A new president for Washington Conference was nominated and elected on Dec. 13, 2016, after a day of evaluating the ministry needs of Washington Conference and reviewing a list of candidates.
Douglas L. Bing transitions from serving as vice president for administration to president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in western Washington.
“This is a seamless transition with the ability to focus on mission and creating a new vision for the conference,” says John Freedman, North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) president, who chaired the meeting with NPUC leaders John Loor and Mark Remboldt in attendance.
In the course of the election decision, leaders on the conference’s executive committee spent several hours defining present and future needs, reviewing a lengthy list of candidate names, and determining the best leadership fit to carry out the desired vision for ministry. Prayers were offered at every decision point as there were many good names submitted by conference constituents.
Bing is regarded as a visionary, relational, consensus-building leader who enjoys working with teams and prayerfully seeking God’s guidance. He is experienced in church growth, church planting, outreach, young-adult mentoring and education.
Bing began his pastoral ministry in Omaha, Neb., as a youth and young-adult pastor. He went on to pastor an academy campus church and a large metro church in Kansas before coming in 2001 to Washington Conference as ministerial director. He was elected vice president for administration in 2002 and functioned as an active part of the administrative team.
Bing earned a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in theology and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Union College in Lincoln, Neb. As a student at Union College, he spent a year in Indonesia as a student missionary.
Bing is supported in ministry by his wife, Wilma, and their three young-adult children.
“I look forward to implementing ministries to disciple our children, grow our leaders, involve members in ministry and spiritually grow in Jesus,” Bing says. “We want to move forward with prayer as we reach western Washington with the love of Jesus.”