"I've Had You Adventists All Wrong"

"It was an unusual experience to share so much in a seminar sponsored by another denomination."——Lutheran pastor.

By the ministry staff.

 

PICKING UP his telephone a few weeks ago, an Adventist pastor in Ohio recognized the voice of a non-Adventist clergyman on the line, but he could hardly believe what he was hearing. "That was the most moving spiritual experience of my whole life in the ministry," the clergyman enthused. "I've had you Adventists all wrong. Please let me apologize for the critical attitude I've shown toward your theology. I under stand you much better now."

The "moving spiritual experience" the clergyman-caller referred to involved the P.R.E.A.C.H. pilot project's first Ministers' Monday Seminar held in the Adventist church at Kettering, Ohio, on March 21. The experience alluded to was no accident, but came to him as a result of months of preparation by Donald G. Reynolds, Ohio Conference president, and his staff, along with the editorial staff of THE MINISTRY. The prayerful, detailed planning, aided by the very evident blessing and presence of the Holy Spirit, accomplished all that the planners had hoped for. Typical of the reaction at the meeting itself was the statement of one clergyman who, in expressing his appreciation for the pro gram, added, "I never realized before that Adventists fully believe in the teaching of righteousness by faith."

Sixty-six clergymen of other faiths joined sixty-five Adventist pastors from the Ohio Conference and other workers, including the three MINISTRY editors, for a session that lasted from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon. The Kettering Medical Center staff outdid themselves in preparing a noon buffet luncheon served in the Fellowship Hall of the Kettering church. Many of the attending clergymen who had never be fore sampled a vegetarian meal re turned for second and third helpings.

Raoul Dederen, of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, set the tone for the day with his presentation on the basic underlying issues behind the current evangelical dispute on the inspiration of the Bible. A lively discussion followed, under the skillful moderating of Donald Reynolds. Other major presentations during the day included Herald Habenicht's pointed lecture on the clergyman and his health and Stuart Nevins' slide presentation on "Fossils, Sedimentary Rocks, and Noah's Flood." A spirited discussion led by Robert H. Brown of the Geoscience Research Institute followed. Oliver Jacques and Winton H. Beaven of the Kettering Medical Center and Kettering College of Medical Arts welcomed the clergymen and presented a vignette of the purpose and mission of the Kettering Center.

The Ministers' Monday Seminar grew out of our conviction that sending THE MINISTRY magazine every other month over a two-year period to twenty-five thousand non-Adventist ministers is not enough. Something more was needed to establish a personal contact with those who had been reading the journal.

One major benefit from the follow-up program is the fact that many Adventist pastors participated in inviting hundreds of non-Adventist ministers to attend the seminar. Although in many cases this contact was brief, it made an impression on those who were invited, and those extending the invitations caught the vision of reaching out to these shepherds of the "other sheep" not in the Adventist fold.

For too long Seventh-day Adventist ministers have kept to themselves, often associating only with their own kind, and through preoccupation or timidity have neglected to contact ministers of other faiths. If as Seventh-day Adventists we have a unique message for the world, as we believe we do, we ought to be willing to share it with leaders of other faiths. Simply attending community ministerial association meetings is not enough. These leaders should be confronted with the message in the most attractive and most direct way possible. In no way should this appear to be an effort on our part to force our peculiar and particular beliefs upon anyone, but rather an honest and forthright way to call their attention to the points of belief which they actually hold in common with us. It is from this vantage point that we can then further introduce them to God's special truths for these last days.

We are firmly convinced that in this pilot seminar a positive impact was made on a majority of the non-Adventist ministers who attended. We made friends with these men as we talked with them. There was a freedom throughout the entire session that we think was an evidence of the blessing of God. One of our ministers who traveled a long distance with two of his non-Adventist clergymen friends reported that on their return trip he had "the best time in his life" talking with them. Communication, openness, and frankness are absolutely essential among people who have many common goals and responsibilities, and we believe that these seminars are one important way of bringing this openness about.

Nearly all the non-Adventist clergy men who attended the seminar were favorably impressed with the Adventist approach, and their response might be summed up in the words of a Lutheran pastor who wrote the editors a few days after the seminar: "Dear Christian Friends: The Seminar at Kettering was most meaningful and worthwhile for me. I thank you for the kind invitation and hospitality. I must say it was an unusual experience to share so much in a Seminar sponsored by another denomination. It has made me appreciate His church even more."


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By the ministry staff.

June 1977

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