Ministry's commitment to serve ministers

Four years after the death of John Loughborough, the last of the early pioneers of Seventh-day Adventism, a brand new journal entered the Adventist scene. Loughborough would have loved it, for its perspective addressed precisely the issues, dilemmas, methods, and trials he faced during his early ministry.

The initial appearance of this 32-page, digest-sized publication in 1928 was by no means an easily accepted idea. Skillful "manipulation" and planning over a period of years preceded the establishment of The Ministry.

The process began in 1922 when Arthur Daniells, General Conference president from 1901 to 1922, was not reelected to the presidency. Chastened by his defeat, Daniells experienced a spiritual reawakening and when asked to guide the newly established Ministerial Commission (later called Association), he worked to instill within the ministry that which he believed he neglected as an administrator.

By 1926 Daniells was joined by Meade MacGuire, Mrs J. W. Mace, and LeRoy Froom. With his previous experience as editor of Watchman, Froom was the prime mover in establishing a separate periodical for ministers a move that resulted in its first issue in 1928. Until then the Review and Herald had been the chief medium of communication between the Association and the ministers.

Not long after the 1926 Session, Froom actively began to pursue plans for a ministerial periodical. Daniells seemed skeptical that General Conference officers would allow such a project: "I appreciate all you say about the need of a little paper, but LeRoy I have never gathered enough courage yet to half believe the GC Officers would consider the proposal with any favor."¹

Not until his retirement editorial in 1950 did Froom reveal to a general audience how Ministry came into existence. The question of expense initially seemed a formidable argument. After all, did a church with only 5,000 ministers need a separate journal for its pastors? Why not continue to communicate through the Review? And why risk lessening the circulation of the venerable church paper? Froom wrote:

"Clearly the moment was not propitious for such a journal. We said no more, but began to issue a comprehensive group of mimeograph exchanges one for evangelists, another for pastors, and still others for Bible teachers, gospel musicians, and sanitarium chaplains. These modest exchanges were well received. But as members of the several groups heard of the other exchanges, they requested to be listed for those as well. The supplying of these various groups with the different exchanges soon became such a large task---just as we had hoped---that the brethren agreed to a small printed exchange to take their place, available for all groups."²

In May and June of 1927 requests arrived from the Far Eastern and South American divisions for all the available mimeographed and printed leaflets produced by the Association. It became clear to the General Conference officers that publishing a monthly paper would save money. The question of a new periodical, perhaps to be named The Ministry, found its way onto the agenda for the 1927 Autumn Council.³

The new periodical

Delegates to the Autumn Council authorized the Ministerial Association "to is sue a printed monthly medium" to be known as The Ministry. It should address "the problems and needs of Bible workers, as well as ministers in their various capacities as evangelists, pastors, missionaries, executives, Bible teachers, chaplains, etc." Delegates made sure that the publication would "supplant the special leaflets and mimeographed documents" published by the Association. It was to be "the evangelical workers' own periodical."⁴

Besides a column focusing upon the minister's wife, Ministry published a column for women in full-time Bible worker minis try. In North America alone there were over 300 such conference-paid workers. After graduating from college, women received additional training to qualify for that branch of ministry. From 1941 until her retirement in 1958, Miss Louise Kleuser (the only woman to hold an associate position within the Association) guided the Bible instructors through Ministry. She elaborated upon the major role of women within the Seventh-day Adventist concept of ministry: "The Bible Instructor Credential certifies the highest recognition given the Bible instructor. It ranks higher than the Ministerial License....While we are not at present ordaining our sisters to the ministry, their service for Christ may well be publicly recognized by consecrating them to this holy office."⁵

Handling controversy and disagreement

Early issues of Ministry tackled traditional yet questionable theological positions. The August 1928 issue challenged the KJV reading of Revelation 22:14: "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life." Instead, the editor preferred the Revised Version rendering: "Blessed are they that wash their robes." While Froom knew this position would generate controversy (this particular contention lasted for over a decade), he editorialized: "If any argument used is unsound, it is time we found it out, for truth has nothing to fear and truth can never be overthrown."⁶

By October of 1928, Froom was preparing to address a very real dilemma faced by the ministers. Pastors were supervised by conference and departmental officials who were extremely goal oriented. It was customary during this period for a major portion of Sabbath School and church time to be absorbed by promotional matters. While the Association "has of course been cautioned very definitely" about discussing issues of "policy and executive features," he hoped that a reform would allow the "evangelical" ministry to "come to the forefront in its proper place."⁷

In May of 1931 the Ministerial Association became more closely aligned with the General Conference administration when, upon the retirement of A. G. Daniells, C. H.

Watson, the General Conference president, became chairman of the Association. Vice president I. H. Evans became secretary and joint editor of The Ministry with Froom. The work of the Association, including publication of The Ministry, was to occur "in closest conjunction with the President of the General Conference and his executive staff." All GC officers were appointed as special contributors to Ministry.⁸

Watson reported to General Conference officers, September 30,1931, that he had admonished Froom "about certain articles recently appearing in The Ministry which seemed to reflect upon the leadership." No doubt one such was Froom's "To Creedalize or Not to Creedalize," in the October The Ministry, just off the press. Froom decried the administrative move toward "an official statement of belief, a confession of faith, or creed, as variously phrased, though in the ultimate these expressions mean but one and the same thing." He looked back to pioneer days when "there was no hesitancy about candidly examining the positions submitted by a brother believer." Early periodicals published divergent views, and "there did not seem to be a haunting fear, in those days, of disintegration through frank, honest discussion of differences." Why was there such a "creedal" push today? asked Froom. Because we have abandoned the earnest research and study habits of the pioneers. What has caused this to happen? "In the development and expansion of our work a deepening financial and quota pressure has come upon men, with an accumulation of detail and a draft upon time which have unavoidably altered the study life of the ministry."

"Beware of the adoption of a creed," Froom warned. "Crystallizing and codifying the truth received, it drives its stakes. It becomes static, rigid, orthodox, and looks askance, if not with hostility, upon any advance study by men as loyal and true as the ultraconservatives who ultimately control in a situation of that kind. This leads to repression and a kind of odium, if not actual persecution, of those in whose being burns the spirit that animated the pioneers in their search for ever increasing light and truth."⁹ There seemed strong consternation about such a warning at the time the initial Church Manual and a 22-point statement of Fundamental Beliefs were on the horizon.

Surviving the Depression

Troubles for The Ministry were just be ginning. By 1932 the worldwide economic depression created severe cutbacks through out the denomination, and a survey com mission recommended cuts at General Conference headquarters. This commission recommended The Ministry be issued quarterly rather than monthly and that in con tent it focus more upon "the spiritual life of the worker," "promote active evangelism and encourage all of our workers to preach earnestly the old fundamental doctrines." In addition, it should become more active in supporting the financial programs of the church as tithing, offerings, Christian temperance, laymen's missionary work such as Harvest Ingathering and Big Week under takings and a more general literature ministry. The Ministry should "entirely avoid the discussion of debatable questions of doctrine and theology." ¹⁰

Discussion of the report at the Spring Meeting brought an even more restrictive position: the discontinuance of The Ministry. A suggestive line appears in the May 1, 1932, minutes of the General Conference officers: "Agreed that C. H. Watson and I.

H. Evans talk with L. E. Froom concerning his future work." Apparently after this meeting, the officers agreed to continue The Ministry "at least until the world representatives at the [forthcoming] Autumn Council may finally determine its future."

Charles Watson, in the December 1932 The Ministry, informed readers of the precipice that the publication had faced. He joy fully headed his center-spread article, "The Ministry continues as a Monthly." He dis cussed the economic cutbacks and the earlier Spring Meeting: "At first it was thought that this publication should not be continued. Word to that effect reached some of our ministers, from many of whom ear nest protests against discontinuance were received."

As reaction from the field continued, the proposal to eliminate The Ministry was not even presented to the Autumn Council. "Instead," said Watson, the idea of a quarterly publication was brought forward. And then, "at a wider representative gathering of the committee, action was finally taken to con tinue the monthly publication of this valuable periodical." "Many of our leaders expressed high appreciation of the service which this journal has rendered within the ministry of our church, and made strong appeal for the continuance of its regular monthly issue."¹¹

Continuing the heritage

Editors would continue to be called on the carpet for such reasons as publishing that the German political situation in 1935 was a "German madhouse." In 1938 the editor moaned: "Pressure is put upon us periodically to open this unique medium of direct access to all workers for propaganda. We could very easily and fatally fill its pages with plans and urges for this campaign and that, various worthy enterprises and programs." ¹²

In 1942, Ministry criticized the music training offered ministerial students as in adequate for evangelistic programs and received a reprimand from the General Conference officers. In 1944 the General Conference officers instructed the editor to print no further articles on biblical chronology until the "research committee" investigated the subject. ¹³

In 1948, the officer group, because of a protest from the GC treasurer, sent a few officers to reprimand the editor for an article that calculated how much time was taken up during the Sabbath School and church service (including sermon) of a particular church on promotional items rather than worship. ¹⁴

In the mid-1970s, inauguration of the PREACH project brought another series of issues to the forefront: how to appeal to ministers of other denominations and still retain the confidence of the most conservative readers of Ministry. By this period, Ministry was more widely read by laypeople. Introduction of the letters to the editor section meant Ministry assumed accountability to all its readers as well as to administration.

Readers reacted strongly when Ministry published on such topics as revelation/inspiration, "homosexual healing," ordination of women, abortion, church standards, and the sanctuary. Editors wondered "Does the Church Need a Loyal Opposition?" and "How Candid Should Ministry Be?"¹⁵

Issues faced by the first editor of The Ministry would indeed resurface through out its 70-year history and will no doubt continue to emerge. Yet none can question that the Seventh-day Adventist Church and perhaps other churches are better off be cause of the publication of Ministry.