Here We Stand: New Changes in Local Church Leadership

Section 6
New Changes in Local

Church Leadership
42. Have Adventists Abandoned the

Biblical Model of Leadership for the
Local Church? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. Gerard Damsteegt
A. The New Testament Model of Leadership
B. Adventist Pioneers Adopt the

New Testament Model
C. Adventists Abandon the New Testament

Model of Leadership
D. Challenges of Returning to the

Biblical Model
E. Advantages of
Restoring Jesus’
Model of Leadership
Chapter 42
Have Adventists
Abandoned the Biblical
Model of Leadership for
the Local Church?
By P. Gerard Damsteegt, Dr. Theol.
Professor of Church History, SDA Theological Seminary, Andrews University
Author, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission;
Principal Author, Seventh-day Adventists Believe
H
ave you wondered how major changes seem to occur overnight in
a church? How has it been possible that worship styles, music, and
congregationalism have affected so many churches so quickly?
Over the years I have reflected on this question and, having had
the opportunity to study the rise and development of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, I have come to the conclusion that one of the major reasons
for the recent changes in local congregations is due to significant changes that
occurred in the leadership structure of the local church during the twentieth
century.
Changes in the operational structure of the local church came in so grad-
ually that few took note of them. Today, about 150 years after the Seventh-day
Adventist Church was officially organized, there is little left of the New
Testament model of leadership that the pioneers originally adopted.
To fully understand this situation and its implications we will first discuss
the New Testament model of leadership in the local church. Next we will see
how the Adventist pioneers adopted this model. Then we will look at how
Adventists departed from this model, and its consequent impact on the local
church. Finally we will consider the possibilities and advantages of restoring
Christ’s model of leadership to the local Adventist congregation.
In this chapter we will limit our study to the local church, not to the lead-
ership structure of conferences, unions, and General Conference. Information
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New Changes in Local Church Leadership Have SDAs Abandoned the Biblical Leadership Model?
on that aspect of church organization can be found in literature on the 1901 a twofold division of labor between those serving as the spiritual leaders and
General Conference that reveals the providential leadings of the Holy Spirit in those taking care of specialized lines of work and the finances of the church.
the development of an organizational structure that harmoniously unites the The apostles announced that the time had come “when the spiritual leaders
community of Seventh-day Adventist churches worldwide. having the oversight of the church should be relieved from the task of distrib-
uting to the poor and from similar burdens, so that they might be free to carry
A. The New Testament Model of Leadership forward the work of preaching the Gospel.”4 The church accepted this counsel
and ordained seven men as deacons. Mrs. White wrote that “by prayer and the
Church Organization in the New Testament laying on of hands, seven chosen men were solemnly set apart for their duties
The New Testament provides us the information about the leadership as deacons.”5 This action was an “important step in the perfecting of Gospel
structure of the Christian church. During His ministry on Earth, Jesus Christ order in the church.”6
established the organization and authority of His church. He ordained twelve The designation “deacons” for these men perfectly fitted their work, to
of His followers to accompany Him on His travels and to prepare them to “serve tables.” To them, Ellen White wrote, was delegated “the oversight of spe-
preach the Gospel and heal the sick (Mark 3:14, 15). He also called these twelve cial lines of work” which included taking care of “individual needs,” the “gen-
men apostles (Luke 6:13). eral financial interest of the church,”7 and “looking after the needs of the
This event was the first step in “the organization of the church that after poor.”8 This work, however, did not exclude them from “teaching the faith.”
Christ’s departure was to be His representative on Earth.”1 The calling of these The deacons “were fully qualified to instruct others in the truth, and they
twelve men was of enormous significance. “Their office was the most impor- engaged in the work with great earnestness and success.”9
tant to which human beings had ever been called, and was second only to that After stoning the deacon Stephen, the first great persecution of the
of Christ Himself. . . . As in the Old Testament the twelve patriarchs stand as Christian church broke out and believers were scattered throughout the
representatives of Israel, so the twelve apostles were to stand as representatives regions of Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). From this time onward the Gospel
of the Gospel church.”2 was proclaimed beyond the confines of Jerusalem.
In harmony with the leadership model of the Jerusalem church, the apos-
The Jerusalem Church a Model for Future Churches tles appointed elders as spiritual leaders in every church (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5).
The book of Acts reveals the next phase in the organization of the This practice explains why the apostles, when they left Jerusalem to preach the
church—the establishment of the New Testament model of church leadership. Gospel and evangelize the world, appointed elders in Jerusalem to fill their
Soon after Christ’s ascension the apostles became overwhelmed by the places instead of leaving a vacuum in this major center of the church at that
demands of the fast-growing church in Jerusalem. To cope with the challenges time. It also explains the presence of elders in the Jerusalem church several
confronting them, the apostles divided the leadership responsibilities in the years later to whom Barnabas and Saul handed their relief contributions for
local church into two major areas. Seven men were chosen to “serve tables” the needy believers in Judea (Acts 11:29, 30).
while the apostles confined themselves “to prayer and the ministry of the Mrs. White considered the Jerusalem church’s leadership structure, with
Word” (Acts 6:2, 4). Both “the seven” and the apostles were involved in serving its twofold division of labor, a model for the Christian church. She testified,
or ministering, but the manner of their respected involvement differed signif- “The organization of the church at Jerusalem was to serve as a model for the
icantly. What each of these two areas of service entailed has been the subject of organization of churches in every other place where messengers of truth
much speculation. should win converts to the Gospel.”10
Ellen G. White’s commentary on these events is very enlightening. She
commented that under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the apostles began “to Spiritual Gifts
outline a plan for the better organization of all the working forces of the The next development of church organization took place after the church
church.”3 had rapidly expanded into many regions. Now the Holy Spirit bestowed spe-
What was this better plan of church organization? This plan established cial spiritual gifts on some of God’s people to improve the effective operation
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of the church. Said Ellen White, of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same
condemnation as the Devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among
Later in the history of the early church, when in various parts of the those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the Devil”
world many groups of believers had been formed into churches, the (1 Timothy 3:2-7, NKJV).
organization of the church was further perfected, so that order and
harmonious action might be maintained. Every member was These requirements make it plain that the Lord, as Head of the church
exhorted to act well his part. Each was to make a wise use of the tal- (Ephesians 5:30), is interested in having His church under the leadership of
ents entrusted to him. Some were endowed by the Holy Spirit with elders or ministers who have high spiritual and ethical standards, a record of suc-
special gifts—“first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, cessfully governing their own home, and a good reputation among unbelievers. If
after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diver- the elder or minister is not successful as leader of his own family he is not quali-
sities of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:28). But all these classes of fied to lead a congregation. Said Paul, “If a man does not know how to rule his
workers were to labor in harmony.11 own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” (1 Timothy 3:5, NKJV).
Persons who received these gifts were not to replace the previously elected Relations Between Apostles and Elders
leadership of elders and deacons, but to work in cooperation with them so that Were apostles and elders to have the same function? If not, how did they
the church would be more successful than ever. differ? One major difference was that apostles were itinerant spiritual leaders
while elders were spiritual leaders of the local church. Apostles traveled from
Qualifications of Local Church Officers church to church, established new churches, and oversaw the operation of the
Shortly before his death Paul, under divine inspiration, gave important churches. Elders, however, were connected to a local church and had no
instructions to safeguard the leadership structure of the local church. authority over other churches. Yet apostles and elders worked closely together
In a letter to Timothy, Paul endorsed the application of the organizational in giving leadership to the church.
model of the Jerusalem church to other churches in the world. He carefully Their close cooperation was seen in a major controversy as to whether
spelled out the qualifications for those serving as spiritual leaders (elders) as well new Gentile believers must be circumcised. A council was called in Jerusalem
as those attending to the other church affairs (deacons) (1 Timothy 3:1-13). In a to settle the conflict. Those deciding the issue were the spiritual leaders of the
similar manner Paul instructed Titus to establish order in the churches by churches—both apostles and elders (Acts 15:2, 6).
appointing to the office of elder or bishop men who met the required qualifica- The intimate relationship between apostles and elders was also seen in
tions (Titus 1:5-9). the word used to describe the office of an apostle and that of an elder. When,
In the New Testament, the terms “elder” and “bishop” were used inter- for instance, after the death of Judas the apostles discussed a suitable replace-
changeably (Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Timothy 3:1, 2). Elder expressed the title and dignity ment, Peter made an appeal, “Let another take his office” (Acts 1:20). The
of the office, while bishop indicated the officer’s function as “overseer” to feed, nature of the type of work this new apostle was to fulfill became clear from the
shepherd, or pastor the church (Acts 20:17, 28).12 Greek word translated in some Bible versions as “office” or episkope, referring
The qualifications outlined by Paul to Timothy for the office of an elder to the role of “overseer.” For this reason the King James Version translated the
(bishop) were as follows: He must be word as “bishoprick.”
It is clear that from the very beginning the apostles served as overseers of
“blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good the church. The apostle Paul implemented the Jerusalem leadership model in
behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy the newly established churches. He described the elder as “a bishop” (Greek
for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own episkopos) (Titus 1:5, 7). In his counsel to Timothy, Paul described the same
house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man position as the “office of a bishop” (episkope), which in this context refers to
does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church the role of overseeing the church (1 Timothy 3:1, KJV).
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When Paul addressed the elders of the church in Ephesus, he again called local church, is a departure from the Biblical model because it makes the bishop
them “overseers” whose task it was “to shepherd the church of God,” to protect the head and center of the local congregation. This model of ministry has been
it against all kind of heresies that would come into the church to destroy it described as the first phase of the episcopacy—a rulership of the church by the
(Acts 20:28-30). This indicates that an important part of the role of the elders bishop. In time, this type of church organization came to its full fruition in the
as pastors is to fortify the faith of the church members through the ministry of papacy.
the Word. Paul gave Titus similar counsel, explaining that an elder must hold Throughout the centuries various reform movements have tried to
fast “the faithful Word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound restore the New Testament model of church leadership. Through the working
doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” (Titus 1:9). Again of Providence this Biblical model was adopted by the Adventist pioneers.
we see the close parallel between the apostles and elders in their ministry and
leadership roles. B. Adventist Pioneers Adopt the New Testament Model
Peter alluded to the close relationship between apostles and elders when
he called himself “also an elder” (1 Peter 5:1). This confirms that an apostle was During the formative years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, its
also considered an elder, but a traveling elder whose responsibility was not members included believers from many different churches who were united by
confined to a local church but who also served as an evangelist, raising up new a common expectation of the imminent return of Christ. They had left or were
churches. Paul demonstrated this kind of leadership when he revisited the disfellowshipped by their churches when these organizations rejected the
churches he had established in Asia Minor on subsequent journeys. proclamation of the first angel’s message to prepare people for the Second
Advent. These believers had no desire to establish another church.
The Abandonment of the Jerusalem Leadership Model Most Adventists opposed any form of organization because they thought
Throughout the first century of the Christian era, elders led the churches. it would lead them into a similar confusion as existed among the numerous
However, soon after the death of the prophet and apostle John, the organiza- Christian churches. However, after these Advent believers had discovered the
tional structure of the local church began to change. The writings of the early significance of the three angels’ messages that explained the Great
Christian writer Ignatius of Antioch revealed the beginning of a different lead- Disappointment of 1844, they gradually saw that the New Testament taught
ership structure in the early part of the second century. the need for order and organization. If they were going to effectively proclaim
Ignatius is the first representative of a new form of church government the Gospel of the three angels’ messages to the rest of the world, they must be
called “the episcopate.” His writings reveal that at this time the presiding elder organized. Now the question was, “How?”
had taken on the title of bishop. In the new church structure, the bishop stood
at the center of church life, with the other elders, deacons, and laity subject to Providential Intervention
his authority.13 In the early 1850s the Lord gave the small company of Adventists, who
Ignatius described the relationship of the believers to the bishop in the had accepted the truth on the sanctuary and the Sabbath, special insight that
following terms: “We should look upon the bishop even as we would look would lead them to adopt the New Testament model of church organization.
upon the Lord Himself, standing as he does, before the Lord.”14 “See that ye all In 1850 the Lord gave Ellen G. White, the prophetess to the remnant
follow the bishop, even as Christ Jesus does the Father. . . . Let no man do any- church, a vision emphasizing “that everything in Heaven was in perfect order.”
thing connected with the church without the bishop.”15 “And say I, Honor thou The angel in the vision instructed her to follow order. “Said the angel, ‘Look ye;
God indeed, as the Author and Lord of all things, but the bishop as the high Christ is the Head; move in order, move in order. Have a meaning to every-
priest, who bears the image of God. . . . Nor is there anyone in the church thing.’ Said the angel, ‘Behold ye, and know how perfect, how beautiful, the
greater than the bishop, who ministers as a priest to God for the salvation of order in Heaven; follow it.’”17
the whole world. . . . He who honors the bishop shall be honored of God, even Two years later in 185218 the Lord gave her another vision on the impor-
as he that dishonors him shall be punished by God.”16 tance of order in the Advent movement, impressing her with the need of
This leadership model, which introduces an extra level of authority in the adopting a plan that would organize Adventists for effective outreach. The
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vision showed her that “Gospel order had been too much feared and neg- let it be known that these persons are not acknowledged as teachers
lected.”19 It revealed that order is part of God’s kingdom. “There is order in by the church. This is the only course the church can take in order to
Heaven. There was order in the church when Christ was upon the earth, and be clear in this matter, for the burden lies upon them.29
after His departure order was strictly observed among His apostles.”20 Order
would be especially important during the closing days of Earth’s history: “Now The vision showed Ellen White that the church in the days of the apostles
in these last days, while God is bringing His children into the unity of the faith was in danger of false teachers. To counteract this problem in the New
[since 1844], there is more real need of order than ever before; for, as God Testament church, Paul, under inspiration, presented a list of qualifications so
unites His children, Satan and his evil angels are very busy to prevent this unity the church could safely select and appoint those truly called by God, distin-
and to destroy it.”21 guishing them from false teachers. Thus “the brethren chose men who had
A major challenge to the fledgling movement was men entering the given good evidence that they were capable of ruling well their own house and
Gospel ministry whom God had not called. The vision showed that through preserving order in their own families, and who could enlighten those who
Satan’s influence, “men are hurried into the field who lack wisdom and judg- were in darkness.”30 In the New Testament a vital qualification for an elder was
ment, perhaps not ruling well their own house, and not having order or gov- giving evidence of successful leadership in one’s home. Only these were
ernment over the few that God has given them charge of at home; yet they feel approved of by the church and the Holy Ghost; only these were ordained “by
capable of having charge of the flock.”22 Others had an unholy lifestyle with a the laying on of hands.”31
theoretical knowledge of the truth, but lacking spirituality.23 Still others were Adventists were to follow the apostles’ example. Said she, “I saw that we
confident that God had called them, yet “they lack sound judgment and are no more secure from false teachers now than they were in the apostles’
patient reasoning, talk boastingly of themselves, and assert many things which days; and, if we do no more, we should take as special measures as they did to
they cannot prove from the Word.”24 All such persons the vision described as secure the peace, harmony, and union of the flock. We have their example, and
“self-sent men.”25 should follow it.”32
The problem with these persons was that they felt that God had called Ellen White stressed the need to follow the Bible in determining whether
them to the Gospel ministry. This led to more confusion because “those men God has called persons to the Gospel ministry. Only persons meeting Bible cri-
who are not called of God are generally the very ones that are the most confident teria should be ordained. She wrote, “Brethren of experience and of sound
that they are so called and that their labors are very important.”26 Some of these minds should assemble, and following the Word of God and the sanction of
persons “have a measure of success, and this leads them and others to think that the Holy Spirit, should, with fervent prayer, lay hands upon those who have
they are surely called of God.” Ellen White pointed out that because they had given full proof that they have received their commission of God, and set them
some success in leading God’s “honest children” to accept “the present truth” was apart to devote themselves entirely to His work. This act would show the sanc-
no evidence that God had called them.27 “If self-sent men put themselves where tion of the church to their going forth as messengers to carry the most solemn
God does not put them and profess to be teachers, and souls receive the truth by message ever given to men.”33
hearing them talk it, this is no evidence that they are called of God.”28 In her counsel Ellen White fully endorsed for Adventists today the valid-
The lack of organization among Adventists at this time was not some- ity of the qualifications for leadership of elders or ministers listed in 1 Timothy
thing that could not be solved. The vision showed that the church was respon- 3 and Titus 1. Men should be successful leaders in the “church” in their homes
sible to stop the confusion. Ellen White stated, before they should be appointed as caretakers of a church congregation.
Throughout her ministry she stressed that Seventh-day Adventists must follow
I saw that the church should feel their responsibility and should look these Bible qualifications.34
carefully and attentively at the lives, qualifications, and general
course of those who profess to be teachers. If unmistakable evidence James White Establishes a Bible-based Organization
is not given that God has called them, and that the “woe” is upon Encouraged by the providential revelations of Ellen White, James White
them if they heed not this call, it is the duty of the church to act and deplored the confusion and disorganized state among Sabbathkeeping
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Adventists and appealed for order and unity. As early as 1853, in a series of officers into two major classes, “Those who hold their office by virtue of an
articles called “Gospel Order,” he showed his strong support for following the especial call from God, and those selected by the church: the former embracing
Biblical model of church organization and leadership. apostles and evangelists; and the latter, elders, bishops, pastors, and deacons.”41
Elder White wrote that the fundamentals of church organization, or Describing the first class of officers, he designated an apostle as “anyone
Gospel order, were spelled out in the Bible. He urged that “vigorous efforts especially sent out of God in any age to proclaim His truth.” This was “espe-
should be put forth to restore as fast as possible the order of the Gospel.”35 He cially applicable to those who are called of God to lead out in any new truth or
declared, “The divine order of the New Testament is sufficient to organize the reform; such, for instance, as Luther, Melanchthon, Wesley, and William
church of Christ” and added significantly, “If more were needed, it would have Miller.”42 He described an evangelist as “a preacher of the Gospel, not fixed in
been given by inspiration.”36 any place, but traveling as a missionary to preach the Gospel, and establish
churches. See Acts 21:8: Ephesians 4:11; 2 Timothy 4:5.”43
Qualifications for Church Elders The local church elected the second class of officers—elders, bishops,
In the New Testament model for church leadership Elder White recog- pastors, and deacons. He saw the office of elders as the equivalent of the words
nized that it is the Lord Who calls a minister. The prospective minister must bishop, pastor, and overseer. The term pastor was identified as “literally a
meet the “necessary qualifications” that “are plainly stated in the Word.”37 herdsman, a shepherd; specially a pastor, a teacher, a spiritual guide of a par-
These qualifications Paul listed in his counsel to Timothy 1 Timothy 3:1-7.38 ticular church.”44 The office of an elder (presbuteros) or bishop (episkopos) is
On the requirements for the office of elder or minister, he commented, “a local office confined to a particular church,” while its function involves
supervising and pastoring the local church.45 Here the elder was also the pas-
Many seem to desire the office of a bishop, or elder, who fail in tor of the church.
many points named here by the apostle. He must be “blameless,” The role of a deacon was that of a servant, waiter, or attendant who, in
“vigilant,” “sober,” “patient,” “not a brawler.” He must rule well his the New Testament church, “had charge of the alms and money of the church,
own house. How is it possible that the Holy Ghost should make a an overseer of the sick and poor, an almoner (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8,
man an overseer of the precious flock, to rule over them [Hebrews 12; Acts 6:1-6).”46 Women could function as female deacons, “who had charge
13:17], who knows not how, or neglects to govern his children at of the female sick and poor (Romans 16:1).”47
home?—Here the apostle appeals to our reason. And it seems the From this it is clear that “officers of the church which are appointed solely
greatest absurdity that such a man should be called to rule the by the church itself are reduced to two, namely, elders and deacons.”48 The local
church. God does not call them. He will not trust souls to their church elected the elders and deacons based on the Biblical qualifications men-
care.39 tioned in 1 Timothy 3:1-10 and Titus 1:6-9. In accordance with the New
Testament practice, ministers were to ordain them (Acts 6:6; Titus 1:5).
Elder White believed that church organization was clearly spelled out in The business meetings of the local church were to be presided over by the
Scripture and was just as applicable to Adventists as it was in the days of the highest officer of the local church: “The elder of a church should act as a chair-
apostles. The Bible was the Guidebook for the selection of church leaders. man in all its business meetings.”49
Relations Between Local Elders and Ministers The Function of a Minister

In 1861 at the time when the first Seventh-day Adventist conference was This New Testament model of church organization guided the Seventh-day
organized, James White published his address to the conference focusing on Adventist Church at the time of its official organization as a church in 1863, and
how to organize a church with its officers, their duties, and how to elect them. Adventists followed it throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century.
Elder White pointed out that in the New Testament there were “the follow- During this time ministers were employed by the various conferences as admin-
ing classes of rulers and officers of the Christian church . . . Apostles, istrators and evangelists, raising up churches, and visiting established churches
Evangelists, Elders, Bishops, Pastors, and Deacons.”40 He further divided the that needed counsel. No conference-employed minister functioned as a resident
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or “settled” pastor of a local church,50 as was the practice in most Protestant submit it the following year for “approval or rejection.”57 The proposed man-
churches. James White wrote, “It does not appear to have been the design of ual was published in a series of installments in the Review and Herald (June 5
Christ that His ministers should become stationed, salaried preachers. Of His to October 9, 1883), and the editors solicited input and criticism from the
first ministers it is said, immediately after receiving their high commission, that readers. These articles gave a view of what many church leaders thought about
‘they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and church organization at that time.58
confirming the Word with signs following’ (Mark 16:15-20).”51 He added that
“Paul was not what is now called a ‘settled pastor.’”52 Basic Structure of the Local Church
The elder or elders were the elected leadership and they, with the support The proposed church manual upheld the New Testament leadership
of the deacons and deaconesses, were to lead the church, which was basically a model for the local churches. Regarding the proper organization of a congre-
lay movement. The elders were responsible for the prosperity of the local gation, the manual read that there should be at least four officers; larger
church. churches might increase this number according to their needs.
James White considered the work of Seventh-day Adventist ministers
similar to that of the early Christian ministers who entered a town, began When fully organized, it consists of the body of the church, or laity,
preaching and teaching the Word, until they had formed a group of believers and the proper officers,—an elder, a deacon, a clerk, and a treasurer.
whom they organized into a church. “Then these ministers would pass on to a Where the church is sufficiently large to render such a course neces-
new field of labor. These churches were not carried upon the shoulders of their sary, it is customary to increase the number of elders and deacons
ministers, but were left to sustain the worship of God among themselves. sufficiently to meet the demands of the case. The offices of clerk and
Occasionally would they pass through and visit the brethren, to exhort, con- treasurer are not mentioned in the Scriptures, but it is quite evident
firm, and comfort them.”53 that something answering to them must have existed in the early
The best evidence of whether a Seventh-day Adventist minister was called church.59
by God depended upon his ability to raise up a church. Said Elder White, “In no
way can a preacher so well prove himself as in entering new fields. There he can The Two Classes of Church Officers
see the fruits of his own labors. And if he be successful in raising up churches, The manual listed the officers in the New Testament church as “1. Apostles;
and establishing them, so that they bear good fruits, he gives to his brethren the 2. Prophets; 3. Evangelists; 4. Pastors; 5. Teachers; 6. Helps; 7. Elders; 8. Deacons;
best proofs that he is sent of the Lord.”54 Failure to establish a new church would 9. Deaconesses.”60 It divided these officers into two classes.
indicate that God had not called him and that he was not needed in the work. The first class was called the “general” officers. Their “authority is to be
He wrote, if ministers “cannot raise up churches and friends to sustain them, recognized by the church everywhere,” and they were “qualified for their work
then certainly the cause of truth has no need of them, and they have the best by an endowment of the Holy Spirit in such large measure that they may be
reasons for concluding that they made a sad mistake when they thought that said to speak or act by inspiration.”61
God called them to teach the third angel’s message.”55 The second class was called “local officers.” They were made up of elders
(bishops or presbyters), deacons, deaconesses, as well as church clerks and
1883 Church Manual Proposal treasurers. These officers were “usually elected by a local church.” Their
In 1878 or 1879 several church leaders expressed the desire to have a responsibility was limited to “the local districts or churches which have been
church manual. Reasons given for a manual were (1) its usefulness to assist placed under their charge.” These officers were guided by the Holy Spirit and
“young ministers and church officers, etc.;” (2) it would lead “to uniformity in “to a very large degree by their own unaided judgment.”62
all parts of the fields;” (3) it would help the “inexperienced;” and “be very con-
venient in many respects.”56 Qualifications of a Local Elder
At the 1882 General Conference three church leaders, W.H. Littlejohn, To a significant degree the growth and prosperity of the local churches
J.O. Corliss, and H.A. St. John, were appointed “to prepare a manual,” and depended on the qualifications of the officers. Therefore it was important that
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the membership fully understand these qualifications in order to intelligently Authority and Duties of a Local Elder
select the proper persons for the positions.63 The manual presented extensive information about the authority and
Regarding the qualifications of an elder, the manual drew attention to the duties of an elder. It said, “He has a general oversight of everything which can
various titles the New Testament assigned to this position. affect the interests of his particular charge. By virtue of his office, he stands at
the head, not only of the membership of the church proper, but he is also the
He is sometimes called an elder, sometimes a bishop, and some- superior of the other officers in the church.66
times a pastor. The original term for elder in the Greek is presbuteros The manual considered the duties of an elder “greater than those of any
. . . , that for bishop is episkopos . . . , while that for pastor is poimen. other officer in a local church.” Again, we observe that the elder functioned as
. . . The first is applied to a person of advanced years; the second sig- a pastor. About the tasks of an elder it commented,
nifies an overseer or superintendent; the third, a shepherd or tender
of sheep. These three terms taken together imply that the one to A partial enumeration of the duties of a church elder would run
whom they are applied should be characterized by the dignity and somewhat as follows: 1. He should preside at all the business or reli-
wisdom of age, capabilities which fit him to act as an overseer or gious meetings of the church; 2. Put all motions upon which votes
superintendent of the church, and that tender solicitude for the fold are to be taken; 3. Present the names of candidates for church mem-
of Christ which the Eastern shepherd manifests toward the flock of bership; 4. Apply for letters for those desiring the same; 5. Give out
sheep over which he is placed in charge. appointments for meetings; 6. Look after the weak and discouraged
ones, and visit the sick; 7. Take the oversight of the officers of the
It is not necessary to infer from the ordinary signification of the church, to see to it that they discharge their duties faithfully; 8. He
term elder, that the office which it represents should be given only should examine the clerk’s and treasurer’s books in order to
to aged persons. Anyone who possesses the sobriety and knowledge determine whether they are properly kept; 9. In the absence of a
which are naturally the products of a long experience, can safely be minister, he should administer baptism, and the ordinances of the
intrusted with the eldership of a church, though he may not have Lord’s Supper and feet-washing, in his own church; but it would
passed the noon of life. never be proper for him to administer either of these in any other
church than his own; 10. To exercise a general oversight over the life
Besides the qualifications of an elder suggested by the considera- and conduct of the members of the church, with a view to see that
tions offered above, the following additional ones might be none walk disorderly; 11. To settle all difficulties which may arise
advanced: (a) An aptitude for teaching publicly and privately between members of the church, privately, if possible; otherwise, to
(1 Thessalonians 5:12; Titus 1:9; 1 Timothy 5:17); (b) Strong faith bring offenders to the judgment of the church; 12. To see to it that
in God, since the elder is expected to visit and pray for the recovery the decisions of the church in all matters are properly executed;
of the sick (James 5:14); (c) A generous hospitality (1 Timothy 3:2; 13. To visit all the members of the church at their homes as often as
Titus 1:8); (d) Experience in the Christian life (1 Timothy 3:6); circumstances will admit.67
(e) Blameless (1 Timothy 3:2); (f) Temperate (1 Timothy 3:3);
(g) The ability to govern well his own house (1 Timothy 3:4).64 A Pragmatic Approach to Electing Elders
These standards for elders were high. How should a church go about
In summarizing these qualifications, the manual concluded that “the finding a person who could function as an elder? The manual was quite prac-
elder of a church should exhibit those traits of character which imply wis- tical in giving instructions on how to go about finding such a person. It said,
dom, spiritual discernment, faith, liberality, activity, and great firmness tem-
pered by a kindliness of feeling such as a natural father entertains toward his We would not wish to be understood as intimating that no one
children.” 65 should be elected elder of a church, who does not meet all of these
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requirements. It is difficult to find a perfect man, but much more so which relates to the near coming of Christ and the Judgment.75
to find one who would make a perfect church elder. Select the best
man for the position in the church, cooperate with him to the fullest However, the manual suggested the possibility that conferences might
extent, and pray God that He may develop him into what he should employ ministers who were not able to do evangelistic work but who confined
be in the shortest time possible.68 their ministry to existing churches. This remark indicated the beginning of a
trend toward ministers being employed as “settled pastors,” a concept previ-
So even if the man did not possess all qualifications of elder, he might still ously rejected by the Adventist pioneers.
be elected with the understanding that, with prayer and God’s blessing, in time In this context the manual spoke of two classes of ministers. Regarding the
he would develop the traits he presently lacked. The manual pragmatically first class, to which most of the ministers belonged, it said, “There is found in
concluded, “It is better that a church should have an imperfect elder, than that the Christian church in our age a class of ministers who, though particularly
they should be deprived of one altogether.”69 successful in raising up churches in new fields, are of but little use to those
churches after they have once been fully indoctrinated.”76 About the second
Ordination of Elders and Ministers class it stated, “There are those who seem especially adapted to act the part of
The manual defined ordination as “a public and solemn separation to the pastors of churches already brought into existence. The latter would find it very
work of their respective offices of the individuals to whom it is administered.”70 difficult, if not impossible, to succeed in that which might be called purely
The ordination service involved the laying on of hands and of prayer. evangelistic work.”77 The manual recommended that conferences keep this dis-
Ordination was to bring two things to a person. First, in answer to the united tinction in mind so both classes of ministers might be used. “Those who have
prayers of those involved in the work of ordination, it would bring “those gifts the oversight of conferences, therefore, would do well to recognize this distinc-
and graces of the Holy Spirit which will qualify him for the special work to tion, as it would enable them to utilize the labor of both of these classes of
which he is separated.” Second, it was to bestow “the authorization of the indi- preachers, by assigning to each his proper work.”78
vidual . . . to discharge the duties of his office.”71 Ellen White would have strongly opposed this suggestion about “settled
Three classes of persons were to be ordained: ministers, elders, and dea- pastors.”
cons. The ordination service of elders and deacons was similar to that of the
minister. The differences concerned the place of ordination and sphere of serv- The General Conference Rejects the Church Manual
ice. Elders and deacons were to be ordained in the local church, and their At the General Conference session in November 1883, the General
sphere of ministry was limited to the local church.72 Ministers were ordained Conference Executive Committee, joined by a committee of ten79 appointed by
during a session of the General Conference or one of the state conferences, and the session, considered the proposal to adopt the church manual that had been
they were “set apart by the authority of the church of Christ to the holy work published in the Review and Herald.
of the Gospel ministry.”73 Their sphere of ministry was “largely evangelistic.”74 At the end of the deliberations the committee unanimously rejected the
proposed church manual. Mrs. White attended the committee meeting, but
The Work of a Minister there is no written report in existence of what she told the committee, except
Until 1883 ministers were mostly involved in evangelism. The manual that she “spoke well.”80 However, a closer look at the makeup of the committee
reported, might give us some idea of her position on the manual. One of the committee
members was her son W.C. White. As the committee decision was unanimous,
At the present date, the work of Seventh-day Adventist ministers is he must have disapproved of the manual. Furthermore, his approval of his
largely evangelistic in its character. Just enough labor is bestowed mother’s speech leads one to think that she also was not in favor of the man-
upon the older churches to keep them in good running order, the ual but stressed the central authority of the Bible as the source for understand-
balance of the time being devoted to the proclamation of the pres- ing church leadership and organization, instead of becoming dependent on a
ent truth among those who have not yet heard the solemn message manual produced by uninspired men. Her views might very well be reflected
658 659
in the committee’s reasons for the manual’s rejection and in the General If we had needed a “book of directions,” then “the Holy Spirit would have
Conference president’s article written to explain to the membership why we “left one on record with the stamp of inspiration on it. Man cannot safely sup-
did not need a manual.81 plement this matter with his weak judgment.”87 We ought to study God’s Word.
The committee gave the following reasons: “God requires us to study important principles which He reveals in His Word,
but the minutiae in carrying them out He leaves to individual judgment,
It is the unanimous judgment of the committee that it would not be promising heavenly wisdom in times of need.”88
advisable to have a church manual. We consider it unnecessary Ministers must depend more on God, instead of human beings. “His
because we have already surmounted the greatest difficulties con- ministers are constantly placed where they must feel their helplessness, and
nected with church organization without one; and perfect harmony their need of seeking God for light, rather then go to any church manual for
exists among us on this subject. It would seem to many like a step specific directions, placed therein by other uninspired men.”89
toward the formation of a creed, or a discipline, other than the The article pointed out the dangerous impact of such a manual on min-
Bible, something we have always been opposed to as a denomina- isters. “Minute, specific directions tend to weakness, rather than power. They
tion. If we had one, we fear many, especially those commencing to lead to dependence rather than self-reliance.”90 It suggested that it is better to
preach, would study it to obtain guidance in religious matters, make some mistakes and learn from them “than to have our way all marked
rather than to seek for it in the Bible, and from the leadings of the out for us by others.”91
Spirit of God, which would tend to their hindrance in genuine Although those who favored a manual did not intend that it would be a
religious experience and in knowledge of the mind of the Spirit. It creed or have the authority to settle disputes, yet having it published under the
was in taking similar steps that other bodies of Christians first “auspices of the General Conference, would at once carry with it much weight
began to lose their simplicity and become formal and spiritually of authority, and would be consulted by most of our younger ministers.”92
lifeless. Why should we imitate them? The committee feels, in short, What would be the effect if the General Conference would issue a church
that our tendency should be in the direction of simplicity and close manual? “It would gradually shape and mold the whole body: and those who
conformity to the Bible, rather than in elaborately defining every did not follow it would be considered out of harmony with established princi-
point in church management and church ordinances.82 ples of church order.”93 Instead of making our ministers broader and more self-
reliant men with deeper spiritual experiences and a more reliable judgment, a
At the same time, the General Conference in session voted to request its manual would have a tendency to accomplish just the opposite.94
president to write an article for the Review explaining the action of the General In conclusion, the article pointed to lessons from history. All genuine ref-
Conference in rejecting the manual. ormations had to deal with the issue of publishing a church manual. After they
In this article the president praised the persons who had prepared the pro- reached a certain magnitude they felt the need of uniformity. To achieve this,
posal for the church manual, commending them for having put together “much church leaders prepared “directions to guide the inexperienced. These have
excellent matter.”83 The article explained that the reason for the manual’s rejec- grown in number and authority till, accepted by all, they really become author-
tion had to do with “the desirability of any manual whatever.”84 It encouraged itative. There seems to be no logical stopping place, when once started upon
ministers and church officers to look to the Bible for guidance in church work this road, till this result is reached. Their history is before us; we have no desire
instead of a manual written by uninspired men. to follow it. Hence we stop without a church manual before we get started.”95
The Bible “contains our creed and discipline. It thoroughly furnishes the Union exists among believers, but it is not necessary to achieve uniformity.
man of God unto all good works.”85 What was not revealed in the Scriptures From this article it becomes obvious that the committee’s recommenda-
concerning “church organization and management” and detailed responsibili- tion was of the opinion that the Bible should remain the central source we
ties of church officers and ministers “should not be strictly defined and drawn ought to consult, and not a manual written by uninspired men. Spelling out
out into minute specifications for the sake of uniformity, but rather be left to every detail of church organization and duties of church officers to achieve
individual judgment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”86 uniformity throughout the Seventh-day Adventist Church was unnecessary.
660 661
Our ministers should always feel their helplessness, which would force them to from God, so separated from His Spirit, that they have left souls to perish all
seek God and His Word for light so that their spiritual experiences become around them, while they have been calling for workers to labor in the church.
deeper, their judgments more reliable, than depending on a church manual. This labor has been granted them, and the impenitent and the sinner have been
robbed of the messages which the Lord would have given to them.”99
Ellen White Opposes Ministers as “Settled Pastors” Again she emphasized, “The Gospel is to go to every nation, tongue, and
Toward the end of the nineteenth century we observe more discussion people, and ministers are not to devote their labors so entirely to the churches
over the role of the minister and his relation to the local church. In 1883 Mrs. which know the truth. Both ministers and people lose much by following this
White addressed the General Conference in session that was discussing the method of labor.”100
proposal of a church manual which suggested that conferences employ minis- The trend toward “settled pastors” seriously affected the conferences’
ters who could work as pastors in local churches. In her sermon, she stressed involvement in the mission of the church. It drained the available conference
the need for conference presidents to develop a practical experience in trust- workforce for raising up churches in new territories. She said,
ing and depending on God instead of confessing their problems to others, and
subsequently to influence the ministers under them to develop the same Our people have had great light, and yet much of our ministerial
dependence. Then they should educate the churches to deal with their own force is exhausted on the churches, in teaching those who should be
problems without the ministers to help them. Said she, “The president of a teachers; enlightening those who should be “the light of the world”;
state conference is, by his manner of dealing, educating the ministers under watering those from whom should flow springs of living water;
him, and together they can so educate the churches that it will not be neces- enriching those who might be veritable mines of precious truth;
sary to call the ministers of the conference from the field to settle difficulties repeating the Gospel invitation to such as should be scattered to the
and dissensions in the church.”96 This was indeed very timely advice from the uttermost parts of the earth, communicating the message of Heaven
prophetess, coming at a moment when a trend toward “settled pastors” was to many who have not had the privileges which they have enjoyed;
about to be incorporated into an official church manual. Undoubtedly, her feeding those who should be in the byways and highways heralding the
influence led to the defeat of the proposal. invitation, “Come; for all things are now ready.” Come to the Gospel
Shortly after the 1888 General Conference in Minneapolis, Ellen White feast; come to the supper of the Lamb; “for all things are now ready.”101
warned believers against depending on ministers to work for their churches.
Said she: “Do not depend on the ministers to do all the work in your church As this movement toward “settled pastors” continued, Ellen White in
and neighborhood.” The task of ministers is to “seek the lost sheep” while the 1900 boldly informed church members that it was their duty to tell ministers
members are to “help them.” The church members “must have light in them- to work for unbelievers while they, the members, would take care of the church
selves” so they can care for themselves.97 services and souls within the neighborhood. Said she,
A few years later, around the turn of the century, Ellen White became
increasingly vocal in her opposition against the tendency by some of the larger Instead of keeping the ministers at work for the churches that
churches to request the care of ministers who would restrict their work exclu- already know the truth, let the members of the churches say to these
sively to these churches.98 She foresaw the negative impact of this model of laborers: “Go work for souls that are perishing in darkness. We our-
church organization on ministers, congregations, and the mission of the selves will carry forward the services of the church. We will keep up
Seventh-day Adventist movement in evangelizing the world. She drew attention the meetings, and, by abiding in Christ, will maintain spiritual life.
to the cities in America and in other countries that had not been worked as they We will work for souls that are about us, and we will send our
should have been, because many of our churches had separated themselves prayers and our gifts to sustain the laborers in more needy and des-
from the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Consequently they had lost their burden titute fields.”102
for soulwinning and now they were calling for ministers to do their work. She
wrote: “Many churches, collectively and individually, have been so far removed The following year, Ellen White addressed the 1901 General Conference
662 663
expressing her great concern about ministers hovering over the churches while Some conference leaders may have defended the role of a “settled pastor”
there were so many places where the message had not yet been preached. With to solve conflicts in the various congregations. Ellen White, however, argued
great unhappiness she exclaimed: “My heart has been filled with sadness as I that it was futile and would ultimately weaken the churches.
have looked over the field and seen the barren places. . . . Who feels a burden
for the souls who cannot receive the truth till it is brought to them? Our min- God has not given His ministers the work of setting the churches
isters are hovering over the churches, as though the angel of mercy was not right. No sooner is this work done, apparently, than it has to be
making efforts to save souls.”103 Then she appealed to the ministers to instruct done over again. Church members that are thus looked after and
the newly established churches to not count on continual pastoral care by min- labored for become religious weaklings. If nine-tenths of the effort
isters, saying, “Establish your churches with the understanding that they need that has been put forth for those who know the truth had been put
not expect the minister to wait upon them and to be continually feeding them. forth for those who have never heard the truth, how much greater
They have the truth; they know what truth is. They should have root in them- would have been the advancement made! God has withheld His
selves. These should strike down deeply, that they may reach up higher and still blessings because His people have not worked in harmony with His
higher. They must be rooted and grounded in the faith.”104 directions.109
The churches needed to be educated to be able to function without a
minister hovering over them. She went so far as to say that if they could not Ellen White further predicted that ministers giving time and talent to
function by themselves, the members needed to be rebaptized and born again. members instead of the unconverted would produce weak churches. Said she,
She explained, “If the proper instruction were given, if the proper methods “It weakens those who know the truth for our ministers to expend on them the
were followed, every church member would do his work as a member of the time and talent that should be given to the unconverted. . . . So long as church
body. He would do Christian missionary work. But the churches are dying, and members make no effort to give to others the help given them, great spiritual
they want a minister to preach to them. . . . They should be taught that unless feebleness must result.”110
they can stand alone, without a minister, they need to be converted anew, and Members should be taught to work for God and depend on Him, not
baptized anew. They need to be born again.”105 ministers. She said, “The greatest help that can be given our people is to teach
Not only churches were at fault, but also ministers were to blame for the them to work for God, and to depend on Him, not on the ministers. . . . There
declining spiritual health of the church. Said she, “If the ministers would get are times when it is fitting for our ministers to give on the Sabbath, in our
out of the way, if they would go forth into new fields, the members would be churches, short discourses, full of the life and love of Christ. But the church
obliged to bear responsibilities, and their capabilities would increase by use.”106 members are not to expect a sermon every Sabbath.”111 Instead of spending
Again, one year later, she strongly protested the growing trend of churches time on believers, ministers ought to evangelize new areas, raise up churches,
to call for “settled pastors” to have control over their churches. This condition and then move to other territories.
produced one-sided churches of which she disapproved: “There should not be a She instructed ministers “to sow the seeds of truth. Place after place is to
call to have settled pastors over our churches, but let the life-giving power of the be visited; church after church is to be raised up. Those who take their stand
truth impress the individual members to act, leading them to labor interestedly to for the truth are to be organized into churches, and then the minister is to pass
carry on efficient missionary work in each locality. As the hand of God, the on to other equally important fields.”112
church is to be educated and trained to do effective service. Its members are to be After organizing a new church, the minister is to set its members at work,
the Lord’s devoted Christian workers. The church of today is too one-sided.”107 teaching them how to begin to work successfully.
She spoke about the importance of conference workers leaving the
churches alone and concentrating on unbelievers in new fields, stating that “as Just as soon as a church is organized, let the minister set the mem-
a general rule, the conference laborers should go out from the churches into bers at work. They will need to be taught how to labor successfully.
new fields, using their God-given ability to a purpose in seeking and saving the Let the minister devote more of his time to educating than to
lost.”108 preaching. Let him teach the people how to give to others the
664 665
knowledge they have received. While the new converts should be operate without a “settled pastor.”
taught to ask counsel from those more experienced in the work,
they should also be taught not to put the minister in the place of Responsibilities as an Undershepherd
God. Ministers are but human beings, men compassed with infir- Mrs. White revealed that local elders, as undershepherds of Christ’s flock,
mities. Christ is the One to Whom we are to look for guidance.113 have a threefold duty. They are to nurture and oversee (supervise) the members
of the church and provide them an example of the Seventh-day Adventist
It is obvious, especially during the latter part of her life, that Ellen White, lifestyle.117 In their leadership they should avoid showing any partiality to any-
with her prophetic authority, instructed ministers, as stewards, to no longer one in their treatment of believers.118 They are not to drive them but with great
hover over established churches but to be involved in aggressive evangelism in wisdom feed them unselfishly with spiritual food.119 They are not to be dictators
unentered areas. “Our ministers should plan wisely, as faithful stewards. They but should be an encouragement to members.120 Ministering to the sick is part
should feel that it is not their duty to hover over the churches already raised of their responsibilities.121 In their leadership they need to display Christlike
up, but that they should be doing aggressive evangelistic work, preaching the humility.122
Word and doing house-to-house work in places that have not yet heard the Their work is not only to the church members, but they should also labor
truth. . . . They will find that nothing is so encouraging as doing evangelistic two by two in evangelistic work, reaching out to unbelievers.123
work in new fields.”114
Responsibilities to Educate Members to Use Their Gifts
1907 Book on Church Organization Elders should lay plans for educating church members to use their God-
A few years after Ellen White’s testimonies against the trends of ministers given talents.124 Their duty is to get everyone to take part in the mission and
taking control of local churches, the Review and Herald published The Church, operation of the church. Said Ellen White, “They should arrange matters so
Its Organization, Order, and Discipline, authored by J.N. Loughborough. that every member of the church shall have a part to act, that none may lead
Although it was not issued by the General Conference, it functioned as a an aimless life, but that all may accomplish what they can according to their
church manual for local churches for years. several ability.”125 They are responsible to “give every member of the church a
The book contained an abundance of Spirit of Prophecy counsels and share in active work for the salvation of souls.” This is of vital importance
fully supported the position of Ellen White on the evangelistic nature of the because it is “the only way in which the church can be preserved in a healthy,
work of the minister. It also incorporated James White’s view of the New thriving condition.”126
Testament model of church organization, the leadership of local elders, and
their ministry as pastors, teachers, and spiritual guides. Consequently the book Responsibilities to Ensure Faithful Stewardship
does not mention the function of the minister as “settled pastor” of a congre- Elders are responsible for instructing the membership in “the necessity of
gation. faithfulness in the payment of pledges, tithes, and offerings.”127 They should
The elder was seen as the officer “in charge of a local church”115 and he appoint church officers “who will attend faithfully to the work of gathering in
“should act as chairman in all its business meetings.”116 the tithe.” If they neglect this important work, involving a blessing or a curse
to the church, they ought to be relieved of their responsibilities and others
Ellen White Upholds Leadership Role of Church Elders should be selected to do this work.128 This is such a crucial task that even con-
During her prophetic ministry Ellen White gave detailed counsel on what ference presidents should make sure that the elders are taking care of this
the Lord expected of elders. Their responsibilities in the local church involved responsibility.129
five major areas: as undershepherds, assisting members with their gifts, ascer- However, if others fail to collect the tithe, it is the elders’ duty to visit
taining faithfulness in financial stewardship, dealing with erring members, and members who have not turned in the tithe by the end of the calendar year.
upholding the church’s standards and policies. Her counsels to elders below Ellen White appealed, “Elders of churches, do your duty. Labor from home to
delineate what the Lord expects from elders. If followed, churches could fully home, that the flock of God shall not be remiss in this great matter, which
666 667
involves such a blessing or such a curse.”130 to comfort the feebleminded. There is no higher tribunal upon Earth than the
church of God. And if the members of the church will not submit to the deci-
Responsibilities to Deal With Erring Members sion of the church, and will not be counseled and advised by it, they cannot be
Elders have the duty to deal with sin in the church in an impartial way, helped.”135
no matter how uncomfortable this is. Failure to act makes them responsible for
the damage that comes to the church. She said, “Sin should be rebuked. Responsibilities to Uphold Church Standards and Policies
Whatever opposition and trial might come to the elder of the church because It is the duty of the elders to present a positive attitude in the church.
of his faithfulness, he should not swerve from true principles. Sins should not, They should refuse to lend undue sympathy to doubters and complainers, or
because of unsanctified preferences and sympathy, be lightly regarded in one to present trials in an exaggerated light; otherwise they open the door to
man which would be condemned in another. This matter is one of great Satan’s suggestions and temptations.136 In their work they should be prepared
importance.” If the elder should fail to deal with sin, and sanctions errors in to face persons who are critical of the leadership of the church.137
the lives of church members, “God will hold him responsible for his brother’s At all times elders are to uphold the standards of the church and to draw
unfaithfulness in office, and for the harm which will result to the church.”131 nourishment from Christ as the Living Vine so they are full of Christ and
Elders have great responsibility to guard the spirituality of the members, Christlikeness. If their heart is not transformed by grace, “the churches would
and need to curb the increase of sinful behavior and influences. They are not do far better without such elders and ministers.”138
to adopt an attitude of tolerance to the inroads of the world, because this is no Elders should never become self-exalted, but should remember that only
sign of love for the sinner. Ellen White stated, humility makes them worthy of the honor of the office of an elder. “Let him
remember that the office does not make the man, but that before angels and
Especially the elders of the church . . . must not carelessly allow the before men he is to honor his office.”139
members to be irregular in conduct and thus let evil and sin An important task of the elders is to bring unity among the believers so
strengthen in the church, thinking this is the way to show love for that the members “care for each other, to advise with and counsel each other.”
one another. God requires faithfulness in watchcare. You must take In supervising the affairs of the church, to prevent confusion elders need “to
hold of God with one hand while with the other hand, in love, you reprove, exhort, and rebuke the unruly and to comfort the feebleminded,”
lay hold upon the erring and the sinner and draw them to Jesus. showing the need of members to respect and to accept the decisions of the
Pray with them, weep with them, feel for their souls, love them, and church.140
never let go of them. This is the love Jesus has expressed for you. You Finally Ellen White warned elders to affirm the standards of the church,
must ever strive for unity and forbearance and love.132 and in no way to use their influence in leading “the church into the world
rather than from it.”141
Although local elders, in cooperation with deacons, are responsible for the
prosperity of the congregation, elders do not have the authority to disfellowship C. Adventists Abandon the New Testament Model of
members. They have to do this in consultation with the conference.133 However, Leadership
they need to deal patiently with erring members. Ellen White counseled, “In the
fear of God, with much humility and sorrow for the erring, who are the pur- As we have seen earlier, soon after the death of the prophet John, many
chase of the blood of Christ, with earnest, humble prayer the proper officers early Christians abandoned the New Testament leadership model of elders
should deal with the offenders.”134 having the oversight of the local church, to a church leadership that centered
In this work the local elders were closely to cooperate with “traveling on the bishop as the head of the congregation while elders functioned as his
elders,” who were itinerant ministers employed by the conference. Mrs. White assistants. Similarly, shortly after the death of the prophetess and messenger to
commented, “Elders, local and traveling, are appointed by the church and by the remnant church, Ellen White, Seventh-day Adventists replaced the leader-
the Lord to oversee the church, to reprove, exhort, and rebuke the unruly and ship of the local elders with a minister- or pastor-centered leadership structure
668 669
in which elders functioned as his assistants. membership145 that had such an impact on the church that Ellen White blamed
We will now discover the reasons for this leadership transition. First we them for delaying the Second Advent.146 Toward the end of her life she even
will investigate the failure of elders and members to take their responsibilities charged members with repeating the “insubordination” of ancient Israel. She
seriously, then consider the acceptance of the practice of “settled pastors,” and wrote, “We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination
finally note the institutionalizing of the leadership position of the minister in many more years, as did the children of Israel.”147
the local church with the proportional decline of the authority of the elders. Thus both the failure of local church leaders as well as membership apathy
created a climate that was responsible for a change of the leadership structure in
Failure of Elders and Members the church.
God’s plan for local church leadership was not successfully implemented.
Elders and church officers failed to get members involved in the mission of the A Church in Transition
church. In exploring this problem, Ellen White asked herself the question, As long as the prophetic voice of Ellen White was heard, most Seventh-
day Adventist leaders followed the New Testament leadership model she had
What is the matter that the church elders and officers do not arouse endorsed. This meant that the local elder or elders were responsible for lead-
and seek with earnest prayer and determined effort to set the peo- ing the local church. The congregation elected them for a period of one year.
ple in the church to work? Are elders in these churches carrying any These elders were accountable to the local church for its prosperity. Every year
burden? Do they feel any care for the souls of the sheep of God’s their performance was reviewed and evaluated. If the members were pleased
pasture? Do they humble their heart before God and by faith lay with their leadership, they would be elected for another year; if they were not
hold on the grace of Christ and put away their sins and believe their pleased with their performance they were not reelected.
repentance is accepted before God? Have they piety? Have they From time to time “traveling elders”—ministers—visited these churches
devotion to God? Will the elders of the church, the officers of the and provided assistance with the training of church members. These traveling
church, draw nigh to God, will they now in probationary time learn elders worked in close cooperation with the local elders but were not “settled
the lessons of Jesus Christ and practice them until they shall ascend pastors” hovering over a congregation, except in some of the largest churches.
the high places of faith and command a clearer, more spiritual view The local elder presided over meetings dealing with the business of the church.
of the situation?142 As we have seen, Ellen White strongly opposed the trend toward “settled
pastors,” a model of church organization which existed among most Protestant
She bemoaned the fact that elders and other officers had not been suc- churches. Seventh-day Adventists were not to follow their example, for
cessful in providing opportunities for every member to get involved. She said Adventists were the remnant church of Bible prophecy—a prophetic move-
that it “has not been done in the past, and there are but few who realize how ment whose mission mandate was to prepare the whole world for the soon
much has been lost on this account.”143 return of Christ. They were not just another Protestant church that focused on
Another area where elders failed was in firmly grounding members in the nurturing its members and maintaining its presence in the community.
Advent message. Ellen White asked the probing question, “Have the elders and After the death of the prophetess, the voice that spoke most strongly
deacons of the church looked after the weak and straying ones? And have they against the ministers taking control or hovering over local congregations was
realized that the wavering are in danger of losing their souls? Have you tried silent. As a result of the failure of elders and members to live up to their
both by precept and example to plant the feet of the straying on the eternal responsibilities in the local church, a gradual change began to take place in
Rock?” To rectify this situation she called for “a decided need of reformation which the New Testament leadership model was abandoned and replaced by
in every branch of the work.”144 the “settled pastor” model. By having a paid “settled pastor” in charge of a
When looking at the failures of the local church leadership, we need to church or several churches, church officials seemed to feel that this would be
realize that the enthusiasm and burden for lost souls that inspired the early more beneficial than having ineffective elders in charge of the congregation.
pioneers had largely disappeared. A Laodicean condition had arisen among the The appointment of “settled pastors” had a dramatic impact on the lead-
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ership role of the elders in the congregation. With the minister as the most School superintendent; and the Missionary Volunteer leader; and where it seems
important leader in the organizational structure of the local church, the advisable, two or three other members chosen by the church.”154
church board, after the minister, became the decisive leadership voice respon- The composition of the board showed that the leadership authority of
sible for the direction of the local church. Now the influence of the elder was the elder was substantially reduced. However, the presence of the ordained
generally reduced to leading out in platform responsibilities, breaking bread at leadership on the church board was still substantial because all elders and dea-
Communion, giving advice to the church board, visiting members, and assist- cons were still members.
ing the local minister. Nearly twenty years after Mrs. White’s death, this change Regarding the nominating committee, the Manual stated that this com-
of the elders’ authority became institutionalized with the official adoption of mittee had no ex officio members. “The minister in charge of the church may
the first Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual in 1932.148 be chosen as a member of this committee, as his appointment to the church
does not rest upon any action by the nominating committee.”155 However, if
The First Church Manual (1932) the church did not elect him to the nominating committee, “his counsel
should be sought by the committee.”156
Transfer of the Elder’s Authority to That of the “Settled Pastor” The local church was still to elect the elder(s) but not the minister. A dis-
The Manual gave its blessings on the position of the “settled pastor,” a tinction between elders and ministers was made on the basis of the special gifts
concept so strongly opposed by Ellen White, and incorporated it into the orga- that the Lord gives to His church in Ephesians 4. Quoting the Spirit of
nizational structure of the local Adventist church. Now the minister, assigned Prophecy, the Manual read,
by the conference to the local church, took over the elder’s authority and
became the pastor and leader of that local church. The elder was still recog- God has a church, and she has a divinely appointed ministry. “And
nized as the highest official and religious leader in a local church where there He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
was no “settled pastor.” The Manual reads, “In the work and organization of and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for
the church, except where a local pastor has been provided by the conference, the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till
the office of elder stands out as the highest and most important.”149 “The local we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
church elder, in the absence of the pastor, is the religious leader of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of
church.”150 the fullness of Christ. . . .”157
The elder or elders of the local church now became assistants to the local
minister. The Church Manual declared, “In cases where the conference com- The conference committee called and appointed ministers, who, in turn,
mittee assigns an ordained minister to labor with a church, he should be con- were accountable to the conference.158 Because ministers received their creden-
sidered as the ranking officer, and the local elder as his assistant.”151 tials from the conference, they “are responsible to the conference, and not to
It is of interest that the minister as the highest officer in the local church any local church in the conference.”159
was not at all accountable to the local congregation but to the conference. The The Manual clearly spelled out the authority of the minister in the local
Manual stated, “The minister is responsible to the conference committee, and church: “On assignment to a local church as a worker or pastor, the ordained
serves the church as a conference worker.” By contrast, the local elder continued minister takes rank above the local elder or elders, and these latter serve as his
to remain “responsible to the church and the church board.”152 assistants.”160
The church board now became the important body for the governance of Regarding the minister’s role in the local church the Manual read,
the church. The elder was no longer its chairman; instead, the local minister was.
The Manual stated, “The minister serving the church regularly as pastor, usually By virtue of his ordination to the ministry he is qualified to function
acts as the chairman of the church board.”153 The church board consisted of the in all church rites and ceremonies, and should have charge of such
“pastor; the elder or elders; the deacons; the clerk; the treasurer; the missionary services. He should be the spiritual leader and advisor of the church.
leader, if other than the elder; the church missionary secretary; the Sabbath He should instruct the church officers in their duties, and counsel
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them in carrying them out, and in helping them to plan for all lines Women’s Ministries leader, Children’s Ministries coordinator, Education secre-
of church work and activity. By virtue of his appointment as pastor tary, Home and School Association leader, Adventist Youth Society leader,
he is a member of the church board, and serves as chairman.161 Pathfinder Club director, Adventurer Club director, Interest coordinator,
Communication Committee chairperson or Communication secretary, Health
Again the Manual emphasized, “Pastors or assistant pastors are not nom- Ministries leader, Stewardship leader, and Religious Liberty leader.166
inated or elected to such positions by the church. Their connection with the In comparison with the 1932 Manual, the presence of the ordained officers
church is by the appointment of the conference committee, and such appoint- has declined on the church board. In 1932 all ordained deacons and elders were
ments may be canceled at any time.”162 part of the board; now only the elder(s) and head deacon are board members.
Since the first Church Manual was issued, further changes have taken Furthermore, as a result of the expansion of the church board to a presence of
place that show an increasing influence of local ministers and the declining about twenty nonordained members, the influence of the elders on the church
authority of elder(s), as we will see in the most recent Church Manual. board has further weakened. If we keep in mind that each board member has
one vote, the voice of ordained elders has been so much reduced that motions
The 2000 Church Manual can easily be voted over the objections of the elders. This situation has had
The current Church Manual, issued about 70 years after the first, shows significant and serious consequences, especially when controversial issues are
an increase of the minister’s authority in the local church in comparison to the introduced that affect worship style, standards, and spirituality of congregations.
1932 Manual.
The minister serving the local church as a pastor continues to be the Effects of the Current Leadership Model on Local Elders
highest authority, while the elders are his assistants. The minister serves also as Over the years, quite a few Adventist ministers have visited and observed
the chairman of the church board, unless he requests the elder to function successful Protestant megachurches. Several of these ministers have tried to
temporarily in this capacity.163 pattern our worship forms after these megachurches in the hope that their
In addition to presiding over the church board, the minister’s influence churches would experience strong growth, attract more non-Adventists, and
on the church’s nominating committee has expanded. He now serves ex officio keep our youth from leaving the church.
as the chairperson of the nominating committee. Here his influence in the In many Adventist churches these drastic changes have met with resist-
selection process of the new officers can be substantial.164 ance, especially on the part of the elder(s). However, with the declining author-
The current Manual mentions the existence of a “board of elders” which ity of the elders, these changes could be introduced without much difficulty,
is described as a committee appointed by the church board.165 The authority of despite opposition from the elders. Except in large churches that have many
the elder(s) is reduced to that of an advisory role. When a church has a board elders on their church boards, in most churches the elders have a minority
of elders, the pastor generally functions also as the chairman of the board of voice on the church board. One elder’s vote is just as influential as the vote of
elders. an interest coordinator or a religious liberty leader. If the pastor would like to
All these changes indicate that since the death of the prophetic voice make substantial changes in the church, and he has the support of most of the
among Seventh-day Adventists, the minister has significantly increased his church board, the ordained elders have no way to prevent these changes.
influence in the local church by functioning as the chairman of the church Today, elders function simply as advisers, not as leaders, because they lack the
board, the board of elders, the nominating committee, and, generally, the authority. This leadership situation in which the majority of the church board
chairman of the committee to select the nominating committee. determines the direction of the local church is far removed from the New
Simultaneously, the authority of the elder(s) has drastically declined. Testament model of leadership.
Presently the Manual recommends that the church board consists of the In some large churches the local ministers have used strategies to reduce
following members: Elder(s), Head deacon, Head deaconess, Treasurer, Clerk, the number of elders on the church board so that elders are no longer able to
Personal Ministries leader, Personal Ministries secretary, Community Services oppose controversial changes in worship styles. In one large church the minister
and/or Dorcas leader, Sabbath School superintendent, Family Ministries leader, introduced the members to a proposal to make the church board more “man-
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ageable” by eliminating “deadwood.” This was done by restricting the elders who The Congregation
were allowed to vote on the board from 28 to 5, a more than 80% reduction. Each church wants its own minister and doesn’t really want to share with
Without even discussing the proposal with every one of the elders or obtaining other churches. Congregations that share ministers with two, three, four, or
their consent or input, the proposal was quickly introduced and approved by a more churches generally look forward to the time when they will be large
ballot vote on Sabbath morning between Sabbath School and church. At the next enough to have their own full-time minister who can devote all his time to
elders’ meeting, after having extensively discussed this action from a Biblical their own church’s needs. Then they would feel they have gotten something
perspective, the elders unanimously protested. They realized that taking away worthwhile for all the tithe they have submitted to the conference.
elders’ rights to vote on the church board was not in harmony with their leader- Many members also look forward to having a minister who regularly
ship position in the church as brought out in the Bible and the Church Manual. pays them personal visits. They also expect their minister to be responsible for
But there was nothing the elders could do because the church had already “offi- a steady growth of their church so that in the future they may expand their
cially” approved it. church facilities and build a larger church equipped with the latest technology
When the elders related their arguments to the minister, he did not and user-friendly sanctuary architecture.
address the Biblical arguments but referred to the Church Manual to justify Churches that already have a full-time pastor generally feel disappointed
this action. He pointed out that the Manual only stated that “elder(s)” were to when the conference announces that they have to share a pastor with another
be included on the church board but it did not spell out how many elders church. This means less pastoral attention.
should be included. To him this meant that the church had the right to limit
the voting power of the elders on the church board. This is an example of how The Local Elder(s)
a local church dispute was decided by using the Church Manual, without con- Today, in general, church elders are so used to having a local minister that
sulting what the Bible teaches about the role of elders. most elders have come to depend on ministers to do most of the work in the
When some of the elders contacted the conference, they discovered that church. They consider the minister a full-time worker who should do much of
this change in the leadership structure had received prior conference approval. the work of keeping the church in smooth running condition. Less pastoral
Such an incident is evidence of the lack of understanding of the New attention would mean that the elders would have to devote more time to the
Testament leadership role of the local elders. operation of the church. Being so used to ministers doing so much for the
These are a few examples of the powerful impact of the current leadership church, elders have frequently developed a lifestyle that is so involved with
structure of the local church on the authority of the elders. When the minister their own jobs, projects, and plans that there is hardly any time left for church
is in charge of the local church, he is the one who is most influential in deter- work. This may be a major factor in the low attendance of many elders at the
mining the direction of the church. This power has been used to benefit the elders’ meetings and church boards. The other factor may be a general lack of
church as well as to push agendas and dreams that did not take into considera- interest in church proceedings.
tion the voices of local elders, thus introducing controversy and tensions that Ministers who have tried to implement an elders’ visitation program have
have deeply divided churches and negatively affected their growth. learned from experience that this is generally ineffective because many elders just
do not have the time in their schedules for this type of work. And elders who
D. Challenges of Returning to the Biblical Model have time often feel that the minister is much more qualified to do this job, and
they defer the visitation to the pastor—after all he is paid to do the job.
The present leadership model described in the Church Manual is so
deeply entrenched in the minds of believers that it would not be easy to return The Ministers
to the Biblical model. Very few believers are even aware that during the twen- Many ministers enjoy being in charge of just one church. They do not rel-
tieth century Adventists have departed from Jesus’ model of local leadership. ish being responsible for several churches. Young ministers being placed in a
Let us now consider some of the possible obstacles to a return to the New district with several churches see it as the ultimate in pastoring when they are
Testament model of leadership structure in the local church. assigned to one church. They feel that in having one church they can really
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accomplish something great, without being distracted by caring for all the elders of these churches had proper training in the Spirit of Prophecy concepts
other small churches. of church leadership.
In the past, ministers stayed in their churches only a few years. The We must ask ourselves, Who was primarily responsible for inspiring these
rationale given for moving ministers more frequently was that each has churches to adopt a congregational model of organization and to break with
strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it was thought, moving pastors every few the Seventh-day Adventist Church? It was not so much the church members,
years would be good for churches. The next minister would bring different but charismatic Adventist ministers, who, deeply influenced by non-Biblical
strengths to the church than the previous minister, which would contribute to models of church leadership and church growth philosophies of the
a more balanced church development.167 megachurches, spearheaded the break with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
However, for some time now, through the influence of non-Seventh-day These ministers, who were conference employees, effectively influenced a large
Adventist concepts about pastoral ministry, the idea has caught on that it is portion of the membership, and, with its support, organized themselves into
better for the pastor to stay in a congregation for a much longer period to give independent “community churches,” and eventually adopted Sunday worship
stability to the congregation and the minister’s family and allow him to better celebration services.
execute his long-term plans for the church. Today, some ministers have suc-
ceeded in staying 10, 15, or even 20 years in one church. To return to the prac- Lack of Credibility of the Testimonies of the Spirit of Prophecy
tices of the Adventist pioneers who were committed to the New Testament One of the most significant obstacles to a return to the New Testament lead-
leadership model that has no “settled pastors,” may not be welcome news for ership model of church organization has to do with the perceived credibility of
most ministers. the counsels of the Spirit of Prophecy to the Adventist Church. Many may ques-
tion the validity of the inspired admonitions given over 100 years ago. No
The Conferences Seventh-day Adventist would doubt their applicability to the nineteenth century.
The current leadership model of “settled pastors” has advantages for con- But who would presume to advocate that these testimonies are still very much
ference leaders, one of the most significant advantages being that the confer- applicable to a church that struggles to adapt itself to a postmodern world?
ence has more direct influence over the local church because the minister Before taking any action, some leaders may be inclined to pass an opinion
answers to the conference, not to the church. survey around and see what others may think about the relevance of these testi-
Since the 1863 organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the monies today, but that would not be helpful. What we need more than ever is a
local church properties have belonged to the conference. Today, not only does careful study of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy to see what we can learn from
the conference own the church building, but because the minister is a confer- these counsels in the light of our past experience. We need to keep in mind that
ence employee, the conference is ultimately in charge of the local church. at the end of time very few will have any confidence in these messages. “The very
Which conference would be willing to give up this control? There may be a few last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit
conference leaders who might be interested in exploring options about return- of God. . . . Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different
ing to the days of the Adventist pioneers and the counsel of the Spirit of agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testi-
Prophecy, but most likely it may not appeal to the majority of the conferences. mony.”168 We should also remember the tragic consequences of such a deception,
In addition, conferences may fear that a return to a model of churches for “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV).
being under the authority of local elders may increase a trend toward congrega-
tionalism. In recent years several churches have left the Seventh-day Adventist E. Advantages of Restoring Jesus’ Model of Leadership
Church organizational structure and have become independent churches.
I would not deny that there might be some church members who might Aim for the Most Effective Model of Leadership
see the return to the New Testament leadership model as an opportunity to Many church members and leaders may seem satisfied with the organiza-
leave the conference’s family of churches and become a freestanding independ- tional structure of the local Adventist church as it is today. They may admit that
ent congregation. However, such a situation would be a remote possibility if the the way we do church at this time has its weaknesses, but so do other leadership
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models. They might say, “Why should we tamper with the present situation? Let the tendency to “become religious weaklings,”171 display a lack of the burden
us keep doing things as we are. We are too close to the Lord’s return. Going back for soulwinning,172 and are unable to take care of themselves.173 Indeed, “both
to the New Testament model would require such a large-scale and time-con- ministers and people lose much by following this method of labor.”174
suming plan of reeducation of the membership, ministers, and conferences, For the best interest of the congregation, therefore, the minister should
that it is not worth the effort.” devote part of his time to train the church members. This training should not
Today, when we hear so much about the need of good leadership and be limited to soulwinning. He should give proper training to elders and
leadership training, it becomes very obvious that Seventh-day Adventists deacons in how to give appropriate leadership in their respective areas of
ought to study God’s plan of leadership and investigate what He has revealed responsibility. In addition, he should educate the other church officers about
in the Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy regarding the most efficient lead- how to take care of the various ministries of the church. With proper training
ership structure for His remnant during the closing years of Earth’s history. in all the areas of church work, church leaders and members will be able to
In this search for the best leadership model it is not necessary to look to function without the constant care of a minister. When the minister leaves the
non-Adventist church organizations to discover the best insights on church local church, the congregation would be “obliged to bear responsibilities.”175
leadership.169 Adventists have had experience in church leadership and organ- This would result in members having to use their talents, which will improve
ization for more than 160 years, and it behooves us to reflect on how His Spirit through use in keeping the church functioning.176 Instead of calling for pas-
has led us until this day. A century ago the prophetess to the remnant wrote, toral help, church members should let “the life-giving power of the truth”
“In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to impress each member to do missionary work for the Lord in their own neigh-
our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, borhood.177
I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as Leader. We
have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord It is no longer pastor-centered.
has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”170 Church members know from experience what happens to a church when
This experience should be our experience as well after we have observed there is a change of pastoral leadership. In this transition period most congre-
how the Holy Spirit has guided our church toward the Biblical model of local gations are kept in a holding pattern; not knowing what the next minister will
church organization and leadership. We as a church need to have the best model do, they simply take a wait-and-see attitude. They plan no major evangelistic
and not settle for anything less than the best. In doing so we will receive the efforts. And while the elders are trying to keep the church functioning, every-
abundant blessing of the Lord and count on His continual guidance. Both one is looking forward to what plans and programs the next minister will
church leadership and members should reflect on what is the best and most introduce. This is the general pattern of pastor-led churches. Everything
effective leadership structure for the church. Only when we are willing to prayer- revolves around the local minister, and without his permission or initiative
fully engage in this investigation, will we be able to see the true value in Jesus’ very little goes on in the church.
model of leadership that He revealed to His apostles in the New Testament. With proper training of the congregation, this period of stagnation
would not happen. There would not be the needless interruption of the church
Advantages of the Biblical Leadership Model programs and the evangelistic thrust. The leadership of the local elder(s) in
In the counsels of the Spirit of Prophecy we have discovered that having close cooperation with the other church officers would continue the church’s
a “settled pastor” is not the best for the local congregation, the ministers, and activities.
the conference. We will briefly consider the advantages of the adoption of the Instead of calling for a minister to devote more time to their church,
Biblical leadership model on each of these three entities. members should encourage the minister to go and do evangelistic work while
the elders take care of their own church needs and its worship services.178
For the congregation . . .
It becomes self-sufficient. It brings greater stability now and in the future.
With a local minister in charge of the church, the church members have With a properly trained leadership of elders and deacons, the church
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would be able to embark on a stable and successful course. These elders and church functioning.181
deacons have roots in the community that provide stability for years to come.
Building a strong elder leadership in the local church is not only impor- He is to raise up new congregations.
tant for the growth and stability of the church today, but it is the best way to When the minister has trained and fully equipped the local church, he
prepare churches for the difficult days ahead when many will be faced with will no longer be vital to the maintenance of a church. He will then be able to
persecution, while participating in the loud-cry message of Revelation 18. In spend his time in soulwinning and establishing new congregations. These con-
the event that the communication lines with the local conference should be gregations in turn will have to be trained to exist without continued pastoral
interrupted, the local churches would still be able to continue their witness care, because the elders will do the nurturing and grounding of the members
without being seriously affected. into the truth.
Churches led by well-trained local leadership that is accountable to their As the Spirit of Prophecy has so eminently brought out, the task of min-
congregations makes them stronger than having a minister in charge who is isters should first and foremost be in the evangelistic mission of sharing the
not at all accountable to the local church constituency that he is leading. three angels’ messages with nonmembers. Second, in their remaining time they
Finally, a properly trained and stable elders’ team will protect the congre- may train church members to efficiently run their own church and be engaged
gation against radical changes by incoming ministers in worship style, music, in its mission. This means that ministers need to train the local church leader-
and congregationalism—all of which have affected so many churches. Only ship in how to give sound leadership to the congregation in the absence of a
when proposed changes have the approval of the majority of the board of elders “settled minister.”
should they be allowed.
For the conference . . .
For the minister . . . It becomes the source for church planting and evangelism.
He trains the congregation to be self-sufficient. Well-trained churches are a great advantage to the conference. They will
A minister is to be a trainer of the congregation. While “settled pastors” not demand from the conference a permanent minister. Having an under-
may be able to do a good work in training members to be soulwinners, that is standing of God’s leadership plan for the local church, congregations would
not all the training for which a minister is responsible. Effective training encourage ministers to do evangelistic work while they would take care of their
includes training the ordained leadership of the church—elders and dea- own church and its worship services.182
cons—to function as God intends, so they will be able to operate their church A congregation requiring a local pastor to hover over the church robs the
with success. The minister ought to train these leaders to teach the congrega- conference of a valuable worker who would otherwise be available for doing
tion to function without a “settled” minister or pastor. evangelistic work in unentered areas to establish a church.183
Unfortunately, this is a goal that very few ministers have in mind. A min- Any minister following the New Testament leadership plan will be a great
ister who leads a church year after year without training members to operate advantage to the local church and conference. Local churches will become
their church in his absence has failed in his responsibilities. Inspired counsel strong and able to take care of themselves, while conferences will get more of
notes that “unless they can stand alone, without a minister, they need to be their employees to be involved in soulwinnning and raising up new churches
converted anew, and baptized anew.”179 in unreached areas.
Ministers themselves are also to blame for weak congregations by being
overly protective. With the proper training, elders, deacons, other officers and It becomes a resource service and training center.
members should be encouraged to carry out their responsibilities. Then min- With local ministers training the churches to be able to take care of them-
isters can simply fade into the background, leaving the church alone to handle selves, the conference will have a growing pool of qualified workers who will
its problems while he goes on to evangelize new areas. This way the members be able to focus on evangelism and raising up new churches. Whenever a local
will have to carry out their own responsibilities.180 This would result in mem- church needs help, elders will be able to call upon this large pool of workers to
bers having to use their talents, which will improve through use in keeping the teach them how to deal with the challenges they are facing. Consequently, the
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conference becomes a powerful and indispensable resource service and train- approval, these church board actions should not be implemented. If a congre-
ing center for church growth and for developing strong and mature churches. gation does not approve of the performance of the elders, the members can
hold them accountable at the church business meeting. If members continue
Implementation to be dissatisfied, they can express their disapproval at the next annual election
The implementation of the New Testament leadership structure would of church officers by refusing to reelect the elders, and electing others in their
only be successful through a thorough process of reeducation of the conference place. In this way the Biblical model of leadership will be fully maintained—
leadership, its ministers, and the church membership with its elders, deacons, one that assigns to elder(s) chosen by the church members the spiritual lead-
and church officers. ership of the local congregation.
Conferences interested in adopting the Biblical model must, under the The implementation of this model becomes especially valuable in times
guidance of the Holy Spirit, find out which churches would be interested in of uncertainty and tight economical resources. A study of church growth in
making the transition, and which ministers are willing to have their ministry developing nations shows great successes in areas where ministers function as
shared between training churches and being involved in evangelism. Then a itinerant preachers over 10, 15, 20, or more churches. They have no time to
pilot program could be organized with an annual evaluation of the accom- hover over these churches, but are busy training the leaders of the local
plishments. This pilot program would give the conference the experience in churches as well as being engaged in evangelism.
how to improve future implementation in other churches.
Every year more and more churches would be able to participate in the Conclusion
adoption of the Biblical model until the whole conference has returned to
God’s plan for ministry in the remnant church. Our study began with describing the New Testament organization of the
The adoption of this leadership model will have a profound impact on local churches. The Jerusalem model of leadership that divided the responsi-
conference hiring policies. The model would demand that conferences employ bilities between elders and deacons, with elders having the oversight over the
ministers who are able to function in training church members and working church, was to be the organizational model for new churches to be established.
in evangelism. Conferences may develop ministerial training teams to work The Adventist pioneers adopted the New Testament model. Local elders
with the local churches, as well as soulwinning institutes where church mem- had the oversight of congregations and functioned as their pastors. Throughout
bers can receive specialized training by attending training seminars or work- the nineteenth century this model was maintained, with full support of the
shops in which the participants can be involved in a hands-on experience. Spirit of Prophecy. After the death of Ellen White the model was abandoned,
This kind of ministry would also demand a new model for ministerial and the “settled minister” took the local church leadership function of the elder,
training that is not patterned after the seminaries of other churches, but would who then became the minister’s assistant. With the introduction of a Church
be based on the mission-driven model of the New Testament, which follows Manual in 1932 this new leadership model became institutionalized.
Christ’s ministry; and the training He gave to His disciples, which focused on Subsequent manuals showed an increase of the influence of the minister over
proclaiming the Gospel through teaching, preaching, and healing (Matthew the congregation.
4:23; 10:1, 7, 8; Luke 10:1, 9). In the last part of our study we compared the New Testament leadership
At the level of the local church, every congregation should have a board model with the current model recommended in the Church Manual , and dis-
of elders made up of all local elders and chaired by the first elder, who is a first covered that there are substantial advantages to returning to the New Testament
among equals, working in close cooperation with the other elders. leadership model so strongly endorsed during the prophetic ministry of Ellen
Furthermore, the first elder should be the chairman of the church board unless White. It is still possible to restore the Biblical model of leadership in the church
he feels uncomfortable with this role. In that case, he would ask another elder today, when we take time to understand the beauty and wisdom of God’s plan
to function as chairman in his place. of leadership.
All church board actions affecting the spirituality of the congregation Undoubtedly, churches that go by the Bible value the testimony of Jesus
should have the approval of the majority of the board of elders. Without their through the Biblical gift of prophecy. They should be interested in studying
684 685
34 See, for example, E.G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5 (Mountain View, Calif.:
how they might restore the leadership model Christ so providentially gave to
Pacific Press, 1948), p. 617; ibid., vol. 2, pp. 620, 621; ibid., Ms. 104, 1901 and Ms. 67, 1900, in
His remnant church. A reformation of the leadership of the local church may
Manuscript Releases, vol. 5 (Silver Spring, Md.: Ellen G. White Estate, 1981), pp. 449, 450; Letter
be a powerful catalyst to encourage a mission-driven lay movement that would 164, 1902, in ibid., vol. 21, p. 98. See also E.G. White’s comments in The Seventh-day Adventist
contribute to the coming great worldwide revival of Revelation 18. Bible Commentary, Francis D. Nichol, ed. (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1954), vol. 2,
p. 1009.
35 J. White, “Gospel Order,” Review and Herald, Dec. 6, 1853.
36 Ibid.
Endnotes 37 Ibid. “Gospel Order,” Review and Herald, Dec. 20, 1853.
38 Ibid.
1 39 Ibid.
E.G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1940), p. 291.
2 40 J. White, “Conference Address, ” Review and Herald, October 15, 1861.
Ibid.
3 Ibid., The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1911), p. 89. 41 Ibid.
4 Ibid. 42 Ibid.
5 Ibid. 43 Ibid.
6 Ibid., pp. 88, 89. 44 Ibid.
7 Ibid., p. 89. 45 Ibid.
8 Ibid., p. 90. 46 Ibid.
9 Ibid. 47 Ibid.
10 Ibid., p. 91. 48 Ibid.
11 Ibid., pp. 91, 92. 49 Ibid.
12 “Elders,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, Siegfried H. Horn, ed. (Washington, 50 See also Russell Burrill, Rekindling a Lost Passion: Recreating a Church Planting
D.C.: Review and Herald, 1960); J.N. Loughborough, The Church, Its Organization, Order, and Movement (Fallbrook, Calif.: Hart Research Center, 1999), pp. 49-55; ibid., Recovering an
Discipline (Washington, D.C: Review and Herald, 1907), p. 129. Adventist Approach to the Life and Mission of the Local Church (Fallbrook, Calif.: Hart Research
13 See P. Gerard Damsteegt, “Shapes of Ministry in the New Testament,” in Mercedes H. Center, 1998), pp. 162-173.
51 J. White, “Go Ye Into All the World and Preach the Gospel,” Review and Herald, April
Dyer, ed., Prove All Things: A Response to WOMEN IN MINISTRY (Berrien Springs, Mich.:
ADVENTISTS AFFIRM, 2000), p. 142. 15, 1862.
14 Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians, Ante-Nicene Fathers, 1:51. 52 Ibid.
15 Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnians, Ante-Nicene Fathers, 1:89. 53 Ibid.
16 Ibid., 1:90. 54 Ibid.
17 E.G. White, Ms. 11, 1850, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 13 (Silver Spring, Md.: Ellen G. 55 Ibid.
56 G.I. Butler, “No Church Manual,” Review and Herald, November 27, 1883.
White Estate, 1981), p. 299.
18 J.N. Loughborough, Organization, p. 98; Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Early 57 Ibid.
58 The manual included the following topics: How to organize churches; duties of the offi-
Years, 1827-1862, vol. 1 (Washington, D.C: Review and Herald, 1985), p. 286.
19 E.G. White, Early Writings (Washington, D.C: Review and Herald, 1945), p. 97. cers of the church and their election; the ordination of elders, deacons, and ministers; reasons
20 Ibid. for the existence of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination; qualifications for membership,
21 Ibid. and admitting and transferring members; proper church discipline; how to disband a church;
22 Ibid. how to baptize and conduct the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and feet-washing; conducting
23 Ibid., pp. 97, 98. funerals, weddings, and the quarterly church business meeting; the issuing of credentials and
24 Ibid., p. 98. licenses; conferences and their delegates; the tithing system; the holding of church property and
25 Ibid., pp. 97, 99. making of wills; the use of proper parliamentary rules; the special gifts such as apostles,
26 Ibid., p. 98. prophets, teachers, ministers; the need of taking minutes and how to do them at each church
27 Ibid. meeting; and a statement of fundamental beliefs.
28 Ibid. 59 W.H. Littlejohn, “The S.D.A. Church Manual,” Review and Herald, June 5, 1883, p. 361.
29 Ibid., p. 100. 60 Ibid., “The Church Manual,” Review and Herald, June 19, 1883, p. 393.
30 Ibid., pp. 100, 101. 61 Ibid.
31 Ibid., p. 101. 62 Ibid.
32 Ibid. 63 Ibid., “Church Manual,” Review and Herald, June 26, 1883, p. 409.
33 Ibid. 64 Ibid.
686 687
65 Ibid. April 16, 1901.
66 104 Ibid.
Ibid.
67 Ibid. 105 Ibid., Ms. 150, 1901, in Evangelism, p. 381.
68 Ibid. 106 Ibid., Letter 56, 1901, in Evangelism, p. 382.
69 Ibid. 107 Ibid., “The Work in Greater New York,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, January 8, 1902.
70 Ibid., “Church Manual,” Review and Herald, July 17, 1883, p. 457. 108 Ibid., Letter 136, 1902, in Evangelism, p. 382.
71 Ibid. 109 Ibid., Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 18.
72 Ibid. 110 Ibid., pp. 18, 19.
73 Ibid. 111 Ibid., p. 19.
74 Ibid., “Church Manual,” Review and Herald, September 25, 1883, p. 618. 112 Ibid., p. 20.
75 Ibid. 113 Ibid.
76 Ibid. 114 Ibid., Letter 169, 1904, in Evangelism, p. 382.
77 Ibid. 115 Loughborough, Organization, p. 68.
78 Ibid. 116 Ibid., p. 132.
79 These persons were Ellen White’s son W.C. White, H. Nicola, J.H. Cook, S.H. Lane, O.A. 117 E.G. White, “The Workers Needed,” Review and Herald, June 30, 1904; ibid., Acts of the
Olsen, M.H. Brown, R.F. Andrews, J.B. Goodrich, A.S. Hutchins, and H.W. Decker. “General Apostles, pp. 525, 526.
118 Ibid., Acts of the Apostles, p. 94.
Conference Proceedings, Twenty Second Annual Session,” (Nov. 12, 1883), in Review and
119 Ibid., Ms. 59, 1900; ibid., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Francis D.
Herald, November 20, 1883.
80 W.C. White said, “She attended Com. Meeting on Church Manual & spoke well.” Letter, Nichol, ed., vol. 7 (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1957), p. 942.
120 Ibid., “Exhortation to Faithfulness to Church Members and Elders,” March 12, 1907,
W.C.W. to May Lacey, Nov. 13, 1883. See also Gil Valentine, “The Stop-Start Journey on the Road
to a Church Manual,” Ministry, April 1999. Ms. 43, 1907, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, p. 451.
81 In a sermon delivered at the 1883 General Conference she revealed similar sentiments 121 Ibid., Medical Ministry (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1963), p. 16; ibid., The
when she warned conference presidents to lean on God for wisdom, not on the president of the Faith I Live By (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1973), p. 315.
122 Ibid., Acts of the Apostles, pp. 527, 528.
General Conference (E.G. White, Gospel Workers [Battle Creek: Review and Herald, 1892],
123 Ibid., Ms. 59, 1912, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 4 (Silver Spring, Md.: Ellen G. White
p. 234).
82 “General Conference Proceedings,” Review and Herald, November 20, 1883. Estate, 1990), p. 279.
83 G.I. Butler, “No Church Manual,” Review and Herald, November 27, 1883. 124 Ibid., “The Church Must Be Quickened,” Review and Herald, January 17, 1893.
84 Ibid. 125 Ibid., “Ye Are Laborers Together With God,” Review and Herald, September 2, 1890;
85 Ibid. ibid., “God’s Means for Diffusing Light,” Review and Herald, December 19, 1912; ibid., Christian
86 Ibid. Service (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1947), p. 62.
87 Ibid. 126 Ibid., “God’s Means for Diffusing Light,” Review and Herald, March 24, 1891; ibid.,
88 Ibid. Review and Herald, December 19, 1912.
89 Ibid. 127 Ibid., “The Duty of Paying Tithes and Offerings,” Review and Herald, Dec. 17, 1889;
90 Ibid. ibid., Counsels on Stewardship (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1940), p. 106.
91 Ibid. 128 Ibid., Counsels on Stewardship, p. 106. See also ibid., “Honesty Toward Men and
92 Ibid. Toward God,” Review and Herald, December 1, 1896.
93 Ibid. 129 Ibid., Testimonies to Ministers (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1962), p. 305.
94 Ibid. 130 Ibid., p. 306; ibid., “Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers. No. 7” (1897)
95 Ibid. Special Testimonies , Series A, pp. 21, 22.
96 E.G. White, Gospel Workers, 1892, p. 238. 131 Ibid., Elder Daniels and the Fresno Church, 1890, Pamphlet 028, pp. 17, 18. See also
97 Ibid., “The Necessity of Connection with Christ,” Review and Herald, May 7, 1889. ibid., “A Consecrated Ministry,” February 13, 1890, Ms. 1a, 1890, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 5,
98 See also Russell Burrill, Rekindling a Lost Passion, pp. 52-62; ibid., Recovering an pp. 447, 448.
132 Ibid., Ms. 32, 1887, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 2 (Silver Spring, Md.: Ellen G. White
Adventist Approach, pp. 173-177.
99 Ibid., “Go Ye Into All the World,” Review and Herald, June 11, 1895. Estate, 1990), p. 127.
100 Ibid. 133 Ibid., Ms. 1, 1878, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 12 (Silver Spring, Md.: Ellen G. White
101 Ibid., “The Great Need of the Holy Spirit,” Review and Herald, July 23, 1895, in Estate, 1993), p. 113.
134 Ibid.
Evangelism (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1946), pp. 382, 383.
102 Ibid., Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 30 (1900), in Evangelism, p. 382. 135 Ibid., Letter 5, 1863, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, p. 296.
103 Ibid., “An Appeal to Our Ministers. Talk to Ministers,” General Conference Bulletin, 136 Ibid., “The Work in Michigan,” Ms. 3, 1890, in Sermons and Talks, vol. 2 (Silver Spring,
688 689
Md.: Ellen G. White Estate, 1994), p. 78. pleaded to remain one year longer in the same field,and frequently the request has been respected.They have
137 Ibid., Acts of the Apostles, pp. 196, 197. See also ibid., Sketches From the Life of Paul claimed to have plans for accomplishing a greater work than heretofore. But at the close of the year there was
(Battle Creek: Review and Herald, 1883), p. 70. a worse state of things than before. If a minister has been unfaithful in his work, it is not likely that he will
138 Ibid., “An Appeal to Our Ministers and Conference Committees,” (1892), Special mend the matter by remaining. The churches become accustomed to the management of the one man, and
Testimonies A, 01b, pp. 24, 25. think they must look to him instead of looking to God. His ideas and plans have a controlling power in the
139 Ibid., “A Message to Church Members,” Review and Herald, April 26, 1906. conference. The people may see that he errs in judgment, and because of this they learn to place a low esti-
140 Ibid., Letter 5, 1863, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, p. 296. mate upon the ministry. . . . Many are strong in some points of character, while they are weak and deficient
141 Ibid., “Testimony for the Battle Creek Church,” (1882), Pamphlet 117, p. 82. in other things where they should be strong. As the result, a want of efficiency is manifest in some parts of
142 Ibid.,“Missionary Work,” May 9, 1893, Ms. 20, 1893, in Manuscript Releases , vol. 5, p. 448. the work. Should the same man continue as president of the conference year after year, his defects would be
143 Ibid., “Ye Are Laborers Together With God,” Review and Herald, September 2, 1890. reproduced in the churches under his labors. But one laborer may be strong where his brother is weak, and
144 Ibid., Counsels on Sabbath School Work (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1938), so by exchanging fields of labor,one may,to some extent,supply the deficiencies of another”(Gospel Workers ,
pp. 161, 162. 1892, pp. 240, 241).
145 Ibid., “Camp-Meeting at Ottawa, Kansas,” Review and Herald, July 23, 1889; ibid., 168 Ibid., Letter 12, 1890, in ibid., Selected Messages, bk. 2 (Washington, D.C.: Review and
Ms. 51, 1901, in Selected Messages, bk. 1 (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1958), p. 92; Herald, 1958), p. 78.
ibid., “A Call to Repentance,” Review and Herald, December 15, 1904. 169 Ibid., Early Writings, pp. 124, 125. Here Mrs. White warned, “If God has any new light
146 Ibid., Ms. 4, 1883, in Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 69. Here she said, “It is the unbelief, to communicate, He will let His chosen and beloved understand it, without their going to have
the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have kept us their minds enlightened by hearing those who are in darkness and error.
in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.” “I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of
147 Ibid., Letter 184, 1901 (Evangelism, p. 696). mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young
148 The 1932 Church Manual contained the following topics: The plan of church organi- nor old should attend their meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach
zation; duties and responsibilities of church officers; church membership matters; church disci- error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The
pline; holding church properties, wills and annuities; Gospel finances; the minister and Gospel influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error,
worker; services of the church; Sabbath observance; marriage; and the fundamental beliefs. It we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is
comprised a total of 198 pages of text. displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends
149 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Church Manual (Washington, D.C.: us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1932), p. 23. not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the
150 Ibid. enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light
151 Ibid., p. 26. around us becomes contaminated with the darkness.”
152 Ibid., p. 26. 170 Ibid., Life Sketches of Ellen G. White (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1943), p. 196.
153 Ibid., p. 26. 171 Ibid., Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 18.
154 Ibid., pp. 162, 163. 172 Ibid., “Go Ye Into All the World,” Review and Herald, June 11, 1895.
155 Ibid., p. 67. 173 Ibid., “The Necessity of Connection With Christ,” Review and Herald, May 7, 1889.
156 Ibid. 174 Ibid.
157 E.G. White, Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 52, 53, in Manual, pp. 133, 134. 175 Ibid., Evangelism, p. 382.
158 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Manual, p. 136. 176 Ibid.
159 Ibid. 177 Ibid., “Work in Greater New York,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, Jan. 8, 1902.
160 Ibid., p. 137. 178 Ibid., Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 30.
161 Ibid. 179 Ibid., Evangelism, p. 381.
162 Ibid., p. 138. 180 Ibid., p. 382.
163 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, 181 Ibid.
rev. ed. (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald, 2000), pp. 49, 83, 137. 182 Ibid., Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 30.
164 Ibid., p. 144. 183 Ibid., “Go Ye into All the World,” Review and Herald, June 11, 1895.
165 Ibid., p. 31.
166 Ibid., p. 82.
167 In her address to the 1883 General Conference, Ellen White shared the light the Lord had revealed
on moving ministers more frequently, saying, “I have been shown that ministers should not be retained in
the same district year after year, nor should the same man long preside over a conference.A change of gifts is
for the good of our conferences and churches. Ministers have sometimes felt unwilling to change their field
of labor; but if they understood all the reasons for making changes, they would not draw back. Some have
690 691

Here We Stand: New Changes in Local Church Leadership

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Section 6

New Changes in Local

42. Have Adventists Abandoned the

A. The New Testament Model of Leadership

B. Adventist Pioneers Adopt the

C. Adventists Abandon the New Testament

D. Challenges of Returning to the

Relations Between Local Elders and Ministers The Function of a Minister

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