NEWS STORY: Adventist leader’s business dealings prompt `question of confidence’

c. 1999 Religion News Service UNDATED _ A special meeting of the executive committee of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been set for March after an ad hoc church group determined that concerns about the business dealings of church President Robert S. Folkenberg have prompted”a question of confidence concerning Elder Folkenberg’s […]

c. 1999 Religion News Service

UNDATED _ A special meeting of the executive committee of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been set for March after an ad hoc church group determined that concerns about the business dealings of church President Robert S. Folkenberg have prompted”a question of confidence concerning Elder Folkenberg’s continued leadership.” Folkenberg, 58, and the General Conference are among the defendants in a suit filed last year in Sacramento, Calif., by James E. Moore, a Sacramento businessman. Moore alleges that the defendants engaged in fraudulent business practices in a land deal. He is seeking $8 million.

Church administrators, who learned of the suit in late December, appointed an ad hoc group of 20 Seventh-day Adventist leaders to review the business relationship between Moore and Folkenberg.


Church officials describe Moore as a business entrepreneur who has served time in prison for a 1989 grand theft conviction. Lawyers for the church believe the suit against the church is”without merit”and”frivolous,”according to a church statement. Moore could not be reached for comment.

On Wednesday (Jan. 27), the administrative committee of the General Conference voted to move up by a month the spring meeting of the executive committee based on the recommendations of the ad hoc group, which held lengthy meetings on Monday and Tuesday. The executive committee’s meeting will begin March 1 at the church’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Md.

The text of the vote by the administrative committee says the 260-member executive committee should meet”to express itself on a question of confidence concerning Robert S. Folkenberg’s continued leadership as president of the world Church.” That question came from the ad hoc group, which called for a meeting of the executive committee, the only body that can make decisions about elected General Conference leadership between sessions of the General Conference.”With deep regret, the committee acknowledges that recent issues have surfaced and raise concerns in connection with Elder Folkenberg’s personal business activities and the office of the presidency,”the ad hoc group reported.”The nature and gravity of these issues and their cumulative effect is such as to erode confidence in the functions of the president and to introduce doubts about leadership integrity.” A church statement said the ethical concerns voiced by the group about Folkenberg include inappropriate business associations, conflicts of interest and”misuse of the office of the presidency for business advantages.”It also cited”the president’s reluctance to accept the advice of colleagues.” Although church spokesman Ray Dabrowski declined to say that Folkenberg’s job is in jeopardy, he said in an interview:”The report and the action from (Wednesday) express the seriousness of the situation.” He added that the process allows the president to”receive due process”and it would be”speculative”to discuss the status of the president’s job.

The ad hoc group expressed concerns about Folkenberg’s business activities but concluded that there was”no evidence”of misuse of church funds, Dabrowski said.

But the group remained concerned about the effect of the president’s business conduct on the reputation of the church.”The magnitude of these issues calls into question Elder Folkenberg’s ability to provide continued effective leadership as General Conference president,”the group stated in its report.

The ad hoc group’s report affirmed the”visionary, energetic and mission-focused leadership”of Folkenberg, who has been president of the 10-million-member church since 1990.

But the committee recommended executive committee consideration based on the church’s”highest standards of ethical conduct”and the need for its leaders to protect the”best interests”of the denomination.


The ad hoc group said the issues they confronted”seriously impact the good name of the church and diminish members’ confidence in the credibility and integrity of the office of the president.” Folkenberg, who was re-elected in 1995, is scheduled to complete his term in the summer of 2000.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has about 900,000 U.S. members, is known especially for its belief that the Advent, or Second Coming, of Jesus Christ will occur soon and its observing of the Sabbath on Saturday, the seventh day of the week.

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