Velino A. Salazar
Hi, I'm here at the White Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church. Two years ago, on Sunday, September 22, 2019, 780 delegates representing our 39,000 church members voted to request to the Southern California Conference leadership to conduct a study of the regional structure and bring a report to this place two years later.
What is the regional structure? Let's consider it. It is an organizational format to administer the ministry of 153 churches and their pastoral staff. The population that we have here in Southern California is so diverse in nationalities, ethnicities, languages, cultures and much more. So it is in the Seventh-day Adventist Church here in Los Angeles metropolitan area. We are a very diverse church family. So to lead and administer 153 churches in this kaleidoscopic spectrum, something special had to be done. It was necessary to give to these churches representation, ownership, self direction and accountability.
That's why, back in May 1996, at this very place, at a constituency session, the delegates adopted the region structure system and five regions were created to lead all the churches. In 2019, after 23 years, those delegates wanted to know how well the region structure was working and how the design could be improved. So the executive committee then appointed a 15-member committee representing all the regions and many churches.
At its first meeting in April of 2020, a timeline was prepared, setting also the methodology to collect the data. A quantitative survey was designed and also a quality conversation and dialogue was prepared to listen to the perspectives and concerns about the region system from the church members. More than 1,100 members participated in this survey, expressing more than 7,000 comments, suggestions and recommendations presenting their perspectives and concerns. It took 20 meetings, reading, classifying, studying and analyzing the data and also writing the report. A 34-page report was ready finally to be presented.
Therefore, on Sunday, September 19 of this year, 2021, we are inviting all delegates to receive that report, to make observations and comments and to make decisions on the recommendations that are coming at this time. This meeting will now be held virtually, and delegates will receive information on how to join. I would like to invite you, church members, to go to our website. The document is very interesting, and this is something that will help you know more about how we operate in this Southern California Conference. Delegates, please become acquainted with this document. Then when you come, you can speak and you can really make observations, knowing more about the report. Come and join us, and make decisions to advance the work in the Southern California Conference. Thank you, and God bless us all.
What is the regional structure? Let's consider it. It is an organizational format to administer the ministry of 153 churches and their pastoral staff. The population that we have here in Southern California is so diverse in nationalities, ethnicities, languages, cultures and much more. So it is in the Seventh-day Adventist Church here in Los Angeles metropolitan area. We are a very diverse church family. So to lead and administer 153 churches in this kaleidoscopic spectrum, something special had to be done. It was necessary to give to these churches representation, ownership, self direction and accountability.
That's why, back in May 1996, at this very place, at a constituency session, the delegates adopted the region structure system and five regions were created to lead all the churches. In 2019, after 23 years, those delegates wanted to know how well the region structure was working and how the design could be improved. So the executive committee then appointed a 15-member committee representing all the regions and many churches.
At its first meeting in April of 2020, a timeline was prepared, setting also the methodology to collect the data. A quantitative survey was designed and also a quality conversation and dialogue was prepared to listen to the perspectives and concerns about the region system from the church members. More than 1,100 members participated in this survey, expressing more than 7,000 comments, suggestions and recommendations presenting their perspectives and concerns. It took 20 meetings, reading, classifying, studying and analyzing the data and also writing the report. A 34-page report was ready finally to be presented.
Therefore, on Sunday, September 19 of this year, 2021, we are inviting all delegates to receive that report, to make observations and comments and to make decisions on the recommendations that are coming at this time. This meeting will now be held virtually, and delegates will receive information on how to join. I would like to invite you, church members, to go to our website. The document is very interesting, and this is something that will help you know more about how we operate in this Southern California Conference. Delegates, please become acquainted with this document. Then when you come, you can speak and you can really make observations, knowing more about the report. Come and join us, and make decisions to advance the work in the Southern California Conference. Thank you, and God bless us all.
Prayerfully,
Velino A. Salazar
SCC President
Velino A. Salazar
SCC President
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CONSTITUENCY session info:Sunday, September 19, 2021
Meeting will be held virtually. Session time: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. |
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