November 1-7 the Northern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists (NSD) held a Quinquennial Council with a theme ‘Journey of Hope’ in Ilsan, Korea. Quinquennial Council is very important to review what the church has done during the last 5 years and to think for the next five years. The last 5 year reports and presentations were given by the Adventist church leaders from the world church headquarters (General Conference) and the NSD territory including Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Mongolia.

Dr. Jairyong Lee, president of the NSD put a strong emphasis on mission at the president’s report, saying “‘Mission First’ should be a motto of all church organizational entities as well as all church members including young people and children. Mission should be the most important focal point of all church plans, strategies and activities in both organized and unorganized territories.” (NSD President’s Report)

“The NSD has many mission challenges in that there is one Seventh-day Adventist Christian for every 2,770 people, while the world ratio between Adventists and the population is 1:468. We need bolder and more aggressive mission strategies in order to rise above the challenges. In the last few years, the NSD has tried to put mission first in all its plans and activities such as the NSD Mission Day to promote missionary spirit in its workers, the ‘Go One Million,’ ‘Sow One Billion,’ ‘Elijah Project,’ ‘Pioneer Mission Movement,’ ‘Golden Angels’ and the ‘Children’s Missionary Movement,’” said Dr. Lee.

During the 7 days of the council, November 3, various experiences and presentations on how to evangelize unreached people and to make church growth possible were shared at the Advisory Council on Evangelism and Witness which was organized by the NSD Global Mission Department (Director Kwon JohngHaeng). The participants were impressed with the testimonies by Kangnam SDA Language Institute Church Pastor Chun, Boo Kwon, and Lee, Choon Young who have planted two churches through his own foreign language schools. Buddhist Study Center Director Scott Griswold gave an impact to the delegates through his presentation on ‘how to effectively present Bible beliefs to Buddhists.’

Special visitors’ speeches encouraged and impressed the participants in the morning. They are Ambassador Bienvenido V. Tejano, Philippines Ambassador to New Zealand and Hose of Representatives member the Honorable Harlin Abayon, the only Adventist in the Philippine Congress.

GC vice president Lowell Cooper illustrated a vision ‘Tell The World’ during the advisory. The church leaders voted to adopt the vision for how gospel of Jesus will be shared by the Adventist Church from 2005-2010. It was introduced by the General Conference in October at the 2005 GC Annual Council. It focuses the church on its identity as a called out community and its end time mission of proclaiming the gospel to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). (Tell The World)

As a particular decision made during the council, at the evening session of November 5, there was a new appointment for the church leadership of the Chinese Union Mission (CHUM) and the Mongolia Mission Field (MMF). The NSD Executive Committee voted to appoint the church leaders as follows: CHUM- President Wu, Sze Fai (James) (re-appointed), Secretary Tsui, Man Yuen (Terry) (re-appointed), Treasurer Liu, Lee Chun (Dan) (newly-appointed); MMF- Director Dale Tunnell (Permanent Return, April 2006).