The Future of Public Campus Ministries

Silver Spring, Maryland Release: May 22, 2020 

Today’s world situation has created the need to realign budgets and reduce expenses. The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (GCSDA) has voted to realign the responsibilities of the office of Public Campus Ministries. This is an effort to streamline personnel and face new financial realities.

            With their existing personnel, the Youth Ministries Department will absorb the work of the Adventist Ministry to College and University Students (AMiCUS)–Public Campus Ministries (PCM) beginning officially on August 1st. Elder Pako Mokgwane, Associate Director, has been selected to assume the PCM duties. The transition to this new model has begun as voted by the world church leaders during Spring Meeting in April 2020.

This change will result in the reduction of one full-time Associate elected position. This reduction of GC elected positions is one among others that was voted due to the GC budget reduction. “The church, like every other organization, must live within its means. We must be ever vigilant to find every mission-compatible efficiency we can,” says Elder Tom Lemon, General Vice President and Chair of the AMiCUS and ACM Committees.

The staff reduction is the direct result of a decrease in tithes and offerings coming to the General Conference’s budget due to the 2019 parity vote that significantly reduces the General Conference income coming from the world divisions.

“AMiCUS–PCM is a critical piece of the ministry to young adults who attend public and private colleges and universities that are not a part of the Seventh-day Adventist educational system. Elder Jiwan Moon has done a very good job coordinating and expanding the work of PCM around the world,” says Elder Mario E. Ceballos, Director, Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries. “Although resources are becoming less available, the work of PCM will continue with the same intentionality and attention. PCM nurtures and ministers to students both on the campus and in local churches.”