Delegates approved revisions to the Church Manual to reinforce the Adventist understanding of marriage to refer specifically to a “lawfully binding lifelong commitment of a man and a woman.”
The Church Manual article “Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage” refers to the origination of the marriage institution in Eden and mentions the union between Adam and Eve as “the pattern for all future marriages.”
San Antonio’s Alamodome more resembled the United Nations than it did a sports arena as tens of thousands of Seventh-day Adventists, many in native costumes, celebrated the advance of Adventist mission over the past 152 years.
The Parade of Nations, traditionally one of the highlights of the last weekend of a General Conference Session, had a new name designed to reflect the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s progress in mission outreach.
Ted N.C. Wilson, speaking in his first sermon after his re-election as General Conference president, urged Adventists to press ahead in unity in proclaiming Jesus’ soon return.
Wilson drew from hallmark initiatives of his first five-year term — Revival and Reformation, Mission to the Cities, comprehensive health ministry, and a daily online Bible study plan — to call on every church member to share Jesus in their communities.
San Antonio Mayor Ivy R. Taylor thanked Seventh-day Adventists for bringing the free healthcare and the 2015 General Conference session to her city — and said she looked forward to reading a brand-new copy of Steps to Christ.
General Conference president Ted N.C. Wilson, speaking at a closing meeting of the 10-day convention at the Alamodome stadium on Sabbath evening, expressed gratitude to Taylor for the warm reception that San Antonio offered its 65,000 Adventist attendees.
General Conference president Ted N.C. Wilson said Friday that a vote this week on the issue of women’s ordination meant “we maintain the current policy.”
Wilson told delegates at the General Conference session in San Antonio, Texas, that Wednesday’s vote simply barred the church’s world divisions from making decisions on the ordination of women.
Aspecial mission offering that will be collected during the General Conference (GC) session’s second Sabbath worship service, July 11, 2015, will challenge attendees to put their money where their mouth is.
The money is slated to fund thousands of youth-driven mission projects worldwide.
Delegates turned down a motion that would have allowed each division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to decide for itself whether to ordain women to the gospel ministry in its territory.
By a margin of 1,381-977, with five abstentions, delegates by secret ballot ended a five-year process characterized by vigorous and sometimes acrimonious debate.
A secret ballot system has been installed for Wednesday’s ordination vote that will offer the most fair and secure voting process possible, General Conference officers said.
“We have tried to be transparent, honest and thoughtful, and to ensure the privacy of the vote to the best of our ability,” said Nancy Lamoreaux, chief information officer for the General Conference and organizer of the logistics for Wednesday’s vote.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church seldom revises its Fundamental Beliefs. So why now?
There are at least six reasons why a denomination might consider a revision to its belief statements. It might wish to
Delegates at the General Conference session in San Antonio, Texas, have approved a milestone update of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s 28 Fundamental Beliefs that, among other things, underscores the church’s teaching of a recent, literal Creation week.
The core statements of the church’s Fundamental Beliefs had not been touched since they were first adopted in 1980, with the lone exception an additional belief in 2005.
