The tenth quinquennial British Union Conference (BUC) Session brought together 368 delegates, together with invitees and observers, at the Atrium Hotel Heathrow, London, from 1 to 3 July 2026. Representing churches and institutions from across the BUC territory, delegates gathered to prayerfully review the work of the Church over the past five years and to help shape its mission for the years ahead.
Although Britain experienced another spell of unusually hot weather, the atmosphere inside the Session was defined less by the temperature outside than by three days of worship, thoughtful discussion, careful decision-making, and a shared desire to seek God’s leading for His church.
Reviewing the Church’s ministry
Alongside worship, delegates received reports from the Union officers, departmental directors, Missions and institutions.
The reports reflected on the ministry of the past quinquennium while outlining opportunities and challenges for the future. Despite all the challenges, reports clearly showed that membership has greatly increased over the quinquennium, and tithe income has increased by more than a third. Departmental leaders reported on successful events – for example, the distribution of one million ‘Reflecting Hope’ leaflets, as highlighted by Pastor Christian Salcianu, Adventist Discovery Centre Director, and the numerous baptisms resulting from the Adventurer and Pathfinder Bible Experience as reported by Pastor Njabulo Ndlovu, BUC Youth Ministries Director.
Delegates engaged actively with the presentations, asking thoughtful questions and offering constructive observations. Several reports generated significant discussion, particularly in areas such as safeguarding, health ministries, youth ministry and pastoral care.
Delegates welcomed the report of Mrs Lorraine McDonald, BUC Education Director, who referred to the improving quality of education and increasingly Christ-centred ethos in Seventh-day Adventist schools within the BUC territory, resulting in baptisms and Bible studies among students.
Numerous questions and comments on Adventist education and youth ministry challenged all attendees to move from wishful thinking into meaningful action aiming to save our schools, which are still under financial pressure following government policy changes on VAT, and to put in place strategic plans to help young people with counselling.
The delegates appreciated the creative way in which the Stewardship report was presented by Mrs Cathy Boldeau as a bedtime story, together with members of the British Union Conference Stewardship Working Group reflecting the two years since her appointment as well as the Stanborough Press report from Ms Elisabeth Sangüesa, Stanborough Press General Manager, which featured the large variety of resources the Press had produced over the quinquennium.
The three Union officers each highlighted different aspects of the Church’s mission in their reports.
In his presidential report, the outgoing president, Pastor Eglan Brooks, used the familiar nursery rhyme, ‘There’s a Hole in My Bucket’, to illustrate the importance of faithful stewardship. He reminded delegates that effective mission depends on healthy leadership, transparent governance, trust and accountability. As he explained, “If the governance, constitutional stewardship, safeguarding, transparency, and trust leak – if the bucket leaks – then the mission work will suffer.”
Using the metaphor of the leaking bucket, Pastor Brooks observed that organisations can easily become preoccupied with analysing problems rather than addressing them. “The question is not who made the hole in the bucket, but who can repair it,” he said, challenging delegates to move beyond blame and focus on restoration. He concluded with a powerful spiritual appeal, reminding delegates that the Church has been entrusted with the living water of the Holy Spirit: “I am done believing that the bucket cannot be repaired... I am done accepting less than God’s best for this church. God can do anything through His church. We just need a few willing people who can see the hole in their bucket, and who pray, ‘God, can You repair the hole in my bucket?’”
“I want to acknowledge the years of service Eglan has given to the British Union, for the burdens he has carried, for his commitment to the mission of the Church,” said Dr Daniel Duda, President of the Trans-European Division (TED). “Public leadership often means that people see the decision, but few see the prayers, the pressures, the late nights, and the personal costs. I want to acknowledge Pastor Eglan Brook’s service with gratitude. I pray that the same God who called him into His service and also sustained him throughout, and guide him beyond this assignment into the next chapter of his life and ministry”
The outgoing executive secretary, Pastor Jacques Venter, talked about the future opportunities, such as to strengthen people management, risk management, information systems and membership support, while emphasising that leadership must always be exercised in a redemptive, prayerful and Christlike manner.
Treasurer Mr Wederly Aguiar demonstrated how careful financial stewardship enables mission, highlighting developments in property stewardship, digital treasury systems and long-term financial planning. “Financial health allows stability and helps the Church to focus on mission; and behind the healthy finances of our Union are real people, faithful, generous and prayerful,” he said.
Throughout the reports, one theme remained consistent: every department, institution and resource exists to support the Church’s mission of making disciples.
Respectful dialogue and shared purpose
As expected during a session involving governance and elections, there were moments when discussions became robust, and delegates expressed differing viewpoints. However, the General Conference Vice President, Pastor Thomas Lemon, expertly chaired the Session, facilitating the smooth progression of the proceedings.
Questions surrounding reports, constitutional matters and committee processes demonstrated that delegates took their responsibilities seriously. At times the atmosphere became tense, yet what stood out was the respectful spirit with which disagreements were handled. Reflecting on the importance of maintaining Christlike relationships even when opinions differ, Pastor Jonathan Holder of the North England Conference (NEC) reminded delegates: “We need the maturity to have conversations and disagree. We have dress codes, but not character codes.” His appeal served as a timely reminder that Christian leadership is measured not only by decisions made, but also by the spirit in which they are made.
Delegates listened carefully, exercised patience, and sought to treat one another with Christian courtesy. Differences of opinion did not overshadow their shared commitment to seeking God’s will for His church. Throughout the proceedings, the values of respect, grace and cooperation remained evident.
This spirit reflected the repeated challenge from the devotional messages: that the Church’s business should always be conducted in a manner worthy of Christ.
Selecting new leadership
A significant part of the Session focused on selecting leadership for the next quinquennium.
While delegates continued receiving reports, the Recommendations Committee met to prepare nominations for the Nominating Committee. During the formation of the Nominating Committee, delegates spent considerable time discussing the composition of the committee. Concerns were raised by Pastors Samuel Ngui (SEC) and Jonathan Holder (NEC), who questioned whether it was constitutionally appropriate for serving Conference presidents to be included on the Nominating Committee. Todd McFarland, General Conference Chief Legal Counsel and Session parliamentarian, explained that this practice is common in many parts of the world, although some delegates remained unconvinced that it aligned with the Constitution. Following further discussion and a short recess, the matter was resolved when the two Conference presidents voluntarily withdrew their names from consideration. Once approved by the Session, the Nominating Committee began its important work of prayerfully considering recommendations for leadership positions across the British Union Conference.
One of the most anticipated moments of the Session came with the election of the Union officers.
The delegates elected Pastor Kirk Thomas as the new president of the British Union Conference, succeeding Pastor Eglan Brooks. Dr Thomas assumes the role following his service as President of the South England Conference (SEC) from September 2023 to the present. He is a seasoned pastor with more than 30 years of pastoral experience, having previously served in the Inter-American Division before pastoring in the Willesden district of churches in West London. He was then called to serve as the Personal Ministries and Sabbath School Director in the SEC, where he set up the School of Evangelism before taking up varied roles in the British Union Conference, including Evangelism, Personal Ministries, Publishing, Sabbath School, Adventist Mission, Church Growth and Discipleship.
Pastor Emanuel Bran was elected as the new executive secretary, succeeding Pastor Jacques Venter. He had previously been serving as the NEC Executive Secretary, and before then as Welsh Mission President, prior to which he had been serving as a pastor and area coordinator in the NEC. Pastor Robert Csizmadia (Trans-European Division Executive Secretary) welcomed Emanuel, saying, “Emanuel is an excellent team player who leads by example.”
Wederly Aguiar was re-elected as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Mr Aguiar has served in the role since 2021, providing financial leadership during the past quinquennium. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA). He has served in financial leadership across the Church for more than two decades, including at Conference, Division and Union levels.
Reflecting on his re-election, Mr Aguiar expressed gratitude for the opportunity to continue serving the Church and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting its mission.
“As we go forwards, we will continue to break down barriers to enable resources so that, ultimately, we can enable mission where it matters most – at local churches and in community hubs, serving the needs of all those around us.”
Mission Leaders Elected
The delegates also elected Mission leaders:
· The Irish Mission (IM) President: Pastor Adam Keough (re-elected) and the Irish Mission Executive Secretary: Pastor Ben Pontanar (re-elected).
· The Scottish Mission (SM) President: Pastor Obinnaya (Obi) Iheoma, who until now has been working as a pastor in the NEC (he succeeds Pastor Jimmy Botha).
· The Welsh Mission (WM) President: Pastor Jeremy Johnson, who until now has been working as a pastor in the Welsh Mission (he succeeds Pastor Max McKenzie-Cook, who had been serving as the interim WM president following Pastor Graham Allcock’s retirement).
BUC Departmental Leaders
Also, two departmental directors have been re-elected: Mrs Lorraine McDonald for the Education Department, and Mrs Sharon Platt-McDonald for the Health Ministries Department.
Furthermore, the delegates voted the Constitution Committee members as well as the BUC Executive Committee board members.
Due to time constraints, no other appointments were made, and special virtual Session will convene on 6 August where the remainder of the departmental directors, associate secretary and treasurer and institution heads will hopefully all be voted. Complete lists of appointments will be in the edition of BUC News following the virtual Session.
Looking beyond governance
One of the distinctive features of this year’s Session was the introduction of the Big Themes programme.
Designed to complement the governance aspects of Session, Big Themes created space for delegates to reflect on some of the most significant issues facing the Church today.
Presentations by Dr Laszlo Gallusz, Dr William Ackah and Dr Anthony WagenerSmith explored topics including proclaiming the three angels’ messages in today’s world, rebuilding trust within church communities, and responding faithfully to the challenges of contemporary society.
Rather than focusing solely on organisational matters, these presentations encouraged delegates to think carefully about how the Church can communicate the everlasting Gospel with hope, authenticity and compassion.
The programme concluded with an opportunity for delegates to offer recommendations to the incoming leadership team. The contributions reflected a genuine desire to strengthen the Church’s mission and ministry, covering subjects such as safeguarding, leadership development, church property, transparency, discipleship, pastoral care and succession planning. Among the many thoughtful suggestions were these appeals:
“We need to have mission as a standing agenda item on our Executive Committee meetings,” said Dr Eleazer Paul Dorairaj (SEC).
Vasile Chelban (IM) encouraged leaders to foster a culture of authenticity, saying, “Don’t be afraid to be honest when presenting reports. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Don’t chase quantity, but quality.”
More than meetings
Alongside the formal business, delegates also had opportunities to visit exhibition displays presented by ADRA-UK, Newbold College of Higher Education, the Stanborough Press, and the BUC Education Department featuring an array of materials promoting our six Seventh-day Adventist schools in the Union. The displays showcased the diverse ministries supporting the mission of the Church, while the Stanborough Press provided delegates with opportunities to explore a wide range of Christian books and resources.
Throughout the three days, music played an important role in creating an atmosphere of worship, with the praise team leading delegates in singing and helping to maintain the spiritual focus of the Session.
Continuing the journey
Although many important decisions were made during the three-day gathering, the work of the Session is not yet complete. Therefore, the motion has been voted for the Nominating Committee to continue its work over the coming weeks before delegates reconvene virtually on 6 August 2026, at 7:00 pm, to consider recommendations for the remaining departmental and institutional appointments.
As delegates returned to their churches and ministries across the British Union Conference, they did so having experienced not simply a business meeting, but a gathering that consistently pointed them back to Christ and His mission.
The repeated invitation to ‘Walk. Love. Do.’ became more than the Session theme. It became a reminder that faithful leadership is measured not only by decisions made in committee rooms, but by lives that reflect the character of Jesus in every aspect of ministry.