Appendix C—Exhibits Relating to the Ordination of
Women
From the Lifetime and Experience of Ellen G. White
A paper presented at the ministerial meeting at the 1990 General
Conference session. Prepared by the White Estate staff
.
1. A resolution to ordain women was discussed at the General
Conference of 1881. No action was taken. The minutes include the
following lines:
“Resolved, that females possessing the necessary qualifications to
fill that position may, with perfect propriety, be set apart by ordination
to the work of the Christian ministry
.
“This was discussed by J. O. Corliss, A. C. Bourdeau, E. R. Jones,
D. H. Lamson, W. H. Littlejohn, A. S. Hutchins, D. M. Canright,
and J. N. Loughborough, and referred to the General Conference
Committee.”—
The Review and Herald, December 20, 1881
.
Ellen White did not attend the General Conference of 1881. Her
husband died on August 6 of that year. Two weeks after his death she
left Battle Creek, bound for California. She did not return to Michigan
until August of 1883
.
2. For many years Ellen White was voted ministerial credentials by
the Michigan conference (see E.G.
The Review and Herald, September
10, 1872
)
and then later by the General Conference. However, she was
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never ordained by human hands, nor did she ever perform a wedding,
organize a church, or conduct a baptism
.
3. In 1895 Ellen White recommended the ordination of women
who would give themselves to a deaconess-type of work:
“Women who are willing to consecrate some of their time to the
service of the Lord should be appointed to visit the sick, look after the
young, and minister to the necessities of the poor. They should be set
apart to this work by prayer and laying on of hands. In some cases
they will need to counsel with the church officers or the minister; but
if they are devoted women, maintaining a vital connection with God,
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