More Rebellion in the Camp

Another sign of disintegration of the Divine Pattern within our Seventh-day Adventist Church has just occurred.  And another first within the church.  The Southeastern California Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has just appointed Sandra Roberts as President of the conference - the first woman Conference President in any world field.  This was approved by and pushed forward by the President of the Pacific Union Conference, Pr Ricardo Graham, although he did relay a message from Pr Ted Wilson, General Conference President - that this move was not supported by the General Conference.

"Ricardo Graham, president of the Pacific Union Conference, reminded delegates that the General Conference does not endorse women’s ordination, and he passed on a message from Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the world church, clarifying that the election of a woman as president would not be recognized by the General Conference.

But Graham continued by stating that because delegates to the Pacific Union Special Session voted in 2012 to authorize the ordination of women, that the recommendation of the SECC nominating committee is in harmony with conference and union bylaws and policies."

Here is the news release from the Southeastern California Conference website: 

http://secc.adventistfaith.org/news_entries/7151

Here is another article from a website called Advindicate:

http://advindicate.com/articles/2013/10/27/sandy-roberts-voted-secc-president

What is disturbing is the fact that this lady - Sandra Roberts - received a Doctorate Degree with emphasis in Spiritual Formation!

http://seccsecretariat.adventistfaith.org/

Here is a good summary of the story, on an Adventist Forum:

"Corona’s Sandra Roberts today became the first woman to lead a Seventh-day Adventist conference, a controversial move that the worldwide church says it will not recognize.

Roberts, who last year became one of the first women ordained as an Adventist minister in the United States, was elected president of the five-county, Riverside-based Southeastern California Conference to loud applause by a 72 to 28 percent margin at 12:15 p.m. at a meeting in Riverside. A conference is similar to a diocese.

The worldwide Adventist Church does not recognize the ordination of women. Ricardo Graham, president of the five-state Pacific Union Conference, to which the Southeast conference belongs, said worldwide Adventist General Conference president Ted Wilson called him Saturday night to say the election of Roberts “would put the Southeastern conference and Pacific Union Conference in direct confrontation with the General Conference and the world church.”

Presidents of conferences must be ordained pastors.

Graham told the delegates at the meeting that Wilson told him to convey to them that the election of a woman “would not be recognized by the world church.”

Last year, the Pacific Union Conference became one of two Adventist union conferences to authorize the ordination of women. That prompted the executive committee of the worldwide church governing body to call the moves “serious mistakes” that undermine church unity.

Delegates to 1990 and 1995 meetings of the worldwide church rejected proposals to ordain women. The topic is likely to come up at the next worldwide church meeting, in 2015.

A 27-member nominating committee recommended Roberts, who was the only candidate for the presidency.

Roberts had served as executive secretary of the Southeastern conference since 2004 and previously served as a lay pastor at Corona Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Sunday’s vote by more than 1,100 delegates came during a once-every-five-years constituency meeting at La Sierra University Church of Seventh-day Adventists. The Southeastern California Conference includes Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, San Diego and Imperial counties. With more than 74,000 members, it is one of the largest local Adventist conferences in the country."

http://www.adventistonline.com/forum/topics/woman-elected-president-of-conference?commentId=1451550:Comment:4385567&xg_source=activity

Just for interest, here is an interview with Steve Wholberg about the Emerging Church (which involves Spiritual Formation):

http://advindicate.com/articles/2013/10/25/interview-with-steve-wolhberg-on-the-emerging-church

Wow - as the saying goes: "The future will be interesting".  One step leads to another - first 2 Unions go against the world church and ordain women pastors, and now a woman has been appointed as a President of a Conference.  I fear for our beloved church - rebellion in the camp!  Where will this lead? Rebellion against delegated authority does not lead to blessing, but cursing.

Much prayer needed on behalf of our church.