RELIGIOUS AND LIBERTY: The Aftermath of a Church Consultant: 2012

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Sunday, May 20, 2012

The Epic, Pt. 85

It’s been quite a while since we’ve had an installment of The Epic. Things have not been peachy-happy or warm-and-fuzzy at Takoma Park during the 19+ months since the events described by the last chapter, but the more recent developments have been gradual, smoldering points of concern rather than dramatic, stand-alone-story events. That being the case, it’s been difficult to decide whether to mention the various items or not. Most of them didn’t seem to warrant mention on their own, but together they paint a picture of Pastor DeSilva’s leadership when left to his own devises, so we’ve decided to now present them together.

In the fall of 2010 the chairman of the accountability council moved his membership from Takoma Park to another congregation in the area. The accountability council failed to meet for about five months after his departure. When it did finally reconvene, Pastor DeSilva had assumed the chairmanship. Takoma Park maintains a standing nominating committee for the express purpose of filling midterm vacancies such as this one, but Pastor DeSilva chose instead to usurp what should have been an elected, lay position. In doing so he proved what we have maintained all along—that the accountability council was merely a pawn for the accomplishment of Pastor DeSilva’s purposes rather than an independent body that could or would hold him accountable. A new lay chairman for the accountability council was finally elected during the regular election process for the 2012-2013 officer cycle.

It has now been more than 28 months since the trial contract for the minister of music expired on December 31, 2009. The accountability council still has not approved a regular contract for him. This means that the only basis for his continued employment at Takoma Park is Pastor DeSilva’s say-so—yet another example of Pastor DeSilva wielding executive authority that doesn’t belong to him.

At the spring 2011 business meeting, Pastor DeSilva proposed a new policy that would require any church member not elected to the church board who wished to attend a church board meeting to apply for that privilege at least 24 hours in advance. Furthermore, a maximum of three non-board members would be allowed to attend any particular meeting. The measure passed. This effectively ensured that Pastor DeSilva could never be surprised by the presence of individuals he didn’t want knowing about what he was doing; should any unwelcome ears apply to attend, he would have plenty of time to remove from the agenda anything he didn’t want them to know about.

There was a Sabbath School class that Pastor DeSilva had disliked for some time, so he convinced the board of elders that the class should be ordered to disband. (The publicly stated reason for this was that the class routinely ran late, which meant that the room they used, which also served as a secondary mothers’ room, was not immediately available to the mothers.) Procedurally, the appropriate thing to do would have been to make his case to the Sabbath School Council, which is responsible for the formation and dissolution of classes. The most probable explanation we can think of for this procedural deviation is that he felt he would find a more sympathetic audience with the elders than with the Sabbath School Council, but the reasons for the deviation (or even the deviation itself) are less significant than the result of acting on this vendetta. For many members of the disbanded class, the fellowship and spiritual support of meeting in that group were the only things left to keep them at Takoma Park. With the class gone, they left as well.

Also in the spring of 2011 the steeple of the Takoma Park Church suffered wind damage. The insurance company estimated the repair cost as being in excess of $100,000, and wrote a check accordingly. The steeple was fixed for only $13,000. What has become of the remaining $90,000 is a point on which Pastor DeSilva and the finance committee chairman have been queried repeatedly. Each time the question has been asked it has produced a great deal of hemming and hawing from the two of them, but never the same final answer. Early on it was said to have been applied to the general church budget. Another time it was stated that it was being held in a special fund because the insurance company wanted it back. Then it was asserted that $25,000 of it had been applied to the debt from the air conditioning replacement back in the summer of 2008. Some were told that $50,000 had been applied to the air conditioning debt. Later questioning produced the story that the money was to be kept rather than returned, but that none of it had or would be applied to the air conditioning debt because that was a loan with very low interest. There is still no clear picture of what has been done with this windfall.

Meanwhile, the church’s offering income for 2011 was so far below budget that the budget proposed for 2012 featured some rather noticeable cutbacks, including the salaries of the three employees paid directly by the church: the clerk, the maintenance worker, and the minister of music. Department budgets were also cut back. This has only added fuel to the questions regarding the $90,000.

Despite the financial cutbacks, early in 2012 Pastor DeSilva managed to finally fund one of his pet dreams for the church: to make the services available on DVD. (Previously, they were available on CD only.) As part of this, two 50-inch flat screen monitors have been attached on the left and right sides of the front of the balcony “so that the choir can see what’s happening on the platform from the front.” (Takoma Park’s balcony has a U shape, which places the two ends very close to the platform.) Pastor DeSilva now spends most of his time while preaching looking at himself in these monitors. In order to make the church appear full for these recordings, the balcony has been closed to attendees and everyone is escorted to seats at the front of the main floor.

This brings our Epic up to the present moment. We are hoping that this is not the final end of the story; if it were it would be a very dismal one indeed. We will describe further developments as they occur, but we cannot know when that will be. We thank you for your attention and your consideration of our thoughts and experiences. It is our hope that their recounting has been and will be a benefit to you.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Advice from the Spirit of Prophesy, Pt. 37

"The holy principles that God has given are represented by the sacred fire; but common fire has been used in place of the sacred. Plans, contrary to truth and righteousness, are introduced in a subtle manner on the plea that this must be done, and that must be done, because it is for the advancement of the cause of God. But it is the devising of men that leads to oppression, injustice and wickedness. The cause of God is to be free from every taint of injustice. It can gain no advantage by robbing the members of the family of God of their individuality or their rights. All such practices are abhorrent to God. . . .

"The high-handed power that has been developed, as though positions had made men gods, makes me afraid, and ought to cause fear. It is a curse wherever, and by whomsoever it is exercised. This lording it over God's heritage will create such a disgust of man's jurisdiction that a state of insubordination will result. The people are learning that men in high positions of responsibility cannot be trusted to mold and fashion other men's minds and characters. The result will be a loss of confidence even in the management of faithful men. . . .

"The spirit of domination is extending to the presidents of our conferences. If a man is sanguine of his own powers and seeks to exercise dominion over his brethren, feeling that he is invested with authority to make his will the ruling power, the best and only safe course is to remove him, lest great harm be done, and he lose his own soul, and imperil the souls of others. 'All ye are brethren.'

"This disposition to lord it over God's heritage will cause a reaction unless these men change their course. Those in authority should manifest the spirit of Christ. They should deal as he would deal with every case that requires attention. They should go weighted with the Holy Spirit. A man's position does not make him one jot or tittle greater in the sight of God; it is character alone that God values" (Letter 55, Sept. 19, 1895, to O. A. Olson).

"In our business connection with the work of God, and in handling sacred things, we cannot be too careful, to guard against a spirit of irreverence; never, for an instant, should the work of God be used deceitfully, to carry a point which we are anxious to see succeed. Honor, integrity, and truth must be preserved at any cost to self. Our every thought, word, and action should be subject to the will of Christ" (Gospel Workers, p. 447).

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Contend for the Faith

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

(Jude 1:3, 4, 12-25, NIV)

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Handling Conflict in Committees

We present for your consideration an article published by the Adventist Review a few weeks ago about handling the conflicts which inevitably arise from time to time in church committees.

To read, click here.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Have we covered everything?

Our regular readers will have noticed by now that we aren't posting as frequently as we used to. This isn't because we're losing interest in the subject; it's just that in three and a half years of posting we've said nearly everything we have to say. We have a few more items left to present, and--of course--this blog will continue to be available even after we have stopped adding to it. (We'll also still be answering emails.)

Before we entirely wind down, however, we'd like to know if there are any subjects our readers were hoping we would address that have not yet come up. If there are, or you simply have questions about something we've said along the line, feel free to let us know about these items either by email or in the comments. We will happily address all such subjects or questions before we're done.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

The Tools of Upper Management

What tools do the upper levels of the Adventist structure have to direct the course of the management levels below them?

Some believe the Church organization functions much like an army, and that the general can simply issue an order from the top to correct a situation anywhere within the ranks. Others also use the military metaphor, but they believe that the general may give directions only to his immediate subordinates, who then speak to their subordinates, etc., so that the direction eventually reaches the foot soldiers. Proponents of this view seem to believe that anyone down the chain of command who wishes to alter or negate an order along the way may do so (which rather destroys the metaphor since that isn’t the way military orders work). Neither view is especially accurate.

It is hard to find an analogy that perfectly describes Adventist structure, but to compare it to a corporation with locally owned franchises would come much closer to reality than a military comparison. Except for local congregations and divisions, each level of the Church organization is an independent legal body, with some things the higher levels of the organization can impact and others they can’t. As we saw in Our Roots, this arrangement is meant to facilitate the handling of local matters by local individuals who can be fully informed and involved in those matters and thereby free general administrators to focus on broader regional or worldwide matters. Unfortunately, it can also hinder action by general administrators in specific situations.

There are three tools that each level of the organization can use to influence the actions of the units of organization directly below it:

1. Providing counsel – the most commonly used tool, but it has the disadvantage that the counsel can be ignored. This item is self-explanatory—each level is supposed to talk to each other, coordinate their actions, and defer to the wisdom of those higher up in the organization. In practice, the leaders of a particular level may choose to ignore the counsel given, which is why we would classify this as a tool without teeth.

2. Administering election processes – intended to keep elections free of bias. The administering of election processes is accomplished by the president of the level above chairing the nominating committee when the subordinate level holds elections. In this role, the counsel of the president of the higher organization can carry great weight with the nominating committee and shape outcomes. This, then, would be a tool that does have teeth and is routinely exercised.

3. Expelling a unit from the Adventist Church – an extreme measure used only in exceedingly rare cases involving gross moral, ethical, or doctrinal violations by a substantial portion of the unit’s constituency. Expelling a unit would also be a tool that has teeth, but not one to be used for any but the very worst of situations. Since conferences and union conferences are legal entities apart from their membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, if expelled they would continue to exist as their own entities, though without the privileges of being part of the worldwide church.

These are the tools of the General Conference, divisions, and union conferences. These rather limited options (and the political capital that can be necessary to use them successfully) go a long way toward explaining why resolution of issues can take such a long time. An argument could be made that there is a fourth tool—money—depending on which direction the money is flowing (down to a poor lower unit or up from a wealthy lower unit). Aside from the double-edged nature of this tool, we are excluding it from the official list of tools because—unlike the other three—the granting or withholding of money is not sanctioned by Church policy as a form of influence.

The list of tools with which a conference influences local congregations is slightly different:

1. Providing counsel – as with the higher levels of the organization, congregations are supposed to counsel and coordinate with conferences in their actions. Also like the higher levels, congregations may choose to ignore the counsel given.

2. Hiring, assigning, and administering the work of pastors – as pastors set the tone in a congregation, control of the pastoral staff equates to control of the congregation. (It has become more common among large and wealthy congregations to hire additional pastoral staff with local funds, and these individuals would then answer to the congregation rather than the conference, but this scenario continues to be the exception rather than the rule.) This is the single most effective tool a conference has for managing the course of congregations—assuming they have the guts to use it. To put it bluntly, people pay attention to the will of the people or entity controlling their paycheck. If a pastor or pastors exceeding their authority understood from their conferences in no uncertain terms that failure to comply with certain boundaries would negatively impact their employment, there would most likely be a correction (or at least a show of correction).

3. Downgrading a congregation – usually a practical reaction to insufficient members or funding, but this action can also be taken as a disciplinary measure. Under the Adventist system of governance there are two classifications of congregations—the “church” and the “company.” A company is a smaller, usually younger, body that has not yet grown large enough to be a church in its own right. Companies are generally new plants made by nearby churches, and are overseen by those churches. When a company becomes a church it oversees its own affairs. It is within the power of a conference to make companies into churches, or churches into companies.

4. Dissolving a congregation – as with expelling an administrative unit, this is an extreme measure used only to address massive problems. Unlike expulsion of an administrative unit, a congregation whose collective membership is revoked ceases to exist and its assets are understood to be the property of the conference. (Members who are considered “loyal” may have their memberships transferred to other congregations, but the rest cease to have membership in the Adventist church should their congregation be dissolved. Who is considered loyal and who isn’t is a determination made by the conference.)

This greater range of options gives a conference much more flexibility (and leverage) to address issues that may crop up in the congregations they administer. Unfortunately, whether through disinterest, prioritization of the pastor’s well-being over that of the congregation, cowardice, or some other motive, it is rare to see a conference intervene in a troubled congregation.

The limits to what the higher organization is willing or able to do only serve to emphasize the importance of the membership using their tool for impacting the direction of their church—active and informed participation and voting in the business meetings of their congregations and larger constituent organizations.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Advice from the Spirit of Prophesy, Pt. 36

"There are some young men that say they have given themselves to the work, who need a genuine experience in the things of God before they are fit to labor in the cause of Christ. Instead of going without the camp, bearing reproach for Christ’s sake; instead of seeking the hard places, and trying to bring souls into the truth, these beginners settle themselves in an easy position to visit those who are far advanced in experience. They labor with those who are more capable of teaching them than they are of teaching others. They go from church to church, picking out the easy places, eating and drinking, and suffering others to wait upon them. When you look to see what they have done, there is nothing but leaves. They bring in the report, 'I preached here, and I preached there;' but where are the sheaves they have garnered? Where are the souls that have embraced the truth through their efforts? Where is the evidence of their piety and devotion? Those who are bringing the churches up to a higher standard, by earnest efforts as soldiers of Jesus Christ, are doing a good work.

"Too often the churches have been robbed by the class I have mentioned; for they take their support from the treasury, and bring nothing in return. They are continually drawing out the means that should be devoted to the support of worthy laborers. There should be a thorough investigation of the cases of those who present themselves to labor in the cause. The apostle warns you to 'lay hands suddenly on no man.' If the life is not what God can accept, the labors will be worthless; but if Christ is abiding in the heart by faith, every wrong will be made right, and those who are soldiers of Christ will be willing to prove it by a well-ordered life. There are many who enter the ministry, and their influence demoralizes the churches; and when they are rejected, they take their dismissal as a personal wrong. They have not Christ in the soul, as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.

"I want to exhort those who are in positions of responsibility, to waken to their duty, and not imperil the cause of present truth by engaging inefficient men to do the work of God. We want men who are willing to go into new fields, and to do hard service for the Lord. I remember visiting in Iowa when the country was new, and I saw the farmers breaking the new ground. I noticed that they had heavy teams, and made tremendous efforts to make deep furrows, but the laborers gained strength and muscle by the exercise of their physical powers. It will make our young men strong to go into new fields, and break up the fallow ground of men’s hearts. This work will drive them nearer to God. It will help them to see that they are altogether inefficient in themselves. They must be wholly the Lords. They must put away their self-esteem and self-importance, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. When they do this, they will be willing to go without the camp, and bear the burden as good soldiers of the cross. They will gain efficiency and ability by mastering difficulties and overcoming obstacles. Men are wanted for responsible positions, but they must be men who have given full proof of their ministry in willingness to wear the yoke of Christ. Heaven regards this class with approval" (Review and Herald, October 8, 1889, par. 7-9).

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Parts of the Whole

So what is the proper relationship between the individual church member and the church organization?

In exploration of this question we have presented the article series Gospel Order and several smaller items. In these we have seen that God chooses to work out His will for this world through the Church, and that order and organization are markers of God’s favor and leading. The exact manifestation of this organization will grow as needed to appropriately handle the growth of the Church. The Church, and the counsel it gives through its leaders, is a God-ordained safeguard against Satan’s attempts to deceive the judgment of individual members because there is strength in associating and counseling together. It takes work to maintain this unity, and the spiritual gifts are given to church members so that each may have their particular contribution to make in supporting and forwarding the work of the whole.

That said, not all can have preeminent leadership roles or there would be chaos; final decision responsibility must rest somewhere. Those who are chosen to take those leadership roles must use them to lead only in the direction of holiness and not seek to dominate those who follow them. Wise leaders will be open to and heed good advice from those around them. If and when disputes arise they should be decided by presenting the matters to representative higher bodies within the Church structure. Separation from the Church and established Church order is apostasy, not reform (barring extraordinary evidences that God is leading in the establishment of a replacement church, which has happened only three times throughout human history). Apostasy is also marked by attacks on Church structure, beliefs, and standards in a climate of deception, divisiveness, and personal attack.

The centrality of the Church in God’s plan is further emphasized by these statements from the Spirit of Prophesy:

“The church is God’s fortress, His city of refuge, which He holds in a revolted world. Any betrayal of the church is treachery to Him who has bought mankind with the blood of His only-begotten Son. From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth. In every age the Lord has had His watchmen, who have borne a faithful testimony to the generation in which they lived. These sentinels gave the message of warning; and when they were called to lay off their armor, others took up the work. God brought these witnesses into covenant relation with Himself, uniting the church on earth with the church in heaven. He has sent forth His angels to minister to His church, and the gates of hell have not been able to prevail against His people” (Acts of the Apostles, p. 11).

“During ages of spiritual darkness the church of God has been as a city set on a hill. From age to age, through successive generations, the pure doctrines of heaven have been unfolding within its borders. Enfeebled and defective as it may appear, the church is the one object upon which God bestows in a special sense His supreme regard. It is the theater of His grace, in which He delights to reveal His power to transform hearts” (Acts of the Apostles, p. 12).

To be effective in its purpose, the Church needs its members, “Every man is to stand in his lot and place, thinking, speaking, and acting in harmony with the Spirit of God. Then, and not till then, will the work be a complete, symmetrical whole” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, p. 293). Every person is important; every skill is needed. But what does it mean to stand in your lot and place? Do we find here support for the theory that Church leaders should be followed and supported without question?

“It is always safe to be meek and lowly and tenderhearted, but at the same time we are to be as firm as a rock to the teachings of Christ. His words of instruction are to be strictly heeded. Not one word is to be lost sight of. The truth will abide forever. We are not to place our trust in any lie or pretense. Those who do this will find that it has been done at the loss of eternal life. We are now to make straight paths for our feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way. When the lame are turned from safe paths, who is accountable but those who have misled them? They have set at nought the counsel of the One whose words are life eternal, for the works of deception originating with the father of lies” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 266).

Here we see that being a follower does not include unquestioning support. We are ever to maintain our own individual vigilance about the truth of what we believe and do. This is important not only for our own salvation, but for that of our fellow believers who draw strength and validation from our examples. “When the lame are turned from safe paths, who is accountable but those who have misled them?” Every member of a church community impacts others in that community. Leaders, by virtue of their position, certainly have the greatest impact. But even the lowliest member in the back pew influences others by their example and is accountable for that example.

“I was pointed back, and saw that in every important move, every decision made or point gained by God's people, some have arisen to carry matters to extremes, and to move in an extravagant manner, which has disgusted unbelievers, distressed God's people, and brought the cause of God into disrepute. The people whom God is leading out in these last days, will be troubled with just such things. But much evil will be avoided if the ministers of Christ will be of one mind, united in their plans of action, and united in effort” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, pp. 212).

Satan will attack the Church in any way he can, including leading members to carry good things to extremes that turn them into bad things. It is important to note here that the term “member” applies to everyone in the Church—laity and clergy. No one is immune from Satan’s attacks. The solution for avoiding this pitfall (and many others) is to lean on the collective wisdom found in the Church body; if the rest of the body cannot unite in one mind with you on a given matter, then the matter should not be pushed. This counsel is particularly directed at ministers. It is not enough for the laity alone to be seeking to act in unity with the plans of their leaders—the leaders must also be seeking unity of plan and action with their congregation, their fellow leaders, and the larger body of the Church. “Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.” (2 Cor. 1:24, NKJV)

How should a member express disagreement with the course of the Church, should such disagreement arise? Or should it not be expressed at all, and merely be suffered through? This is a point Ellen White directly addressed in a context where members were withholding funds in protest over problems in a conference:

“You who have been withholding your means from the cause of God, read the book of Malachi, and see what is spoken there in regard to tithes and offerings. Cannot you see that it is not best under any circumstances to withhold your tithes and offerings because you are not in harmony with everything that your brethren do? The tithes and offerings are not the property of any man, but are to be used in doing a certain work for God; unworthy ministers may receive some of the means thus raised; but dare anyone, because of this, withhold from the treasury and brave the curse of God? I dare not. … If the Conference business is not managed according to the order of the Lord, that is the sin of the erring one; the Lord will not hold you responsible for it, if you do what you can to correct the evil. But do not commit sin yourselves by withholding from the Lord His own property” (Sermons and Talks, Vol. 2, p. 74, emphasis supplied).

And again, “Some have been dissatisfied and have said: `I will not longer pay my tithe, for I have no confidence in the way things are managed at the heart of the work.’ But will you rob God because you think the management of the work is not right? Make your complaint, plainly and openly, in the right spirit, to the proper ones. Send in your petitions for things to be adjusted and set in order; but do not withdraw from the work of God, and prove unfaithful, because others are not doing right” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 249).

These statements are so clear on their own that they really don’t require any elaboration. We will simply emphasize that they provide the expectation that members with complaints can and should register those complaints and do everything in their power to correct them, while at the same time being faithful supporters of the Church in every way, including finances.

To conclude, the Church is God’s chosen instrument for reaching this fallen world, and individuals should not seek to pursue their Christian walk outside of it. (There may be special circumstances where extreme distance or other factors make participation with other believers temporarily impossible, but this is not God’s ideal.) The Church’s vitality is derived from the active contributions of its members’ skills, abilities, and perspectives. Each member should be content to do what God has given them the ability to do for the advancement of the work of the Church, without jealousy of another’s work or position. However, one task that belongs to every member is to seek and promote God’s truth, and warn those who are in error. The Lord tells us, “When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.” (Ezekiel 33:8, 9) For their own good, as well as the good of their fellow members, anyone detecting error should labor with the appropriate party or parties to correct that error, in the proper spirit of meekness and love.

“Love for Christ unites man to his fellow man in unselfish interest. This is the science of benevolence. He whose heart is filled with the love that centers in God, realizes that he must deal justly and tenderly with his fellow beings because they have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. Supreme love for God leads us to seek the highest good of humanity” (Review and Herald, June 25, 1908 par. 3).

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Gospel Order, Pt. 8

Divine Warnings Against Disorganization

The divine establishment of gospel order gave authority to appointments to oversight and direction in the work. The spirit in the church was one of counsel, and of deference to church order and government. The gift of “governments,” which is the gift of administration and organization, is one of the spiritual gifts. The apostle, writing from Italy to the Hebrew churches in Judea and everywhere, gave the exhortation: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account.” Heb. 13:17.
Again he wrote: “We beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.” 1 Thess. 5:12, 13.

Christ’s instruction regarding dealing with the erring shows that the visible church is a definitely organized body, not only having authority to maintain its unity and purity, but in duty bound to do so. Matt. 18:15-20; John 20:23. The spirit of prophesy says:—

Christ here gives no liberty for any man to pass judgment upon others. In the sermon on the mount he forbade this. It is the prerogative of God. But on the church in its organized capacity he places a responsibility for the individual members. Toward those who fall into sin, the church has a duty, to warn, to instruct, and if possible to restore. . . . Declare what God has said . . . If they persist in sin, the judgment you have declared from God’s Word is pronounced upon them in heaven. In choosing to sin, they disown Christ; the church must show that she does not sanction their deeds, or she herself dishonors her Lord. She must say about sin what God says about it. She must deal with it as God directs, and her action is ratified in heaven. He who despises the authority of the church, despises the authority of Christ himself. —“Desire of Ages,” pages 805, 806.

Before all the first apostles had passed away, the attack on the purity of the faith and the organization of the work had begun. The opposition of men who turned openly from the truth was not so deceptive and dangerous as that of those working from within. Hence Paul’s warning to the elders of Ephesus to take heed to themselves and to the flock, over which the Holy Ghost had made them overseers; for men were to arise from within, teaching perverse things, and seeking to draw away the people after themselves. Acts 20:28-30.

Later, as apostasy further developed, Peter warned against those who in the name of greater liberty, would lead to the bondage of error. 2 Peter 2:19. They were opposed to the order and organization which hindered their efforts to tear down. They “despise government,” he says, “Presumptuous are they, self-willed.” Verse 10. Jude wrote of them also as despisers of dominion, or government. “These be they who separate themselves,” he said. Verse 19. As they could not dominate the organization, they drew apart and sought to separate churches and individuals from the movement.

The apostle John, who wrote latest of all, in all three of his epistles, warned against these influences. Of one experience, in which the pastor or officer of a church asserted its independence of apostolic oversight, refusing to receive the laborers sent to minister to it, he says: —

“I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.” 3 John 9.

No doubt this advocate of the independence of the churches from the general oversight established, was loud in his denunciation of the effort of the organized body to preserve the unity of the work. He prated against the apostle “with malicious words,” and had the word been coined then, he would surely have called the apostles’ effort popery. Inspiration says that his real difficulty was that he loved to have the preeminence among them. This was the spirit of self-exalting independence and disregard of gospel order and organization which led straight on to the papacy.

In this brief review of New Testament order we see the church established on the platform of truth, the whole body bound together in unity, possessed of the divine spirit of organization, with spiritual gifts and local and general officers set in it for the administration and government of its affairs in harmony and fellowship.

Christ was the leader and commander, guiding by the voice of the spirit of prophecy, and by the spiritual gifts promised to the church as it seeks his counsel.

Isaiah describes how the farmer plans with system and order his work of tilling the soil; “for his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.” Isa. 28:26. The church is “God’s husbandry,” or “tillage.” 1 Cor. 3:9, margin. He who gives wisdom to the tiller of the soil to plan his work, is Counselor to the gospel church, to enable its work to be done with the system and order befitting its sacred character. “This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.” Isa. 28:29.

As was shown John in The Revelation, Christ himself walks among the seven candlesticks, the churches, and holds the seven stars, the messengers of the churches, in his own right hand. His presence and guidance are promised “even unto the end of the world.”

He has been the leader in this advent movement, and by the counsels of his Word and through the spirit of prophecy the divine principles of order and organization have been applied to present-day needs and conditions. Every principle in the organization of our work today is found in the Word of God. As one united people, let us devote all our powers to the finishing of the work.

W. A. Spicer

(Review and Herald, May 13, 1909)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

We Hold These Truths

This week we have something a little unusual to present for your consideration. On December 15, 1941 a special radio broadcast was carried on all the radio networks across the United States. This program was in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the addition of the Bill of Rights to the US Constitution. It was entitled "We Hold These Truths."

This program was part history and part entertainment, but it was also--and this is why we're featuring it--an exploration of the philosophy on which any democratic system of government must operate. The concepts it discusses are just as applicable to private organizations which run on democratic principles as they are to civil governments.

As you listen to this program please keep in mind that it is also a product of its time. Coming as it did just one week after the bombing of Pearl Harbor which plunged the United States into World War II, its conclusion speaks to the then-current world events with a distinctly militaristic flavor. We trust that all of our readers are mature enough to understand this context and not take offense.

You can follow this link to access an audio archive of this broadcast.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Gospel Order, Pt. 7

A Glimpse at the work Under the Apostle Paul’s Oversight

The apostle Paul’s commission to the Gentiles led him to the regions now known as the Levant and southern Europe. Associated with Paul were other apostles, as Barnabas and Appollos, with many evangelists and other laborers. But as the chosen apostle to the Gentiles, the responsibility of general oversight fell to him. He certainly had that spiritual gift of “governments,” so important in administering a work in which many are engaged. He was an organizer, as testified by every glimpse of his labors given us in the very brief record. His writings, more than any others, emphasize again and again the organic unity of the church of Christ, and the importance of recognizing gospel order and organization in gospel service.

As churches multiplied in all parts of his field, Paul was continually visiting them, or sending laborers among them, building them up in faith and unity. As the work grew, and particularly as disorderly and evil elements began to develop, it is plain from his epistles that the responsibility of his apostleship—bringing “the care of all the churches”—laid upon him a heavy burden. 2 Cor. 11:28. It was with him “daily.”

As the churches increased in the different provinces, those geographically located together were evidently grouped so as to act together as a conference of churches. Thus, “the churches of Galatia,” “the churches of Macedonia,” “the churches of Asia,” “all Achaia,” etc., were given direction by the apostle as to concerted action to be taken, or sent salutations to churches in other parts. When the general fund was to be made up for the Judean believers, Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “As I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.” 1 Cor. 16:1. The second epistle shows that this instruction was for the churches of “all Achaia,” of which province Corinth was the center. The churches were instructed to make up the gift, and to appoint representatives to go with it to Jerusalem. “Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send.” The Macedonian churches had the same instruction, and sent a representative, “chosen of the churches,” to join in carrying the bounty to Judea. 2 Cor. 8:19. Thus each group of churches acted in concert, as one provincial or state conference organization, and had their representatives appointed to look after certain work.

Again, we find Paul appointing ministerial laborers to the general oversight of provinces or conferences. Timothy was assigned to the province of Asia for a time, with instruction from Paul as to the ordering of the churches, the appointment of elders and deacons, and the care of the general interests of the churches grouped together in that province. See 1 Timothy. Titus was assigned for a time to Crete: “For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.” Titus 1:5.

As the one in charge of the work in Crete, Titus was asked to see that Zenas the lawyer and Apollos, when they should arrive, were sent forward on their journey, provided with means so that nothing should be lacking to them. Titus 3:13. Those were not the days of bank drafts and postal remittances; but the instructions to Titus, and other similar references, show provision of funds available for the conduct of the work. As Paul told the Corinthians, the Lord, who ordained men to the ministry of the temple in former times, had also made provision for their support, and “even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” 1 Cor. 9:14. They were familiar enough with the manner of supporting the Lord’s work in the former time, by tithes and offerings, and “even so” it was ordained that the work of the gospel should be carried forward.

While Paul acted with the authority of an apostle, called to the general oversight or “care of all the churches,” he assumed no arbitrary authority over any. “Not for that we have dominion over your faith,” he wrote, “but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.” 2 Cor. 1:24. Though evil men often represented him as self-seeking and arbitrary in his work, assuming authority not belonging to him, he was really servant of all. He counseled his associate workers, not as an overlord, but as a fellow laborer, a comrade in the common service. But, as some one must lead out in all associate work, there was a necessity in gospel effort for a directing supervision to keep all interests moving harmoniously forward. Hence ministers, like Mark, Timothy, Titus, Silas, Tychicus, Artemas, Crescens, and many others, were sent here and there, called to come and go, appointed to one field and then another, all responding as the loyal soldiers of Christ that they were. They recognized the increased efficiency given to their labors by organization and union of effort.

The unity of the world-wide work was provided for in the supervision of the committee of apostles, ordained to represent the whole church. Paul’s visits to Jerusalem to counsel with the other apostles, as well as his constant teachings, bear witness to his efforts to maintain union and co-operation between the churches in all the world. They were all members of the one body, Christ the head,—

“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Eph. 4:16.

The member is connected with the head only as it is a part of the body. Independent of the body, the hand or foot would be severed from connection with the head. The head can move the finger or the hand only as the finger or hand is united with the body.

The gifts of offices set in the church were to preserve the oneness and compactness of the body of Christ, the church, even after the first apostles had passed away. The churches were “set in order” by the appointment of proper officers. This was an important part of the ministerial oversight, and as Paul appointed Timothy to attend to this in Asia, and Titus in Crete, he gave instruction as to the qualifications of officers.

The elders were ordained to take “oversight” of the local church, not as “lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:3. Careful selection was also to be made in filling “the office of a deacon,” as assistants to the elders in the administration of church work. 1 Tim. 3:8-15. The work of deaconess was also recognized. Rom 16:1, R.V., margin.

The church was an organized body, officered and equipped for harmonious and concerted service, every member having his responsibility and individuality before God, while this very relationship to God bound the members together in sacred fellowship with one another.

W. A. Spicer

(Review and Herald, May 6, 1909)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Advice from the Spirit of Prophesy, Pt. 35

“The Lord God of heaven has chosen experienced men to bear responsibilities in His cause. These men are to have special influence. If all are accorded the power given to these chosen men, a halt will have to be called. Those who are chosen to bear burdens in the work of God are not to be rash or self-confident or selfish. Never is their example or influence to strengthen evil. The Lord has not given men or women liberty to advance ideas that will bring commonness into His work, removing the sacredness that should ever surround it. God’s work is to become increasingly sacred to His people. In every way we are to magnify the exalted character of the truth. Those who have been set as guardians of the work of God in our institutions are ever to make the will and way of God prominent. The health of the general work depends upon the faithfulness of the men appointed to carry out the will of God in the churches” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 264).

“Phariseeism in the Christian world today is not extinct. The Lord … desires His people to remember that there is a large space over which the light of present truth is to be shed. Divine wisdom must have abundant room in which to work. It is to advance without asking permission or support from those who have taken to themselves a kingly power” (Manuscript Release No. 1112).

“There have ever been in the church those who are constantly inclined toward individual independence. They seem unable to realize that independence of spirit is liable to lead the human agent to have too much confidence in himself, and to trust in his own judgment rather than to respect the counsel and highly esteem the judgment of his brethren, especially of those in the offices that God has appointed for the leadership of His people. God has invested His church with special authority and power, which no one can be justified in disregarding and despising; for he who does this despises the voice of God.

"Those who are inclined to regard their individual judgment as supreme, are in grave peril. It is Satan's studied effort to separate such ones from those who are channels of light, through whom God has wrought to build up and extend His work in the earth. To neglect or despise those whom God has appointed to bear the responsibilities of leadership in connection with the advancement of the truth, is to reject the means that He has ordained for the help, encouragement, and strength of His people. For any worker in the Lord's cause to pass these by, and to think that his light must come through no other channel than directly from God, is to place himself in a position where he is liable to be deceived by the enemy, and overthrown. The Lord in His wisdom has arranged that by means of the close relationship that should be maintained by all believers, Christian shall be united to Christian, and church to church. Thus the human instrumentality will be enabled to co-operate with the divine. Every agency will be subordinate to the Holy Spirit, and all the believers will be united in an organized and well-directed effort to give to the world the glad tidings of the grace of God” (Gospel Workers, pp. 443, 444).

“There are today many who pursue a similar course [as King Saul]. Like Saul, they are blinded to their errors. When the Lord seeks to correct them, they receive reproof as insult, and find fault with the one who brings the divine message” (Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 1014).

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Gospel Order, Pt. 6

A General Council, or Conference

As churches increased, it was just as essential that they should keep in fellowship with one another as that individual members in the local church should be united as one body. Independent teachers had gone out from Jerusalem to the regions of Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, teaching contrary to the faith of the body. The need arose for the churches to deal with the matter, and it was arranged that representatives, or delegates, should be selected to attend a council, or conference, at Jerusalem. Just as soon as believers multiplied in various places, so that all could not meet together in one place, the plan of delegate assemblies was introduced.

The brief record of this conference is found in Acts 15. It is summarized in the following words of the spirit of prophecy: —

The council which decided this case was composed of the founders of the Jewish and Gentile Christian churches. Elders from Jerusalem, and deputies [delegates] from Antioch were present; and the most influential churches were represented. The council did not claim infallibility in their deliberations, but moved from the dictates of enlightened judgment, and with the dignity of a church established by the divine will.— "Life of Paul," page 70.

Because it was an assembly engaged in God's work, there was all the more reason that its business should be done "decently and in order." Again the spirit of prophecy says: —

James presided at the council, and his final decision was, "Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God."

This ended the discussion. In this instance we have a refutation of the doctrine held by the Roman Catholic Church — that Peter was the head of the church. Those who, as popes, have claimed to be his successors, have no foundation for their pretensions. Nothing in the life of Peter gives sanction to those pretended claims. If the professed successors of Peter had imitated his example, they would have taken no authoritative position, but one on an equality with that of their brethren.

James, in this instance, seems to have been chosen to decide the matter which was brought before the council.— Id., pages 68, 69.

Because James was chosen as presiding officer, he was no more head of the general church than the presiding officer or elder of the local body of believers is head of the local church. The responsibilities of office in the work of the church, whether local or general, are not laid upon men as conferring lordship or headship over any, but as appointments to special service and leadership in the common work of the church. Christ is the head of every man, and the head of every church; because he is the head of the whole church, which is his body. Thus the plan of representative, or delegate, meetings was inaugurated: —

The entire body of Christians were not called to vote upon the question. The apostles and elders—men of influence and judgment—framed and issued the decree, which was thereupon generally accepted by the Christian churches. — Id., page 70.

The decisions of the conference were published by letter, and authorized representatives were furnished with credentials from the body to carry the word to those churches which had been disturbed by the work of the independent and self-appointed teachers. As the spirit of prophecy says: —

The four servants of God were sent to Antioch with the epistle and message, which put an end to all controversy; for it was the voice of the highest authority upon earth.— Id., page 70.

Paul and Silas went among the churches in Syria and Cilicia: —

"And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the truth, and increased in number daily." Acts 16:4, 5.

Others who went out from the conference must have done similar work elsewhere, for at the council there had been recognition and agreement as to assignment of general fields of labor. In behalf of the council, James, Peter, and John, upon whom the Lord had laid special burden for the work among the Jewish people, had given the right hand of fellowship to the apostles commissioned of the Lord to oversee the work among the Gentile peoples to the northward. Gal. 2:9.

We have this inspired record of the first general council, or conference, showing the church in council to establish harmonious action and co-operation among all the churches; while the churches truly connected with Christ, the head, recognized the united decisions of the conference as of authority, under the word of God, in order that harmony and unity might prevail.

But already there were springing up in the church those who sought to bring in separation and error. Their spirit was one of independence and anarchy. These were not ready to accept the decision of the conference. As the spirit of prophecy says:—

All were not pleased, however, with this decision; there was a faction of false brethren who assumed to engage in a work on their own responsibility. They indulged in murmuring and faultfinding, proposing new plans, and seeking to pull down the work of the experienced men whom God ordained to teach the doctrine of Christ. The church has had such obstacles to meet from the first, and will ever have them to the close of time. — Id., page 71.

These were the elements that led the way toward apostasy and the papacy. The papacy did not spring from any excess of zeal or loyalty to gospel order and recognition of the rightful authority of the church. It sprang from opposition to order and organization. It is the spirit that must have its own way despite the counsels of the Lord and of the brethren. Against every such influence that made for separation and division the Spirit of God ceased not to bear earnest testimony through New Testament times.

W. A. Spicer

(Review and Herald, April 29, 1909)

RELIGIOUS AND LIBERTY: The Aftermath of a Church Consultant

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