Naomi Pepper
September 3, 2026
The historic vote on women’s ordination at the 2026 North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) constituency session was driven by Adventists in Oregon. The motion was voted onto the agenda after delegates successfully navigated complex internal union bylaws to secure a direct vote. The efforts of these delegates resulted in a major victory for women in ministry and longtime advocates of ordination equality across the region.
Kessia Reyne Bennett, lead pastor of the Pleasant Valley Adventist Church in Oregon and a delegate at large, offered support that was characteristic of the careful way in which the Oregon Conference constituents presented the proposal. Noting that the move was not oppositional toward either the General Conference (GC) or “the establishment,” Bennett said, “I appreciate the motion for recognizing the authority of of the unions to administer ministerial credentials,” and added that the motion was careful not to compel conferences to put forward candidates who would not align with the conference’s “convictions or the qualifications of the candidate.” Kessia Reyne Bennett praised the motion for recognizing unions’ authority to approve ordinations. Video NPUC
But it wasn’t only Oregonians who spoke out in favor of ordination. José Haroldo Alomia, pastor of the Kirkland Adventist Church in the Washington Conference, said in support of the motion, “As a Hispanic man growing up in Latin America, I used to be of the opinion that women could not be ordained, nor lead in the church as I could.” He added that in over two decades of ministry, he changed his position because “Scripture doesn’t explicitly prohibit it,” and because his ministry “has been blessed and amplified by all the women that have worked with me,” including his current associate.José Haroldo Alomia noted that the Mid-America Union had already implemented the same measure proposed by the NPUC with no adverse effects to the Adventist Church or its mission. Video: NPUC
During more than an hour of discussion on the motion, of the 26 delegates who commented on the motion, seventeen spoke in favor, six in opposition, and three raised questions or declined to state a position. Nine of the seventeen delegates who voiced support are Oregon Conference pastors; one is an administrator in the conference.
The road to getting the motion to the floor was far from simple. Organizers had to navigate significant administrative hurdles to ensure the union leadership heard what a majority—62 percent—of delegates wanted for the women working in their churches.
The question of women’s ordination remains one of the most debated issues within the Adventist Church. Notably, the issue was brought to delegates at the 2015 GC Session in San Antonio, Texas. Out of 2,358 voters representing the world church, that motion fell just 203 votes short of allowing each world division to decide whether to permit the ordaining of women within their territory. There has not been a GC vote about whether unions can decide.
Increasingly, Adventists have pushed back against this stance, advocating more flexibility for unions and conferences to do what they believe is best for their congregations and pastors in their local contexts. With their awareness of how biblical values need to be communicated to increasingly diverse communities, they note how inviting people to join a church that officially discriminates on the basis of gender impedes Adventist mission. Walla Walla, Washington resident Jack Hoehn, author of Adventist Tomorrow: Fresh Ideas While Waiting for Jesus, stated in an interview, “‘Not now’ to female pastors is just another way of men saying ‘no!’”
In 2012, well before the 2015 GC vote, the Pacific Union and the Columbia Union successfully voted bylaw amendments approving “ordination to the gospel ministry without regard to gender” in their respective territories.
In 2021, the Mid-America Union followed, stating in their motion that it,“recognizes the right and responsibility of each local conference to prepare and recommend names for ordination, and will consider all recommended persons for ordination as submitted by the respective local conference executive committees.”
This was the exact language that members of the Oregon Conference executive committee used when submitting their proposed motion for the constituency session agenda. Though this does not compel conferences within the union to take any particular action, it gives each conference the flexibility to follow its own convictions on employment gender equality.
Kaleb Eisele, the Oregon Conference communication director whose rise to leadership included his photography project Humans of Adventism, told SPECTRUM that their executive committee voted almost unanimously to submit the proposal. In a very rare move, the conference’s proposal was rejected by the union agenda committee. Kaleb Eisele noted the importance of women to the Adventist Church historically and very recently, and declared himself a “yes” vote. Video: NPUC
Seeing that the proposal had been omitted, Eisele found an avenue to bypass the executive filtering process. “We have a bylaw of the 20 percent,” he said. “That means 20 percent of delegates can put together a proposal, and as long as they’re all confirmed to be legitimate, that goes on the agenda—so it bypasses all of the background decision-making and puts us straight there.”
Eisele created a petition that he and others distributed to the delegates, which garnered more than the required 20 percent support. Distributing the petition to delegates proved difficult, as NPUC administration did not initially supply delegate contact information. In an informational meeting, Oregon Conference delegates asked for more clarification by NPUC leadership on the 30 day advance notice of the session agenda and how to get the delegate contact information needed to successfully spread the petition. Union leaders blamed privacy concerns, conference info control, and delegate confusion for their inability to share contact info.
During the constituency session, a majority of delegates voted “no” on NPUC leadership’s policy proposal that recommended not publicizing delegate contact information at all.
Union leaders also distributed a nine-point document to delegates acknowledging concerns over the motion’s omission from the proposed agenda, which was released ahead of the session. The letter also outlined the process by which motions are placed on the constituency agenda in accordance with union bylaws, including reviews by the union agenda committee, board of directors, and executive committee, as well as Walla Walla University’s board of trustees and all conference executive committees.
This document made clear that while the motion did not appear on the proposed agenda, the NPUC had voted to send a request to GC officers asking that the matter be considered at a world-church level.
The next GC Session will take place in June 2030. In an interview with SPECTRUM Hoehn said that “Kicking this down the road to 2030 isn’t leadership, it’s avoidance. Justice for women called to ministry isn’t something that can be scheduled for a decade later; it demands immediate local action.”
An online informal petition collected the opinions of hundreds of Adventists, which carried no procedural weight, but helped to mobilize energy and captured what church grassroots thought about the issue.
Pushing a decision on women’s ordination to the 2030 GC Session would have delayed any consideration of this matter for another four years rather than putting it to a direct vote at the time of its proposal—one that was timely for the Oregon Conference. Eisele indicated that opinion has been steadily growing in support of women’s ordination conferencewide since a period of austerity measures, announced in early 2024, highlighted the immense value women leaders provide.
“We went through one of the biggest financial crisis situations in our history,” Eisele said. He described a 25 percent reduction of staff with major layoffs and restructuring, emphasizing that this crisis caused church members in the region to come together more closely than they had before. He shared that this included many women who were already working as pastors and directors, and as a result of the financial crisis, became more immediately visible to others in the conference as they worked together closely.
A key player was the Oregon Conference Vice President for Administration, Kara Johnsson.
“Even for people that might not have had a strong opinion either way, now they have faces to the issue,” Eisele said. “They know who was there through that crisis with them. And Dr. Johnsson was a huge part of that. She was serving before it happened and all through it, and even though she didn’t get the recognition, she still did absolutely everything that she could.”
On the morning of the August 23 constituency session, outgoing NPUC President John Freedman noted that the Oregon initiated petition had successfully compelled the motion’s addition to the agenda.
During the constituency debate over the ordination vote, Rory Wold of the Medford Adventist Church in the Oregon Conference praised Johnsson’s leadership during the financial crisis. “Dr. Kara Johnsson faithfully led our conference through a generational crisis,” Wold said. “Despite her education, her pastoral success, her leadership as VP, she was marginalized, unable to even hold the title of interim president. The decisions made under her leadership were pivotal, pivotal in bringing us to the place of both financial and relational stability.”
In an interview with SPECTRUM, Johnsson affirmed the importance of faithfully carrying out God’s work and building relationships. “I have not viewed my role as an advocate, as much as a bridge builder,” she said. “I have endeavoured to build bridges within my communities and add seats to whatever table I was invited to sit at, and to do so in loving and transparent ways.” Johnsson shared that she never wanted to push herself into spaces that were not ready for her, and that she approached her role in administration with this same bridge-building attitude, working hard and prayerfully with whatever assignment came her way.
This relational approach was supported by the stories that delegates shared about experiencing women in pastoral ministry firsthand and being moved by the work the Holy Spirit was doing through them.
“Women like Dr. Johnsson have been doing the work of ministry and leadership without the title or equal standing for years. The vote wasn’t about granting them permission to lead; it was about the church finally catching up to where God’s Spirit was already working,” Hoehn said in an interview with SPECTRUM.
Following over an hour of floor debate representing a wide range of perspectives, delegates placed their votes, showing 62.6 percent in support of granting conferences the authority to ordain women ministers. This vote marked a historic milestone in the Adventist Church, making the NPUC the fourth NAD union to allow local conferences to choose to provide ordination credential to their women pastors.
The decision’s aftermath included both deep relief and major celebration. Up until this vote, many long-serving women pastors and leaders faced ongoing uncertainty around equal recognition and opportunity. Eisele remarked, “So many people were crying and calling their families.” He shared that many women ministers had felt “really hopeless coming into this” after years of being told no. “I think a lot of us were really in shock,” he said.
Johnsson felt grateful following the vote. “Grateful to be serving with such kind and courageous men and women,” she said. “Grateful to witness a system that so often feels convoluted allow for voice and change from its grass roots members. Grateful for God’s hand so overtly over proceedings, particularly the spirit that was so clearly present as alternative views were shared graciously. Grateful for the shadow of illegitimacy to be lifted and the opportunity to serve more effectively because of it.”
Johnsson also shared that the Oregon Conference will continue their comprehensive internship program which ensures that all ordination candidates are well-prepared for ministry. They will also be reviewing those within their employment who hold commissioned credentials. “With their permission,” Johnsson said, “their names will be recommended to the NPUC Executive, for ordination credentials.”
Eisele added, “I can’t wait because we’ve already got a queue of leaders that we need to celebrate.” He also said that the atmosphere among Oregon Conference leaders was celebratory.
The Oregon Conference, like many of the individuals who came out in support of this motion, sees this as an opportunity for unity. Johnsson noted, “We are very aware of the deeply and sincerely held beliefs within our conference regarding the ordination and even ministry of women in the church. There are Oregon Conference members on all sides of this issue. We are grateful for the unifying opportunity this gives; now all members can find space within their church.”
Following the vote, NPUC leaders shared support for the convictions within their union through the following statement:
The conversation gave us better insight into the range of views among our people and revealed a shared dedication to God, the global church and local ministry needs.
Together, we affirm women serving in pastoral ministry and recognize the calling, spiritual gifts and leadership they bring to the church.
The vote gives clear direction: Women pastors whose names are brought forward by conferences will now be considered for ordination approval through the same established process used for all candidates.
Throughout our ministerial convention and constituency session, a need surfaced repeatedly: Support your pastor, whether male or female. Pray for them, encourage them and work alongside them.
In NPUC and beyond, we need women and men, young and old, faithfully using the diverse spiritual gifts God has entrusted to the body of Christ. This mission belongs to all of us, and we move forward best when we work together.
This historic vote coincided with a pivotal moment of transition for the NPUC. With the retirements of President John Freedman and Vice President Bill McClendon, the constituency session marked the close of one generation’s leadership approach and the start of a new chapter for the union. Following the delegation’s approval of the ordination motion, newly elected NPUC President Doug Bing and Vice President Erik VanDenburgh assumed office with a clear—around 90 percent—mandate to support gender equality in ministry and employment policy.
Oregon remains the only conference in the Pacific Northwest to signal its intention to recommend women for ordination immediately following this vote.
Reflecting on the meaning of the vote in his hometown, Hoehn emphasized the potential for broader change: “If there’s a woman pastor who is otherwise ready to be confirmed, there’s no excuse for anybody in our conferences to not work with her.”
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