How a Regional Conference Operates

1
How a Regional Conference Operates

• Mr. Bennie W. Mann
• Retired Treasurer
• Allegheny East Conference

2
Definition of aLocal Conference

• NAD Working Policy 2002-2003
• B 0110 Local Conference/Mission Field
• A Local Conference/Mission/Field is a united
  organized body of local churches in a state,
  providence or territory.

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Definition of aRegional Conference

• NAD Working Policy 2002-2003
• B 05 22 Regional Conference
• Regional Conferences are recognized
  organizational entities of the Seventh-day
  Adventist Church in the North American Division.
• The Structure was formally adopted in 1944 at the
  Spring Meeting of the General Conference
  Committee to provide for the organization of
  black administered conferences where membership,
  finances, and territory warranted.

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Regional Conferences

• They are called Regional Conferences and bear the
  same organizational relationship to their
  respective unions as other conferences.

5
Regional Conferences

• In the North American Division there are 963,042
  members in 4,950 churches in 58 local conferences.

6
Regional Conferences

• Black Americans in the NAD number approximately
  36 million in the United States and Canada.
  (U.S. Census March 2002)
• They are thus numerically a minority.
• But of the 58 NAD local conferences, nine are
  Regional Conferences

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Regional Conferences

• Each of these nine organizationally is equal in
  voice to any of the other 49 just as Delaware,
  the smallest U.S. state, is equal to California
  and Texas, the largest U.S. states in size.
• How? you ask.
• It is structural equality!

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Regional Conferences

• So too in the NAD with respect to Regional
  Conferences, members have equivalent voice to any
  of the other 49 local conferences.
• The Central States Conference, with 10,358
  members, has the same voice and vote structurally
  as does Southeastern California Conference with
  63,841 members.

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Structural Equality
STRUCTURAL EQUALITY
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Sole Operational Difference

• The sole operational difference between Regional
  Conferences and other NAD local conferences is
  that Regional Conferences are, by choice of the
  constituent congregation, black administered.

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Sole Operational Difference

• Notwithstanding, the pragmatic effect is to allow
  the Black Adventist in one pew and a second and a
  third in pews adjoining to be in control of their
  own affairs as Black people.

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Sole Operational Difference

• In the SDA church, it is organizational structure
  that gives people voice, decision-making ability
  and direct access to those whom they elect or
  help elect.

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• Basically, all local conferences operate the
  same.
• Some are larger in membership or territory
• Some are stronger financially or have a greater
  talent pool, but all local conferences operate
  the same.

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Lines of Responsibility

• NAD Working Policy 2002-2003
• B 05 10 Churches and Local Conference
  Sessions
• Churches are united in the local conference
  organization and appoint to the local conference
  session delegates who are duly authorized to
  represent the churches in the councils of the
  conference.

15
Churches and Local Conference Sessions

• The Conference Session elects officers, grants
  credentials and licenses, adopts or changes the
  constitution, and transacts other business.

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Churches and Local Conference Sessions

• One of its most important acts is the election of
  the executive committee, whose duty it is to
  function for the constituency during the interim
  between sessions.
• The executive committee is thus vested with the
  delegated authority of all the churches within
  the conference.

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Executive Authority

• Just as the executive committee is vested with
  delegated authority to act in behalf of the
  constituent churches between local conference
  sessions
• The president and his fellow officers by election
  are vested with delegated authority to act in
  behalf of the executive committee between
  committee sessions.

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Executive Committee Meetings

• A local conference executive committee will
  usually meet six or seven times a year or every
  other month but special meetings may be called
  at the initiation of the chairman.

19
Powers Governance

• As with each organization of the General
  Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the
  Constitution and Bylaws define the Name,
  Purpose, Membership, Election process, Executive
  Committee, Officers and their duties, Terms of
  office.

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The President

• The president of the local conference is the
  first officer placed in general administrative
  oversight of all actives of the conference.

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Secretary Treasurer

• Associated with the President as executive
  officers are the Secretary and the Treasurer.
• It is the duty of these officers to carry forward
  the work according to plans and programs voted by
  the local conference session, and according to
  plans and policies agreed upon by the local
  conference executive committee.

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Secretary Treasurer

• The Secretary and Treasurer report to the
  executive committee after consultation with the
  President.

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• An SDA Church/Conference operates most
  effectively by delegation of task and committee
  process.

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• A number of sub-committees assist the President
  in carrying forward the work of the conference
• The Administrative Committee
• The Church Ministries Committee
• The Personnel Committee
• The Publishing Committee
• The K-12 Education Committee

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• The Evangelism Committee
• The Campmeeting Committee
• The Ordination Review Committee
• The Building Committee
• The Divorce Re-Marriage Committee

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• Each of these committees are issued their terms
  of reference and are authorized to function by
  vote of the executive committee.

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• THE CORPORATION/ASSOCIATION
• While a local conference or regional conference
  operates as an ecclesiastical entity it must also
  be understood that in matters of business a local
  conference is a legal corporation.

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• THE CORPORATION/ASSOCIATION
• Therefore, each local conference is organized
  legally as a corporation to serve the local
  conference in carrying out its purpose.
• Articles of incorporation and by-laws are
  established for this purpose.

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• THE CORPORATION/ASSOCIATION
• One of the responsibilities of The Corporation is
  to manage properties of the organization to
  insure proper management and less liability to
  the church buildings and other institutional
  properties within its territory.
• Articles of incorporation and by-laws are
  established for this purpose. All deeds are
  written in the name of the Corporation and the
  trustees sign and hold all legal instruments in
  behalf of the Conference Corporation.

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Conference Operation

• The Conference operational year usually begins
  with some kind of administrative review usually
  performed by the executive officers.
• This type of review is very intensive and is
  scheduled on a Department or Ministry basis.

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Conference Operation

• As the conference president projects to the
  administrative staff the perceived missional
  goals and objectives for the new year, each
  departmental ministry is expected to present
  measurable goals, objectives, calendar dates and
  budget requests to the administration.

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Conference Operation

• The conference treasurer, in consultation with
  the president and the finance committee, prepares
  a proposed budget for the new year.

33
Conference Operation

• Regional Conferences consistently devote a
  significant share of their retained tithe for
  evangelism in contrast to many other NAD
  Conferences.

34
Conference Operation

• Friendship Public Evangelism is a Regional
  Conference staple, emphasizing the unique power
  of the preached word when established in a
  relational context.
• This Regional Conference practice has made the
  regional conference most attractive to Latino,
  Asian, African, Haitian, Romanian, Indian,
  Brazilian, churches, companies and congregations
  who are requesting the privilege of joining a
  regional conference.

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Conference Operation

• Another staple of a Regional Conference is
  community-based ministries.
• Regional conferences recognize the role of the
  Black Church within the community and foster the
  establishment of community-based ministries both
  as an opportunity to do ministry as well as to
  bond with the community in which our churches
  reside.

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Conference Operation

• A third staple of a regional conference is
  leadership training.
• Bi-annual workers meetings and annual local
  elders retreats provide regular opportunities for
  spiritual formation, training, coaching, and
  development.

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Your Tithe Dollar
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The Tithe Sharing Plan

• Tithe is Collected at the local church and passed
  on to the Local Conference...
• Tithe is Stored at the Local Conference...
• Tithe is Shared with the World Field through the
  Union and Division/General Conference.

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For every DOLLAR of TITHE received from the
local churches in the Allegheny East Conference .
40
Twenty Cents is shared with the General
Conference and the North American Division.
41
Ten Cents is shared with the Columbia Union
Conference.
42
Eleven cents is used to fund retirement for
workers and the small conference assistance
fund...
43
Three cents for higher education - Oakwood
College and Columbia Union Conference...
44
This leaves Fifty-six cents to operate the
Allegheny East Conference!!
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How we use our 56 Cents...

• 41 cents for Salaries and Benefits to Pastors,
  etc.
• 6 cents for Church Schools and Pine Forge
  Academy
• 4 cents for Church Programs and Appropriations
• 3 cents for Operating the Conference Office
  Building _at_ Pine Forge
• 1 cent for Local Church Evangelism
• 1 cent for Camp Meeting

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GC and NAD Uses of Tithe

• General Conference Operating Expenses.
• General Conference Appropriations.
• General Conference Institutional Appropriations.
• General Conference Appropriations to Overseas
  Divisions.
• General Conference Expenses to Missionaries.

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GC and NAD Uses of Tithe

• North American Division Operating Expenses.
• North American Division Appropriations.
• Special Assistance Fund.

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• The conference mission statement and core values
  are the plum-lines for operations

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• The conference calendar of mission-driven plans
  and events become its strategy.

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• The conference human and financial resources
  empowers each regional conference effort to
  define reality.

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How a Regional Conference Operates

• THE END