Delegates to the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted to accept a summary of the multi-session "Profiling Seventh-day Adventist Leadership" presentations.
Delegates to the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted to accept a summary of the multi-session “Profiling Seventh-day Adventist Leadership” presentations. The document, which appears below, recaps several important lectures on the topic:
153-05GS PROFILING SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST LEADERSHIP
VOTED, To accept the document Profiling Seventh-day Adventist Leadership—A Summary.
A SUMMARY
Context
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is global, a church of great diversity and complexity. Its geographic spread and rapid growth, especially in developing regions of the world, has provided the Church with immense richness and opportunities, as well as new challenges. Among these challenges is the need for an increasing number of mission-focused leaders, individuals that are professionally competent, exemplify Bible-based values of Christian leadership, and embrace the expectations for leadership within the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist Church. This need will not be met without a planned process of leadership development of both Church employees and laity.
Affirmation of the Nature of Seventh-day Adventist Leadership
The Seventh-day Adventist Church affirms the need for leaders with a high level of competence in their fields of leadership. The church values and encourages the development of a range of gifts and desires leaders who have the experience, skills and qualifications necessary to meet the requirements of the widely disparate leadership positions available throughout the world Church. The Church is enriched by the professionalism and diverse talents such leaders bring to the Church.
The Church also affirms the need for all leaders in the Church to share a common commitment to core Christian leadership values that are based on biblical principles, as well as to specific expectations that arise from the theology and global nature of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This commitment will be evidenced in their approach to their responsibilities and should be a requirement of appointment to any Church leadership position.
Therefore, the Seventh-day Adventist Church calls for leadership characterized by, but not limited to, the following:
1. Christ-likeness in Relationships: Humility, graciousness, forgiving, compassionate, peace-loving—these are some of the attributes of a Christian leader. Family, church-members, the wider community: all will be treated with respect and Christian love. (John 15:9-17; Phil. 2:1-5)
2. Commitment to Mission Focus: Whatever their particular responsibilities, a leader in the Seventh-day Adventist Church will maintain a primary commitment to the mission of the Church and the Gospel of Christ. This will be evidenced in selection of strategic priorities and in the leader’s determined focus on Church mission, rather than personal agenda. (Acts 1:8; Rev. 14: 9-12)
3. Integrity: A leader of integrity will be transparent, authentic, and truthful. This value will be seen in action in lack of favoritism, honest recognition of mistakes, and consistency of character and action. There will be no manipulation or deception—only truthfulness, a willingness to confront errors, and fair treatment of all individuals. (I Cor. 4:1-2; Dan 6:10; Prov. 10:9, 11:1)
4. Loyalty to God and the Church: Seventh-day Adventist leaders will know their first loyalty is to God. They will express personal perspectives but recognize the authority of the corporate church to make decisions and the responsibility of leadership to support those decisions. They will not seek personal power and will seek ways of resolving difference so as not to bring confusion or disunity to the body of the church. (John 17:11, 21-23; Eph. 4:1-6)
5. Professional Competence: All leaders should have the experience, qualifications and skills necessary to perform the specific responsibilities of their positions. They will continue to seek improvement in their professional areas and model best professional practice and respect the diverse gifts of other professionals. (I Cor. 12; I Cor. 4:12; Matt. 25:14-29)
6. Responsiveness to the Global Family: In the global village of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a leader will be able to affirm diversity and its strengths, and value the complementary gifts of that diversity while maintaining agreed core unifying ideals. Such leaders will find their own primary identity in their shared relationship with all others in the church as children of God, and find active means of building a community, a family, that celebrates and nurtures its richness. (I Cor. 12; Gal 3:28: I Cor. 9:19-23)
7. Responsibility and Accountability to the Church and Wider Community: A leader who models servant leadership will be acting with responsibility. A leader will demonstrate concern with the unity of the Church body and mission, the healing and building up of the community and the imperative of active obedience to the Word of God. This will include clear accountability to both local and international constituencies. A leader who acts with responsibility will focus consistently on service and on modeling the character of Christ. (I Cor. 1:10-13; Ps. 1:1-3; Eph 4:29-32)
Call for Action
The delegates of the 2005 General Conference Session affirm the positive steps taken in leadership training at the General Conference and in a range of divisions and educational institutions throughout the world during the past quinquennium.
However, the delegates also affirm the need for all divisions of the world to further prioritize the intentional professional development of leaders that espouse the ideals of Christian leadership, and additionally that such training be an expectation of leadership positions at all levels of the Church.
The delegates identify the following as the main areas for action in leadership development:
1. Curriculum Development and Centers of Leadership: That each division, through a center for leadership or similar concept, develop a core curriculum for church leaders that is focused on a blend of professional competence, Christian leadership values and specific denominational expectations.
2. Networking: That the General Conference Office of Leadership, the division Centers of Leadership and educational institutions that offer leadership education focus on collaboration and networking to ensure sharing of best practice.
3. Professional Development: That continuing leadership education be an on-going expectation of all leaders, whether employed or lay leadership. This should include orientation to the particular leadership position and on-going training and development while an individual holds a leadership position.
4. Evaluation: That a process for evaluating all leadership at all levels be developed and regularly applied, with the main focus of the process on leadership improvement and personal growth.
The General Conference Session delegation further requests that the General Conference Executive Committee receive reports and monitor the effectiveness of the leadership development process throughout the 2005-2010 quinquennium.
