Silver Spring, Maryland – July 3, 2023 – The General Conference (GC) and North American Division (NAD) of Seventh-day Adventists Planned Giving & Trust Services (PGTS) department has announced it will bestow the PGTS Lifetime Achievement Award to David E. Johnston for his many years of meritorious service.
In 1963, at the age of 34, having recently graduated from University of Connecticut Law School and admitted to the Connecticut bar association, Johnston began to study the Bible and soon after was baptized as a Seventh-day Adventist. For 37 years, Johnston served the Adventist Church through the ministry of Planned Giving & Trust Services, helping church members and supporters create charitable estate plans that provided for their family members and furthered the mission of the Church.
Johnston served in many roles before his retirement in 2002. He was a church pastor. He served in multiple conferences, the Lake Union and Andrews University as a departmental director in PGTS, Stewardship, Religious Liberty, and Communications. He was a professor of Business Law at Atlantic Union College. And he served at the General Conference twice, starting in 1980, then again in 1989, as Associate Director of PGTS. Johnston was instrumental in organizing the PGTS Certification Course, the biennial PGTS Continuing Education Conference, and in administrating the GC Trust Services program. “David Johnston did a masterful job guiding one of the largest estates the Seventh-day Adventist Church has ever administered. And students always appreciated David’s well-organized lectures in the PGTS certification course. He has made a lasting impact on PGTS with his quiet but methodical approach to working with donors and teaching new PGTS personnel.” said Dennis Carlson, GC/NAD PGTS Director.
The PGTS Lifetime Achievement Award honors retired leaders who made a significant contribution to the field of PGTS. The individual must have exemplified enduring ethical behavior, exhibited ongoing dedication to the advancement of PGTS, mentored PGTS personnel, and made an impact still being felt and appreciated today. A committee of PGTS personnel serving throughout the NAD considered several nominees and enthusiastically voted to honor Johnston as the 2023 recipient. The award was given to two individuals previously, Tom G. Carter in 2019 and William Robert “Bob” Daum in 2021.
Johnston will be honored at a luncheon on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, during the biennial NAD PGTS Conference taking place in Norfolk, Virginia. Johnston and his wife Betsy will join the luncheon via Zoom from the Lake Union Conference Headquarters in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
