Members' Manifesto SDA NUC, d.d.

30 August 2015
1 Members' Manifesto NUC
2 Over the recent years Union Policy has been drifting further apart from the stance of the
3 global Seventh-day Adventist Church. Examples of this are persisting to unilateral
4 decisions for womens ordination while GC delegates have decided otherwise, the
5 establishment of (probationary) conferences without a proper mandate from the
6 members, propagating homosexual lifestyle and the implementation of the Emerging
7 Church theology. There are serious concerns that large groups of brothers and sisters
8 will lose their connection to the church.
9 Articles, statements and declarations placed on divers Union media channels (Advent,
10 adventist.nl, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) have shown that the policy stance of the
11 NUC is at odds with the Word of God and what we as Seventh-day Adventists believe in.
12 This undermines the unity and calls into question both God's Word and the testimony of
13 our church.
14 On 18th August 2015, the General Conference Secretariat sent a document where the
15 Working Policy (WP) is clarified (Unions and Ordination to the Gospel Ministry). It states:
16 Just as if a local church decided to establish its own set of beliefs then it would no
17 longer be a Seventh-day Adventist church." There are serious concerns about the policy
18 stance that the Executive Committee is claiming for itself. We, the members of the
19 Church in the Netherlands, wish to speak out through this manifesto.
20 Why? We believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is God's instrument to proclaim
21 God's last warning messages to the world and to prepare those for the second coming of our
22 Lord Jesus. This can only be done in unity when the Lord Jesus and His Word occupy centre
23 stage (John 17:17, 21) in our witness and if we want to finish as one world church family.
24 The aforementioned GC document and also other passages in the WP make it clear that the
25 Union's Executive Committee claims policy privileges (e.g. on womens ordination, alleged
26 mandate to establish (probationary) conferences) that has not been delegated to her. The
27 implications affect not only the Executive Committee, but each local church and each individual
28 member.
29 What? We want to have a special constituency meeting to express our concerns, namely:
30 1. What are the implications of the current NUC policy stance for individual membership and
31 unity, mission and witness of the church?
32 2. How does the Dutch church remain part of the world church of Seventh-day Adventists, with
33 respect for authority and order in God's church?
34 3. How can we ensure that our gospel proclamation remains firmly founded in God's Word?
35 How? We want to invoke Article IX-1d of the current Statutes of Netherlands Union
36 Conference (1997). We ask the Executive Committees of the Trans-European Division and the
37 General Conference to ensure that within three months from date of dispatch of this members
38 request, to organise an urgent special constituency meeting with representatives of the
39 churches.
40 During this constituency meeting members should be able to discuss NUC policy and the policy
41 concerns, in an open and transparent manner, with the possibility to submit motions and pass
42 decisions.
43 Union Conference members signatories to the petition: