GC Session Delivers Under-Budget Results and Citywide Impact in St. Louis

On Monday morning, October 13, during the Treasurer’s report, Sabrina DeSouza, General Conference (GC) associate treasurer and GC Session manager, presented a report about the costs for the recent 2025 GC Session that took place in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.

During the GC Session more than 50,000 people from around the globe gathered for the 10-day event. DeSouza stated that the budgeted US$8.7 million event ended up coming in US$1.1 million under budget and left an “indelible mark” on the city. 

She detailed the major costs, which included technology and communication at US$4.1 million (53 percent), operations and safety at US$2.2 million (28 percent), and delegate experience and support at US$1.5 million (19 percent).

DeSouza cited a post-event survey that featured 867 respondents from the original 2,552 delegates. She reported, “About 91 percent [of those who took the survey] felt that the GC Session was effective/very effective in performing the mission of the church.” In relationship to the global membership, she added, “For this delivery of mission, we spent only 24 cents per member.” Given that the previous GC Session took place in 2022, the annualized cost equated to about eight cents per member. 

Sabrina DeSouza, associate treasurer and General Conference Session manager, presents the financial results from organizing the 2025 GC Session during the Treasurer’s report at Annual Council 2025. [Photo: Peterson Fagundes]

What the Spending Enabled

The report highlighted that the largest share of the spending was allocated to technology and communication. This was in part owing to the scale of translation, interpretation, connectivity, and broadcast infrastructure necessary to make governance proceedings and mission content accessible worldwide. 

DeSouza said that during the GC Session, the GC Communication Department piloted a global newsroom that brought together communicators from divisions, unions, and conferences to produce coverage and multilingual updates. She also noted that delegates in the survey rated session resources as directly applicable to their ministry contexts at home and emphasized how technology spending is tied to transparency and global participation.

The operations and safety budget covered venue operations, security, logistics, and on-site systems required to safely host a multi-venue and high-traffic event. DeSouza pointed to the compressed nature of the gathering—thousands of people had to move across the dome and convention center on tight timetables—and said careful planning kept incidents low and schedules on track. 

Delegate experience and support included such items as meals, volunteer coordination, program materials, and services aimed at equipping leaders. Across the 10 days the catering company served approximately 52,000 meals to delegates, staff, and volunteers. 

DeSouza said managers are already applying 2025 feedback to broaden cultural variety and streamline service at future gatherings. New meals will be tested during Annual Council events.

Community Footprint in St. Louis

DeSouza emphasized that the GC Session’s local impact reached far beyond the walls of the St. Louis America’s Center. “We made a huge impact on the city, not just in terms of hotel nights or dollars spent, but in terms of evangelism and mission,” she said. 

These efforts included Pathways to Health, an organization that provides free medical, dental, vision, and other services to more than 7,700 people for four days. The mega health clinic took place in May prior to the GC Session. Additionally, a citywide evangelistic series called Hope Rally, held in collaboration with local churches, culminated in 58 baptisms.

In response to tornadoes affecting the region just a few weeks before the GC Session, the General Conference, North American Division, and Mid-America Union Conference donated US$100,000 to support local needs.

The report also noted a digital outreach initiative that continued after the GC Session ended in St. Louis. The initiative generated 2,000 responses, with 866 individuals still in ongoing conversations and 149 people participating in online prayer meetings—an indicator, she said, of sustained interest beyond the venue. 

Richard Stephenson, General Conference associate treasurer, highlights the total Digital Strategy for Mission offering collected during GC Session. [Photo: Peterson Fagundes]

Digital Strategy for Mission Offering

Richard Stephenson, associate treasurer, shared that giving that was collected before and during the GC Session for the digital mission offering will have a global impact. The offering collected before and during the GC Session was for the Digital Strategy for Mission. 

Stephenson reported that a total of US$3.8 million was collected, and this money is designated for digital and hybrid evangelism projects in all divisions.

“The singular purpose of these funds is to invest in innovative digital strategies that will advance and accelerate the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to reach the world for Jesus Christ,” he said. 

According to Stephenson, all of the funds will be returned to divisions for local execution, with reporting mechanisms to track outcomes and share best practices. Early concepts presented to leaders include youth digital missionary initiatives, one-to-one seeker engagement in key urban centers, and experimental outreach on major online platforms, each adapted to regional projects while aligned with the mission of the Adventist Church.

DeSouza concluded by saying, “Not only did we stay in budget, not only was it 91 percent effective according to our delegates in carrying out the mission, but we left an incredible missional mark on the city of St. Louis,” she said. “Money was well spent, and mission resources were mobilized.”

The original version of this story was posted on Adventist News Network.