Pastor Terry Johnson, Pastor Michael Worker and Peter Cameron have been elected as the leadership team for the Australian Union Conference (AUC).
The elections come following the first day of the sixth AUC Constituency Meeting, which is being conducted via a digital format due to current COVIDâ19 restrictions.
The appointment of Pastor Johnson comes after the incumbent AUC president, Pastor Jorge Muñoz, indicated his intention to step aside earlier this year, expressing a desire to return to local church ministry after 16 years in church administration.
Pastor Johnson has ministered in the United States, New Zealand and Australia as a local church pastor and conference youth director and was president of the Western Australian Conference before moving to his current role as president of the Greater Sydney Conference. He has been married to his wife Kimberly for 28 years and they have two children, Kyrstin (22) and Alec (17).
âWe wish Pastor Johnson and his wife Kimberly Godâs richest blessings as they step into this new season of ministry,â said Pastor Muñoz. âTerry is a passionate, Spiritâled leader who will continue to foster creative personal and public evangelism strategies to reach our communities.â
âIt is daunting but mostly it is humbling to be called to this position,â said Pastor Johnson. âThe time we spent in prayer as a family convinced us that this was the Lordâs calling.
âThere is not a day that goes by where I look at my own limitations and wonder how the Lord is going to use me to bless His Church, and I am honoured He has given me this opportunity. Jorge is such a wise man and a great leader; he has done a great job and it will be hard to follow in his footsteps.â
Pastor Worker and Mr Cameron will continue as AUC secretary and CFO, respectively, and together with Pastor Johnson will lead the Seventhâday Adventist Church in Australia over the next quinquennium (2020â2025).
âWe are looking forward to working with Terry and pray that God can use us as instruments to help further His work and be a blessing to the Church in Australia,â said Pastor Worker.