The North New South Wales (NNSW) conference held their 57th constituency meeting on the weekend (September 15), where more than 430 delegates gathered to elect a new president and general secretary.
Pastor Adrian Raethel, former general secretary of Greater Sydney Conference, will begin his new role as conference president immediately. He replaces Dr Tom Evans, who left the role in July to return to the USA.
Pastor Abel Iorgulescu will replace Pastor Paul Geelan as the new general secretary. He has worked in the NNSW conference since 2013, and is currently the senior pastor at Avondale Memorial Church.
Incumbent Russel Halliday has been re-elected as the chief financial officer.
The departmental director roles were also voted on, with all but two incumbents re-elected. Pastor Keith Stockwell will replace Lynelda Tippo as the ATSIM director, and Pastor Cranville Tooley will replace Pastor Neil Thompson as the ministerial association secretary.
Pastor Raethel returns to the NNSW Conference, having previously worked there for 12 years, with a positive outlook, while acknowledging the challenges ahead.
“I am very humbled,” he said. “This is an enormous responsibility and huge task, but it’s good to know that I never have to work alone, there is a higher power to lean on. I am looking forward to the new responsibility, but won’t underestimate the challenges that await me.”
During the one-day event, delegates not only voted on nominated executive officers and departmental directors, but also proposed changes to the church company constitution and constituency process, the Conference strategic plan and whether to accept new churches and closures.
The NNSW Conference says that a full report of all approved changes will be provided in due course.
