wfn.org | [APD] Women's ordination issue not on World Session agenda, Adventist president says

[Christian B. Schäffler <APD@stanet.ch>]

[APD] Women's ordination issue not on World Session agenda, Adventist
president says

Silver Spring, Maryland/USA, 10.04.2010/AR/ANN/APD   The issue of women's 

ordination will not be added to the agenda for the 59th General Conference 

Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the church's President Jan
Paulsen 

>said April 6.

Speaking to leadership at Spring Meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland, Paulsen
said  

that a canvass of the church's 13 world church divisions revealed only three
willing  

to accept a change in the current policy of not ordaining women to pastoral

ministry, and eight divisions reporting the move would negatively impact
membership.  

Two other divisions apparently did not respond.

The survey arose, Paulsen said, from discussions held during the January
2010 meeting 

of the church's President's Executive Administrative Council. 

Paulsen's comments came in response to a question from Johann E. Johannsson,
a 

pastor who is also treasurer for the church's Trans-European Division.
Johannsson asked 

why the issue was not included in the Spring Meeting agenda as had been
promised 

>at last year's Annual Council.

"We had a full discussion of this and agreed at that time, that we would
attempt to

take the pulse of the global church on this matter of the role of women in
leadership  

positions, the role of women in ministry and how we affirm that, by what
credential, 

[and] by what process do we do that," Paulsen told Spring Meeting delegates.

He added, "There were three divisions that responded by saying either they
were ready 

to affirm women in ministry by the process of ordination, or significant
parts of their 

>division would do it." 

Johann Johannsson, treasurer for the church's Trans-European region, asked
Paulsen 

for a report about last October's promise to discuss at Spring Meeting the
issue of 

>women's ordination.

Of the eight divisions that declined to consider women's ordination, each
included in 

their response a description of how women are engaged in leadership in their

respective region. However, "They came back and said they would not ordain 

women, and the people in their part of the world would be negatively
affected. 

... [It would] seriously undermine the unity [of the church]," Paulsen said.

As a result, Paulsen said church leadership concluded there was "no basis
whatsoever to  

bring to the session any measure. ... We felt we could not begin to address
that question.  

Given the sentiments, the responses we got back, we have to leave it there."

However, he added, "in fairness to the global church, many of you say,
'There are changes  

also taking place in the church in our part of the globe. We are not where
we were 10 years  

ago.' It's a process of education, a process of growth. Maybe a new
generation is needed.  

>I don't know."

At its 1990 and 1995 General Conference sessions, delegates considered the
issue of ordaining  

women, but declined to do so on both occasions. Since ordination is, under
church bylaws,  

required for certain offices including election to most executive leadership
roles, the issue is  

likely to remain in under discussion for some time to come. [News editors:
Mark A. Kellner for  

>AR/ANN/APD]

>*********************

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