More than 70,000 people will fill the Dome at the Session in St. Louis this summer. Here is a guide to help you understand who will be there:
The Delegate. This is the person for whom the Session is officially designed. Delegates are the only persons who can vote on the business of the church, which is why there is a Session in the first place. They will wear an official badge and be seated on the main floor, up near the front. There are only 2,000 delegates from all over the world, consisting of ministers, church employees, and lay members. The delegates will usually be attending meetings and committees.
The Worker. These are people employed by the church who, if they are not a delegate, will have many other things to do to help the Session run smoothly.
The Old-Timer. This person has been to many Sessions. If you ask, they can usually name each one. They remember when attendees were mostly North American, Caucasian, and delegates were almost all male.
The New-Timer. This is someone who has never been to a Session before. This could be a new member or a longtime Adventist. In either case, their eyes will be large and they will say things like, "I never knew." They usually didn't know the diversity and numbers of the church and how such a large group can feel like family.
The Missionary. In the old days, this was the star of the show, the person who just returned from some unimaginable place, full of unbelievable stories of some "uncivilized" people and wearing clothes normally unacceptable in a church environment. Now days, this could be anyone from anywhere. And usually is.
The Believer. This is the church member, the foundation of the whole organization. This person used to be readily identified, especially when out in the city population around the Session. Today's member may or may not stand out, a cause of concern for some Old-Timers. Don't worry if you can't pick them out. God can.
The "True" Believer. This person is drawn to Sessions like bees to honey or flies to … ah. This well-meaning person usually has many things they have concluded are wrong with the church, all of which are written in many words in small type on pages with no margins, which they will be glad to hand to you, even if you aren't [glad]. Many hours of conversation can easily ensue with very little effort on your part. After such a litany of what's wrong, you will be thankful to go in to the Session and hear reports of what's right with the church. This encounter could be positive.
The Attendee. This catch-all ID covers everyone who comes in to the Session. It is possible this person could be a believer, non-believer, worker, member, casual passerby, visitor from another church, media professional, homeless person—anyone. This category is actually the most important as it mandates that you approach and treat each person the same. You never know … and that's exciting!
G.C. Session News, February 2005
