Meet Me in St. Louis, Part 1: What is a GC Session?
- Illinois Conference Communications
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 17 minutes ago
Matthew Lucio
ILC Assistant to the President for Communication
Right now, around 60,000 people are preparing to attend the 62nd General Conference Session ("Session" for short). Even though the North American Division contains only 5.5% of all Adventists, we have hosted the Session in our territory 60 out of 62 times.
Whether you intend to visit the Session or not, this series of articles will explain how Session works and what you can expect. This first article outlines some frequently-asked questions about the GC Session.
CONTENTS:
1. WHAT IS THE SESSION?
A Business Meeting
The General Conference Session is first and foremost a business meeting where delegates from the world church gather to vote on items on an agenda. More on that below.
The Session constitutes the highest authority in the Seventh-day Adventist church. Outside of session, the GC Executive Committee is empowered to act on behalf of the Session. (It is analogous to the relationship between a local church board and a church business meeting.) Certain major decisions, such as changes to the Church Manual or Fundamental Beliefs, must be approved by the delegates in a GC Session.
"During the intervals between sessions of the General Conference, the General Conference Executive Committee is delegated the authority to act on behalf of the General Conference in session." [Source: General Conference Working Policy, Bylaws, Article XIII, Sec. 1]
While the two major Executive Committee meetings (Spring Meeting and Annual Council) are livestreamed, Session is an opportunity for any Adventist to see the church conduct business in-person. Attendees will hear reports from leaders across the world, delegates discussing agenda items, and explanations from church leaders.
Other Purposes
Anyone who has attended a Session before knows that most of the 60,000 people aren't coming to watch a business meeting. For many Adventists, Session is exciting because it is a time to reconnect with old friends, enjoy worshiping with tens of thousands of fellow believers, and seeing the many exhibits from ministries around the world.
Because members of the Illinois Conference can trace their origins all around the world, the international nature of a Session is an opportunity for our members to see their family and friends from overseas.
As a bonus, local restaurants often go out of their way to accommodate attendees with even more vegetarian and vegan options.
2. HOW OFTEN IS SESSION HELD?
Every five years [GC Constitution, Art. V, Sec. 1]:
"The General Conference shall hold quinquennial Sessions at such time and place as the General Conference Executive Committee shall designate."
Fun Fact: In 2030, Session will be held in Indianapolis.
"Wait, didn't we just have a GC Session a few years ago?"
Fun Fact: We had two GC Sessions in 2022!
There have also been six "special" Sessions, with the last being called on January 18, 2022, (the first five were all called between 1876 and 1880) owing to the 2020 regular Session being postponed due to the pandemic. After that special Session, a regular Session met in St. Louis from June 6-12, 2022.
3. WHAT IS ON THE AGENDA?
At Spring Meeting, the General Conference Executive Committee votes to recommend items for the Session agenda. The agenda is not officially adopted until the delegates approve it. You can read the proposed agenda here.
There are several types of agenda items which the delegates will consider:
Elections
Church Manual Changes
Constitution and Bylaws Changes
General Agenda Items
All agenda items involve one of four major committees at the Session:
Church Manual Committee: Standing committee responsible for considering any alterations the delegates wish to make to the Church Manual agenda items.
Constitution and Bylaws Committee: Standing committee responsible for considering any changes the delegates wish to make to the Constitution and Bylaws agenda items.
Nominating Committee: Nominates candidates for the delegates to approve. Delegates have the right to refer candidates back to the nominating committee, which may come back with a new name for the delegates. This is the only committee whose members are selected at the Session, with each division's delegation choosing 10% of their members to serve on the nominating committee. This ensures that the nominating committee is representative of the world church.
Steering Committee: According to the GC Constitution, the Steering Committee shall "manage and monitor progress of the Session and its programs" and "determine and amend, if necessary, the sequencing of the Session's business agenda." [Article II, Sec. 5]
Note: All committees, as well as the agenda, must be approved by the delegates at the start of Session before any voting on agenda items can begin.
ELECTIONS
Delegates to the GC Session are empowered by the GC constitution to elect the GC President, vice presidents, secretary and treasurer, among others. Delegates will also elect those corresponding roles at the Division levels as well. [Source: GC Constitution, Article VI, 1.A]
Fun Fact: Other leadership roles are filled by appointment at the following Annual Council (in October), such as the directors for the Biblical Research Institute, director of Office of Archives Statistics, and Research, and others. [Source: GC Constitution, Article VII]
These elections are among some of the first items to be taken up by the delegates, beginning with the nomination of a General Conference President.
CHURCH MANUAL ITEMS
Every Session features proposed changes to the Church Manual, most of which are very minor, such as this one:
As you can see, the proposed change is simply one word and a rationale is provided for why the change should be considered. The delegates will vote whether to approve proposed changes like these.
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS ITEMS
The proposed changes to the GC Constitution and Bylaws are similar to those to the Church Manual. For example, with the reorganization of Adventist Review, references to Adventist World are now being removed. For example:
Fun Fact: When it comes to nominations, Church Manual, and Constitution and Bylaws agenda items, delegates have the option to suggest changes by referring the item back to the relevant committee. The committee would then consider the proposed changes and return with a new recommendation for the delegates.
GENERAL AGENDA ITEMS
The agenda also allows for administrative changes, such as by officially recognizing new Union Conferences or Union Missions. The For example, the newly organized South Sudan Union Mission needs to be approved by delegates before it can officially exist. Only then can the delegates from those territories be officially seated.
Also falling under the "General Agenda" items are GC officers' reports, the appointing of the nominating committeee, and an auditor's report.
4. WHAT DO DELEGATES DO?
Of the 2,809 delegates represent the world church and its institutions, two of those delegates will represent Illinois: John Grys (ILC President) and Arlene Brown-Dominguez. Each Conference is allowed two delegates.
How do delegates vote? Delegates often vote viva-voce (with their voice) on many agenda items, but use electronic voting devices on issues where a simple voice vote might be too close to call. Colored cards may also be used.
Is electronic voting anonymous? Yes. The equipment is tested ahead of time to make sure it works.
Can delegates speak to an issue? Yes, several mics are set up for delegates to speak to an issue using the General Conference Rules of Order.
5. WILL ILLINOIS BE IMPACTED?
While there is nothing on the agenda which specifically concerns Illinois, all Adventist churches are ultimately affected by what is voted at a GC Session. Sometime after the Session, the updated Church Manual will be made available to churches.
More importantly, the GC Session is also a reminder that the Illinois Conference belongs to a global spiritual family. Sometimes it is easy to forget how much the Seventh-day Adventist Church has grown in its relatively short history. Attending Session can be a welcome surprise not just of the church's numerical growth, but its rich diversity as well.
Stay tuned for future articles and videos in this series which will help connect you to the global Adventist church through the 62nd General Conference Session.
The Lake Union Herald will also be releasing articles, videos, and livestreams during the Session on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook as well.
🎥 The GC Session will be livestreamed (link to follow)
Please send any news items of what God is doing around the Illinois Conference to communication@ilcsda.org.