Just before 9:00 p.m. on Monday, the 2022 GC Session Nominating Committee filed back into the first day of business meetings to give its first “incomplete” report. Lowell Cooper, retired GC vice president and chair of the committee, addressed the delegates.
And within minutes of his election I had the first person contact me in disbelief and need of comfort.
“What is wrong with my church?” I was asked by a total stranger, resonating with my very sentiments.
A third term of office? Despite retirement age? Despite a longstanding record of polarizing the church? Despite 25% “no” votes on the floor (!)?
Calling all this “unity”?
I have no problems wishing Ted Wilson well - he has given his best, and people close to him suggest he is a kind and honest man. But for his own sake and my church’s sake, a farewell might have been the better.
I wonder, no I believe, the problem is not TW, it is those who keep supporting him! We either have a very misguided group, fearful group or taken down the garden path group…not that garden!!
Well, looks like the dynasty is entrenched. A previous article by the editor pointed out the length of the reigning dynasty. Actually the father of Neil C. Wilson, grandfather of Ted N. C., who had been the president of five world divisions, came to the General Conference Session in 1950 hoping to be named president of the G.C. The delegates elected Ruben Fighur instead, much to Nathaniel C. Wilson disappointment. He retired and became pastor of the church in Knoxville, TN. A few years later he became president of the Georgia Cumberland Conference, all the time lamenting his defeat at the 1950 Session. His son and grandson have, indeed, made up for his hopes of a Wilson led Church.
I should have said, “an N.C. Wilson led Church.”
I am not surprised but disappointed with the choice. Ellen White was against the election of the same leaders to the important positions of the world church and of the local churches. Is the church not aware of this?
Too much craziness for me to keep calling this church “my church.”
This church is ill and has absolutely no remedy. If I ever decide to go to a physical Church again, it will be a Baptist Church for sure. Enough of this Adventist insanity!
With no time given for discussion, Abner De los Santos, chair of the evening business session, quickly rushed Wilson’s name to a vote. Delegates both on the floor and attending virtually had three minutes to vote through the ElectionBuddy system used for all electronic voting at the session. At the end of the time, the final total flashed on the arena screens.
I really don’t get it. Two extra years to plan this, it’s a week-long event, and…you give people three whole minutes to vote (late on a Monday evening, no less)? Were they trying to fit it in during a commercial break on WWE Monday Night Raw?
I think we all knew re-election was coming, so why rush it like this? Just wait until Tuesday morning, get rid of one of the business sessions (there’s still plenty of those left), and have a two-hour session. Seriously, it’s fine, it’s not like there’s some urgent task the GC President had to perform tonight. All this is doing is giving the appearance, unfairly or not, of a good old boys club shoving through what they want.
I’m not in marketing - I’m just some idiot on the Internet - but this seems like Common Sense PR 101 to me. It’s just so frustrating to watch, over and over, how oblivious the GC seems to be of its current image.
Elder Wilson looks like he’s about 39 years old. I imagine he could be GC president for another 30 years. If he were to share what he has eaten during the last two to four weeks, that might be the most interesting and insightful testimony he has ever written.
He easily passes the He’s Not a Total Moron Test, in that he has been vaccinated and has strongly urged everyone to get vaccinated. His cliches are preferable to the weird gibberish spouted by radicals in our faith community. I much prefer “total member involvement” to “lock up Dr. Fauci” or “make America great again” or “Jews will not replace us.”
Granted, he doesn’t appear to have a high ceiling. But he has been strong for Andrews University. And his stereotypes, perhaps unfair and exaggerated, have made him an instructive foil of what some Seventh-day Adventists, pursuant to the leading of the Holy Spirit, strive to be. Putting all of that aside, I can’t help but like the guy. I wish him well.
i just saw the vote (probably a recording)…it’s the right decision…as i take it all in, it feels right, even though i can see how this post-pandemic time would have been a natural moment for a change…
My sentiments too, George. Who needs this. I voted withmy feet 6 years ago. No regrets except not doing so sooner. How you doing BTW?
The day began with a strong emphasis on the Holy Spirit undergirded by brilliant biblical preaching and much prayer for a daily baptism of the Holy Spirit, the honoured guest at the 61st GC session but not to the nominating committee, it would appear, and not in the hearts and minds of 74% of the delegates, according to 24% of the delegates that voted for change. TW was re-elected as GC President! Three-quarters of the church in session has spoken. They want TW to complete the five-year term two of which were handed to him courtesy of COVID. Time for the 24% saints to shed tears between the porch and the altar and pray that TW’s “Jesus is Coming - Get involved”! peculiar brand of leadership hastens the parousia - despite TW!
well, a honest man, having done his best - - @Andreas Bochmann - -
Now I am 84, a fifth generation SDA. I am just outdated. I do not speak the language of the postmoderns. I do not understand their kind of commitment to anything - - I am a conservative, cherishing the virtues of past times, having held two Conservative political mandates - - in the SDA community I am a “Spectrummite”, a left - liberal - - well, good bye brave world - -
And, sorry, he reminds me on Putin.The one has his Compliance Review Committee , the other his KGB, and both for me seem to have their dreams - of yesteryear - -
The pandemic for the Adventist Church began in 2010. The lockdown and mandates began immediately Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. Sadly as painful and disagreeable as this lockdown has been, the alternative would be the complete disintegration of the Adventist Church.
Sorry, Doc?
I can’t think of a better analogy!!!
By refusing to allow for a discussion of the recommendation to elect Ted Wilson, the Chair sent a clear message that the Chruch is not a democratic institution. I do not doubt that Ted Wilson would have been elected following a fair and free discussion. There was nothing to lose by allowing such, other than a few minutes of time. The message sent by the action of the Chair was that a small group of about 15% (not exact) could force their view upon the entire Chruch at large. This is not indicative of a democratic denomination which the SDA Chruch claims to be. The Roman Catholic Church has a more democratic process to elect their Pope (the Bishop of Rome) than it seems the SDA Chruch has.
Well, Ted Wilson can go to bed every night for the next three years knowing that while he holds the office, he was not elected by a fair and free process. although I expect that such would have elected him. Will that trouble him. I will not speculate on that.
Inany case the lack of a fair and free process will result in a growing lack of confidence in the SDA denomination by an increasing number of its members and potential converts.
Folks, I’m a delegate this year and was in the room. I agree that once a motion and second was made the chair moved quickly to a vote. But any delegate could have stood and made a comment or triggered a debate. I did not and no one else did. No one was cut off from speaking. I wouldn’t make too much of this. The 75/25 vote split shows that the delegates weren’t on the fence and I think a debate would not have made much impact except to salt wounds. The feeling is that in three years a change will be made. The more interesting discussions came in the late afternoon and early evening over what seemed to me to be innocuous changed to the church manual but which were seen by conservatives as irrevocably entrenching the opportunity for there to be female elders. I’m not sure they were right to see such deep significance in the amendments but it is interesting to note that efforts to thwart these amendments were handily defeated. Earlier in the day an attempt to amend the agenda to allow for a debate on the church support for vaccines was defeated in a landslide, 90 percent against. Wilson spoke strongly against the effort to amend the agenda and I agree with Phil that his staunch support for the vaccine has been his shining hour.
My SDA membership probably still subsists somewhere in some congregation; but no, it’s not my church anymore either.
This used to bother me, but the fact is that my views don’t line up with “the 28” and likely never did. (The “28” today are so detailed and prolix that I doubt more than 1% of baptizees believe them in their totality or even understand them). Since I don’t adhere to the SDA official statement of beliefs, it is I who ought to withdraw, and it is why I withdrew.
TW and his ilk represent “the 28”. He represents those who mistakenly believe EGW was inspired. He represents the biblioidolators who place a slavish unthinking adherence to the written ancient legends above all reason, common sense, observation, experiment, discovery and knowledge.
TW represents those who cling to those silly notions of a papal “sunday law” conspiracy, who uphold that ridiculous work of fantasy fiction entitled “The Great Controversy” over actual facts and history, and those who won’t accept that nothing of cosmic importance actually happened in 1844.
TW represents what the church is - a group clinging to the mistaken beliefs, and refusing to admit that the “pioneers” got it all wrong. With a dose of reality, and under different leadership, something of value could be salvaged from the organizational structure of the church and some of its more salutary cultural aspects, but its anti-intellectual theoretical edifice is rotten to the core. No - it’s not my church either.
In the bible, elections were made by casting lots. It is an old, forgotten method of selecting leaders.
the church is to be a missionary church to be mastered by missionaries like apostles and not like careerists sitting behind desks in beautiful buildings. We have what we deserve. Greetings from Poland, Rabka-Zdroj