Ellen G. White: The Lonely Years: 1876-1891 (vol. 3)

Opening the Way for the Enemy to Control

Perhaps the most important point of peril, that of one-man control, was emphasized in counsel published in 1902: 3BIO 451.4

At times it has been urged that the interests of the cause would be furthered by a consolidation of our publishing houses, bringing them virtually under one management. But this, the Lord has shown, should not be. It is not His plan to centralize power in the hands of a few persons or to bring one institution under the control of another.... 3BIO 451.5

When so great power is placed in the hands of a few persons, Satan will make determined efforts to pervert the judgment, to insinuate wrong principles of action, to bring in a wrong policy; in so doing he cannot only pervert one institution, but through this can gain control of others and give a wrong mold to the work in distant parts. Thus the influence for evil becomes widespread.... 3BIO 451.6

Should one institution adopt a wrong policy, let not another institution be corrupted. Let it stand true to the principles that were expressed in its establishment.—Testimonies for the Church, 7:171-173. (Italics supplied.) 3BIO 452.1

Much of this was to appear in warnings as the steps toward consolidation were pursued. It may not have stood out so clearly to Ellen White in 1889 and in 1891, but as the plans for consolidating publishing interests developed, she had no encouragement even then to give for such steps. 3BIO 452.2