Oregon Conference Disputes GC Handling Tithe Out of Compliance with Policy
5 October 2018 | Oregon Conference has today sent a letter to the General Conference, asking that it return to a substantial amount of tithe that was given through the General Conference so the the giver could be anonymous.
Giving through the General Conference is allowed, according to GC Working Policy V 09 05 5.c, for the purpose of anonymity. “After being receipted by the treasury where it was received, such tithe is to be returned anonymously to the local conference/mission field/union of churches where the member holds membership.”
According to the letter from Pastor Dan Linrud, Oregon Conference president, to Pastor Ted Wilson, General Conference president, the tithe has not been returned as policy specifies, but has been retained by the General Conference:
The current General Conference Working Policy does not make provision for the General Conference to retain direct tithe returns for discretionary distribution to world divisions. General Conference Working Policy stipulates that tithe is to be returned directly to the local conference (or mission field or union of churches). The only acceptable reason for a member to return tithe directly through the General Conference is for helping the tithe-returner’s identity to remain anonymous to their local field.
The Oregon Conference Executive Committee has submitted the following request:
VOTED, to respectfully appeal to the General Conference administration to protect the sanctity of the tithe system of the Seventh-day Adventist Church by adherence to the tithe policy and protocol as specified in the General Conference Working Policy, with regard to receiving tithe contributions from local conference members, which includes tithe recently received directly by the General Conference from a member of the Oregon Conference.
The entire letter can be read here.
