Treasurer Confirms Record Mission Investment Ahead of OneVoice27

“Treasurers are also called for mission,” said Paul H. Douglas, treasurer of the General Conference, in introducing his team at the beginning of his report to the members of the General Conference Executive Committee (GC EXCOM) during Annual Council 2026. “Together we embrace the signature statement that we made of mobilizing resources for mission. This statement is not a slogan for us; this is the sentiment of our hearts. It captures who we are and what we do.”

During the October 12 morning session at the world church headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, Douglas and his team shared the latest financial data of the General Conference (GC), presented the operating budget for 2027, and confirmed a record investment of funds for mission as the denomination gets ready for OneVoice27, an initiative of the world church to share Jesus as never before in 2027 and beyond.

The Largest, Grandest Initiative

“Our church is called for mission, and we find the latest and greatest expression of this call in OneVoice27,” Douglas said, “the largest and the grandest evangelistic initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and each of us has a part to play.”

It’s also the single largest investment that the Adventist Church is making in an initiative, Douglas shared. He explained how an initial commitment of up to US$27 million to fund the implementation of the initiative has resulted, with every church region’s support, in a record US$99 million earmarked for 2027. “We will invest these resources wisely, in an objective way, to ensure we achieve the impact to which we intend,” he said.

A Decentralized Model

The idea is not just distributing money, Douglas emphasized, but “to make sure we have an intention and an objective that we seek to achieve.”

The funds from the GC will look at three focus areas, including what Douglas defined as “prayer, training, and inspiration” and “bold initiatives, materials, and tools.” The funds will also support “proclamation, harvesting, and disciple-making,” he reported.

According to Gideon Mutero, appointed treasurer of the OneVoice27 initiative, the assignment of funds will follow a decentralized execution model, as 50 percent of all resources will flow directly to divisions and attached territories, “weighed by their unique mission challenges and financial capacity.” Likewise, the vast majority of the amount allocated will be for bold initiatives administered in collaboration with divisions “to facilitate contextualization and impact,” Mutero reported.

“We appreciate the engagement we have seen with the divisions and attached fields exploring new areas of utilizing media for this initiative,” Mutero said.

Technological Support

In a similar vein, GC associate treasurer Richard Stephenson explained how technology platforms developed for mission will also support the implementation of OneVoice27 at evangelistic and administrative levels. “These are truly platforms that are called for mission,” Stephenson said. “The platform is never the point; mission is.”

Platforms include a web engine that helps people find a local congregation online before they visit the physical place. Another platform takes media and puts content on people’s devices so they can hear the message. Still another one focuses on church members, helping them to engage with one another. And another platform supports the orderly work of the church, Stephenson reported. “Each platform helps the church find people, reach them, and bring them home,” he emphasized.

Other sister apps on a church-owned platform will help seekers watch, reflect on what they see, and, if they wish to do so, request prayer, a Bible, or a Bible study to eventually connect with a human guide and a local congregation, Stephenson explained. “These platforms are . . . channels that carry the light today,” he said.

Strong Financial Results

Against this renewed emphasis on mobilizing funds, resources, and initiatives for mission, Douglas shared some of the financial results up to August 2026. “The financial position of the General Conference is strong,” Douglas reported, “not because of anything we have done, [but] because God is strong.” He added, “God has provided the resources that we need in this time to do His work.”

Douglas acknowledged that there are “lots of uncertainties around us, lots of economic concerns around us, but God has provided the resources that we need to mobilize them for His mission.” He reported a 3.3 percent tithe increase over budget and a 3.5 percent tithe increase against the previous year. Mission offerings, on the other hand, reached 16.2 percent over budget and 9.8 percent versus the previous year.

Undertreasurer Ray Wahlen reported that the church’s financial officers are budgeting an increase of 5.8 percent in tithes and offerings over the 2026 budget. As a result, the 2027 budget anticipates a $3.95 million increase in appropriations—the funds the GC sends to world divisions—and a $1.68 million increase for international missionaries (ISEs).

“Budget numbers,” Wahlen reported, “include major funding for Mission Refocus and the three major mission challenges”—the 10/40 window, a region in which Christians are a minority; the post-Christian window; and the urban window. “Over the course of this quinquennium we are on target for investing US$126 million” in those areas, he said.

Faithful Stewardship

Finally Douglas reported on the actions being taken to address the lack of improvement in audit results. He shared that a financial oversight task force was established to determine how financial oversight should look, what component role the GC Auditing Service (GCAS) should play in this regard, and how to pay for it. Douglas shared some preliminary findings, announcing a full report for 2027.

“The task force recognized that some of the existing policies in our book are very good, and just need to be implemented,” Douglas said. “Leaders need to recognize their role as stewards.”

In that sense, leaders will be working to create awareness (knowing the policies), accountability (being responsible), assurance (ensuring there is confidence among all stakeholders), and action (following up on reported findings), Douglas shared as part of several recommendations toward achieving these goals. He quoted 2 Corinthians 8:21: “. . . providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.”

Called for Mission

In closing, Douglas called church leaders to remember that “called people participate in mission, investing their time, their influence, and their resources in advancing the kingdom of God.” Called people plan for mission and protect the mission, he said. “When God calls people for mission, that calling must influence not only what they proclaim but also what they prioritize.”

Answering the question posed by GC secretary Richard McEdward a day before (“When will our mission be complete?”), Douglas said, “Our mission will be complete when we are bold and when we believe that we have what we need, when we believe that we can do more with what we already have, and when we believe that what has not been done can be done.” So, he added, “let us be bold, let us believe, so we can go home.”

Reactions From the Floor

When the floor opened for comments, former GC president Ted N.C. Wilson went to the microphone to say the report was “extraordinary.” “We just want to say, ‘Praise be to God!’ I am thrilled with the report.”

Billy Biaggi, a former GC vice president, also commended the reports, giving God the credit. “We praise the Lord because He is the one who owns it all,” Biaggi said.

Paul Herrmann, Loma Linda University provost, requested that when budgeting, financial officers remember the evangelistic nature of Adventist education, especially toward many students who are not church members. “So I would ask that, going forward, consideration could be given to increasing the dollar amount that is going into educational mission, because I believe it’s indistinguishable from our total mission,” he said.

Finally, Jonathan Lamorin, a lay member from the Southern Asia-Pacific Division, highlighted the importance of protecting and using resources. A first-time attendee to Annual Council, Lamorin said he appreciates “how efficiently we appropriate the money of the Lord to [various] ministries of the church. . . . I treasured it,” he said. “Thank you so much for doing a very good job in the Treasury Department.”

After an electronic vote, the recommendation to record receipt of the Treasury Report passed 214 to 2.