The Times of Volume Seven
Volume 7 was published in late 1902, only about two years after the
issuance of volume 6; but in those few months epochal advancement
was made, especially in the reorganization of our denominational
work
.
In 1863, some thirty-eight years earlier, the general conference had
been organized, with six local conferences, all in the United States.
There had then been thirty ministers, ordained and licensed, serving
3,500 church members and 125 churches. There were no Seventh-
day Adventist schools or sanitariums, and only one denominational
publishing house
.
Each succeeding decade had marked a doubling of church mem-
bership and employed laborers, and the beginning of new lines of
endeavor. By the turn of the century the work had grown to world
proportions. The statistical report for 1900 shows that literature was
being issued in thirty-nine languages from thirteen publishing houses
and branches. Five hundred ordained ministers, with a thousand other
workers in various branches of denominational endeavor were serving
66,000 believers, holding membership in 1,892 churches. These were
grouped in forty-five local conferences and forty-two local missions.
In Australia and also in Europe the local conferences were newly knit
together in Union Conference organizations
.
With the development of the publishing work, and with the in-
ception of the medical and educational interests and the beginning
of Sabbath School work, autonomous organizations had been formed
to care for these branches of the cause. There were the International
Sabbath School, Medical Missionary, and Religious Liberty Associ-
ations, besides various publishing and educational associations. The
foreign mission work was managed by the Foreign Mission Board.
Although the interests of these various organizations were interrelated,
yet each served as a separate distinct body with headquarters offices
[4]
widely separated over the United States. As for the Foreign Mission
Board office, New York City was chosen because of the advantages of
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