Seventh-day Adventist world church officials today released a statement regarding a local conference that recently elected as president a person who is not recognized by the world church as an ordained minister. Ordination is one of the criteria for being a conference president.
Read MoreSandy Roberts voted SECC president
Sandy Roberts' presidential nomination to Southeastern California Conference passed, 72 percent to 28 percent.
Read MoreLive blog: SECC session 2013
Today Southeastern California Conference delegates will vote whether or not to accept Sandra Roberts' nomination to the position of conference president.
The final vote, along with other points of interest, will be published live, right here.
Read MoreFemale nominated for SECC president
Southeastern California Conference (SECC) delegates will vote tomorrow on Sandra E. Roberts' nomination to conference president. The constituency meeting will take place at La Sierra University Church, Calif., at 9 am.
Read MoreSoutheastern Calif. Conference removes 'ordained-commissioned' from ministerial credentials
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Enno Mueller, Interim Communication Director Southeastern California Conference 951.509.2258 enno.mueller@seccsda.org
March 22, 2012 (Riverside, CA) – The Executive Committee of the Southeastern California Conference voted today “to remove the term ‘Ordained-Commissioned’ and replace it with the term ‘Ordained’ on all ministerial credentials, regardless of the gender of the credential holder.” This is effective immediately.
Since 2000 the conference had issued “Ordained-Commissioned” ministerial credentials to men and women.
The committee believes this step will enable all pastors to better fulfill the conference’s mission statement, which is the expansion of God’s kingdom through preaching, teaching, publishing and living of the everlasting gospel throughout the cross-cultural communities of its territory.
Southeastern California Conference is the administrative headquarters for the more than 70,596 members of 156 churches and companies. The conference employs 177 pastors that hold ministerial credentials, of which 10 are female. The conference territory encompasses the Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Southeastern California Conference is one of seven conferences that make up the Pacific Union Conference, which has approximately 222,000 members and is one of nine union conferences that form the North American Division. The North American Division has more than 1 million members.