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Preface
xxvii
pared to read the publications who have formerly had no interest to
investigate.’”—
The Review and Herald, August 19, 1851
.
The Call for Church Organization
But with these new opportunities, and with a larger number of
people accepting the message, a few discordant elements came into
their midst. If these had not been checked, the work would have
been greatly injured. But here again we see the providence of God
in guiding his people, for on December 24, 1850, in a vision given
to Ellen White, she tells us:
“‘I saw how great and holy God was. Said the angel, “Walk
carefully before Him, for He is high and lifted up, and the train of
His glory fills the temple.” I saw that everything in heaven was in
perfect order. Said the angel, “Look ye, Christ is the head, move
in order, move in order. Have a meaning to everything.” Said the
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angel, “Behold ye and know how perfect, how beautiful, the order
in heaven; follow it.”’”—Ellen G. White
Manuscript 11, 1850
.
It took time to lead the believers generally to appreciate the
needs and value of gospel order. Their past experiences in the
Protestant churches from which they had separated led them to
be cautious. Except in those places where the practical need was
very evident, fear of inviting formality held the believers back from
church organization. It was not until a decade after the vision of
1850 that more mature plans for organization were finally effected.
Undoubtedly a factor of primary importance in bringing the efforts
to fruition was a comprehensive chapter entitled “Gospel Order,”
Published in the
Supplement to the Christian Experience and Views
of Ellen G. White
. This appears in this work as pages 97-104
.
In 1860, in connection with the organizing of the publishing
work, a name was chosen. Some thought that “Church of God”
would be appropriate, but the sentiment prevailed that the name
should reflect the distinctive teachings of the church. They adopted
“Seventh-day Adventist” as their name. The following year some
companies of believers organized themselves into churches, and
the churches in Michigan formed a State conference. Soon there
were several State conferences. Then in May, 1863, the General