The Seventh-day Adventist Church is facing challenges to its authority, according to a presentation given this morning to delegates and guests at the church’s quinquennial business meeting in St Louis. The fact that more than an hour was scheduled for discussion of the topic indicates the level of concern that the church has on this matter.

In his address, Angel Rodriguez, directof of the church’s Biblical Research Institute, said that among these challenges to the church’s authority were: corruption, unbalanced influences from certain regions of the world, difficulties in obtaining consensus, the growth of parallel and competing organizational structures, and the sidelining of minorities.

Setting out the church’s understanding of authority, Rodriguez said that the church’s power comes ultimately from God, but that it should be used in the same way that Jesus used his divine authority—for the benefit of others. He also emphasized that God’s authority “cannot be separated from its embodiment in the Bible, through which he continues to reveal Himself.”

Rodriguez also touched on the sensitive area of the role of the Spirit in church authority, and the writings of Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the church and who Adventists believe was given a prophetic ministry early in the life of the church. These writings, Rodriguez said, “should seriously inform and illumine the use of [the Bible’s] authority in the life of the church today.”

In order to guard against the abuse of authority, Rodriguez said Adventist leaders should focus on three key areas: message, mission and unity. While the message and mission of the Adventist Church does not seem to be under threat, unity is perhaps more vulnerable. It is “the unity of the church ... that enables the global church to speak with one voice to the world,” he said.
Reacting to the presentation, delegates from the floor confirmed that authority, its use and abuse, is a live issue in the church.

Juan R. Prestol, a treasurer in the church’s North America region, was concerned about how to “confront institutional corruption when the usual avenues for dealing with it are closed.”

Flavia Rwabuhoro Kabahenda was worried about powerful people putting their own interpretation on church policies and influencing leaders.

Sal Nwachi Okwubunka, from the West-Central Africa region, spoke of how women were being held back by the unfair wielding of authority by male elders who didn’t like the success the women were having in their ministry. “How can pastors control the power of elders?” she asked.

A quick survey among other Adventists, also at the meetings but not speaking from the floor, confirmed that there is widespread concern on this issue. Asked whether he felt that the church was in danger of losing its authority, Gregory Woodard from Florida said, “Yes, there’s a lot of criticism of leadership—too much I think. People want their leaders to meet certain expectations—if they don’t, they get critical. Moses was criticized for 40 years but he was just following God’s leading. We should respect our leaders as being appointed by God. The church would be stronger if the members respected their leaders.”

Audrie Cumberbatch from New York said she was not surprised that the church was facing challenges because they were the work of Satan. “The nearer it gets to the coming of Christ the worse things will get,” she said.
But the picture is not as bleak for the Adventist Church as it might seem. The fact that leaders had publicly admitted to the challenges to its authority was well appreciated by delegates and guests alike.

Valentine Onwubuariri from West-Central Africa thanked Rodriguez for presenting the subject so well and asked, “How can we get this to the grass roots? This should be part of the curriculum for our colleges and schools.”

Saintil Brice, from the Inter-American region, agreed. “Leaders should make plans to integrate these values into our educational system,” he said.

Some like, Joycie Lao from Texas, said in comparison with many other churches the Adventist Church is remarkably united and its leaders command an enviable degree of respect from its members. “The system is very good. The Holy Spirit is guiding and the leaders are doing what the Bible teaches,” she said.

*Jessie Breyer and Angelika Grozdic contributed to this story.