High growth in North Brazil adds second Union administration
|
'Opportunities' with 45,000 new members each year; new church structures in Euro-Asia affect Georgia, Russia |
|
Some 300 church leaders meeting in Manila for the church's fall business session reviewed changes in Brazil's Amazon region resulting from an earlier decision to ensure that administrative structure reflects membership growth and flexibility. [photos: Rajmund Dabrowski/ANN]
New church growth in Brazil will be better supported by a flexible administrative structure, said Erton Kohler, center, president of the church in South America.
Seventh-day Adventist world church leaders cited membership growth and need for flexibility when reorganizing administrative structures in August, including a large region of Brazil experiencing explosive membership growth.
Officials revealed to the church's Executive Committee the changes in Brazil's Amazon region and areas of the church's Euro-Asia Division while meeting October 14 in Manila, Philippines for an annual church business meeting.
The former North Brazil Union Mission encompassed about 45 percent of Brazil's land mass, spanning about 5.35 million square miles. The area, now comprised of two Union Missions, includes about 350,000 Adventists and charts some 45,000 new members each year.
Brazil has the most Adventists of any country with nearly 1.4 million members.
"We see a lot of opportunities there and we want to be able to better support our members," said Erton Kohler, president of the church in South America.
The former territory now comprises the North Brazil Union Mission and the Northwest Brazil Union Mission.
The distinction of a "Union Mission" indicates that the Union receives appropriation for operation, unlike a "Union Conference," which is self-supporting. Additional funding for Missions is supplied by the parent Division, one of the church's 13 world administrative regions.
The Executive Committee also revealed to delegates changes in structures in the Eastern European Caucasus region. Leaders voted to reorganize the Caucasus Union Mission into two union missions: the Trans-Caucasus Union Mission with headquarters in Tbilisi, Georgia, and the Caucasus Union Mission with headquarters in Rostov, Russia.
Associate world church secretary Agustin Galicia pointed out that this change was studied prior to conflict in the region in August.
Church structure in the countries of Belarus and Moldova will become Unions of Churches with Conference status. This structure, typically applied in smaller territories and countries, allows local churches to organize directly under a division (see figure). Moldova currently has nearly 11,500 members worshiping in 153 churches under two conferences.
The Far Eastern Mission in Eastern Russia will become a Union of Churches with Mission status.
Digg
del.icio.us
reddit
newsvine
Y! MyWeb
ANN World News Bulletin is a review of news and information issued by the Communication department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. It is made available primarily to religious news editors. Our news includes dispatches from the church's international offices and the world headquarters.
Reproduction Requirements:
Reproduction of information in this article is encouraged. When reproducing
this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must
appear under the headline or immediately following the article. The words "Source:
Adventist News Network" must
be given equal prominence to any other source that is also acknowledged.
Ground 7 News Podcast:
Ground 7 News is a review of news and information issued by the Communication Department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. Reproduction of the ANN podcast is encouraged. When rebroadcasting this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must be mentioned before and after the podcast.
ANN
Staff:
Rajmund Dabrowski, director; Ansel Oliver, assistant director; Elizabeth Lechleitner, editorial coordinator; Megan Brauner, editorial assistant. Portuguese translation by Azenilto Brito, Spanish translation by Marcos Paseggi, Italian translation by Vincenzo Annunziata and Lina Ferrara and French translations by Stephanie Elofer.
Top Stories
