The North German Union Executive Committee, in its online meeting on Sunday April 25, among other issues, decided to re-instate the 2012 resolution of their Constituency Meeting to ordain women to the Pastoral Ministry. Pastor Mario Brito, president of the Inter-European Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (EUD/Adventist), who was present, followed the engaged debate and asked the participants not to lose sight that Adventist Church is a Worldwide Organization. “I am not against the ordination of women being carried out in Europe while other parts of the world may choose not to do so. My concern is that we will do this against a decision of the General Conference Session.” He recommended not to follow the proposed direction.
He certainly had in mind the EUD statement issued in July 2015, immediately after the vote taken by the Session of the General Conference of the Adventist Church, not allowing the World Divisions to decide by themselves whether or not to ordain women to the pastoral ministry.
That document called the attention of the Adventist family in the Inter-European Division that it should by all means avoid that differences of opinion on women’s ordination divide the Church.
The administration of the Inter-European Division does not support an action against a vote taken at a General Conference Session. Until a commonly agreed solution is reached, the Church should continue to encourage and show appreciation to all women, regardless of the capacity in which they are serving the Lord and the Church.
The administration of the Inter-European Division of the Adventist Church will continue the dialogue with the Worldwide Church and its regional branches in order to find a suitable solution for a question that has been pending for about 140 years. One of the most important lessons that the Adventist Church should learn is that the best way to find a solution for such a sensitive matter is to entrust its resolution to the administration of each World Division, in a similar way to the decision regarding the ordination of church elders made about half a century ago.
