To The President

[Gregory Matthews]

In the following article, Reinder Bruinsma outlines the direction that he suggests the new GC President should take.

https://atoday.org/dear-elder-kohler/

I have substantial agreement with the article.  In any case, it is good for discussion.

 

[Gregory Matthews]

It was a reflective time for me, a number of years ago. I had left the U.S. Army and my position as a SDA Chaplain. I was needing employment, which for me as SDA Clergy, was not coming quickly. In my disappointment, I was considering the extent to which I should remain a member of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.

 In many ways, in my 25+ years as SDA clergy I had seen both the best and the worst of Adventism. In my 7 ½ years as a congregational pastor, I had worked under five Conference P residents. One was expelled from ministry. Another was removed from office and he refused to return to pastoral ministry. He had attempted to fire all of his Intern pastors.

 My assignments had taken me to New York City, for a short period of time where I became aquatinted with the work of an administrator who later became a GC President. Other assignments took me to Asia and Central America where I became closely connected to Adventist mission work in those areas. In those assignments I saw a Church at both its best and its worst.

As a member of local SDA Congregations I saw both sexual and financial misconduct on the part of clergy, who eventually were dismissed from ministry.

My background had included obtaining a graduate degree in psychology from Chapman University. With that background I had exercised hospital admission privileges. As I reflected on my life, I admitted to myself that I was in a spiritual a crisis and I needed help. So, I made a telephone call that set up an appointment with a psychiatrist.

In my treatment I came to understand that misconduct that I had seen in others was the concern of the Church, and not my responsibility. My concern was to be myself. My issues was to be who I was. If I was not what the Church wanted in its clergy, the Church could act to remove me as I had seen it do to others. I was not responsible for acting ahead of the Church, as long as I was being true to myself.

That was a helpful construct that has remained with me throughout many more years (29+) as SDA clergy. I value the SDA Church and acknowledge its imperfections. I remain committed to it, as I understand it should have mission and ministry. If the time comes when the SDA Church no longer welcomes me, I will sorrowfully accept that decision. In the meantime, I will openly be what I believe God wants me to be.

[Rahab]

Stay with the boat!  As imperfect as she may be, there’s none other.

 

[phkrause]

You've been a blessing to me GM. I'm pretty sure to others also!!

[Well, thank you, Gregory Matthews.]