During their regularly-scheduled quarterly meeting held Nov. 14 in Ridgefield, Wash., North Pacific Union Conference executive committee members voted to engage Northwest membership in a discussion on gender-inclusiveness in gospel ministry. They approved a motion to 1) inform and educate Northwest members of the rationale toward biblical church leadership without regard to gender; 2) engage and encourage constituents in structured conversation and discussion on women in ministry; and 3) call a special session of the NPUC constituency to address ministerial ordination without regard to gender. The motion was presented in response to extensive reports provided by an Ad Hoc Committee on Women in Leadership which met during 2012. No date was specified at the meeting for a proposed constituency session, but that will be determined as the process for discussion and decision-making is further defined within the next month.
As an aid to the ongoing discussion, we will be posting additional documents produced or gathered by the Ad Hoc Committee and beyond. The following documents are currently posted here:
- FAQ page regarding the NPUC process
- “Reflections on the Theology and Practice of Ordination in the Seventh-day Adventist Church” by Dr. John McVay. – Posted 11/15
- A Biblical Theology of Unity, by Emily Flottmann, Andre Wang and James Wibberding – Posted 11/19
- Women in Ministry: Framing the Conversation, by James Wibberding – Posted 11/19
