I Barely Paid Attention to the GC Session... and Here’s Why That Matters

Written By Pastor Marcos

I didn’t really follow the GC session this year.

Not because I think it’s unimportant. Not because it’s pointless. The GC session is essential for a global movement like ours. Coordinating mission, maintaining unity, resourcing a diverse body… that stuff matters. I get it.

But still, I barely paid attention.

And, if I’m being honest, I never really have.

Even as a local church pastor for many years, I never obsessed over who got elected or which new wording got approved for the church manual. Maybe I should have paid more attention. Maybe.

But here’s what I’ve noticed:

A whole lot of people are paying way too much attention.

And not in a healthy, thoughtful way. But in a way that gives way too much weight—way too much power—to the administrative layers of our church.

I’ve seen it over and over again:

  • Churches waiting for the conference to send in the “experts” before starting a mission project.

  • Leaders assuming they can’t do community outreach unless the conference gives them funding.

  • Members acting like the entire future of Adventism hinges on who gets voted in as GC president.

Again, don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-structure. I’m not anti-conference. I’m certainly not anti-GC. Anyone who’s ever tried to lead anything remotely complex knows that administration is necessary. Bureaucracy, in the right dose, isn’t a curse word. It keeps global systems from collapsing. It creates consistency and accountability. It can be incredibly helpful.

But this article isn’t about whether administration is good or bad.

This article is about something deeper:

We’ve handed too much power to the very systems that were meant to serve our mission… not dictate it.

And it’s stalling the church.

Here’s the truth:

The future of Adventism isn’t in the GC. It isn’t in Silver Spring. It isn’t in the Division Office. It’s not in a 600-page working policy document or a vote on a statement no one in the local church will ever read. The future of Adventism is the local church. It always has been. It always will be.

The local church is the present. The local church is where it happens. It’s where the culture of our church lives… whether that culture is toxic or healthy. Abusive or empowering. Coercive or relational. The local church is where your neighborhood collides with Adventism. Where your community decides whether Adventism is something beautiful… or something they need to heal from.

No one in your city cares who the GC president is. But they do care if your church is cold or warm. Rigid or welcoming. Judgmental or grace-filled.

The local church is the front line. It’s the trench. It’s the table where seekers either find Jesus… or walk away empty.

It’s the place where lives are healed or crushed. Where Jesus is either lifted up—or buried beneath a tombstone of legalism, perfectionism, and culture war politics.

The local church is the epicenter. The entry point. The encounter.

No, people don’t need to join your church to be saved. Let’s be clear about that.

But in most cases, they won’t encounter Jesus unless you—your church—are actively and lovingly showing up in their world.

So the question is: What kind of church are you?

Are you missionally healthy? Do you lift up Jesus? Are you a safe, warm space for new believers to grow and ask questions?

Or are you stuck in neutral? Are you lifting up Adventism more than the gospel? Are you a place where youth feel unsafe? Where seekers get judged before they’re loved?

These are the questions that matter more than any policy voted at the GC. Because at the end of the day, you don’t need a new statement or a new leader to start being the church.

Throughout my ministry, I baptized many. Trained leaders. Planted churches. Reached seekers. Empowered young people.

All grassroots. All local. All led by people with passion, vision, clarity… and just enough structure to keep it moving.

And yes, sometimes the administrative layers stepped in to help. But the key is, we were already doing the thing. We didn’t wait for permission. We got to work.

So maybe you watched every minute of the GC livestream. Maybe you didn’t. Either way, here’s what matters:

Your church. Your city. Your calling.

That’s where Jesus is moving. That’s where the gospel hits the ground.

3 Questions to Ask This Week to Kickstart Your Local Mission

  1. Who in my community would miss our church if we disappeared?
    (And how can we serve them better?)

  2. What part of the gospel is our church known for?
    (Judgment? Rules? Or Jesus?)

  3. What are we waiting for that we actually already have the power to do?
    (And when are we going to stop waiting and start moving?)

Stop waiting on a program. Stop waiting on an expert. Stop waiting for a vote. The future of Adventism is sitting in your pews, walking past your building, and waiting for someone like you to stop overthinking it and start living it.

Let’s go!

Is your local Adventist church stuck doing the same stuff that hasn’t worked in over 50 years?

If you answered yes, I made each of these resources for you:

Pastor Marcos https://www.thestorychurchproject.com
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