I am sharing a few thoughts about the new General Conference President as a person. I have addressed some interesting aspects of his personality and some of the fine personal qualities he brings to the task. Now I want to suggest some tendencies that have caused people concern. I don’t claim divine perspective and all the following needs to be taken with the appropriate grain of salt. But I am well aware even the best of God’s people are flawed and sometimes our strengths can also be turned against us. Those who love this church and care about Ted Wilson will want to help him be the best that he can be. That may at times include of word of counsel or admonition. Please take the following in that spirit. I will not be offering generalizations about the state of the church, but the unique challenges that Ted as a person may face in addressing those larger issues.

Ted Wilson’s first sermon as president did not go as well as he would have liked. He used some technical terms that have multiple meanings and thereby exposed some good people to unnecessary criticism. The tone of the sermon was also alarming to many of the non-SDAs present. In an internet age, bluntness gets attention, but it can also be hurtful to those who were not intended as the target of one’s speech. I understand that when Ted realized that non-SDAs felt excluded by his message he wanted them to understand that he was talking “in-house.” But in an internet age there is no more “in-house.” Everything we say can be analyzed and nuances drawn that may not have been intended. Openness and candor are admirable qualities that need to be balanced with the carefulness in speech that Wilson’s predecessor exhibited so well. Ted is in the middle of a learning curve here.

The nominating process at the General Conference session has been characterized as “ruthless” by some who were there. Changes were made, sometimes without warning of any kind. I’m not sure the process was any different than what has occurred in previous sessions, but the impact of those changes was greater in the context of the current housing crisis. Individuals brought to the General Conference from overseas in the last two or three years (for example), own houses that are seriously “under water” (value much lower than remaining mortgage), which means they cannot sell and go somewhere else. More than one of these were suddenly replaced with devastating consequences. This has left a sense of insecurity on all in a similar situation, even if they retained their positions. The instability of the process will make it harder to attract good people to the GC in the future. Wilson needs to find a way to balance the president’s need to make changes with the pastoral consequences of those changes.

Will Ted Wilson be able to maintain his authenticity, humility, and approachability in the context of the enormous pressures the presidency puts on a person? Previous presidents were often changed by the position, becoming more isolated in the face of the burdens and political pressures that come with the job. More conservative elements in the church have high expectations for Wilson. Will he be able to maintain his role as a consensus builder in the face of those pressures? And will he be able to retain the support of the conservative base if he does seek consensus? The future is open here, but history suggests that GC presidents tend to become isolated from feedback over time. In Wilson’s case, where his greatest strengths are in the areas of listening and flexibility, such isolation would become a matter of major concern. It is very important that he surround himself with strong people who can provide a variety of perspectives on the issues.

The dark side of being a good listener is a tendency to micromanage. You want to be helpful to people who express concerns about things happening at lower levels. You feel somehow responsible, so instead of trusting those under you, you raise questions, seeking to understand and address issues that may not be in the direct purview of the president. While well intended, micromanagement tends to discourage mid-level managers and create an atmosphere of fear and suspicion. It also diverts a chief executive’s time from the big issues. This is a danger Ted will want to avoid.

Finally, bluntness combined with power is intimidating. All the GC presidents I have know have been somewhat intimidating due to a combination of personality and power. This can cause people to be silent when they should be vocal, to go along when they should challenge. Fortunately, Ted welcomes counterpoint and can be confronted with courage combined with gentleness. But if you want to be taken seriously with Ted, he needs to know that you are on the same page with him, that you are as committed to the mission of the church as he is. The more individuals have the courage of their convictions in Ted’s presence, and the more he listens, the more successful he will be as a president. I hope this blog will be taken in that spirit.

The future lies before the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Both the opportunities and the challenges are great. Our new leader needs our support and our counsel (when opportunities arise) as well as our prayers. I hope you will join me in praying for our new leader, who brings many strengths and also some potential weaknesses to the task. I extend that invitation also to those not of the SDA Church, pray that this church will fulfill its unique mission and help hasten the return of Jesus that will bring suffering and oppression to an end. Let’s “hold up Ted Wilson’s hands” to that end.