Government of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Part of a series on
Seventh-day Adventism
James and Ellen White

Background and history
Christianity · Protestantism
Anabaptists · Restorationism
Pietism · Millerites
Great Disappointment
Fundamentalism · Evangelicalism

People
Ellen G. White
James White · Joseph Bates
J. N. Andrews · Uriah Smith
J. H. Kellogg · M. L. Andreasen
Edward Heppenstall

Distinctive teachings
Sabbath · Conditional Immortality
Historicism · Premillennialism
Investigative judgment · Remnant
Three Angels' Messages
Eschatology

Criticism
Criticism of Ellen White

Other Adventists
Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement
Davidian SDA (Shepherd's Rod)
Advent Christian Church
Church of God General Conference

This box: view • talk • edit

The governance (polity) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is based on democratic representation, and therefore resembles the Presbyterian system of church organization. The organizational structure of the church consists of the following levels:

  • The global church is called the General Conference.
  • The General Conference is composed of 13 divisions.
  • Each division is composed of union conferences (100 total).
  • Each union conference is composed of local conferences (555 total).
  • Each local conference is composed of local church districts. These are generally ministered to by one pastor each.
  • Each local district can contain one to many local churches (congregations). In the United States, these numbers tend to be smaller (2-4 churches per district, perhaps), while in most of the worldwide church, the numbers tend to be larger (5+ per district and per pastor, sometimes as many as 15 or more).

Each level of organization holds a "general session" at certain intervals, when elected representatives gather to vote on general decisions and church business. The president of the General Conference, for instance, is elected at the General Conference Session every five years.

At the local churches, decisions are made by elected committees through vote of members. The day-to-day running of churches is governed by a church board formed by members of that church, together with the pastor of that congregation.

In contrast to congregational polity, the conference corporation owns church property, employs and pays ministers, and receives tithes from members. In contrast to episcopal polity, the ministers or pastors are a single level of ordained clergy and there are no bishops; elders and deacons are lay ministries.

A 2002 survey of Adventists worldwide showed three quarters "affirm the structure, polity, and financial policies of the church."[1]

Contents

[edit] Global Church offices

Main article: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

[edit] General Conference President

Main article: List of Presidents of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

A President is elected at the General Conference Session every 5 years. Presides over the Executive Committee.

[edit] General Conference Secretary

[edit] Division President

[edit] Local Church offices

There are a number of church offices that are elected by the church body as specified by the Church Manual. Positions must be filled by baptised members who attend regularly and the position is held for a 12 month term, except in special circumstances where the church chooses to elect offices once every 24 months. Offices are never elected permanently, although persons my be reelected.

[edit] Pastor

The most prominent church office is that of the pastor or minister. Adventists believe that pastors are divinely called to ministry and they are ordained by the church for their ministry. The position of church pastor is not elected by the local church, but rather appointed by a local conference. Adventists believe in clerical marriage and not a celibate priesthood. Women may serve as ministers, however they may not be ordained as pastors. In the majority of cases the pastor works with the head elder of the church and is responsible for guiding the church's spiritual direction, chairing the church board and leading out in services.

[edit] Elder

Working with the pastor in the local church is the elder who is appointed by the local church and ordained by the local pastor. Female elders may also be ordained. The elder is seen as a religious leader in the local church and is able to conduct ordinances. The elder, or elders in some cases (who are led by a "head elder"), is largely responsible for the running of the church and the distribution of responsibility in the church.

[edit] Deacon

The deacon, like the elder, is an elected and ordained role. The deacon's primary roles are the assistance in running of services, the visitation of members, the care of the sick and the maintenance of church property.

[edit] Deaconess

The deaconess holds a similar position to a deacon, however no provision is given for their ordination. The duties of a deaconess are very similar to the deacon, with particular emphasis placed on assistance in running services and the care of the sick.

[edit] Church Clerk

The clerk is an elected position, and is responsible for the keeping of church records. The clerk facilitates the addition and removal of members from church records at the request of the church and helps with the generation of church reports to be presented to the conference.

[edit] Treasurer

The treasurer is an elected position responsible for the keeping of church funds. The treasurer is responsible for keeping accounts and the safeguarding of the money.

The officially endorsed abbreviation of "Seventh-day Adventist" is "Adventist", not "SDA".[2]

[edit] Critique

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

Critics of Seventh-day Adventist church governance have frequently pointed out that the denomination has a superfluity of church structure, and spends a great deal of its resources maintaining four levels of administrative structure—a structure which is frequently redundant, and per member costs more than that of any other Protestant denomination.[citation needed] Meanwhile local churches may struggle for funds. Pastors named to denominational positions beyond the local congregation may achieve a virtual sinecure in administrative posts, some of which have few defined duties. Members' appeals for the denomination to simplify its structure have generally been poorly received, resisted by leaders in administrative posts, and others hesitant to change established tradition.

George Knight has argued for change.[3]

Raymond Cottrell has argued for a truly international General Conference with an independent North American Division.[4]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Three Strategic Issues: A World Survey", p7,8. Presented to the General Conference Annual Council on 7 October, 2002. Accessed 2008-04-24
  2. ^ Use of the Church Name. Seventh-day Adventist Church. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
  3. ^ Proposals for Structural Change by Harold Lee
  4. ^ "The Case for an Independent North American Division" by Raymond Cottrell. Spectrum. Old url:[1]

See also:

  • Organizing to beat the devil: The development of Adventist church structure by George Knight
  • SDA Organizational Structure: Past, Present, and Future by Barry D. Oliver. Andrews University Press (publisher's page)

[edit] External links