North American Delegates Meet after Women’s Ordination Fails

By AT News Team, July 9, 2015:   Pastor Dan Jackson, president of the Adventist denomination in North America, called for a meeting of all the North American delegates in room 103 of the Convention Center after the session ended its meeting Wednesday (July 8) with a vote against the concept of allowing GC divisions to deal with ordination within their territories. The room was packed with dispirited delegates.

Jackson’s main message was that even though the proposal failed, the North American Division (NAD) would continue its unwavering support of its women pastors. He asked for them to stand, and the whole room gave them an extended applause. There must have been about 15 to 20 of them, though Adventist Today was unable to get an accurate count because it soon became a standing ovation. Then Jackson asked that the delegates surround each woman pastor and pray for them. Soon there were clumps of prayer bands all around the room surrounding each female pastor.

Jackson also reminded the delegates that they were still members of the world church, and emphasized that NAD was not in rebellion, and that under his leadership, they never would be in rebellion. Had an African delegate been listening in, however, Jackson’s continued fervent support of women’s ordination might have been hard to reconcile with those pacific words.