Executive officers of the South New South Wales Conference (SNSW) were reappointed during its 87th session, held in Canberra (ACT) on September 28.
Pastor Justin Lawman will continue as president, with Calvin Drinkall as general secretary and Caleb Williams as chief financial officer.
Pastor Lawman said he feels privileged to continue serving in SNSW. “I quite enjoy working in South New South Wales. We have a fantastic pastoral team, and to see them grow and become more and more effective in mission is really exciting,” he said.
He is also excited about serving with the same team of officers. “We’re all quite different, so we make a pretty formidable team because we all bring something unique to the table,” Pastor Lawman said.
The one-day meeting brought together delegates from churches across South New South Wales, alongside representatives from the South Pacific Division and Australian Union Conference, including SPD vice president Pastor Maveni Kaufononga, Australian Union Conference (AUC) secretary Pastor Jeffrey Masengi and outgoing AUC CFO Peter Cameron, who is retiring after 40 years of service. Pastor Kaufononga preached the opening worship—his first time participating in a conference session.
The session focused on reports, vision casting and planning for the future. Looking ahead, Pastor Lawman highlighted church growth as a priority. “We are currently growing at 3.5 per cent, but we’d really love to see that closer to 10 per cent, under God, if that’s possible,” he explained. “The way we are doing that is by developing leaders rather than focusing on programs.”
A key part of the Conference’s strategy is the theme “solid, not fancy”, which Pastor Lawman said he spent time explaining during the session. The focus is on doing the basics well—prayer, worship, Bible studies, care and service—so that churches are strong at the core before attempting more complex initiatives.
Pastor Kaufononga said the theme resonated with him. “While we often look for new methods to adapt to a changing world, true growth in the 21st century comes by returning to the simple, foundational practices of the first century,” he said. He added that he also valued the emphasis on reclaiming Adventist identity by ensuring the Church’s name is visible in schools and community initiatives.
Delegates also heard about plans to expand StormCo initiatives into weekly kids’ clubs and branch Sabbath schools in country towns, and to revitalise Adventist Community Services (ACS) as a key public-facing ministry.
Pastor Lawman said the Conference is encouraging members to identify with the ACS brand when serving in their communities. “We have worked with the Division to get all the shirts and hats and everything in line with the SPD branding,” he concluded.
In the coming weeks, a separate appointments committee will finalise departmental directors, completing the leadership team for the next four-year term.
