"From the endless variety of plants and flowers," says Ellen White, "we may learn an important lesson. All blossoms are not the same in form or color.... There are professing Christians who think it their duty to make every other Christian like themselves."
This counsel is particularly applicable to the current debate on ordination of women to the gospel ministry, a subject that most people have a definite opinion on. People on both sides speak passionately to the issue. Thus it was that the delegates to the 1994 Annual Council awaited with eager anticipation the speech of Alfred C. McClure, president of the North American Division (NAD).
NAD in a special session just prior to the Annual Council voted the following recommendation: "To request the Annual Council to refer the following action to the General Conference session for consideration: The General Conference vests in each division the right to authorize the ordination of individuals within its territory in harmony with established policies. In addition, where circumstances do not render it inadvisable, a division may authorize the ordination of qualified individuals without regard to gender. In divisions where the division executive committees take specific actions approving the ordination of women to the gospel ministry, women may be ordained to serve in those divisions."
Church loyalty
McClure rose to introduce the North American Division recommendation. McClure made it clear that their request came out of support of the world church, not defiance. He said: "The North American Division is very much a loyal part of the world church. We believe in and are committed to unity. We are every bit as committed to the mission and unity of this church as we are pleased to see evidenced in other parts of the globe. We do not wish to cause a problem or embarrass or divide the body of Christ. We abhor that which would bring dishonor upon this church that we love.
"We are not, in any way, trying to throw our weight around—after all, 10 percent of the world membership could hardly be considered a heavyweight. We are in no way a bully and do not wish to be perceived as one. We are not suggesting that our support of the world church is hostage to a positive decision on this issue. We do not believe that it is proper conduct for a part of the family. If we are denied this request, we will do our best to continue to be a responsible part of the world family and carry our share of the financial load that we have been blessed by the Lord to provide."
The NAD president then made it clear that NAD was not planning any kind of unilateral action. "We are not about to rebel or do our own thing and defy the will of the body. I assure you that I am a servant of this church and will do all in my power to keep us together. If we were determined to have our own way regard less of the consequences, we would not be here with a request. We would simply be informing you of our decision. But that is not our position.
"This is not an ultimatum, but rather a heartfelt appeal for understanding and recognition of what we see as a peculiar need."
Church diversity
McClure then went on to point out the diversity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church—that it is made up of many different cultures. He stressed that the core doctrines of the church and the fundamentals are nonnegotiable and universal. However, church practice—the ecclesiastical areas—can differ from country to country. There are universal principles given Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy, but their application can differ from place to place. There must be unity, but that need not necessarily mean uniformity.
Why this request
McClure stated that an ordination precedent had already been voted by the Annual Council 10 years previously. The 1984 Annual Council voted that in divisions, in which it was acceptable, women could be ordained as local elders. "Voted,
1. To reaffirm the Spring Meeting action on the General Conference of 1975 Role of Women in the Church (GCC75-153).
2. To advise each division that it is free to make provision as it may deem necessary for the election and ordination of women as local church elders" (Annual Council Minutes, [1984], p. 48).
This was not the first time that the issue had been addressed. The 1974 Annual Council voted "to request the President's Executive Advisory to also arrange for further study of the election of women to local church offices which require ordination and that division committees exercise discretion in any special cases that may arise before a definitive position has been adopted" (Annual Council Minutes, [1974], p. 14).
Since that time hundreds of churches in the North American Division have elected and ordained more than 1,000 women as local elders. McClure then drew four lessons from this experience:
1. A precedent had been set.
2. It has not caused a significant problem for those parts of the world in which the practice is not followed.
3. It has allowed North America and some other countries to address serious needs for the accomplishment of their mission in their territory.
4. There is no turning back. One can not unordain 1,000 women and tell them they can no longer serve as local church elders. It would stretch credibility and a sense of fairness.
Theological concerns
McClure then dealt with theological issues. He candidly admitted that this had troubled him for some time. It troubled him even more that the church theologians could not agree on this issue. More than 20 years have passed since the subject was first studied, and theologians still cannot agree. However, the church crossed the theological bridge when it allowed women to be ordained as local elders. It seems illogical to allow women to be ordained as local elders, calling it scriptural, and at the same time deny them pastoral ordination and cite scripture against it.
For more than 20 years the church has been encouraging women to accept calls into pastoral ministry and attend seminaries for further training. McClure went on: "What kind of message do we send to young women who wish to respond to the call of God when we welcome them to professional training where they sit in classes with male peers who in a few years are afforded full recognition of their calling while they [the young women] are made to feel inferior by less than full approbation by their church?"
There are now at least 25 women serving in pastoral positions in North America, with another 25 serving as chaplains in health-care institutions. Women have been granted all the privileges of ordained ministry except the organizing of churches and the ordaining of others. The church even recognized them further by creating a new set of credentials especially for them.
The future
McClure made it clear that it was time to go either forward or backward. It was untenable to remain as they were. North America has not taken any action out of harmony with the world church. It has applied all the actions of the Annual Councils consistent with policy. Because it has done this, it now finds itself in a position many see as discriminatory, unethical, and even immoral. People ask why women and men performing the same functions cannot receive the same ordination. There is no defensible answer to that question. McClure then concluded with this powerful appeal:
"We, therefore, come to you with a request for your understanding and help. We appeal to you, our brothers and sisters of the world church, to try to listen, to put yourselves in our place, and to see why we are making this request as we seek, not to bring divisiveness and disunity, (is the Adventist Church really so fragile as to be shattered by this issue?), but to empower people for mission.
"Ellen White put it well when she said: 'Not a hand should be bound, not a soul discouraged, not a voice should be hushed; let every individual labor privately, or publicly, to help forward this grand work,' [Review and Herald, July 9, 1895]."
This request of the North American Division was then voted by the Annual Council for consideration at the General Conference session at Utrecht.
This special issue of Ministry
What is ordination, anyway? Dr. V. Noskov Olsen, former president of Loma Linda University, traces the theology and history of ordination from the Old Testament to the Reformation. He clearly shows that separation between clergy and laity is foreign to the New Testament. The Reformation gave us salvation by grace alone, and made a start on the priesthood of all believers. Many believe that a new reformation is needed that will abolish the artificial distinction between ordained and unordained and show that all of us are called to minister, all are called to witness, all are called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the church today God has placed different spiritual gifts, of which pastoring is one gift. Each person is to exercise their spiritual gifts for the building up of the body without reference to rank. Read "Called to be a Minister" on page 11.
Kit Watts, assistant editor of the Adventist Review, traces the rise and fall of Adventist women in leadership on page 6. Did you know that at one time 20 out of 60 conference treasurers were women? In 1915 approximately two thirds of the 60 educational leaders and more than 50 of the 60 Sabbath school leaders were women. Before the turn of the century three of the General Conference treasurers were women. One woman even served for a time as acting conference president. Hers is a fascinating article.
The big question is How do we arrive at unity without requiring conformity? How do we make decisions when there are strong differences of opinion? "The Jerusalem Council: A Model for Utrecht?" by Andrew Bates (page 18), provides a compelling case study on how the early church grappled with and resolved similar thorny issues. Graeme S. Bradford then illustrates from Scripture and early church and Adventist history how change has occurred and how, to paraphrase Ellen White, what was not present truth at one time may be present truth at this time.
James Cress, General Conference Ministerial Association secretary, dis cusses the pain of change in his Pastor's Pastor. J. David Newman, editor of Ministry, then describes some principles of how to act when you don't get what you want. How do you accept decisions voted democratically that you might not agree with?
In all this discussion we must never lose sight of one great truth—Jesus Christ. He is the truth, the way, and the life. Without Him we are nothing. We are here to share Jesus and to win everyone that we can to Him. The church exists for only one purpose, to lift up the cross of Christ, and to cooperate with God in evangelizing the world. The best decision that we can make at Utrecht should be the decision that will help evangelize the world more effectively.
