Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual for 1981

308 Pages·2013·2.55 MB·English

Seventh-day Adventist
CHURCH
MANUAL
Issued by the
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Revised 1981
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface (cid:9) 19
CHAPTER 1
The Church of the Living God (cid:9) 24
No Wall of Partition (cid:9) 25
The Supreme Object of Christ's Regard (cid:9) 26
The Opposition of the Enemy (cid:9) 27
The Church Complete in Christ (cid:9) 28
CHAPTER 2
Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists (cid:9) 31
CHAPTER 3
Organization Founded on Divine Principles (cid:9) 47
Biblical Basis for Organization (cid:9) 47
Vital Importance of Organization (cid:9) 49
Divine Purpose in Organization (cid:9) 50
CHAPTER 4
The Form of Organization in the Seventh-day Advent-
ist Church (cid:9) 52
Forms of Church Government (cid:9) 53
Five Steps in Our Organization (cid:9) 53
Relationships Between Organizations (cid:9) 55
General Conference the Highest Authority (cid:9) 55
CHAPTER 5
Church Membership (cid:9) 56
Membership on a Spiritual Basis (cid:9) 56
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Baptism a Gospel Requirement (cid:9) 57
Baptism a Prerequisite to Church Membership (cid:9) 57
Mode of Baptism (cid:9) 58
Public Examination (cid:9) 59
Baptismal Covenant (cid:9) 60
Doctrinal Instruction for Baptismal Candidates (cid:9) 60
Baptismal Vow and Baptism (cid:9) 61
Baptismal Vow (cid:9) 61
Welcoming Candidates (cid:9) 62
Receiving Members Who Are Not Known (cid:9) 63
Baptismal Ceremony (cid:9) 63
Transferring Members (cid:9) 63
Transferring Church Members (cid:9) 63
Method of Granting Letters of Transfer (cid:9) 64
Clerk to Make Out Letter (cid:9) 65
Membership During Interval of Transfer (cid:9) 65
The Receiving of Members Disturbed by World Condi-
tions (cid:9) 66
Counted in Statistical Reports (cid:9) 66
If Member Is Not Accepted (cid:9) 66
No Letters to Members Under Discipline (cid:9) 67
Church Letters Granted Only to Those in Good and
Regular Standing (cid:9) 67
Not to Vote Letter Without Member's Approval (cid:9) 67
Church Boards Cannot Grant Letters (cid:9) 68
Conference or Field Church (cid:9) 68
Organized Companies (cid:9) 69
Queries Concerning Receiving and Dropping Mem-
bers (cid:9) 71
Receiving Members on Profession of Faith (cid:9) 71
Dropping Names (cid:9) 72
No Retired Membership List (cid:9) 72
Rebaptism (cid:9) 72
Of Converts From Other Religious Communions (cid:9) 72
Of Church Members and Former Seventh-day Advent-
ists (cid:9) 73
TABLE OF CONTENTS(cid:9) 7
CHAPTER 6
Church Officers and Their Duties (cid:9) 75
Their Qualifications (cid:9) 75
Moral Fitness (cid:9) 75
Religious Fitness (cid:9) 75
The Church Must Be Guarded and Fed (cid:9) 77
Respect and Deference Due to Ministers and Officers ofthe
Church (cid:9) 78
Men Not to Be Hurried Into Office (cid:9) 79
Those Opposed to Unity Not Suitable for Office (cid:9) 80
Unsafe to Choose Men Who Refuse to Cooperate With
Others (cid:9) 81
The Church Elder (cid:9) 81
The Office an Important One (cid:9) 81
A Religious Leader of the Church (cid:9) 81
Capable of Ministering the Word (cid:9) 82
Elected for One Year (cid:9) 82
Ordination of Local Elder (cid:9) 82
Work of Church Elder Is Local (cid:9) 83
To Foster All Lines of Missionary Work (cid:9) 83
Relationship to the Ordained Minister (cid:9) 84
Conduct of Church Services (cid:9) 85
The Baptismal Service (cid:9) 85
The Marriage Ceremony (cid:9) 85
To Cooperate With the Conference (cid:9) 86
To Foster Worldwide Work (cid:9) 87
To Foster Tithe Paying (cid:9) 87
To Distribute Responsibility (cid:9) 87
First Elder (cid:9) 88
Elder Not a Delegate Ex Officio (cid:9) 88
Limitation of Authority (cid:9) 88
Church Leaders (cid:9) 88
The Deacon (cid:9) 89
Importance of the Office (cid:9) 89
Board of Deacons (cid:9) 90
Deacons Must Be Ordained (cid:9) 91
The Duties of Deacons (cid:9) 91
8(cid:9) CHURCH MANUAL
To Assist in Church Ordinances (cid:9) 92
The Care of the Sick and the Poor (cid:9) 94
The Deaconess (cid:9) 94
The Duties of Deaconesses (cid:9) 94
The Board of Deaconesses (cid:9) 95
The Church Clerk (cid:9) 95
An Important Office (cid:9) 95
No Names Ad&d or Dropped Without Vote of the
Church (cid:9) 96
Transferring Members (cid:9) 97
Corresponding With Members (cid:9) 97
Delegates' Credentials for Conference Session (cid:9) 97
Reports to Be Furnished Promptly (cid:9) 97
Church Records (cid:9) 98
The Church Treasurer (cid:9) 98
A Sacred Work (cid:9) 98
Church Treasurer the Custodian of All Church Funds (cid:9) 98
Conference Funds (cid:9) 99
Sabbath School Funds (cid:9) 99
Adventist Youth Society Funds (cid:9) 100
Local Church Funds (cid:9) 100
Funds of Auxiliary Organizations (cid:9) 100
Safeguarding the Purpose of Funds (cid:9) 101
Money for Personal Literature Orders (cid:9) 102
Proper Method for Payment of Money by Members (cid:9) 102
Receipts to Church Members (cid:9) 103
Proper Method of Remitting Funds to the Conference (cid:9), 103
Preserving Vouchers (cid:9) 103
Books Should Be Audited (cid:9) 104
Relations With Members Confidential (cid:9) 104
Interest Coordinator (cid:9) 104
CHAPTER 7
The Services and Meetings of the Church (cid:9) 106
Spiritual Worship (cid:9) 106
Reverence for the House of Worship (cid:9) 106
Children to Be Taught Reverence (cid:9) 107
TABLE OF CONTENTS(cid:9) 9
Decorum anduietness in the Place of Worship (cid:9) 108
Arrangements for Church Meetings (cid:9) 109
Hospitality (cid:9) 109
Unauthorized Speakers in Our Churches (cid:9) 109
The Sabbath Worship Service (cid:9) 110
The Form of Service (cid:9) 110
Longer Order of Worship (cid:9) 110
Shorter Order of Worship (cid:9) 111
Announcements (cid:9) 111
Sacredness of the Sabbath Worship Hour (cid:9) 112
The Sabbath Morning Service (cid:9) 112
Public Prayer (cid:9) 114
The Communion Service (cid:9) 115
Announcing the Communion Service (cid:9) 116
Conducting the Communion Service (cid:9) 116
Who May Participate (cid:9) 118
Every Member Should Attend (cid:9) 119
Unleavened Bread and Unfermented Wine (cid:9) 120
A Memorial of the Crucifixion (cid:9) 120
Ordinance of Foot Washing (cid:9) 120
Suggested Order for the Communion Service (cid:9) 121
Who May Conduct Communion Service (cid:9) 121
Communion for the Sick (cid:9) 122
The Prayer Meeting (cid:9) 122
The Sabbath School (cid:9) 123
The Sabbath School Teachers' Meeting (cid:9) 123
Adventist Youth Society (cid:9) 124
AdventistJunior Youth Society and Pathfinder Club 126
Church Missionary Meetings (cid:9) 127
Times of Meetings (cid:9) 127
Supplying Literature on the Sabbath (cid:9) 128
The Church Board and Its Meetings (cid:9) 129
Definition and Function (cid:9) 129
Membership (cid:9) 130
10(cid:9) CHURCH MANUAL
Officers (cid:9) 130
Meetings (cid:9) 131
Work of the Board (cid:9) 131
Subcommittees (cid:9) 133
School Board Meetings (cid:9) 133
Parents' Meetings (cid:9) 134
Business Meetings (cid:9) 134
Music (cid:9) 136
Place of Music in Divine Service (cid:9) 136
Sing With the Spirit and the Understanding (cid:9) 137
Selecting Choir Leaders (cid:9) 137
Membership of Church Choirs (cid:9) 138
CHAPTER 8
Auxiliary Organizations of the Church and Their
Officers (cid:9) 139
The Department of Lay Activities (cid:9) 139
Lay Activities Council (cid:9) 139
Lay Activities Leader (cid:9) 141
Lay Activities Secretary (cid:9) 141
Dorcas Society (cid:9) 143
Adventist Men (cid:9) 144
Community Services Center (cid:9) 144
The Sabbath School (cid:9) 145
The Sabbath School Council (cid:9) 146
The Superintendent (cid:9) 147
The Assistant Superintendent (cid:9) 148
The Secretary (cid:9) 149
Assistant Secretaries (cid:9) 150
The Music Director (cid:9) 150
The Pianist and/or Organist (cid:9) 150
Sabbath School Offering (cid:9) 151
Expense Money (cid:9) 151
The Quarterly Report (cid:9) 151
Adventist Youth Society (cid:9) 152
Objectives (cid:9) 153
TABLE OF CONTENTS(cid:9) 11
Membershiin the AY Society (cid:9) 154
Officers of e AY Society (cid:9) 155
The AY Society Council (cid:9) 156
Youth Leader and Associate Youth Leader (cid:9) 156
Secretary-Treasurer and Assistant (cid:9) 157
The AYS Sponsor (cid:9) 158
AY Features (cid:9) 158
The Adventist Junior Youth Society (cid:9) 159
AJY Pledge (cid:9) 161
AJY Law (cid:9) 161
AJY Classes (cid:9) 161
AY Honors (cid:9) 161
Pathfinder Club (cid:9) 162
Education (cid:9) 163
Philosophy (cid:9) 163
Objectives (cid:9) 163
Parents' Societies (cid:9) 164
Home and School Fellowship (cid:9) 165
Purpose (cid:9) 165
Objective (cid:9) 166
Membership (cid:9) 166
Officers (cid:9) 166
Leader and Assistant Leader (cid:9) 167
Secretary-Treasurer (cid:9) 167
The Church School Board (cid:9) 167
Membership (cid:9) 167
Officers (cid:9) 169
Relation of Union School Boards to the Local Churches 169
Term of ffice (cid:9) 169
Meetings (cid:9) 170
Qualifications (cid:9) 170
Duties of the Officers (cid:9) 170
Functions (cid:9) 171
Communication (cid:9) 171
Importance of Effective Comrnunic 171
The Organization (cid:9) 171
12(cid:9) CHURCH MANUAL
The Communication Secretary and His Work (cid:9) 172
The Communication Committee (cid:9) 172
Relation to Other Departments of Church (cid:9) 173
In Large Adventist Centers (cid:9) 173
Qualifications (cid:9) 174
Department of Health (cid:9) 174
Church Health Leader (cid:9) 175
Church Health Council (cid:9) 176
Department of Stewardship and Development (cid:9) 177
Church Stewardship Secretary (cid:9) 177
Temperance Department (cid:9) 178
CHAPTER 9
Ministers and Workers in Relation to the Church (cid:9) 181
A Divinely Appointed Ministry (cid:9) 181
The Conference President (cid:9) 182
Pastors and District Leaders Not Executives (cid:9) 182
President and Committee Direct Departmental
Secretaries (cid:9) 182
Work of Departmental Secretaries Not Administra-
tive (cid:9) 183
Relation of Ordained Minister to Church Work (cid:9) 183
Churches Do Not Elect Pastor (cid:9) 184
Licensed Ministers (cid:9) 184
Bible Instructors (cid:9) 186
Adventist Book Center Secretaries (cid:9) 186
The Pastor Should Assist the Evangelist (cid:9) 187
President and Committee Direct Conference
Workers (cid:9) 187
Credentials and Licenses (cid:9) 188
Expired Credentials (cid:9) 189
Relieving a Minister of His Office (cid:9) 189
Sustentation Workers (cid:9) 190
Ministers Without Credentials Serving in Our
Churches (cid:9) 190
CHAPTER 10
The Church Election (cid:9) 191
TABLE OF CONTENTS(cid:9) 13
Nominating Committee (cid:9) 191
How Nominating Committee Is Appointed (cid:9) 191
Who Should Be Members of the Nominating Committee 192
Work of the Nominating Committee (cid:9) 193
Nominating Committee to interview Prospective Offi-
cers (cid:9) 195
Appearing Before the Nominating Committee (cid:9) 195
Nominating Committee Discussions Are Confidential (cid:9) 195
Reporting to the Church (cid:9) 196
Objecting to the Report of the Nominating Committee (cid:9) 197
Vacancies (cid:9) 197
Election of Delegates to Local Conference Session (cid:9) 198
Choosing Delegates (cid:9) 198
Duty of Delegates (cid:9) 199
Responsibility of Conference Officers (cid:9) 200
Conference Committee Members to Represent the
Entire Conference (cid:9) 200
CHAPTER 11
Gospel Finance (cid:9) 201
Stewardship (cid:9) 202
The Tithe (cid:9) 203
Systematic Benevolence and Unity (cid:9) 204
How the Tithe Is to Be Used (cid:9) 204
How the Tithe Is Paid (cid:9) 205
Conference Workers and Church Officers to Set Example
in Tithe Paying (cid:9) 205
Tithe Paying a Scriptural Obligation (cid:9) 206
Offerings (cid:9) 206
Sabbath School Offerings (cid:9) 206
Other Offerings (cid:9) 207
SpecialGifts to Fields (cid:9) 207
Assisting the Needy (cid:9) 207
Church Budget for Local Expenses (cid:9) 208
Sample Budget (cid:9) 208
Church Budget (cid:9) 208