p. 8 | ORGANIZATION by James White

Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Thursday, June 24, 1880

FromAdvent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 56, No. 1

ORGANIZATION

By James White

THE S. D. Adventists are said to be the most thoroughly organized Christian people known. The General Conference is acknowledged by them as their highest church authority. The General Conference Committee is supposed to have the general supervision of all our work, embracing our local institutions and our missions at home and abroad.

The work has become very extensive, and the members of the General Conference Board are all active laborers in the several branches of the work, burdened with labor and borne down with care to an extent which we have no language to express. It is evident that we are laboring to occupy more ground than our comparatively feeble forces can occupy well. We have too many printing houses and too many missions. These all call for our best men and a large amount of means, and we find ourselves not only overwhelmed with work, but standing under an accumulating weight of debts demanding an amount of interest on hired capital which we dare not name.

For several years we have seen the crisis coming, and have protested against the ruinously low prices of our publications. We have seen that it was unavoidable that our leading missionaries, Elders Andrews, Matteson, and Loughborough, should be well supported, if absolutely necessary, from our American treasuries. And if other help should be sent to Europe, it should be single young men, who, rather than to draw from our American treasuries, could, by strictest industry and economy, sustain themselves in the European field. We had this in mind when we recommended the brothers Bronson to go to their native country. In all such important matters too much haste in the effort to keep pace with the apparent urgency results badly. The Bronsons should have waited to attend our General Conference before going to Europe. They were the very men for that field—young, single, and strong to endure any hardships and privations for the truth’s sake. But when these matters are taken out of the hands of the General Conference Committee, that Committee should not be held responsible for the results. As chairman of that Committee, we resolve to give our first attention to these general matters of first importance, and take time to look after these things with a mind not wearied and distracted with a hundred other matters of less importance. And if not sustained in our efforts, we shall appeal to those who have, by their vote, called us to this work.

Our dear missionaries should bear this in mind, that the Lord of the harvest never gets in a hurry; therefore never gets matters confused. If men are to be employed for any field under the sanction of the General Conference; if the Executive Board is to become responsible for these matters, that Board should be allowed ample time to consider all important matters pertaining to the cause, and freedom to make its decisions in the fear of God.

And if our system for raising means for the cause, to pass through the general treasury under the supervision of the Committee, be the right system, all the friends of the cause should act to the point of maintaining the system.

We are grieved to learn that there is dissatisfaction on the part of some of our Scandinavian brethren in Wisconsin in reference to the support of Elders Matteson and Jasperson, now in Norway and Denmark. Eld. Matteson has charge of that mission under the supervision of the General Conference. All communications relative to that mission should be between Eld. Matteson and the chairman of the American Board. Whatever may be his wishes and requests on the subject of means, they shall be granted until matters shall be investigated, either by a delegate from this country to that, or at the next session of the General Conference. May God pity the cause, and help his servants who are standing under the responsibilities of too much work, and the pressure of financial embarrassments. He will help us out of present difficulties when all are willing to patiently toil and manifest that industry and economy which characterized those who first led out in this great work.

J. W.