A Review of The Historical Roots of the Union Conference Organizational Structure in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Inter-Structural Accountability

Room S215

In recent years, a debate regarding the inter-structural relationship of each level of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has grown to the point where it can be polarizing without sufficient context. This paper looks at some of the historical data related to the 1901 reorganization in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It evaluates the historical roots from which the Seventh-day Adventist Church developed union conferences, why they were needed, and how they related to the General Conference shortly after their formation. Discoveries made include: (1) The Seventh-day Adventist Church was a pioneer in the way that union conferences were organized;(2) the reason why the reorganization was necessary was to reach the world more effectively by minimizing the obstacles caused by the limitations and abuse of the centralized decision making of a few leaders; (3) there appears to have been clear intention that union conferences would remain accountable to the General Conference on matters of policy; and (4) union conference autonomy was built on a foundation of bilateral trust which was necessary for the Church to press forward in its mission.