The Gift of Prophecy

Chapter 18 — Ellen G. White and Adventist Mission¹

David J. B. Trim

In Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, published two years after the Seventh-day Adventist Church was founded, the King of Hearts famously advises the White Rabbit: “Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” In history, however, it sometimes is helpful to begin, not at the beginning, but at the end. On July 24, 1915, Arthur G. Daniells addressed 4,000 mourners attending the funeral service of Ellen G. White in Battle Creek’s Dime Tabernacle. ² Daniells had known and worked with White for 25 years; he was then in his fourteenth year as General Conference president, and he spoke for a movement that was finally becoming truly a global one. ³ In his life sketch he emphasized Ellen White’s commitment to worldwide mission: GOP 337.1

In the writings of Mrs. White prominence is given to the responsibilities of the church in both home and foreign mission service. Every member of the body is admonished to be a light in the world, a blessing to those with whom he may associate. All must live the unselfish life of the Master for others. And the church in Christian lands must put forth their highest endeavors to evangelize those who are groping in the darkness and superstition of heathen lands. GOP 337.2

Go to all the world, give to all the world, work for all the world, is the exhortation running through all the writings of Mrs. White. ⁴ GOP 337.3

It is striking that, with the advantage of hindsight, looking back over Ellen White’s 70 years of prophetic ministry, Daniells concluded that the preeminent theme in her writings was mission in general, and foreign mission above all. GOP 337.4

In this essay I argue that Daniells was accurate in his assessment of his prophetic mentor: that mission was Ellen White’s top priority; but that in addition, while she was always committed to and stressed “the responsibilities of the church in . . . home . . . mission service,” she especially emphasized (and, as I will argue, in later life increasingly highlighted) the responsibility of the church in its homelands for outreach abroad. The necessity of proclaiming “good news” and the prophetic truths of Revelation everywhere, to every people (and particularly those who have not even heard the gospel), in “all the world,” indeed runs “through all the writings of Mrs. White.” GOP 337.5

Now, the Spirit of Prophecy corpus is so broad and diverse, and Ellen G. White expressed enthusiasm about so many other subjects, that assigning primacy to foreign mission may seem tendentious. Unquestionably, colleagues from the Education, Publishing Ministries, and Health Ministries departments could quote numerous statements that show her affinity and passion for their areas of ministry. I suggest, though, that she regarded all as methodologies—merely means to an end. This paper will underscore that the most important theme in Ellen White’s writings is that all church members should widely share the truly good news that “the Son of God . . . ranked himself among the sons of men,” taking “man’s nature that He might reach man’s wants,” revealing “love, mercy and compassion . . . in every act of His life,” making “the height and depth of the love of God . . . manifest.” ⁵ In Ellen White’s thinking, sermons, schools, literature, and temperate and healthy living are all just different ways to lift up before the world our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, and great High Priest. GOP 338.1

Moreover, to do this is the mission of the church and of all church members, regardless of their nation or location. Daniells summarized Ellen White’s view: “Every member of the body is . . . to be a light in the world . . . . All must live the unselfish life of the Master for others.” GOP 338.2

Yet the prophet’s general passion for mission had a particular application. As Daniells put it, she believed that “the church in Christian lands must put forth [its] highest endeavors to evangelize those who are groping in the darkness and superstition of heathen lands.” And this was not just a theoretical concern, since, as Daniells observed later in his life sketch: GOP 338.3

For fully seventy years she gave her life in active service to the cause of God in behalf of sinful, suffering, sorrowing humanity. After traveling extensively through the United States from 1846 to 1885, she visited Europe, where she devoted two years to the work there, which was then in a formative period. In 1891 she went to Australia, where she remained nine years, traveling about the colonies, and devoting all her energies to the upbuilding of the work. ⁶ GOP 338.4

Hence Daniells’ conclusion, already noted: “Go to all the world, give to all the world, work for all the world, is the exhortation running through all the writings of Mrs. White.” GOP 338.5

Thus, while this essay is on Ellen White and Adventist mission, it largely analyzes White’s thinking and writing on foreign mission. I do briefly consider domestic mission because, as we will see, one of White’s principles is that “home and foreign mission service,” as Daniells put it, are integrally interrelated. But this is essentially a study of Ellen White’s principles for foreign mission. It shows that White played an important part in persuading Seventh-day Adventists to accept responsibility for evangelizing beyond North America; and it argues that by the end of her life and ministry she increasingly prioritized mission in countries and regions in which Christianity was a minority faith or nonexistent. The story of Ellen White and Adventist mission is partly one of how, under the guidance of God, she (and we) gradually came to see the vital importance of outreach outside North America, and especially among what today we would call unreached people groups; this was a point she recognized and propounded before any other church leader. GOP 338.6

This is the first substantial analysis of Ellen White’s thinking about mission for a generation. Thirty years ago B0rge Schantz’s systematic study of Adventist mission thought included a valuable and extensive analysis of “the missionary theories of E. G. White.” ⁷ But there is no summative analysis of her principles of mission. Two other brief considerations are limited chronologically and geographically. In his influential analysis of Adventist theology of mission up to 1874, Gerard Damsteegt naturally often touches on Ellen White’s early writings on the subject, but does not attempt a synthesis, and offers a summary on only one subject (the “shut door”), while Rex Riches provides a brief sketch of White’s thought about mission in Europe, especially Britain. ⁸ GOP 339.1

Ellen White wrote many thousands of words about foreign mission work, and it is quite an undertaking to summarize Ellen White’s thought on any subject to which she devoted more than passing thought. Based both on what God showed her in visions and on her practical experience as an evangelistic worker, and as a cross-cultural missionary, White kept returning to certain themes when she wrote on mission, identifying certain methodologies or aspects of mission that were important. I have endeavored here to distill from White’s corpus some of her key principles for foreign mission work, having first, however, studied her thought on mission as a whole. In addition to an early phase of writings on foreign mission, which helped to move the Seventh-day Adventist Church away from an Americentric focus toward a global vision, thereafter I identify in her thought six key missional principles. GOP 339.2

1. Foreign mission should be led by experienced people; those who have never been to the mission field should not dictate how the work is carried out there. GOP 339.3

2. Young people have a great role to play and should be entrusted with responsibilities; but they also need appropriate training. GOP 339.4

3. Financial resources are essential, but they should be distributed to ensure that new territories are entered, rather than concentrated on building up existing strongholds. GOP 340.1

4. Adventist mission must go to all the world, as foretold in Scripture, since otherwise souls may be damned, and Christ’s return delayed. GOP 340.2

5. Adventist mission must be Christ-centered, and lovingly communicated by missionaries who have been revived by a relationship with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. GOP 340.3

6. Finally, as well as being shared with all national, ethnic, and linguistic people groups, the distinctive Adventist message must also reach all religious groups. Seventh-day Adventism is not merely a reform movement within Protestant Christianity—all must hear the “everlasting gospel” and learn more about “the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:6, 12). GOP 340.4

It should be noted that some of Ellen White’s statements, if considered in isolation, could seem to be in conflict with each other, because they appear each to be prioritizing a certain methodology. But White was not guilty of inconsistency; instead, she promoted a holistic view of mission, as something requiring a multifaceted approach. In consequence, she at various times and in various circumstances stressed a particular facet or strand of mission, because she felt it was in danger of being lost sight of. But that did not mean she believed that only one strand was to be used, or that one was more important than the other. If there is one aspect that could be singled out in her thought, it is the complementarity and comprehensiveness of the mission enterprise. Fortunately, there are several places where she draws the strands together and we can see how wide-ranging her approach was to foreign mission, incorporating medical, educational, and publishing institutions, and all kinds of personal and evangelistic ministry. GOP 340.5