Hi, I’m Björn Karlman, AT exec director, and I’ll be providing live updates for day five of the 62nd General Conference (GC) Session. Thanks for joining us!

MOST RECENT UPDATES APPEAR FIRST:

[5:06 PM CDT] In a bold move for both grammar enthusiasts and evangelists,
Agenda Item 421, recommending changing “discipleship” to “disciple-making” or “making disciples” in the church manual to emphasize evangelism, has passed at GCS25.

This was the final business item for the day, and nobody is upset. See you tomorrow!

[4:44 PM CDT] Delegates voted to axe a redundant paragraph from Chapter 12 of the church manual under Agenda Item 419, sparing local church treasurers from irrelevant rules about soliciting funds for international workers.

[4:40 PM CDT] Delegates hashed out Agenda Item 418, with Gerson Santos clarifying that post-Communion offerings are just a bonus, not a replacement for regular giving, before the motion passed with a triumphant “carries.”

[4:37 PM CDT] Delegates debated whether post-Communion offerings should be optional or required, tried (and failed) to make the language more forceful, paused for a translation mishap, and ultimately returned to the original motion—proving that nothing sparks more discussion than how to pass the plate.

[3:56 PM CDT] Church Manual Update: Agenda Items 414 and 415 both sailed through with a resounding “carried,” making division support and Sabbath School offering procedures officially enshrined in policy. Meanwhile, Agenda Item 413 was sent back to committee for further soul-searching, and the section on the World Health Ministries Sabbath Offering has been deleted—joining floppy disks and other relics of the past.

[3:17 PM CDT] Here are the newly-voted division presidents:

[2:50 PM CDT] “What does my experience of salvation have to do with tithing?” asks a young Trans-European Division delegate. She’s followed by another young person with the same point regarding a line in the church manual which claims tithing comes in “recognition of the biblical plan and the believer’s experience of salvation.”

[2:35 PM CDT] Delegates finished discussion of the amendment to Chapter 12 of the church manual to emphasize tithes and offerings as vital worship and a personal response to God’s blessings. An attempt to alter the proposal failed, so the original recommendation (Agenda Item 409) passed unaltered.

[2:31 PM CDT] A recommendation for Agenda Item 409 proposes amending Chapter 12 (Finance) of the church manual, pages 141-147. The goal is to emphasize tithes and offerings as essential worship and a personal response to God’s blessings.

[2:13 PM CDT] A delegate proposed a motion to alter the wording on page 55, specifically to replace “should” with “must” concerning the safeguarding of children in churches from perpetrators of abuse. The chair then instructed the delegate to direct this request to the Church Manual Committee.

[12:11 PM CDT] Delegates hungry for lunch have voted to approve Agenda Item 407, amending the church manual to clarify the responsibilities of church clerks and the process for membership transfers. The motion, which covers Chapter 7, Membership (pages 57–61), specifically addresses the method of granting Letters of Transfer.

With THAT out of the way, everyone’s headed for some vegetarian grub.

[12:07 PM CDT] The motion is amended

[11:35 AM CDT] Thank God we have Kenneth Logan playing the organ in the background. We have a motion to amend an amendment to the church manual on member transfers. This kind of thing is agonizingly frustrating!

[10:50 AM CDT] A delegate demands an addition to church manual language, mandating information on child abuse committed by transferring members.

[10:40 AM CDT] More names voted in.

[10:40 AM CDT] If he weren’t just re-nominated (deservedly re-elected) as GC undersecretary, Hensley Moorooven would have a bright future voicing bedtime stories.

[9:55 AM CDT] The next item is particularly relevant in light of a stat shared earlier in session that 4 out of 10 Adventist members leave: The motion proposes adding a new “Membership Record” section to the church manual. This section will clarify what constitutes a membership record, address situations where membership is held at more than one church, and establish protocols for “redemptive membership review.”

[9:55 AM CDT] At the start of business today, Adventist World Radio’s (AWR) Nelson Ernst, a dead ringer for JD Vance, is urging GC Session delegates to become “Seventh-day Activists” by spreading the gospel around St Louis with tracts.

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