Annual Council

[Gregory Matthews]

Annual Council is an important administrative meeting of the SDA Church that takes place each year.  The 2025 one has just ended.  Andrew Francis, a student at Andrews University, has authored an extensive report on this recent Annual Council.   Yes, it is extensive.  In his report he cites both positive values and aspects that he suggests could be improved. It is well worth reading and can be accessed from the link below. 

https://spectrummagazine.org/views/annual-council-left-me-encouraged-but-with-questions/

 

[Joe Knapp]

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I left the Annual Council pleasantly surprised by what I witnessed in the GC headquarters. Instead of an uneasy, stale, and tense assembly of Adventist representatives entangled in constant debates—a situation that was typical in recent years under former GC President Ted Wilson—I saw GC and division leaders, accompanied by attending laymen, at ease and ready to follow the new denominational leader’s charge to be “integrated for mission.”

People in NAD are going to be surprised at how well things go now that the Americans are out. 

 

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2)  A GC Culture Shift May Be on the Way

This light-hearted approach seems to be affecting other GC officials, who have noticeably mixed in their own humor during the business session when appropriate. General Vice President Artur Stele narrated a memorable skit on communion with God, which was listed as one of four pillars of the World Church’s Strategic Plan in the Annual Council agenda.

There is a culture shift going on. It is exciting. 

 

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5)  GC Communication Stands Out for Its Practical Plans

Based on their Annual Council presentations, the reshaped GC Communication Department, led by GC Communication Director Alyssa Truman, positioned itself as a resource to support leaders, their initiatives, and church members. Truman has shared that contextualizing its communication strategies and leveraging youth and relationships with Adventist universities are key to her plans for the quinquennium.

A breath of fresh air. We finally can move on from the culture of command and control. 

 

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The report from the GC Auditing Services (GCAS) by its director, Robyn Kajiura, was a truly sobering moment for attendees during the Annual Council. The 2024 Annual Report revealed that only 61 percent of audited Adventist entities received a “standard” designation in their audits.

This has been a weak spot for a while. But gone are the "good old boy" networks. 

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) was discussed in a few business session reports as a tool to do ministry more effectively. One example was demonstrated during the GC Education Department’s presentation, with a video showing how AI technology was used to dub a movie about and produced by Freundesau Adventist University, which is up to four times cheaper than traditional dubbing, according to one of the film’s directors, Matheus Volanin.

The church has always been at the forefront of technology.  

 

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ADRA International has had quite a year, contending with federal funding cuts from the United States Agency for International Development, facing scathing rumors about how it appropriates its funds, and contending with leadership upheaval after Michael Kruger stepped down from the position in February 2025.

ADRA has been a problem for years. Let's see how the new administration handles it.