Northern Australian Conference (NAC) president Pastor Simon Gigliotti has been appointed vice president of the Papua New Guinea Union Mission (PNGUM). The appointment was made by the South Pacific Division (SPD) and PNGUM executive committees.
PNGUM president Pastor Danny Philip welcomed the appointment, highlighting Pastor Gigliotti’s leadership experience and work with Indigenous Australian communities.
“As PNGUM embarks on strengthening leadership development, governance, accountability and effective administration across all aspects of our Church systems and institutions, his experience will add considerable value to our ongoing efforts to build a stronger, more mission-focused Church,” he said.
Pastor Philip also emphasised the opportunity for Pastor Gigliotti to learn from Papua New Guinea’s cultural diversity and faith communities.
“I believe this will be a mutually enriching experience, both for Simon and for the Church in Papua New Guinea,” he said.
Pastor Gigliotti began his denominational service in 2009 as a chaplain at Riverside Adventist Christian School in Townsville, Queensland. He subsequently served as a pastoral intern in Mackay, assistant youth director for the Victorian Conference and youth director for the Greater Sydney Conference in New South Wales, before becoming NAC president in September 2023.
His appointment is part of a broader SPD initiative to provide church leaders with opportunities to gain experience working in different cultural contexts.
“The South Pacific Division is very diverse culturally. This diversity can be a blessing if we embrace and understand it,” said SPD president Pastor Glenn Townend.
“If leaders only work in their own cultures or with people from their own cultures, they will not be able to understand the richness of the cultural diversity and also know how to be effective leaders in other cultural contexts,” he added.
Pastor Gigliotti is the second cross-union appointment under the initiative, following Pastor Clive Tefaatau, originally from French Polynesia, who was appointed vice president of the Trans Pacific Union Mission in April this year. “Both the Australian and New Zealand Pacific union conferences are working on getting at least one associate officer from another union on their team by the beginning of 2027,” revealed Pastor Townend.
Announcing his appointment on social media, Pastor Gigliotti said he had accepted the call with “mixed feelings” after enjoying his time leading NAC.
“At the same time, through prayer, it has become clear to my family and I that God is calling us to a new place of service. We are excited to follow His leading,” he wrote.
Pastor Gigliotti will conclude his service at NAC at the end of November before moving to Papua New Guinea with his wife, Brittany, and their three children, Vienna, Violetta and James. He will commence his new role in January 2027.
The NAC Appointments Committee will to meet to elect his successor.
