have mentioned that I always got “straight A’s” in the 4th grade geography course I took when living in the area known as “Northern Virginia”-commonly shortened by locals to “NoVa”-and which, being the blue part of the state, typically threatened to secede from the red part after every “lost” election, up until more recent times when The Old Dominion has come to be considered a “swing state”, as often as not.

Virginia Swings Back to Swing State Status - Washingtonian. )

:wink:

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@vandieman
I heard or read somewhere, way back when PMC was in search of a pastor, that then President Joseph Smoot took a personal scouting, recruiting tour, visiting a couple of churches on Sabbath mornings unannounced, He went to hear Dwight K. Nelson.,