EDITOR'S NOTE: The following statement represents the majority view of the North Pacific Union Conference executive committee, which voted 34-2 for approval at its regular meeting on November 14, 2018, in College Place, Washington.
Our prayerful mission is for each member within the North Pacific Union Conference to be empowered to share the distinctive Christ-centered, Seventh-day Adventist message of hope and wholeness with their communities. We embrace this mission and the scriptural truth of our Seventh-day Adventist fundamental beliefs.
The recent world church discussion on unity leads us to express unequivocal support for our church’s Fundamental Belief #14 on Unity in the Body of Christ. It states, in part, “In Christ we are a new creation; distinctions of race, culture, learning, and nationality, and differences between high and low, rich and poor, male and female, must not be divisive among us. We are all equal in Christ, who by one Spirit has bonded us into one fellowship with Him and with one another; we are to serve and be served without partiality or reservation.”
In light of these principles and the example of Christ-like forbearance in the church portrayed in Acts, we unreservedly endorse the official response of the North American Division (NAD) to the document approved by the General Conference (GC) executive committee: “Regard for and Practice of General Conference Sessions and General Conference Executive Committee Actions.” With the NAD, we:
- Recognize Christ as the head of our church;
- Reject trends toward centralized, hierarchical governance reflected in the newly voted GC document and support existing policies that make every leader responsible to his or her constituency;
- Affirm the unique unity and diversity that our church structure affords to maintain global values and identity while effectively implementing our common mission.
In eager support of our world church mission, we recognize the unique call of God upon both men and women for ministry. As we move forward together, we prayerfully entreat God’s Spirit to inspire attitudes and actions within our global movement that reflect the character of Christ in every decision, every interaction.
May God grant us each wisdom and Spirit-led power to find our ultimate unity in Christ, prayerfully advancing His mission together.
