The primary governing body in the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization is your local church. It is solely responsible for membership. Members of the local church decide in business session how to advance the gospel in their community. The church board implements those decisions.

One of the blessings of the Adventist Church is the fact that your local church is united with every other Adventist church around the world through a representative form of organization.

Each church is a part of a local conference. Your conference is responsible for providing your church with pastoral support. It also gives support for the various church ministries, including education. The conference executive committee meets regularly to give direction and implement policies between conference sessions.

Three times each year, the Lake Union Conference Executive Committee meets at its headquarters in Berrien Springs, Michigan. It is the highest governing body in our territory. Its primary responsibility is to advance the gospel in our field by giving direction and support to the local conferences. The Lake Union is made up of the Illinois, Indiana, Lake Region, Michigan, and Wisconsin conferences.

The world church is divided into 13 territories called divisions. The Lake Union Conference is one of nine unions in the North American Division (NAD), which includes the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. The NAD headquarters is located in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The NAD Executive Committee examines issues relating to the church in North America and is made up of more than 320 members.This year's year-end meeting began on a Friday so that the committee members could worship and celebrate the Sabbath together prior to conducting business.

The Lake Union was well represented and gave input into the process. There was a positive spirit of unity with an obvious desire to make decisions that would advance the gospel, not only in our areas, but around the world. Many members commented on the spiritual tone of the meetings.

The world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is also located in Silver Spring. The office is referred to as the General Conference (GC). Every five years, representatives from every part of the world convene to set policy and give direction for the work of the world church. It is called the General Conference Session. This is the highest governing body of the church.The next session will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2005.

Each year, over 400 representatives and invited guests from around the world meet for what is called the Annual Council of the General Conference. The council examines issues between General Conference sessions.

This year's Annual Council marked the 140th anniversary of the beginning of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The primary focus of the council was evangelism, with special attention given to nurturing new members. New plans and strategies were introduced to help fulfill the gospel commission.

For more information about your church, its organization, and the latest news, visit the Lake Union Conference Web site at www.luc.adventist.org. There are links to the conferences, the NAD, the GC, and a number of other church organization Web sites.

Gary Burns is the Lake Union Conference communication director.