Seventh-day Adventist leadership today appointed world church Undersecretary Homer Trecartin to serve as president of the church's newly formed Greater Middle East Union Mission.

Trecartin has previously served as secretary-treasurer of the former Middle East Union and planning director for the world church's Office of Adventist Mission, among other positions.

Trecartin replaces Kjell Aune, who served as president of the region when it was overseen by the church's Trans-European Division. Annual Council delegates voted yesterday to make the region an attached field of world church headquarters.

"By doing this, we've set this region up as a global priority," said Gerry Karst, an Annual Council delegate and former world church vice president. "I want to appeal to this body to view it as [such] and give it the resources necessary for it to be successful," said Karst, who served as president of the church's Middle East Union in the 1980s.

Leadership also voted to reappoint Tibor Szilvasi, who will continue in his capacity as union secretary for the region.

World church Secretary G. T. Ng said church leaders will review possible candidates for the union's treasurer and announce their nomination at a later date.

Delegates voted current Associate Secretary Myron Iseminger to replace Trecartin as world church undersecretary.