24 May 2021 | St Albans, UK [Victor Hulbert]
With particular focus on Mission, Media, Bible and theological training, as well as reaching children, youth and millennials, the Trans-European Division Executive Committee voted two new directors and adjusted the scope of assignments for those so far voted to office for a further term.
The primary aim is to enhance the ability of directors to work together in teams, matching goals and mission objectives across departments. A Mission and Evangelism director will be sought to coordinate and integrate vertically and horizontally all aspects of Mission, Evangelism and Disciple-making. A Media and Online Ministry director will be invited to join the team following clear evidence that online ministry, in all its forms, is now even more essential than in previous years. Finally, a new Health director will soon be sought as the TED are currently studying how our Adventist health emphasis can make the best impact within the 22 countries of the TED.
Throughout this process of strengthening the team, which the TED aims to complete by November 2021, mission-minded individuals with experience are being invited to serve because of their skills, their ability in the area of team-building and within the context of the diversity of the TED membership. Mindful of budget but with the need for impactful leadership, the total staffing on completion will be reduced by one director budget and by four support staff budgets.
Finally, the eleven lay- and two pastoral members elected to the Executive Committee were also chosen because of their particular skill sets and experience that can help guide the forward movement of the Division.
Departmental Directors
New to the TED are Pastors Maureen Rock and Dejan Stojković.
Rock currently serves as Principal of the British Union Conference Adventist Discovery Centre [ADC]. Her four years there have seen innovation with new and updated courses, an emphasis on on-line learning and a development of strong links between the Bible School and the local church. She also comes with a rich business background, working first as a training director, then director of the Milton Keynes Racial Equality Council, and finality director of a consultancy before developing a strong call to ministry. Rock started in pastoral ministry in 2010 and then joined the ADC in 2017. This rich wealth of experience gives her a good background to serve as TED Stewardship director.
Stojković loves youth ministry and serves with a strong ability to reach across boundaries, seeing each person as a child of God. Stojković started ministerial life on a church revitalisation project in Cornwall, UK, before serving as a youth pastor at Stanborough Park church. In 2012 he became Teens’ and Student Ministries director at the South England Conference [SEC] before being voted as British Union Conference Youth director in 2017. He is an innovator, a fast thinker, and a deeply spiritual man. His love of gadgets and technology doubled his workload during the Covid-19 pandemic as, among other things, he developed online learning for Pathfinders. His love of media will also be a strong asset as he takes on the role of TED Youth director.
Daniel Duda is well known for his teaching skills and engaging theological discourses. Currently serving as Education director, Adventist Mission director and Field Secretary, adjustments mean he will swap Adventist Mission for an emphasis on Theological and Bible training. This focus will include pastoral and elders’ education, church members’ Bible training, and mobilisation.
Karen Holford is elected for a second term as Family Ministries director, adding Children and Women to her portfolio. With extensive education and experience, Holford is a practicing family therapist and former SEC Family and Children’s Ministries associate director. She is both a networker and a rich provider of resources.
Patrick Johnson is also elected for a second term, caring for Ministerial, Sabbath School, Personal Ministries and Chaplaincy. A pastor of pastors at heart and in practice, Johnson has worked closely with both Family and Health ministries over the past five years to provide resources and training for pastors, with a particular emphasis on well-being. He will also continue his development of the seven competencies for ministers and church elders.
Communication and Media director, Victor Hulbert, is currently working with reduced capacity. Currently the TED President delegates Communication duties as appropriate. The TED officers are keeping the matter under review and will provide a direction based on consultation with the field presidents and as soon as appropriate.
A Media Think Tank in August this year and the future appointment of a Media and Online director will help focus the supportive nature of the department.
With work on the strategic framework still developing, the aim is that by November the appointments of a Health director, a Field Secretary, Media and Online director and a Mission and Evangelism director will be completed.
The three TED officers will be elected at the General Conference Session in June 2022. Until that time Raafat Kamal will keep PARL and Nenad Jepuranović, Trust Services, as part of their portfolio. Audrey Andersson, who has a strong background in Publishing, will also serve as Publishing director.
Four Associate officers were elected to office for a further term: Associate Executive Secretary: Dean Papaioannou
Associate Treasurers: Giles Barham, Mack Tennyson and Wederly Aguiar
Greece and Cyprus
The strategic framework calls for a special emphasis on outreach in areas of the TED where the church is small. Highlighted in the document are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Kosovo and Montenegro. While most of these are served by a local union, Greece and Cyprus are attached directly to the TED.
Claudio Gulyas is elected for another term as Greek Mission president. He will be joined by newly elected Secretary-Treasurer, Yannis Vrakas. Having served as the Greek Mission Associate Secretary-Treasurer since 2016, Vrakas’ mission focus, skills and competencies have turned him into an extremely effective local leader.
Branislav Mirilov is also elected for another term as President of the Cyprus Region with Dean Papaioannou continuing as Secretary-Treasurer.
Executive Committee
The TED Executive Committee is comprised of all union presidents, TED officers and directors, and a combination of eleven lay-members and two pastoral representatives. These are crucially important to the mission of the TED as they survey the work of the Division through different eyes. The aim is for a range of diversity and skills.
A number of lay-members are members of their own Union Executive Committee. Overall, their skill base ranges from university lecturers, to medical professionals, business leaders, teachers, a lawyer, and an expert in conflict resolution.
The two pastors, Matthew Herel (BUC) and Lidija Runić (SEEUC) bring a younger breath of air to the committee. As well as being an exemplary pastor and a member of the BUC Executive Committee, Herel has a BA Honours degree in Journalism & Sociology and MA in Theology from Newbold College, while Dr Runić holds degrees in Information Technology and Nursing as well as a DMin from McCormick Theological Seminary (Chicago) and MDiv from Andrews University. She pastors two churches in Belgrade and lectures at the Belgrade Theological Seminary.
Also added to the committee for the first time are the conference presidents of any union that has 10% or more of the total TED membership. This addition will add to the balance, oversight and diversity of the overall committee. This means that the North England Conference and South England Conference presidents become members of the committee.
Executive Committee Lay-Representatives
- Adriatic Union Conference, Lidija Maletić
- Baltic Union Conference, Karin Miller
- British Union Conference, Alison Awuku
- Danish Union of Churches Conference, Torunn Jakobsen
- Finland Union of Churches Conference, Niklas Rantanen
- Hungarian Union Conference, Robert Gaspar
- Norwegian Union Conference, Anett Andersen
- Netherlands Union of Churches Conference, Frieda Souhuwat-Tomasao
- Polish Union Conference, Katarzyna Krok
- South-East European Union Conference, Igor Sabadoš
- Swedish Union of Churches Conference, Johanna Klahr
“Today’s vote is part of the culmination of a two-year process of consultation that now helps us move forward with our carefully formulated framework vision,” states TED President Raafat Kamal.
“I thank the Lord for the team we have worked with over the past six years – both in the office, and around our eleven unions and three attached fields.
Kamal personally thanked all those who had been involved in the current process through think-tanks, consultations with the union presidents and others, and most recently, the work of the nominating committee. The committee as a whole gave recognition to those who have retired or who are stepping back from their current service.
A report of the Strategic Framework, as well as the complete document, is available on the TED website.
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Deana Stojković, associate editor
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E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ted.adventist.org
tedNEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division. Readers are free to republish or share this article with appropriate credit including an active hyperlink to the original article.
