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• Common Questions, Honest Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

We anticipate questions — and we welcome them. This page addresses the most common concerns members have raised about the Concerned Members Group, its purpose, its identity, and how to engage. We answer plainly and without evasion.

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    About the CMG & Identity
  • "
    Purpose & Goals
  • "
    Our Relationship to the Church
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    Process & Policy
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    How to Participate
  • "
    Spiritual Foundations

About the CMG & Identity

What is the Concerned Members Group?

The Concerned Members Group (CMG) is a fellowship of baptized, active Seventh-day Adventist members from churches across the Cape Conference of the SDA Church. We were established in 2026 to provide a structured, respectful, and policy-aligned platform through which concerns about governance, accountability, stewardship, and leadership could be collectively researched, documented, and communicated.

We are not an organisation separate from the Church. We are members of the Church — acting within the framework of the Church — who believe that faithful membership includes the responsibility to speak up when governance and accountability fall short.

Is the CMG a breakaway movement or splinter group?

No. Unequivocally, no. The CMG is not a breakaway movement, a splinter group, an independent ministry, or a competing church structure of any kind. We are baptized SDA members who remain fully committed to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, its doctrines, its prophetic calling, and its worldwide mission.

We operate strictly within the framework of the SDA Church and seek constructive engagement through established denominational processes. We have not left the Church. We are not leaving the Church. We are calling the Church to the standard it has always proclaimed.

Who are the members of the CMG?

The CMG comprises baptized, active Seventh-day Adventist members from multiple churches across the Cape Conference. Members come from a range of backgrounds — elders, deacons, educators, professionals, and committed laypeople. What unites us is not any shared grievance or personal agenda, but a shared conviction that the integrity and health of the Church is every member's sacred responsibility.

For practical and safety reasons, not all members are publicly identified at this stage. This is a reasonable precaution in a sensitive institutional context — it is not secrecy.

Is the CMG politically motivated?

No. The CMG has no political agenda, no affiliation with any political party or movement, and no interest in political power within or outside the Church. Our concerns are governance, accountability, stewardship, and biblical leadership — all of which are matters of Church integrity and Christian principle, not politics.

We are also not aligned with any faction seeking to install a particular individual or group in leadership. Our goal is not to replace one set of leaders with another — it is to see the Church governed in a manner that is transparent, accountable, and consistent with the Church's own established policy and biblical values.

Purpose & Goals

What is the purpose of the CMG?

The CMG exists to promote transparency, accountability, biblical leadership, stewardship, procedural fairness, and institutional trust within the Cape Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church — through constructive, respectful, and policy-grounded engagement.

More specifically, the CMG was established to: provide a structured platform for members with concerns; research and document those concerns accurately; review applicable Church policy; consult with governance experts; and develop formal recommendations through recognised denominational processes.

Read the full story on our About page →

What specific outcomes is the CMG working toward?

The CMG is working toward outcomes that strengthen the Cape Conference's governance and mission — not outcomes that weaken or destabilise it. These include: transparent governance practices that comply with the Church Manual and Working Policy; accountable and audited financial management; fair and consistent treatment of all members and workers; restored institutional trust; and leadership that genuinely reflects the servant model of Jesus Christ.

All recommendations developed by the CMG will be submitted through proper denominational channels — not through public pressure campaigns, legal action, or other adversarial means unless all internal processes have been exhausted and fundamental rights are at stake.

Is the CMG against Conference leadership?

No. The CMG is not opposed to Conference leadership as persons. We do not hold personal animosity toward any individual in Conference leadership. We recognise that leadership is a difficult and demanding calling, and we pray for those who serve in it.

What the CMG does oppose are specific practices, decisions, and patterns that, in our assessment, fall short of the biblical and denominational standards that the Church itself has established. Opposing a practice is not the same as opposing the people who engage in it. We call for accountability — not condemnation.

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Our Relationship to the Church

Does the CMG love and support the Seventh-day Adventist Church?

Yes — deeply and sincerely. We are Seventh-day Adventists. We believe the Three Angels' Messages. We believe the SDA Church is the Remnant Church with a prophetic calling to proclaim the everlasting gospel to the world. We are not disillusioned with the Church's mission or its message.

It is precisely because we love the Church that we cannot remain silent when its governance falls short. Accountability is an act of love. A parent who corrects a child does so because they love that child — not because they have given up on them.

"Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed."

— Proverbs 27:5 (NKJV)

Will the CMG's activities harm the Church's mission or witness?

No — we believe the opposite is true. The Church's witness is harmed when unresolved governance failures are allowed to fester, when members are dismissed, and when institutional trust erodes without correction. What harms the Church is not accountability — it is the absence of accountability.

The CMG is committed to conducting itself with dignity, respect, and Christian character at every stage of this process. We will not sensationalise, exaggerate, or misrepresent. Our goal is healing and renewal — not damage.

Does the CMG represent the views of all Cape Conference members?

No. The CMG does not claim to represent all members of the Cape Conference, and we do not speak on behalf of any local church, conference body, or denominational entity. We represent the members who are part of this group and those who share our concerns.

We invite all members — whatever their current view — to engage with the information we share, ask questions, and form their own considered conclusions.

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Process & Policy

What policy framework does the CMG operate within?

The CMG grounds all its work in the established framework of the Seventh-day Adventist Church: the Holy Scriptures as the ultimate authority; the SDA Church Manual; the Southern Africa Union Conference Policies; the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division Policies; and the General Conference Working Policy.

We will not recommend anything that is not supportable by the Church's own policy. We will not pursue any course of action that falls outside the Church's established processes for addressing governance concerns — except where those processes themselves have been compromised or made inaccessible.

Has the CMG attempted to engage Conference leadership directly?

Yes. The formation of the CMG itself was preceded by a long period during which individual members attempted to engage Conference leadership through letters, formal requests, meetings, and other established channels. The CMG was formed precisely because those individual engagements did not produce meaningful resolution.

The CMG remains open to direct, constructive, and properly structured engagement with Conference leadership at any time. We are not seeking confrontation — we are seeking resolution.

Will the CMG take the Conference to court?

Legal action is not the CMG's goal, preference, or immediate plan. We strongly prefer to resolve all concerns through the Church's own internal processes — Conference, Union, Division, and General Conference levels — as designed and established by the denomination.

However, where worker rights, labour law obligations, or fundamental constitutional matters are at stake and all internal remedies have been exhausted, members retain the legal rights afforded to them under South African law. The CMG does not discourage members from seeking appropriate legal counsel where their personal rights are genuinely at risk.

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How to Participate

How can a member support or engage with the CMG?

Members can engage with the CMG in several ways: by reading and sharing the Open Letter and information published on this website; by pledging their prayerful support through the Join & Pray page; by sharing documented concerns or experiences with the group through the contact form; and by participating constructively in their own local church governance processes.

We do not ask members to do anything that would compromise their standing in their local church or place them in conflict with their pastor or church board.

Go to Join & Pray →

Can pastors or church workers be part of the CMG?

Pastors and church workers who share the CMG's concerns are welcome to engage with the group. However, we are deeply aware that workers in the employ of the Conference are in a vulnerable position and may face significant professional risk if they engage publicly. We would never encourage any worker to take any action that could jeopardise their employment or calling.

Workers who wish to share information or concerns with the CMG confidentially are welcome to do so. Their confidentiality will be protected.

How can I share a concern or documented matter with the CMG?

Members and workers who wish to share concerns, documented experiences, or relevant information with the CMG can do so through the contact form on the Join & Pray page. All submissions are treated with confidentiality and reviewed by the CMG with care.

Please note that the CMG cannot act as a legal representative or provide legal advice. For matters that may require legal counsel, members should seek appropriate professional advice.

Contact us via the Join & Pray page →

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Spiritual Foundations

Is accountability biblical? Isn't this just rebellion against authority?

Accountability is profoundly biblical. The prophets of Israel held kings accountable. Nathan confronted David. The early church practiced public accountability among its leaders. The New Testament epistles contain direct correction of church leadership failures. Accountability is not rebellion — it is faithfulness.

Respecting authority does not require silence in the face of governance failure. Romans 13 calls for submission to governing authorities — but governing authorities, including church structures, are themselves held to a higher standard. Accountability to that higher standard is the responsibility of every member.

"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."

— Ephesians 5:11 (NKJV)

What is the CMG's spiritual foundation?

The CMG's work is grounded in prayer, Scripture, and a genuine love for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We believe that the issues we are addressing are not merely administrative — they are spiritual. The enemy of souls rejoices when distrust, conflict, and unresolved governance failures drain the energy of God's people away from mission.

We are committed to conducting ourselves in a Christ-like manner throughout this process — with humility, honesty, and a genuine desire for reconciliation and renewal. We invite every member to pray with us.

Join us in prayer →

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

— 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

Who is the head of the CMG and the Church?

Christ is the Head of the Church — and that conviction is the foundation of everything the CMG does. Our confidence does not rest in any individual, committee, administration, or movement — including our own. Our confidence rests in Jesus Christ.

We approach this work as stewards, not owners. We submit our efforts, our conclusions, and our recommendations to God's guidance and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Whatever the outcome, we trust that God is faithful to His Church.

"And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."

— Colossians 1:18 (NKJV)

Still Have a Question?

If your question wasn't answered here, you are welcome to reach out to the Concerned Members Group directly through our Join & Pray page.