The 19th Assembly of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Delegates of the Austrian Union in Vienna took place May 10-13. The 154 delegates elected two new members to the church leadership.
Pastor Christian Grassl (51), President of the Austrian Union from 2013 to 2018, was not available for re-election. Pastor Reinhard Schwab (40) was elected as his successor, he had previously led the youth department of the Church in Austria.
Christian Gerer (54), Chief Financial Officer from 1995 to 2018, will be succeeded by Stefan Giuliani (27), who has a Master's Degree in Business Administration and is currently working for a bank.
Pastor Oliver Fichtberger (49) was re-elected, he has been the Executive Secretary (Secretary General) for the Church since 2009.
Reinhard Schwab's Career
Pastor Reinhard Schwab, the newly elected Adventist president in Austria, worked as a carpenter and completed the theological training at the Schloss Bogenhofen Seminary from 1997 to 2002 . He spent two years as a pastoral assistant in Switzerland. Since 2005, Schwab has worked for the Adventist Church in Austria as a pastor and department leader for children and young people.
Delegates Assembly and “Union Conference”
The delegates assembly took place from Thursday, May 10 to Sunday, May 13. On Friday evening, May 12, a public film screening marked the beginning of the so-called "Union Conference" which started on Saturday, when around 2,300 participants came to the Austria Center Vienna. The day was marked by morning worship and a variety of special music and a panel discussion on current education challenges. The Union Conference ended with a sacred concert performed by the choir and orchestra of the Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen, the largest educational institution of the Church in Austria.
“Intense and demanding time”
This year's delegates meeting which occurs every five years, was "particularly intensive and demanding" for the members of the nomination committee. It was characterized by significant structural changes, according to the information letter from the Austrian Adventist church leadership to the parishes. “Times of change are times of reorientation and would also bring new opportunities”, concluded the letter. It is now important to pray together "for all people and communities affected by change".
A detailed discussion on the subject of "education and training" was conducted at the meeting in addition to the elections. Also, five new church congregations were established, which had been founded since the last delegates meeting in 2013, as well as an updated constitution of the church.
"Together" “is the motto for the next five years, in which the church leadership has the goal to be in close dialogue with the local communities, to support them in the achievement of their goals and to support them in coping with challenges”, said Oliver Fichtberger, Executive Secretary ( Secretary General) of the Adventist Church in Austria. This takes precedence over national projects of the departments, whose future focus also lies on the individual regional support of the local communities.
Adventists in Austria
The Protestant Seventh-day Adventist Church in Austria has more than 4,200 members. They worship each Saturday, the biblical day of rest, in 55 churches and 9 groups. The church in Austria maintains a publishing house, the relief agency ADRA Austria, “Hope-Media” closely linked to the European media centre "Voice of Hope", and an education network consisting of five private schools and the training centre: Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen which includes, high school, Faculty of Theology, German as a foreign language and Education, with a teaching degree in the primary level.
