An unprecedented number of personnel changes have taken place in the Regional Conferences of the Seventh-day Adventist Church over the past few weeks. We are dedicating a significant amount of space in this edition of The Regional Voice to share these personnel changes with you.
Here is an overview of these changes:
First, in our offices, i.e., the Office for Regional Conference Ministries (ORCM) and the Regional Conference Retirement Plan (RCRP):
- Pastor Darriel Hoy, Communications Director, ORCM/RCRP: We shared with you in a blog in another part of this website the reasons behind this historic appointment and what it means for this office and for our church.
- Phyllis Lee, Chief Financial Officer, ORCM/RCRP: Mrs. Lee is retiring on September 1 after serving our office for 13 years and our church for 38. She will be succeeded by 2 individuals who will be selected at an upcoming meeting of the ORCM and RCRP Boards.
You know that you are special when you leave and it takes multiple people to take your place!
Both the ORCM Board and the RCRP Board voted to divide Mrs. Lee’s responsibilities and to get a lead financial person for each entity (ORCM and RCRP). The thinking behind that decision is that while ORCM is the operational arm of the office in Huntsville and carries with it the most day-to-day responsibility of the two organizations, the large assets of the RCRP fund (approaching 350 million dollars ) require the stewardship of someone whose sole responsibility is the RCRP.
- Elders Calvin Watkins and Stephen Brooks have transitioned from the leadership of the Southwest Region Conference-where they served as President and Executive Secretary, respectively, to the North American Division (Elder Watkins) and the Southwestern Union(Elder Brooks) where they will serve as Vice President and Executive Secretary, respectively. They were succeeded by:
Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, Senior Pastor, Oakwood University and Speaker/Director for Breath of Life. Elder Philip G. Palmer, the Treasurer for Southwest Region Conference, was asked to serve as Interim Secretary-Treasurer. A new Conference Secretary will be elected in the coming weeks.
- R. Clifford Jones, Oakwood University, School of Theology: Dr. Jones mostly recently served as the President of the Lake Region Conference. He returns to his academic roots, having served for a number of years prior to being elected President of Lake Region as a Professor at Andrews Theological Seminary.
The process for determining a successor for Dr. Jones as Lake Region will be finalized in a few weeks.
- Elder Jermaine Jackson, Associate Treasurer, Lake Union. Elder Jackson formerly served as the Vice President for Finance for the Allegheny West Conference. A search by President Marvin Brown and his team for a new VP for Financial is underway.
Most of these vacancies occurred because other entities tapped into the Regional Conference Administrative leadership team to address their personnel needs. Though this has created substantial vacancies in Regional Conference leadership, it also speaks well of the caliber of leaders that God has placed in Regional Conferences.
And so, “the Great Advent Movement”, moves on !