United Church of God, an International Association
Council of Elders Quarterly Meeting Report 
Milford, Ohio

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Chairman Tim Pebworth called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, at the Holiday Inn & Suites Cincinnati-Eastgate conference center near Cincinnati, Ohio. Peter Eddington opened the session with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present. The members of the Council are Scott Ashley, Jorge de Campos, Aaron Dean, Dan Dowd, Peter Eddington, Victor Kubik, Len Martin, Darris McNeely, Tim Pebworth (chairman), Gary Petty, Rex Sexton and Paul Wasilkoff.

Approval of Agenda and Prior Minutes—Tim Pebworth

Mr. Pebworth welcomed everyone. The agenda for the week was discussed and approved. The last Council meeting minutes from February, along with minutes from the March and April special meetings, were approved.

President’s Report—John Elliott

President John Elliott greeted everyone and remarked on the wonderful annual meeting of the General Conference of Elders that was held this past weekend.

Mr. Elliott referred to the commission that Jesus Christ gave to the Church in Matthew 28:18-20. We are working together to build this body that Jesus Christ is leading. He reviewed the Church’s Vision Statement, asking, “What are we going to do?” He answered by pointing to the 2026-2027 Strategic and Operation Plans, and the Church’s goals that are conveyed through four main areas with corresponding strategies and objectives. These provide realistic ways that we will fulfill our goals.

He mentioned that the executive team is well-bonded, that they work together collaboratively while welcoming the oversight of the Council.

Service to our international areas is an important component of what Ministerial and Member Services (MMS) provides for the Church. No matter what any one of our employees may be physically doing as a part of their job, ultimately, they are serving people. God’s harvest is all about people, so it is imperative that we bring the “people” element into whatever it is that we do. When we write to subscribers and donors, we thank them for being a part of this work that we have been given—to proclaim and live God’s way of life.

In 2002, there were 24 people in the home office building, but we now have double that figure, with 51 people working at the office or remotely with office duties. In a team-based organization with the dynamism of collaboration, productivity rises when staff can interface with and share ideas through close communication. We have been looking at how to rearrange the physical layout of the office to reorganize spaces for the different teams, such as finance, information technology, media and support staff.

Mr. Elliott concluded by sharing a short video of his recent trip to visit brethren and leadership in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, and discussed his activities and impressions from that visit.

Treasurer/Financial Services Report—Ted Budge and Linda Api

Mr. Budge introduced the financial topics that would be covered during the morning session.

Mrs. Api shared the financial dashboard for the year-to-date period ending March 31, 2026. The dashboard is one easy-to-read page that shows a snapshot of our financial position. There is currently a positive variance compared to the budget, but we are experiencing a budgeted deficit. The reason for a deficit balance is timing. The largest influx of cash comes during the Holy Day seasons. The spring Holy Day offerings occurred in April, so we will see a large increase in cash in April and May. By the time we get to May, we will have a better picture of the financial health of the Church, and we expect it to be a positive variance against the budget and to have made up for the deficit after the Holy Day offerings are included in our revenue.

Mrs. Api gave a brief explanation of the differences between expenses, expenditures and assets. Assets are expected to have value longer than one year. A decrease in cash balances would not signify that the Church is in a bad financial state if the reason for the decrease was due to purchases of assets such as buildings.

Our expense trend reporting for this year is changing as we better apply generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) so that expenses will be recorded in the month when incurred, as opposed to when the money is paid.

Mrs. Api mentioned that we are making changes to the methodology for processing Holy Day offerings. It can currently take up to a month to process donations received at a Holy Day offering. That is one reason why we are encouraging members to make their Holy Day offerings online. The offering envelopes that will be sent out for the Fall Holy Days have recently been redesigned.

Proposal to Consolidate Council Reserves—Ted Budge

Mr. Budge explained that we have three Council Designated Reserves: an eight-week reserve, a healthcare reserve and a general reserve (related to estate donations), all totaling over $6 million. Based on average monthly expenses of about $2 million, there are three months of average expenses in Council Designated Reserves.

In the Investment Policy, there are three tiers described that have different investment objectives, with Council Designated Reserves held in Tier 2 [a more complete explanation of these tiers appears below in the Investment Policy Review section]. This proposal would consolidate the three Council Designated Reserves into one Council Designated Reserve, mirroring the Tier 1 time frame—three months of expenses. This proposal will effectively provide over six months of expenses in reserves, with the remainder of any available funds allocated to Tier 3.

Upon further discussion, it was mentioned that the eight-week cash reserve was a GCE-designated reserve and not a Council-designated reserve. Mr. Budge indicated that, based on this development, the proposal to consolidate would be tabled at this time to allow for further work on this matter.

Constructing a Capital Plan Framework—Ted Budge

Mr. Budge listed the ten team members who are helping to construct the Capital Plan framework and gave the Council some thoughts and questions for consideration to think about over the next three months.

Mr. Budge presented a number of questions that need to be answered to help to develop the framework. Below is a sample of those questions/comments:

1. How do we balance available funding across preaching the gospel, employee compensation, keeping up with inflation and cost of living, replacing retiring ministers and providing facilities?
2. We will need to develop a five-year provisional Operation Plan as part of the process of constructing a Capital Plan.
3. What objective criteria should determine when a congregation qualifies for a building?
4. Should we establish a square-foot-per-attendee guideline for a building purchase/construction?
5. What financial participation should be expected from the local congregations?
6. How do we address disparities between well-resourced and under-resourced congregations?
7. What framework will we use to prioritize building approvals?
8. Should we have a capital campaign?
9. Should we leverage equity in the property we have to provide additional funding for expansion?
10. What mix of funding sources will we use?
11. For every dollar spent on buildings, what opportunities are we not funding?
12. If a congregation declines in attendance, what is our plan for the asset?
13. What does “success” look like 3-5 years after a building is purchased or constructed?

Investment Policy Review—Ted Budge

Mr. Budge expressed gratitude to the members of the seven-member team that developed the proposed Investment Policy Statement (IPS) and their various areas of expertise. The proposed statement was previously sent to the members of the Council of Elders for review.

The purpose of the policy is to guide the faithful and responsible stewardship of the financial resources entrusted to the Church. Our investment objectives include the preservation of capital. We want to protect the real (inflation-adjusted) purchasing power of our assets. We also want to maintain liquidity. We want our investments to bring sustainable income and modest growth, targeting a long-term total return that exceeds inflation.

Mr. Budge described the three tiers of liquidity proposed by the policy. Tier 1 is our operating fund, three months of operating expenses (also called our “operating reserve”). Tier 2 is our designated reserves, invested primarily in high-quality fixed income securities. Tier 3 is our long-term investment pool, which will be invested to achieve long-term growth and total return.

We are considering an asset allocation of 40 percent equities, 30 percent fixed income and 30 percent cash and short-term equivalents for Tier 3. We are considering diversified mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), investment-grade bonds and U.S. Government securities. This would be a conservative portfolio.

There would be an Investment Advisory Committee with five to seven members (ideally populated by finance professionals currently working in the industry) that would advise the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee. There would also be one or more external advisors or managers that would work with the Church to provide recommendations, execute trades and report performance.

The IPS would be reviewed annually by the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee and approved by the Council of Elders in their December quarterly meeting. Mr. Budge took the comments from the Council to update the Investment Policy to be reviewed during a later session.

Committee Reports:

Doctrine Committee—Rex Sexton

Mr. Sexton read several scriptures that provide guidance for the operations of the Doctrine Committee: 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 3:14; and 2 Peter 1:20.

Mr. Sexton requested that any pastors or elders desiring to submit a doctrinal paper or question review the process for submitting doctrinal and prophecy papers (Pastor’s Policy Manual section 1.3.2.1.1) before proceeding.

The Doctrine Committee currently has two projects remanded to it by the Council of Elders. “Modern Tribes of Israel” is now under review by the Prophecy Advisory Committee.

“The Resurrection at the Seventh Trumpet Within God’s Plan of Salvation” should be completed today. It was made a priority at the request of Mr. Steve Myers during the February meetings due to a need to address false teachings about the meaning of the Day of Pentecost. Mr. de Campos volunteered to be the lead author for that project.

The Committee reviewed over 5,000 pages of information on the subject, including historical and current teachings of the Churches of God, messages and books by the originator of the Pentecost resurrection theory, and information that had been submitted to the Committee previously and in its files from 2013 to 2024. This work was completed in 20 days, possibly a record for a project of this size. Mr. Sexton expressed his appreciation to the members of the committee for putting in the long hours needed to complete this project in the timeframe requested by MMS.

The committee unanimously approved a working document that was submitted to the full Council. The Council met on April 13 to discuss, review and edit the document, which will be discussed later in this meeting.

Three additional items have been received by the Doctrine Committee since the February meetings. These will be discussed for possible remand later this week, if there is time.

Members of the Doctrine Committee: Jorge de Campos, Len Martin, Gary Petty and Rex Sexton (chair).

Review of “Resurrection at the Seventh Trumpet” Paper—Jorge de Campos

Mr. de Campos began the presentation of the proposed paper, “The Resurrection at the Seventh Trumpet Within God’s Plan of Salvation,” by mentioning that the content of the paper was drawn from several sources that included information that had been in Doctrine Committee files since 2013, and from other work previously completed by the Prophecy Advisory Committee.

Mr. de Campos read aloud the contents of the paper and asked for feedback. Several comments were shared as the document was reviewed, and minor edits were made. The edited paper was unanimously approved by the Council.

Roles and Rules Committee—Dan Dowd

Mr. Dowd mentioned that they have some outstanding items that have been remanded to them, but their focus leading up to this meeting has been the assessments of both the President and Secretary. The committee will also be assisting the Secretary with several additional agenda items later this week.

Mr. Dowd read aloud the guidelines and process for nominating and electing the Council Chairman and Deputy Chairman in years when regular terms expire, a process that will occur later this week.

Members of the Roles and Rules Committee: Scott Ashley, Dan Dowd (chair), Len Martin and Paul Wasilkoff.

Media Committee—Jorge de Campos

Mr. de Campos explained that the Committee has regular discussions with the media department and that there is no business to discuss at the present time.

Members of the Media Committee: Scott Ashley, Jorge de Campos (chair), Gary Petty and Paul Wasilkoff.

Ethics Committee—Victor Kubik

Mr. Kubik reviewed the scope of the Ethics Committee. There is one item of conduct that will be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting.

Members of the Ethics Committee: Scott Ashley, Dan Dowd, Peter Eddington, Victor Kubik (chair) and Rex Sexton.

Education Committee—Aaron Dean

Mr. Dean reported that there are three items they are working on: a paper on slavery, a paper on marriage and a paper on the gospel. These papers are not related to any doctrinal changes and working drafts of these papers have been made available to the Council.

Members of the Education Committee: Aaron Dean (chair), Peter Eddington, Darris McNeely, Gary Petty and Paul Wasilkoff.

The Council took a scheduled break for lunch at 12:15 p.m., after a prayer by Scott Ashley. The Council resumed its agenda at 1:15 p.m., after a prayer by Frank Dunkle.

Strategic Planning and Finance Committee—Darris McNeely

Mr. McNeely said that there are four items of business currently remanded to the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee.

The first item is the prospect of a Sabbatical program for the ministry and employees of the Church, which has been remanded to the Administration for research, with a target date to present findings at the August meeting.

The Committee is proposing updates to the Retirement Discretionary Assistance policy that will be discussed later this week in executive session.

The Committee has been working with the Building Review Team (BRT) to better define its scope, with a proposal to add the President as a member of the team.

The Committee is also proposing updates to its own scope and responsibilities, which will be presented today.

Members of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee: Aaron Dean, Peter Eddington, Victor Kubik, Len Martin and Darris McNeely (chair).

Updated Committee Scope and Responsibilities—Len Martin

Mr. Martin proposed three edits to the scope and responsibilities of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee.

The first edit is related to a resolution that was made years ago that established a calendar for financial-related tasks. That resolution was rescinded during the February 2026 meeting, because most elements in the resolution were outdated or superseded by other processes. An update needed to be made to the Committee’s specific tasks to state that it is responsible for providing reminders to the administration when it is time to initiate the annual and triennial development of the budget to ensure timely delivery to the full Council for its endorsement.

The second edit is to add the responsibility to participate in the development of any policies touching the following areas: parsonage home purchases, employee benefits, pay grade reductions and any other areas that may be remanded to them.

The third edit is to document that the Committee is the primary liaison with the Compensation Committee of the administration.

The revised scope and responsibilities document for the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee was unanimously approved by the Council.

GCE Meeting Review—Charles Melear

Mr. Melear began his report by listing the members of the GCE Planning Committee. “Enhancing Ministerial Skills” was the theme for this past weekend’s 2026 meeting of the General Conference of Elders. The attendance was 328 this year (351 last year), consisting of 172 elders, 144 elders’ wives and 12 guests. The Sabbath service accommodated 610 this year (763 last year).

This year, Sabbath morning social gatherings replaced the Bible study that had been done in the past. The morning panel discussions with MMS and Media and Communications Services on Sunday were designed to be a little more interactive than in prior years. We also had an outside keynote speaker, Michael Wilkinson, give presentations on leadership during the Sunday afternoon session. On Monday, there were four separate presentations to choose from, offered in two time slots.

Mr. Melear stated that the planning committee was pleased that there was not a lot of attrition on Monday. Most who attended the first session were also here for the second session. There were 417 room nights reserved this year (411 last year). The dates for next year’s meeting are May 1-3, 2027.

The Council moved to a planned executive session at 1:36 p.m. to discuss the following agenda items:

1. Annual assessment of the President.
2. Recredentialing policy discussion.
3. Review of ordination requests.

The Council ended its executive session at 5:50 p.m.

Acknowledgment of Service—Tim Pebworth

The Council of Elders thanked Dan Dowd for his nine years of service on the Council of Elders. Tim Pebworth, Council chairman, presented Mr. Dowd with a thank-you card signed by each Council member, along with a gift. Mr. Dowd served three three-year terms, from 2017 through 2026. One of his biggest areas of service was as chairman of the Roles and Rules Committee, which can be a rather demanding and time-consuming role.

Adjournment of Tuesday Session

At 5:50 p.m., the Council adjourned for the day. Paul Wasilkoff closed the day’s session with prayer.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Chairman Tim Pebworth called the day’s session to order at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, at the home office of the United Church of God near Milford, Ohio. Victor Kubik opened the session with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present. Dan Dowd was online for the first part of the day’s session but was unable to attend the whole day.

Mr. Pebworth mentioned that the doctrinal paper, “The Resurrection at the Seventh Trumpet Within God’s Plan of Salvation,” approved on Tuesday, will be sent to the president and the operation manager of MMS so that it can be distributed to the ministry and members of the Church as soon as feasible.

Review of Papers for Remand to Doctrine Committee—Rex Sexton

Mr. Sexton began by mentioning a concern that doctrinal paper submissions have been coming through various channels, instead of following an organized process. The Doctrine Committee hopes to propose some changes to streamline the process for submitting doctrinal papers and will present that proposal at the August meeting.

One doctrinal paper submission is about Isaiah 28:10, relating to how it is interpreted in light of how we understand Scripture. The Council consented to remand that paper to the Committee.

The Council decided not to remand another doctrinal paper submission about Matthew 24:14 to the Doctrine Committee.

The Council consented to Mr. Sexton’s request that the Doctrine Committee begin to refer to submissions as “Submissions” and projects as “Projects” going forward. The two lists will have separate numbering and tracking. A submission will become a project after it is remanded to the Doctrine Committee by the Council.

Visitor Welcome Kit—Scott Delamater

Mr. Delamater began by explaining that the Church has an objective this year to communicate who we are and what we do in a way that increases awareness of the Church and the benefits of God’s way of life. One component to help achieve this objective is to use common branding for Church-related materials. He showed an example on-screen of a standalone banner that could be placed in or near a meeting hall to confirm for visitors that they are in the right place where our services are held. For visitors hoping to meet with us, common branding will help them to realize that they have found the right place.

Mr. Delamater handed out some sample printed materials consisting of a double-sided color flyer, a bookmark, and two small cards that were developed by Jacqueline Ekama of the Central Illinois congregation as a prototype for this effort. Mrs. Ekama has a background in graphic design and branding. Central Illinois is currently using a free-standing banner that they display each Sabbath. The materials have QR codes, and the congregational business card has contact information for the congregation’s websites, to learn more about the Church.

The ultimate name for this initiative has not been settled upon. It is currently being referred to as a welcome kit, but the proposal is more of a collection of materials that can be made available to congregations for them to take ownership of and to share with others. Mr. Delamater would like to make this available more broadly.

Mr. McNeely asked for the focus of the materials to change from “who we are” to “what can we do for you.” People are looking for answers to their needs. He felt that the take-home materials should be of a smaller size that would be easier to carry.

Mr. Kubik asked whether mentioning the Sabbath and Holy Days is the best way to lead in our advertising to guests; we need to be sure not to neglect emphasis on Jesus Christ and His importance in the plan of salvation. The concept of having something to give to visitors is good.

Mr. Pebworth mentioned that in Paris they have a folder with a message from the pastor, a place for his business card, and a “This is the United Church of God” study aid. In San Francisco, they created a little bag with a coloring book and crayons so that visitors who come with kids have something for their children to do during the service.

Mr. Myers indicated that the intent of this welcome kit is different from a packet to hand out to visitors to our congregations. The purpose of this initiative is primarily to have Church-identifying information and branding so that visitors know that they are at a service of the United Church of God and that they have correctly found our location.

Mr. Sexton noted that one thing he felt was missing from the prototype was the contact information for the pastor and a personal message from him.

Mr. Delamater concluded by expressing that the goal is to develop some common branding materials and that he appreciated the input provided. The goal of this initiative would be to support what MMS is doing with the local congregations and part of developing a more robust welcome experience for our visitors.

The Council moved to a planned executive session at 9:02 a.m. to discuss the following agenda items:

1. Church property update with the Building Review Team.
2. Composition of the Building Review Team.
3. Ordination and hiring recommendations.
4. Review of a GCE procedural matter.
5. Populating vacancies on Council sub-committees.
6. Proposed update to the Retirement Discretionary Assistance policy.
7. Annual assessment of the Secretary.
8. Teaching vs. Doctrine—a portion of which was held in open session as described below.

The Council took a break for lunch from 12:13 p.m. to 1:01 p.m. The Council moved out of executive session at 4:10 p.m.

Teaching vs. Doctrine—Scott Ashley

Mr. Ashley began by explaining the reason for the discussion. We lack a systematic approach to determine whether something is a doctrinal matter, a Church teaching or an administrative decision. Is the matter in question something with a clear Bible standard or principle? What do we mean by some of these terms?

When UCGIA started, we began a library of content that covered all our fundamental beliefs. We have produced booklets for all of them so far, except for the belief about military service and war.

We need to establish overall ground rules to help us address some of these issues for which we have never come to firm and agreed-upon conclusions. The Worldwide Church of God, during the time Mr. Ashley worked in the editorial department, did not have the same type of rigorous review process as we now have in UCGIA. Having those processes in place has strengthened our doctrinal integrity.

Examples of issues that have come up in times past which may have benefited from categorization would include Church government, ranks in the ministry, healing, makeup, third tithe, Church eras and the place of safety.

Mr. de Campos acknowledged that we have struggled to determine whether something is “doctrinal” or whether it should be categorized instead as a “teaching” or “understanding.” He suggested that the Council could remand to the Doctrine Committee a task to develop basic guidelines to make that determination. Then, on a case-by-case basis, the Council could use those guidelines to determine the categorization of a proposal, how it should be handled and what type of approval might be needed from the General Conference for statements on the topic.

Mr. McNeely mentioned that there is a Ministerial and Pastoral Development Notebook available online for our elders, which primarily includes studies on all our fundamental beliefs. There are also additional articles that discuss doctrine. Mr. McNeely read an excerpt from the introduction to that notebook from a section titled “Christ’s Approach Toward Doctrine.” He suggested that we need to go back to some of what we have said in the past and look more deeply at what has been written. Mr. Ashley referred to the Degrees of Authority diagram that is featured in that same introduction, which gives six levels of authority that start from “direct statements of Scripture” and end with “outright speculation.”

Mr. Pebworth said that even though there may be different views in the Church about many issues, we are still within and underneath certain guardrails. We have 30 years of history as a Church, and many years of shared history that preceded UCGIA. Everything that we teach needs to be examined within the defined guardrails, which must be more important than simply relying on the fact that the Church may have printed something in the past.

Mr. Wasilkoff pointed out that distinguishing between “doctrine” and “teaching” may not be the correct division, because there does not seem to be a clear biblical distinction between the two. Mr. Sexton shared a quote from a Worldwide Church of God publication that states: “A doctrine is just a point of truth from God’s Word.” Is the correct delineation “doctrine vs. teaching” or should it be “doctrine vs. tradition?”

With this background discussion, the Council will discuss the next steps after further thought and consideration.

The Council returned to executive session at 4:53 p.m. to discuss the following agenda items:

1. Council discussion with the president.
2. Resolution related to the previous Church building project discussion.
3. Resolution related to the previous recredentialing policy discussion.
4. Ballot on ordination requests previously presented.
5. Ethics matter.

Adjournment of Wednesday Session

The Council moved out of executive session at 8:11 p.m. and adjourned for the day. Ben Light closed the day’s session with prayer.

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Chairman Tim Pebworth called the day’s session to order at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, at the home office of the United Church of God near Milford, Ohio. Scott Ashley opened the session with prayer. Eleven members of the Council of Elders (Council) were present. Dan Dowd was absent.

The Council moved to executive session from 9:02 a.m. to 9:33 a.m. to discuss the following agenda item:

1. Meeting highs/lows—how could we improve?

Investment Policy Statement—Ted Budge

Mr. Budge said that the Tier 1 operating fund will include the GCE-mandated eight-week operating expense reserve plus four weeks of operating funds. This will be a better fit than what was previously discussed because the GCE-mandated fund is meant for operations. The proposed policy will now state that Tier 1 will have an amount equivalent to twelve weeks of operating expenses.

He displayed a chart that showed what the results of this policy would look like as figures across the investment tiers based on the FY 2025 financial statements. There would be just over $6 million in Tier 1, almost $3.5 million in Tier 2 and about $9.3 million in Tier 3 for investment.

The Council unanimously approved and adopted the Investment Policy Statement as presented and authorized the immediate implementation of the policy.

Teaching vs. Doctrine follow-up—Jorge de Campos

Mr. de Campos presented a resolution that would remand to the Doctrine Committee a task to develop guidelines to differentiate and evaluate papers submitted for doctrinal review which are actually based on probable implications or inductive conclusions from Scripture.

The reason for these guidelines is that not all papers submitted for doctrinal review address teachings based on direct statements and/or direct implications of Scripture.

The Council unanimously approved the resolution to remand this task to the Doctrine Committee.

Council Meeting Dates for 2027—Tim Pebworth

Mr. Pebworth proposed the Council meeting dates in 2027 to be February 22-25, May 4-6, August 16-19 and December 6-9, 2027. The Council adopted the proposed dates.

Acknowledgment of Service—Tim Pebworth

The Council of Elders thanked Victor Kubik for his most recent term of service on the Council of Elders. Tim Pebworth, Council chairman, presented Mr. Kubik with a thank-you card signed by each Council member, along with a gift. Mr. Kubik served a three-year term, from 2023 through 2026.

Adjournment of 2025-2026 Council Meetings

At 10:14 a.m., the final 2025-2026 Council of Elders meeting was adjourned, and Tim Pebworth closed the meeting in prayer.

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Secretary Frank Dunkle called the initial 2026-2027 Council of Elders meeting to order at 10:23 a.m. Eastern, at the home office of the United Church of God near Milford, Ohio. Andy Lee opened the session with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present. The members of the Council are Scott Ashley, Jorge de Campos, Aaron Dean, Peter Eddington, Andy Lee, Ben Light, Len Martin, Darris McNeely, Tim Pebworth, Gary Petty, Rex Sexton and Paul Wasilkoff.

Dr. Dunkle welcomed the new members, Andy Lee and Ben Light.

Election of Chairman and Deputy Chairman—Frank Dunkle

Secretary Dunkle asked the Council whether any members wanted their names to be removed from consideration for the office of Chairman. Eleven Council members removed their names from consideration. At 10:27 a.m., the Secretary conducted the nomination process for the office of the Chairman. Tim Pebworth was elected Chairman of the Council of Elders by unanimous nomination.

Secretary Dunkle then asked the Council whether any members wanted their names to be removed from consideration for the office of Deputy Chairman. Nine Council members removed their names from consideration. At 10:30 a.m., the Council took nominations, and three Council members were nominated. The Council took a 15-minute break for personal time to reflect.

Tim Pebworth opened the balloting process with prayer. The secretary then conducted the balloting process for the office of Deputy Chairman. Peter Eddington was elected Deputy Chairman of the Council of Elders.

Adjournment of Council Meeting

At 11:00 a.m., the Council meeting was adjourned by Chairman Pebworth. Len Martin closed the meeting with prayer.

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Chairman Tim Pebworth called the meeting to order at 11:01 a.m. Eastern, at the home office of the United Church of God near Milford, Ohio. Tim Pebworth opened the session with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present. The members of the Council are Scott Ashley, Jorge de Campos, Aaron Dean, Peter Eddington, Andy Lee, Ben Light, Len Martin, Darris McNeely, Tim Pebworth (chairman), Gary Petty, Rex Sexton and Paul Wasilkoff.

Population of Council Committees—Len Martin

Mr. Martin led the process for the annual population of Council committees. Each committee privately met to appoint a chair.

The following are the updated committees and their chairmen:

1. Doctrine Committee: Jorge de Campos, Len Martin, Gary Petty, Rex Sexton (chair) and Paul Wasilkoff.
2. Education Committee: Scott Ashley, Aaron Dean (chair), Ben Light and Gary Petty.
3. Ethics Committee: Scott Ashley, Peter Eddington, Andy Lee (chair) and Rex Sexton.
4. Executive Committee: Jorge de Campos, Aaron Dean, Andy Lee, Len Martin, Darris McNeely, Tim Pebworth (chair) and Rex Sexton.
5. Media and Communications Committee: Jorge de Campos (chair), Darris McNeely, Gary Petty and Paul Wasilkoff.
6. Roles and Rules Committee: Scott Ashley, Peter Eddington, Ben Light, Len Martin (chair) and Paul Wasilkoff.
7. Strategic Planning and Finance Committee: Aaron Dean, Peter Eddington, Andy Lee, Ben Light and Darris McNeely (chair).

Council Code of Ethics—Andy Lee

Chairman Pebworth asked the chairman of the Ethics Committee to read the Council Code of Ethics. Mr. Lee then read the document aloud in its entirety, and the new members signed their copies.

Adjournment of Council Meeting

Mr. Pebworth said that he would send a copy of the “Council Norms” document to all of the Council members after the meeting.

At 11:34 a.m., the Council meeting was adjourned. Peter Eddington closed the meeting with prayer.

-end-

Council Reporter

Chris Rowland

[These are not the official minutes from the Council meeting. Elders can find those at the home office with the Council Secretary. Video recordings are posted for the elders on the UCG Ministerial Resource Site.]

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