An Aspect of the Church Manual
by Pr Grant Lottering
The Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual stresses the importance of church organization on a biblical basis, founded especially on the practice of the New Testament church, and considers organization most important in order to accomplish its mission. But what form of governance does the Seventh-day Adventist Church use?
Millard Erickson in his systematic theology titled Introducing Christian Doctrine, speaks of four models of church governance.
The first is the episcopal model in which authority resides with the bishop. The episcopal model varies in its complexity ranging from the simplest form, which is practised by the Methodist Church which has only one level of bishops, to the more hierarchical structure used by the Roman Catholic Church in which authority is vested in the supreme pontiff, the bishop of Rome, the pope.
The second is the presbyterian system which also places authority in a particular office, but with less emphasis on the individual office bearer, using rather a series of representative bodies which exercise the authority. This system, followed by the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches, has their decision-making at a session or meeting of the local churches, which in turn elect leaders to constitute higher administrative units. A general assembly would bring together representatives from all levels of organization.
The congregational model stresses the role of the individual Christian and places the highest authority with the local church. Churches who practise congregationalism include the Baptists, Congregationalists and Lutherans. This model practises autonomy, which means they are independent and self-governing and no external entity can dictate or prescribe to them, and democracy, which means every member in the church has a say in its matters.
The fourth and final model is the nongovernment model used by the Quakers. This models believes that the Holy Spirit will guide individuals and therefore does not require any structure to direct their affairs.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church uses the presbyterian form of church governance. The Church Manual (2022:28) puts it as follows:
The Seventh-day Adventist form of governance is representative, which recognizes that authority rests in the membership and is expressed through duly elected representatives at each level of organization, with executive responsibility delegated to representative bodies and officers for the governing of the Church at each separate level.
Ellen White, too, affirmed this model and wrote:
Every member of the church has a voice in choosing officers of the church. The church chooses the officers of the state conferences. Delegates chosen by the state conferences choose the officers of the union conferences, and delegates chosen by the union conferences choose the officers of the General Conference. By this arrangement every conference, every institution, every church, and every individual, either directly or through representatives, has a voice in the election of the men who bear the chief responsibilities in the General Conference.—8T 236, 237.
