The South Pacific Division (SPD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church remains committed to women’s ordination and will ask the General Conference to put it back on the 2020 GC agenda.
L-R: SPD secretary Lionel Smith, General Conference vice-president Dr Ella Simmons and SPD president Glenn Townend.
The South Pacific Division’s year-end meetings were held this week at Avondale College’s Lake Macquarie campus (NSW). Nearly 100 delegates attended the annual meetings.
After the women’s ministry report was given, a response to the Compliance Document (and request to agitate the issue a fourth time at GC Session) was drafted to be sent to the General Conference. The full statement reads:
RESOLVED to receive the Development of Women in Ministry and Leadership Report as presented by Dr Danijela Schubert and attached to the official minutes.
And further, to note and share with the GC the high proportion of women who are employed in local church ministry and leadership positions throughout the South Pacific Division, and that the South Pacific Division has been and remains willing to work within the will and policy of the world Church.
And further, to reaffirm the decision of the South Pacific Division Executive Committee Action 12.1 held on the 12th of November 2013 to affirm the Biblical Research Committee recommendations as follows:
1) The Biblical Research Committee of the South Pacific Division does not see any scriptural principle which would be an impediment to women being ordained.
2) The calling of the Holy Spirit needs to be recognised for both men and women. There is a sense of injustice that needs to be addressed.
3) The mission of the Church is the primary determinant of praxis both in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and in its climax as the Holy Spirit is poured out on both men and women during the latter rain.
Further, to continue to encourage and support the empowering of women in fulfilling the gospel commission and being employed in ministry and leadership positions throughout the SPD.
Further, to continue to influence the Church within the SPD and the world Church to recognise and utilise women who have been called, and have accepted the call of God into the gospel ministry, and who are gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit as evidenced by their fruitfulness in ministry.
Further, to request the GC to reconsider the recommendations made last quinquennium by the divisions’ Biblical Research Committees, the TOSC committee, and to review the GC Session 1990 action referring to women’s ordination for its context and its relevance to the missional needs of the Church at this time, and further, and that in the context of the above items, and specifically in relation to the Fundamental Beliefs numbers 6, 7, 14, and 17, to request the GC to place on the GC 2020 Session agenda an action item on the ordination of women in light of the missional needs of some areas of the world Church.”
Apparently, AdFeminists in the Church intend to keep hectoring us until their demands are satisfied. Unlike Paul, who “Besought the Lord three times” about a “thorn in his side” and finally got the message, AdFeminists have decided to keep pressing the issue, consuming a large amount of the Church’s time, resources and peace. This needs to STOP.
In fact, the issue of WO would not have come up more than one time (1990) except for corybantic liberal agitation. Two words come to mind: ENOUGH ALREADY
Worldliness
The Bible depicts worldliness as the exact opposite of godliness. The world’s wisdom is not wisdom at all (1 Corinthians 3:18-19), rather, it is foolishness, especially the world’s wisdom on the subject of religion and social justice. We see that today in the endless discussions of “WO” by individuals whose spiritual ‘wisdom’ is based on nothing more than worldly illusions.
Immaturity
Paul also equates worldliness with spiritual immaturity in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, where he addresses the believers in the church of Corinth in regard to their worldly behavior. Though they were believers—he calls them “brothers”—they were spiritual babies who could not understand the deep things of God that Paul wished to share with them. They had never progressed past learning the basics of the faith and were seemingly content to remain there. Like today, this lack of maturity led to their behaving as though they were still part of the unsaved world.
These are the two spiritual problems that our Church is facing today. Immaturity and worldliness.
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“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).