In addition to voting to reelect Ted N.C. Wilson to his third term, the 2022 General Conference (GC) in session, through the course of several days, has voted to reelect the world church executive secretary, treasurer, undersecretary, and undertreasurer.

Both executive secretary Erton Köhler and treasurer Paul Douglas have served in their roles for about one year, after their predecessors retired.

The undersecretary, Hensley Moorooven, and undertreasurer, J. Raymond Wahlen II, have had four and seven years in their roles, respectively.

The newly elected and re-elected officers are already looking to the future. “As we partner with God, we have nothing to fear — not even failure itself,” Douglas said Tuesday.

One of the six people who were elected as associate secretaries is new to the role, while two of the six elected associate treasurers are new to the position.

One of the new associate treasurers, Richard Stephenson, will depart from the North American Division to fill his new role after serving as director of Information Technology Services there since 2018.

Here is the list of officers elected at the 2022 session:

Executive Secretary

Erton Köhler has served as General Conference secretary, one of the church’s three executive offices, since G.T. Ng’s retirement April 2021. As secretary, Köhler advises the Office of Adventist Mission; the Office of Archives, Statistics and Research; and the Institute of World Mission. His office is responsible for preparing agenda items for major business meetings and committees, recording meeting minutes, and coordinating the development and review of church working policy and manual.

A native of southern Brazil, Köhler graduated from the Adventist Teaching Institute (now Brazilian Adventist University) with a Bachelor’s in Theology and a Master’s in Pastoral Theology. He also completed a doctoral degree from the Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University.

Before his election as secretary, Köhler served the South American Division as a local church pastor, conference youth ministries director, conference executive secretary, division youth ministries director, and division president over 32 years of ministry.

Köhler has been a firm voice for unity amidst diversity, emphasizing a commitment to the mission of the church. While concluding his secretary’s report at the 2021 Annual Council, he said, “our eyes shouldn’t focus on the crisis (referring to the Covid-19 pandemic), but on the one that is bigger than the crisis, always believing that our greatest challenges precede His greatest miracles.”

Treasurer

Paul Douglas was first elected to the position of treasurer, also one of the church’s three executive offices, during the 2021 Spring Meeting in Maryland, when Juan Prestol-Puesán retired.

Before becoming treasurer, Douglas served as director for the General Conference Auditing Service where he cultivated an extensive pedigree in financial administration and denominational service.

Douglas realized and embraced his niche for accounting as a young man in Jamaica. When an educator-mentor recommended giving bookkeeping a try, the immediate success he experienced swung the door wide open to what has become an impressive career, with no turning back.

Douglas places confidence in God’s guidance and wisdom to lead the Adventist Church into the future. In his 2022 treasurer's report to the executive committee during the spring meeting, Douglas encouraged the members, saying, “The greatest of all dangers for us in turbulent times is to forget that the master of the sea is in the boat. We must not forget that this is his mission to which we have been commissioned.”

Undersecretary

Hensley Moorooven has held the position of undersecretary of the General Conference since 2018. He serves as liaison officer to the South Pacific Division and the Southern Africa Indian Ocean Division. His major responsibilities include oversight of the General Conference Constitution and Bylaws and General Conference Working Policy; as well as agendas and minutes for General Conference Session, annual council, spring meeting, and other official meetings.

Moorooven holds a Master’s in Leadership from the Adventist University of Africa in Kenya. A native of Mauritius, he served in Réunion, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, prior to coming to the GC.

Undertreasurer

J. Raymond Wahlen II was first elected undertreasurer of the General Conference in 2015. Before that, he served as associate treasurer beginning in 2010, and earlier, as special assistant to the treasurer from 2001 until his promotion. Before coming to the General Conference, Wahlen ministered in various financial capacities in Guam-Micronesia and the United States

Wahlen became the subject of church news reports in 2004 when, while attending meetings in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, in his role as special assistant to the treasurer, he and the other world church leadership suddenly had to evacuate due to an uprising that led to armed conflict.

Associate Secretaries

Gerson P. Santos: The liaison officer to the Inter-American Division, South American Division, Southern Asia Division, and West-Central Africa Division; Santos was first elected as associate secretary in 2015. He oversees the church manual, and nurture and retention. Santos holds a Master of Theological Studies from the Latin American Adventist Seminary in Brazil, and a Doctor of Ministry from Andrews University. Before coming to the General Conference, Santos served in Brazil and the United States.

Claude J. Richli: First elected associate secretary in 2015, Richli serves as liaison officer to the Inter-European Division, the Southern-Asia Pacific Division, the Trans-European Division, the Middle East, and North Africa Union Mission, the Israel Field, and the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies. Richli has a Master of Divinity and a Master in Business Administration from Andrews University. Before his election, he ministered in Canada, Switzerland, Kenya, and with Adventist Review Ministries at the General Conference headquarters in Maryland, U.S.

Gary D. Krause: Born in Fiji to Australian missionary parents, Krause was first elected as associate secretary in 2010. He serves as the director of Adventist Mission, which oversees the Global Mission Study Centers, church planting, and mission promotion. Krause holds a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, and a Ph.D. in Practical Theology, focusing on Seventh-day Adventist urban ministry, from the University of Queensland. He served in Australia before coming to the GC.

Elbert Kuhn: The director of the Adventist Volunteer Service, Kuhn was first elected associate secretary in 2018. He serves as liaison officer to the Northern Asia-Pacific Division and the Chinese Union Mission. Kuhn holds a Master’s in Pastoral Theology from São Paulo Adventist University. Before joining the GC, Kuhn worked in Brazil and Mongolia.

Karen J. Porter: First elected as associate secretary in 2014, Porter serves as liaison officer to the East-Central Africa Division, and the Euro-Asia Division, as well as the Adventist University of Africa. She also serves as co-director of International Personnel Resources and Services, and as the liaison for the Deferred Mission Appointment Program. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Washington Adventist University, and served in Sri Lanka, Russia, Cyprus, and the United States before joining the General Conference staff.

Saw Samuel: New to the position of executive secretary, Samuel previously served as the president of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division, a role to which he was elected in 2016. Before that, Samuel had been executive secretary of the SSD since 2010. He is married to Dr. Orathai Chureson who currently heads the SSD Children and Family Ministries departments, and the pair has two children. Samuel holds a doctorate in ministry from the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines, and has served in Thailand and the Philippines.

Associate Treasurers

Timothy H. Aka: First elected associate treasurer in 2015, Canadian native Aka came to the GC from a business finance background. He joined the team as investment manager just one year before his election, and now supervises investments as one of his associate treasurer responsibilities. According to the Adventist Review, “Aka has extensive experience in the financial sector, where he worked, among other positions, as financial adviser at Edward Jones, and manager at TD Waterhouse in Toronto, Canada.”

George O. Egwakhe: Now in his fourth term as associate treasurer, Nigerian native Egwakhe serves on many treasury-related committees. He holds an MBA from the Central State University of Oklahoma, and has served in treasury at locations, including West and Central Africa, the Philippines, and the Southern Asia-Pacific Division. According to the Adventist Review, Egwakhe has developed a reputation for “urging a more deliberate focus on local church regions becoming self-reliant, especially in Africa.”

German A. Lust: Elected associate treasurer in 2018, Lust also serves as co-director and treasurer for International Personnel Resources and Services, and as treasurer for the Institute of World Mission. Prior to his election, he served as treasurer of the Northern Asia Pacific Division for three years. Lust ministered in Argentina, Chile, the Philippines, and South Korea before coming to the General Conference.

Daisy J. F. Orion: One of the few women in Adventist history to hold a top treasury position, Orion was first elected associate treasurer in 2005. According to the Adventist Review: “Orion is well known by church leaders attending the Annual Council at the world church headquarters, where she has lectured about financial policies, including the importance of conducting financial audits, and core policies for compliance testing.” Before coming to the GC, Orion served as director of planning for Global Mission at the Asia Pacific Division.

Josue Pierre: New to the position of associate treasurer, Pierre has served as associate general counsel at the General Conference since 2016, and has worked as an attorney since 2012. Pierre has a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School, and a BBA in Accounting from Andrews University.

Richard Stephenson: Another new associate treasurer, Stephenson previously served as director of Information Technology Services for the North American Division, a role he took on in 2018. Along with his treasury position, Stephenson will also serve as director of Tech Operations & Strategy at the General Conference. Stephenson says he loves to integrate technology into the church organization in a way that produces positive change.