2001 Spring Meeting

Spring Meeting - Purpose and Function

What is the purpose of Spring Meeting?
Church leaders from around the world gather at the church's world headquarters to review progress, discuss challenges, and to chart future plans for the Adventist Church worldwide.

Who attends the meetings?
Around 100 members of the church's executive committee, which is made up of church administrators, pastors, and lay people from each of the 12 divisions and the General Conference.

How are the meetings different from Annual Council?
A major goal during Annual Council, which convenes each autumn, is to prepare the budget for the new year. Also, changes to policy are made only during Annual Council-not at Spring Meeting. There's a wider representation at Annual Council than there is at Spring Meeting. All the division presidents and union presidents are present at Annual Council. Spring Meeting includes the division presidents, but without that broader representation. Annual Council is a time for looking at policy, reviewing recommendations for Church Manual change, and interim reports.

Will there be other subcommittees going on during the spring meetings?
There will be some. A few board meetings will also be held during this time. A nominating committee will meet to address a vacancy.

What are the dates for Spring Meeting?
April 18 and 19.

What are some agenda items to be reviewed?
A new strategic plan for the church worldwide is one of the most significant agenda items. "We must plan ahead to ensure that we move into the new century as a church united in faith and purpose," says Michael Ryan, special assistant to the president for strategic planning and director of Global Mission. "We need to allocate resources in a way that maximizes our ability to both nurture church members and to reach out to those who have not yet heard the Adventist message of hope."

"One of the key motivating factors of Spring Meeting is to receive the auditors' report, which reviews the past year's activity," says Larry Colburn, assistant to the General Conference president. "This is provided by an external auditor who informs the body as to how the church has functioned financially."

Location of the GC Session in 2010 and a year-2000 report from the GC treasurer, Robert Rawson, are also on the agenda. The executive committee will consider matters ranging from the establishing of an Ellen G. White Research Center in Collonges, France, to the realignment of church administrative districts in Equador.

How can we keep up with what is going on?ANN will issue news reports throughout the two days of Spring Meeting. The reports will be available on-line at www.adventist.org.

How do the meetings move us forward?
Spring Meeting is more than just a business meeting; it's also a time to refocus on priorities. The first agenda item is a time for reflection on the mission statement of the church.

How do the meetings effect change?
"Accountability is a very, very important aspect of the church," says Colburn. "This is a time when an external auditor gives a full report, which is what verifies or denies the accountability of the leadership of the church and the way the committees have used the funds. From a financial viewpoint, it's most important that this process take place, because accountability must be seen."

Strategic planning seems to be a buzz word these days. Is this going to be a focus of the Spring Meeting?
In the words of Dr. Jan Paulsen: "Strategic planning will be one of several focuses. The world church leadership meeting next week will consider three issues as primary for our church at the beginning of the new millennium: growth, unity, and quality of life. These three concepts are profoundly Seventh-day Adventist. So we need to ask ourselves, 'How can we stimulate the growth of the church? How can we strengthen the elements that bind us together? How can the ministry of the church make our faith community a welcoming spiritual home? What is important for us today, and what must we do to become responsible stewards of God's church as we fulfill His mission in our world?'"

• Originally printed in the April 16 General Conference building newsletter "Communiqué," editor, Wendi Rogers.
• Adapted from April 10, 2001, Adventist News Network Bulletin
• Special thanks to Larry Colburn, assistant to the president, for providing information regarding Spring Meeting.