Anne Seixas – St. Louis, Missouri … Representing more than 60 percent of the global church membership, women are not just showing up at the 2025 General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They are showing what it means to belong, to contribute, and to shape the future of a church they love.
As they step into the vast auditorium in St. Louis, women delegates bring stories, lived experience, spiritual wisdom, and a shared desire to see the church grow—stronger, more united, and more reflective of the global body of Christ.
Out of 2,809 official delegates at the 62nd GC Session, around 21 percent are women. Among delegates under 30, that number rises to 69 percent—a hopeful sign that new generations are walking confidently into shared leadership. While there is still room to grow, these numbers point to a deeper truth: when everyone is invited to the table, the church becomes a richer, more inclusive community. And the future becomes a shared journey.
A New Generation Finds Its Voice
Sanja Kuševska, Sladana Markovic, and Sara Bracer are three young women delegates from Macedonia attending their first GC Session. For them, presence means more than a name tag; it means responsibility and trust.
“We’re grateful that our union trusted us with this responsibility,” Markovic said. “It shows that our work is seen and valued just like anyone else’s.”
Rayanniris Costa, from Bahia, Brazil, also shared how eye-opening her first time at Session has been. As a Pathfinder club director and local church leader since her teens, she described the experience as a defining moment.
“I’m really surprised. We often think the church is just our small local setting, but here we see how big, alive, and diverse it really is,” she said. “It’s beautiful to realize that.”
For Costa, being present is not just about representation, it’s about stewardship and shared mission: “We serve in many departments, especially in Children’s and Family Ministries. It’s important for us to have a voice. That broadens the church’s vision.”
She also highlighted the respectful atmosphere throughout the discussions: “Everyone has a voice. There is respect. And that’s fundamental.”
Still, the young women noted that participation sometimes remains uneven.
“Most of the GC reports are presented by men,” Kuševska observed. Bracer added, “Even though diversity and gender balance were emphasized from the start, those already in leadership—mostly men—were often selected again.”
But the group didn’t dwell on imbalance. Their vision was one of partnership. Not competition, but collaboration, a shared table where men and women contribute differently but equally to the same mission.
For Erton Köhler, newly elected General Conference president, women’s presence in leadership is not only needed—it’s strategic.
“We have more women than men in our membership. And I would like to see more of them involved in leadership, in communities, and in many of our initiatives,” he said.
In his view, women’s roles go beyond traditional responsibilities: “They have a special sensitivity and unique abilities that can be a great blessing to the church—if we give them more opportunities.”
While Köhler avoids engaging in controversial discussions such as ordination, he is direct in recognizing women’s value: “They are special, they are important, and I hope we see more of them involved.”
From the other side of the world, Danita Perez Caderna, director of Children’s Ministries for the South Pacific Division based in the Philippines, is also attending a GC Session for the first time. For her, the growing participation of women reflects the recognition the church is offering to women.
“Women are being valued. The global church is opening space for us to express ourselves, contribute, and become fully engaged. That empowers us,” she said. Caderna believes women bring specific strengths to mission: “Wisdom, vision, and sensitivity. These gifts are essential for the church—especially in family and community work.”
She also highlighted the importance of collaboration between departments, especially between Children’s Ministries and Women’s Ministries: “We’re seeing women increasingly recognized as a great resource for the church.”
A Voice and a Gift
Debbie Mbayo Maloba, a delegate from the East-Central Africa Division (ECD), sees her involvement as a sacred duty. She explained that being a delegate at the GC Session “means a lot to us, especially women,” and that it means “we are involved in the life, development, and progress of our church.” She added, “It means we are valued.”
Maloba noted the positive change in representation, saying that even though women “are not yet at 50 percent, we’ve reached a higher percentage,” which she considers an improvement in collaboration.
When asked what message she would offer to her colleagues in leadership, she replied with calm confidence that God has given women the gifts that reach people deeply, not just spiritually but in everyday life. She believes that sometimes, women are able to connect in ways that are different, and “that’s the beauty of working together.”
From the Philippines to Brazil to Eastern Europe and across Africa, women bring perspective, strength, and compassion that enrich the church’s mission.
In 2025, their voices echo what the church is learning: the mission moves forward when the church walks together, men and women, side by side.
For more coverage of the 2025 General Conference Session, including live updates, interviews, and delegate stories, visit adventist.news and follow ANN on social media.
— Anne Seixas writes for Adventist News Network (ANN). Republished with permission from ANN GC Session July 7, 2025, article. Photos by Tor Tjeransen, Seth Shaffer, Andreea Epistatu, Nathaniel Reid, and Anne Seixas.
