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October 8, 2000
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Adventist Church President Calls for an Open and 
Creative Church

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA - Addressing an 
international gathering of church leaders, Pastor Jan 
Paulsen, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 
worldwide, identified "mission" and "unity" as the two 
most formidable challenges facing the Adventist Church at 
the beginning of  21st century.	

Paulsen was speaking at the Adventist church's Annual 
Council, a five-day meeting that convenes the highest 
decision-making body of the Adventist Church outside a 
full General Conference Session, which is held every 
five years.

Reminding leaders that "there is no virtue in simply 
remaining busy," Paulsen urged members of the General 
Conference Executive Committee to keep the challenges of 
"unity" and "mission" firmly in mind during their 
deliberations and decision-making of the Annual Council. 

In assessing and tackling challenges facing the church 
today, Paulsen identified strategic planning as an 
essential component in building  "a very intentional 
design which enhances unity, stimulates growth, and 
makes this church a better spiritual home for all." 

Paulsen also emphasized the vital importance of 
leadership training, which he said the world church has 
defined as an area of urgent need. While acknowledging 
that a formal Leadership Training unit at the General 
Conference has been set up, Paulsen also challenged 
church leaders present to model Adventist leadership.	
This leadership, Paulsen said, is characterized by 
"spiritual values," "a clearly defined mission" and 
something more: a truly global perspective that is able 
to transcend preoccupation with provincial interests and 
"turf-protection."  

"With such a mind-set leadership binds together rather 
than scatters, looks out rather than in, shares rather 
than hordes," said Paulsen. "Is not that, historically, 
a pretty good description of how we have functioned in 
mission as a church?"

Referring to an Annual Council agenda item proposing the 
formation of a Council on Africa, Paulsen said that "the 
time has come for us as a world body of leaders to ask: 
Have we provided our best to care for the future of our 
church family in Africa?" Citing the unprecedented  
growth-some 500 percent-in church membership in Africa 
over the last two decades, and the 500 percent growth 
that is projected for the next decade, Paulsen said that 
there must be consideration of ways to relieve the "huge 
demands on infrastructures, institutions, pastorate and 
leadership" in the region.

Paulsen also expressed his commitment to the newly formed 
Council on Evangelism and Witness, which met for the 
first time early this month. "Let the world church family 
know that the General Conference is involved in and 
actively pursuing evangelistic thinking and planning," 
said Paulsen, "and that we confess this to be our first 
task as God's people in these last days."

Paulsen ended his talk by reminding those who do not work 
at the General Conference that "it is not as though we 
have everything pre-defined, cooked, and canned at this 
place. We may sound like it at times, but really we do 
not." Instead, Paulsen called on those present to "help 
those of us who do work here to create services and 
initiatives that fit into the life of the church as you 
know it from your various corners of the globe."

"I pray that I and my colleagues will be young enough in 
mind, ready to listen and learn," said Paulsen. 

Annual Council brought together the more than 260 members 
of the General Conference Executive Committee, who dealt 
with the business of the world church. The committee is 
composed of church administrators, pastors and laypeople 
representing all 12 world divisions of the Adventist 
Church. (277/2000)

[Note for editors: A transcript of Jan Paulsen's address 
is available at www.adventist.org .]