The Australian Union Conference has appointed a new ministerial secretary, Pastor Lyndelle Peterson, who is currently serving as associate ministerial secretary, stewardship and sabbath school director.
The appointment comes following the announcement of former ministerial secretary Pastor Brendan Pratt who has accepted the call to be the new director of the global mission centre for secular and post-Christian mission and associate ministerial secretary for the AUC.
Pastor Peterson comes with a diverse range of experience starting out as an intern at Kellyville Seventh-day Adventist Church and then senior pastor for Chatswood Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sydney, before becoming the director of Sabbath School and stewardship at Greater Sydney conference and then director of Sabbath School, Stewardship and Personal Ministries at the AUC up until 2021 where she became director of Sabbath School, Stewardship and Associate Ministerial Secretary.
AUC President Pastor Terry Johnson said, “God has a plan for each of our lives and it’s wonderful to see how God has directed the ministerial pathway for Pastor Lyndelle Peterson.”
Pastor Johnson continued, “From internship to senior pastor of the Chatswood church in Sydney, departmental roles at the Conference and Union where she has excelled including as the associate Ministerial secretary where she’s learned and gained experience in the requirements necessary to lead across our nine conferences with the excellent ministerial team leaders that we are blessed with. May the Lord continue to bless her ministry as He’s expanded the scope of His calling in her life.”
Replacing Pastor Peterson as stewardship and Sabbath school director is Pastor Nicu Dumbrava who is currently serving as personal ministries director and pastor for Hughesdale Seventh-day Adventist Church in Melbourne, Victoria. Pastor Dumbrava will continue serving as personal ministries director while also undertaking this new role.
Pastor Dumbrava served as pastor for the South NSW Conference for eight years before moving to WA where he served as pastor and personal ministries, church planting and Sabbath school director. In 2021, he became personal ministries director for the AUC.
“Sabbath School and Stewardship has been ably and innovatively led by Pastor Lyndelle and we know that the same will be true of Pastor Nicu who has a proven track record in SNSW, WA and Victoria in Personal Ministries along with having led that department for the last three years,” said Pastor Johnson. “These are two important departments at the heart of discipleship and Nicu is excited about the opportunity. We wish God’s blessing on him!”
The original version of this story was published in the Record.
