General Conference Bulletin, vol. 5

FURTHER REPORT ON PLANS

G. E. Langdon (reading): “Your Committee on Plans and Constitution would respectfully submit the following further partial report:— GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.12

“We recommend,— GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.13

“9. That the General Conference Committee hereafter be the Mission Board of the denomination. GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.14

“10. That the General Conference Association reduce its number of trustees from twenty-one to seven.” GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.15

The Chair: Now we will call up the motion found on page 67. GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.16

The Secretary (reading): “8. We recommend, That the General Conference offices be moved from Battle Creek, Mich., to some place favorable for its work in the Atlantic states. GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.17

It was moved and seconded to adopt the partial report, including resolution 8, motion to adopt which did not appear in preceding minutes. GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.18

W. C. White: Can not we have an outline from some one who has been studying this of the work contemplated? GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.19

The Chair: As this is requested, we will ask Elder Daniells to explain. GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.20

A. G. Daniells: This proposition has been under consideration by different members of the General Conference Committee for many months. It has been quite thoroughly canvassed from time to time in our councils. It has seemed for some time that God was calling us to get out of Battle Creek, as far as possible, and decentralize. GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.21

Now, with reference to making the General Conference Committee the Mission Board: As the work is now shaping, the province of the General Conference Committee is of an advisory character to a large extent—not altogether, by any means—and it is of a missionary character or phase. The organization of the Union Conferences has taken the administrative work from any central place and located it in the Union Conferences, and placed the responsibilities upon the shoulders of those located in those different Unions. GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.22

One who has not been in our office can scarcely realize what a complete change has been wrought at the headquarters of the General Conference. The details of the work of every character have been swept way, and the secretary has had very little to do along those lines. Of course, there has been some statistical work and some detail work with reference to transportation and collection of reports and work of that character, that must always be done. But the Administration in the United States has all been taken away, and is now placed in the hands of scores of men who have been appointed to that work in the East, and the North, and the South, and in the Central and Western states. But while that has been going on, our missionary problems have been greatly increasing. More workers than ever before are being sent out, and contributions for missions have doubled in the last few years. This has increased the work of the Mission Board. And as I have studied it, I have become convinced that one of the great purposes of the General Conference Committee would be to deal with these world-wide problems everywhere. I believe that the Committee ought to be composed something like this: That the president of every Union Conference and the chairman of every Union mission field in the world ought to be a member of that committee. This will give us a larger and more representative committee, even, than we have to-day. We get the whole world directly represented on the General Conference Committee. Then add to that the heads, the leading men in special departments, such as education, publishing, and medical, and put on a few men of special experience, and special ability from their experience, and you have a thoroughly representative committee, representing all interests of this great work in all parts of our little world. And that will give us a truly representative and General Conference Committee, a World’s Conference Committee. GCB April 7, 1903, page 100.23

Now, that, to my mind, brethren, is what should be the Mission Board of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. GCB April 7, 1903, page 101.1

Further, it appears to me that that committee can only meet about once a year; and that as soon as you have appointed it, and this Conference closes, that large committee should take time, a week, or two weeks, if necessary, to thoroughly study, as well as it can, with the data it may have, all the field that it represents. And let it then, as a result of that study, come to an agreement regarding fundamental and general principles by which it will be governed in its administration during the year. Then the members of the committees can go to different parts of the field, working harmoniously, every one, though separated, to carry out this policy. Now, there must be some executive body appointed to carry out the policy. Now, that, I have thought, ought to be appointed like this: There should be two sections, we will call them, one in the United States and one in Europe. Here is the recruiting-ground for mission fields. The work of the section in this country will, as I view it, be to work among our people to raise funds and secure laborers of every kind for the needy and destitute fields in all parts of the world. I would blot out the word “foreign” from our board, and have it understood that a destitute and needy field in the United States, whether it be Mississippi, or Virginia, or Greater New York, or Canada,—I would have it understood that that field is a mission field, the same as Africa or any other fields with the same needs. Then I would have this section in the United States work in behalf of these needy parts here, and visit them, and unite with the conferences in charge of those fields in getting hold of the needs and unite on a general policy, and then have them work through this country to get hold of the kind of men that these fields need and the money they require to prosecute their work. In addition, this committee will have a great problem on its hands to furnish supplies for the front. GCB April 7, 1903, page 101.2

Now, the section on the other side of the Atlantic will be not so much a recruiting section to get men and means (that will be some of its work), but it will be. rather, a distributing section. As the laborers pass through Great Britain, on their way to Africa, South America. India, and the Orient, and to the Mediterranean fields, let there be a committee over there who will look after this, who will be strong to direct, to administer, and to assist those people in reaching their fields and prosecuting their work when they have reached them. GCB April 7, 1903, page 101.3

Now, where are the two points that these sections can be located to work advantageously?—As far as I can see, those points are New York City and London. New York City is the point from which our missionaries go to all parts of the world, to the East, at least. London or Great Britain is the point at which they land. It is a great highway. It is the highway to all the countries of the world; and Great Britain is a natural half-way house to India, Africa, Australasia, South America. Now, brethren, the temper of the British people is such that any man going to those fields from this country can well spend a few months in Great Britain. God has blessed the British people for a period of three hundred years in their stalwart effort to place His Word in the hands of all men, and to go as missionaries to all the benighted lands of the world. God has ?? that people because of the stand they have taken in this thing. And there is no place in the world where the missionary spirit burns so mightily in the hearts of men as in Great Britain. The European section, with headquarters in London, can operate in various parts of the European field. as the committee may direct. And when you get your offices located in the East, amongst those large cities, you will find great opportunities for missionary enterprise by the people that are connected with the office. When Sabbath comes, the workers can scatter out and go and work for somebody else. I should be in favor of their giving up Sunday to missionary labor, too, and have two days to labor for others. and throw out the fire, and gather in life—come in contact with people who need salvation—and then spend the other days in the week doing warm-hearted Christian office work. GCB April 7, 1903, page 101.4

Meeting adjourned. GCB April 7, 1903, page 101.5

H. W. Cottrell, Chairman.
H. E. Osborne, Secretary.