Document Voted at Annual Council Outlines Process for Dealing With Non-Compliant Church Entities

Story by North American Division Communication Staff

On Oct. 14, 2018, after more than five hours of presentations and discussion, the General Conference Executive Committee, at its Annual Council meeting, approved a recommendation from the church’s Unity Oversight Committee: the creation of a new compliance process to assist with the need to implement church policies and voted actions.

In a vote of 185 to 124, with two abstaining, the document, entitled "Regard for and Practice of General Conference Session and General Conference Executive Committee Actions," follows upon the October 2017 vote by the GC Executive Committee, that referred an earlier compliance proposal back for further study and revision.

Voted Process

A joint Adventist News Network/Adventist Reviewreportoutlines the voted process. Below is an excerpt from this report:

"The process begins with perceived non-compliance being reported to the administrative level of the Church closest to the matter. . . . As part of the process, the non-compliant entity would be asked to provide evidence of compliance or a plan to 'achieve sustained compliance.'

"If no resolution is reached at the closest administrative levels, the General Conference Administrative Committee (ADCOM) may refer the matter to one of five advisory committees. These committees, termed “compliance committees” had earlier been endorsed by ADCOM."

During the Discussion

GC Executive Committee Members and invitees from the NAD spoke to the body during the discussion period before the vote.

NAD officers and union conference presidents spoke to the proposed document, saying it added in an unnecessary level of administration when current church procedures already define a process to deal with disagreements in church policy. Comments also expressed the need to bridge the differences between church entities on non-doctrinal issues. Questions were also raised on the challenge of policy interfering with mission objectives.

Click here for the rest of the story on the NAD Website.

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