We have previously communicated with you about serious financial challenges confronting the Oregon Conference that have increasingly come to light in recent months.

We also have shared with you some of the heart-rending decisions – painful budget and staffing reductions that will have real-life impacts on the lives of many pastors and conference members, and their families in the weeks and months ahead. We thank God for His leading through this difficult process; we simply could not navigate the fraught path ahead without Him.

In the midst of these difficulties, the Executive Committee called for a meeting last week (as many of you know) to discuss President Linrud’s future with the Conference. While not a routine event, the special meeting was called as allowed by Oregon Conference bylaws in response to our emerging financial challenges. The result last week was a vote of confidence in President Linrud’s continued leadership of the Oregon Conference. 

We will continue to pray for God’s blessings as the Spirit leads us forward. In addition, our administrative team has pledged to keep our entire Oregon Conference family better informed about the difficult decisions still to come. Please know that our communications will be as transparent as possible. They will be compassionate because we value the contributions of all our pastors and conference leaders who have so richly contributed to God’s work in our Conference. And because that’s the spirit in which God would have us treat those who hurt.

In that spirit, we acknowledge the 15 pastors who were able to accept our retirement/resignation offer. We praise the Lord for how these faithful 15 leaders have shepherded their flocks over the years. Additionally, we are gratified that their willingness to voluntarily transition has reduced the number of pastors we will need to part with involuntarily as part of the difficult process of reaching our budget targets. In April, we will have to reduce our pastoral team by another 10 individuals, and we will communicate with you again when that process is complete.

As additional events warrant, we pledge to continue updating you – likely every two to three weeks.

We appreciate your continued prayerful support of our administrative team. We’re thankful for the faithfulness of God’s people in the Oregon Conference over many years. Ellen White reminds us: We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us and His teaching in our past history.”

If you have any questions, please reach out to Juan Pacheco, Assistant to the President for Communication.