Ellen G White

By the time this volume of counsels for the Seventh-day Adventist Church was penned by Ellen G. White, the work of the church had grown to worldwide proportions. Literature was being distributed in thirty-nine languages from thirteen publishing houses. Five hundred ordained ministers, with a thousand other workers in various branches of denominational endeavor were serving 66,000 believers, who made up 1,892 churches. With the growth of the church overall came the development of different departments (such as Sabbath School, Medical Missionary, and Religious Liberty) to meet different needs. While the organizational structure continued to evolve and strengthen, achieving balance during this state of growth was a real challenge. As a result, the needs of some fields were either neglected or lacked efficiency in management. Some branches of the church, which grew disproportionately and forged ahead within the independent organizational lines of their own creating, seemed to be "getting out of hand."Seeing these organizational deficiencies, Ellen White began calling for a thorough reorganization of the work in 1901. The task was large, but church leaders worked energetically, accomplishing most of the task by 1902.During this time, tensions were rising between church leadership and leaders in the medical work (specifically, the Battle Creek Sanitarium). Having reached its zenith in power, the "San" began to tilt towards a vision of Christian medical missionary work quite undenominational in character, which, as they thought of it, would soon eclipse the work of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. When the Battle Creek Sanitarium burned to the ground in 1902, Ellen White issued a call to spread out and establish many more medical institutions (rather than congregating in one place). The resulting articles, constituting the section on "Our Sanitarium Work," are included in this volume.The publishing work, which had also run into some challenges, also received counsel. In order to keep the presses busy or "make ends meet," some of the presses were accepting commercial work or even publishing books which contained serious doctrinal errors. All of this called for, and received, additional counsel. Counsel was also provided to encourage and strengthen the publishing work in the Southern states, as well the health food production centers that had arisen. Work in the cities and retirement planning for workers who were advancing in age was also covered. Though devoted to fewer lines of instruction than some of the other volumes, Testimonies for the Church volume contains many far-reaching, vital counsels that continue to bear rich fruit.

This last volume of the series Testimonies to the Church (by Ellen G. White) covers the time span between 1904 and 1909. As the Seventh-day Adventist church and its institutions continued to grow and evolve, continued counsel was needed on a number of issues. During the time that the work was being established in the nation's capital, Mrs. White even made her home there for a period of several months. From there, in the closing years of her ministry, she could give counsel as the new headquarters were being erected, a college established, a new sanitarium constructed, and a new home found for the Review and Herald printing operation. The presence of Mrs. White in the area at that time, helped establish the confidence of church members that God had led in the transfer of the administration and publishing interests to the nation's capital.While progress was being made in the East, the Adventist medical work was rapidly advancing in the West. Sanitariums were established in National City, Glendale, and Loma Linda, California. From the first, Loma Linda seemed destined to become a training center for medical workers at some future time to do the work for the denomination begun at Battle Creek. During the critical years of the establishment of the medical college, Mrs. White made frequent visits to Southern California, where she could give personal counsel and encouragement, and could assist in the laying of plans for the advancing work.Because of her many other commitments, "The Ministry of Healing" was the only book issued by Ellen White during the time period covered by Testimonies Volume 9. The work of the denomination had by this time grown too large for us to mention in detail the various advance steps. The message was now belting the globe, missionaries were being sent out in increasing numbers, more institutions devoted to educational, publishing, and medical interests were being established. The message was truly reaching the ends of the earth. From the early struggling days addressed by earlier volumes of the Testimonies, the church had grown to include 85,000 members and 1,200 ministers. As the work progressed, Mrs. White continued to encourage the church in the lines of medical missionary work, evangelizing the large cities, home missionary work, and the circulation of literature. In volume 9, Mrs. White also devoted considerable attention to the work among African Americans (which were then known as the "colored people") and also to religious liberty work. The nine volumes of Testimonies for the Church, of which this is the last, were written over a period of fifty-five years during which the Seventh-day Adventist church continually grew, developed, and prospered. While the counsel given in those testimonies provided safe guidance, the reproof and correction led many straying feet back to the paths of righteousness. The words of cheer and encouragement also revived many a faint heart, and the picture of the reward of the faithful spurred thousands to reach the goal set before them-a work they continue to do today.

Volume 8 of the Testimonies (which was written by Ellen G. White for members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church) was published in 1904 to meet a crisis within the church. That crisis involved the ideas of pantheism-which was out of harmony with both the Word of God and the teachings of the church. By its promoters, pantheism was seen as an advancement in understanding which would bring a glorious experience to the people of God and hasten the finishing of the work. Rather than seeing God as a personal being, pantheists envision Him as a power or force pervading the atmosphere. Confusing the power of God with His personality, they saw God in the sunshine, in the flower, in the grass, in the tree, and in their fellow human beings. Despite the efforts of church leaders, the pantheistic movement continued to grow and gain momentum within the church. Things came to a head when Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the leading Adventist physician of the day and founder of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, wrote a book on health which also, in a subtle way, set forth pantheist views. Testimonies for the Church Volume 8 clarified the issues on pantheism, which was causing so much confusion at the time.Just weeks after this volume had come off the press, the factory of the Review and Herald Publishing Association was destroyed by fire. This was the second great disaster in Battle Creek and followed the sanitarium fire by less than eleven months. Given the counsel on not congregating in one place, these catastrophes presented a prime opportunity for the church to disperse its work to other areas of the country and world.Under chapters with titles like "Counsels Often Repeated" and "Present Opportunities," Ellen White urged the church to diversity and avoid the mistakes of the past. In this volume, Ellen White also reminded her readers that the thoughts of God's people should not be diverted from their true work by fanaticism or doctrinal arguments over the Godhead. The warnings of the section "Be On Guard" and the clear explanation of truth in the group of chapters on "The Essential Knowledge," which continue to keep the church from misleading teachings, continue to be of great benefit even today.

Counsels in this volume, written by Ellen G. White to members of the Seventh-day Adventist church, were penned while Mrs. White was living in Australia.Arranged in topical order, volume 6 expands upon the lines of instruction provided in earlier volumes. During the years covered by this volume, Mrs. White was actively involved in founding an Adventist College in Avondale, Australia. With its rural setting, emphasis on the industrial program, and other features, Avondale became-in many respects-a "pattern" school for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As a result, instruction penned to mold this school covers many details of about location, finance, curriculum, discipline, and administration that would benefit schools around the world.The Adventist church in Australia was also growing during that time, and Ellen White took an active part in furthering that work (including preaching). During the times of this volume, Adventist became increasingly mission minded. In a greater way than before, they saw the whole world as a field of labor. In addition to firing the imaginations of young and old alike, the building and launching of the mission boat, "Pitcairn," in California in 1890 focused attention on the importance of a round-the-world mission program. Reports of the Pitcairn voyages, as it pioneered the mission work in the South Sea Islands, were eagerly read by all. During this eventful time, colporteurs and other missionaries took the work to India, Africa, and South America as well. Additional colleges, worker training schools, and publishing houses also sprang up around the world. As the work in Battle Creek, Michigan continued to grow, warnings were issued against the tendency to centralize the work in large denominational centers. During this time, steps were taken to better organize the administration of the Adventist Church through the set-up of union conferences. In time, a pattern was set-up which would be followed throughout the denomination. Reminders about the importance of healthful living, together with counsel for medical missionary workers, are also found in this volume. In addition to these counsel, Ellen White also wrote "Patriarchs and Prophets," "Steps to Christ," "Gospel Workers," Christian Education," "Christ Our Saviour," "The Desire of Ages," "Christ's Object Lessons," and "Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing" during this time. The addition of volume 6 to the growing series of Testimonies for the Church deeply impressed Seventh-day Adventists with the direct way in which God continued to lead and guide His people.

This fourth volume of counsel to members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church spans the last seven years of James White's life, from 1875 to 1881. With the work of the church under rapid expansion, Elder and Mrs. White traveled extensively. They also wrestled with the problems of the expanding institutional work. As the missionary work in Europe made good progress, church members came to a better and better understanding of the worldwide nature of the church. During the times of volume 4, the Signs of the Times magazine was successfully started, Pacific Press Publishing was established, and the second denominational sanitarium (St. Helena) opened its doors. To complement the increased publishing facilities, new books were also written on a wide variety of topics, including prophecy and other Bible subjects, health, temperance, and children's books. Missionary colporteurs were employed to take books from door to door, while the church body as a whole worked to support them in literature distribution.During the era covered by volume 4, Seventh-day Adventist camp meetings were also started. Within a decade of the first camp meeting in 1868, a number of annual camp meetings sprang into existence. Much publicity attended these camp meetings, so that gatherings that began with a few hundred Adventists would end the week with several thousand interested non-Adventist listeners. Camp meeting attendance reached its peak in 1876, when, in a camp meeting held near Boston, twenty thousand people crowded onto the campground one weekend. On Sunday afternoon of that gathering, Ellen White addressed a crowd of 15,000 listeners.A stronger temperance work, an enlarged medical work, the construction of the large "Dime Tabernacle" in Battle Creek, Michigan, and considerable church growth also took place during this period. In Battle Creek, the "Good Health" journal, which enjoyed "largest circulation of any health journal in America," was also established. Meanwhile, Battle Creek College was established and grew to an enrollment of nearly 500 students by 1881.During this time of progress and change, Ellen White continued to write counsel to church members. Topics covered in this volume include appetite control, family discipline, fairness in business dealings, self-control, marriage, dress, simplicity in dress, and worldliness. Despite the passage of time, It is not strange, then, that the large part of volume 4 deals with such practical topics as "Appetite," "Family Discipline," "Self-Control," "Uprightness in Deal," "Sacredness of Vows," "Unscriptural Marriages," "Simplicity in Dress," "Love of the World," "Preparation for Christ's Coming," and a score of other vital subjects. These were some of the messages which served to reform, correct, and purify the church in these earlier years.

This volume of Testimonies to members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church spans the years from 1882-1889. During this eventful decade, two new advanced schools (in Massachusetts and California, respectively) were added to educate future workers for the church. The volume addresses many of the challenges-from discipline to choosing curriculum-attending the educational work.The 1880's were a prolific time in terms of publishing for the growing church. In addition to "Testimonies for the Church Volume 5, books written by Ellen White included "A Sketch of the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White," "Spiritual Gifts Volume One," and "Sketches from the Life of Paul.""The Great Controversy," which was also finished during this time period, was published in 1884 and immediately sent forth, through colporteurs, to many thousands of homes. During those years, the denominational headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, along with the publishing house and sanitarium there, continued to prosper and grow. To staff these institutions, large numbers of Adventists moved to Battle Creek. The challenges of so many Adventists gathering in one center, with the inevitable tendency to become complacent and worldly, are addressed in the early part of this volume. The dangers that the work would lose its initial simplicity is also addressed, while the virtues of economy, industry, and alertness are emphasized.Messages of warning and encouragement were also penned to the growing number of members in the Pacific Northwest. Many settlers and pioneers in the push westward, with their energy, daring, and rugged individuality, accepted the call of the Advent message. These energetic pioneers needed the strong, molding influence of the Spirit of God in the development of Christian character, together with warnings against the love of money and worldly ambitions. Counsel on building solid church edifices, against lightly regarding pledges to God's cause, and many other problems arising from the new territories are also included in this volume.While the work in Europe continued to grow, the church was also challenged by a leading evangelist who lost his way. Two communications written by Ellen White to try to save this man from the plunge he eventually took are found in this volume. Criticisms of the prophetic gift are also addressed.Towards the close of the time span covered by volume 5, the simple message of salvation through righteousness by faith was proclaimed more fully in the 1888 General Conference session held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The spiritual revival resulting from those meetings was quickly followed by a crisis in the United States in the form of a proposed national Sunday law. As a result, the topic of liberty of conscience-together with the appropriate roles of church and state-are also discussed in this volume. Because of the practical nature of its timely warnings and counsels, volume 5 is still of great value to the church today. Its pages include solemn statements about the preparation needed for the impending conflict and the nearness of the end. Executives are admonished, physicians counseled, parents instructed, teachers warned, and all are called to deeper consecration. When released, the counsel of Testimonies volume 5 exerted a steadying, sobering influence upon Adventists as they launched into greater lines of endeavor. They exert the same influence today.

This is the first volume of a 9-book series by Ellen G. White entitled Testimonies for the Church which was started as instruction and guidance to the Seventh-day Adventist Church during its infancy (during the late 1840's and early 1850's). During that time, there were only four ministers serving the entire denomination. The ministers, who supported themselves through physical labor, were poor in this world's goods but rich in the gospel. By 1855, membership in the fledgling denomination had grown from less than a hundred to more than a thousand. During those years of growth, opposition by a group called the "Messenger Party" brought much sorrow and perplexity to the believers. Fanatical movements also divided and distracted from time to time. Discouraged by the fact that Jesus had not come in 1844, the church was in danger of losing its "first love."With the Gold Rush and westward movement, those years were also a time of speculation in homesteads and land. As a result, these testimonies contain more than a few earnest warnings about the dangers of conformity to the world. Calls to deeper consecration on the part of church members were also frequent.In late 1856, Advent believers began to recognize themselves as "lukewarm" and in need of heeding the counsel of the "True Witness" witness of Revelation 3. Mightily stirred by this message, the believers expected the loud cry of the third angel to take place very soon. The earnest messages of Testimonies Volume One can be better understood with this background in mind.The times of this volume were also filled with discussion and debate. Adventist ministers, including one prominent one named Moses Hull, were often challenged to debate about the Sabbath or even with Spiritualists. Moses Hull's ill-advised debates with spiritualists, which led to his ultimate spiritual demise, were addressed in some of the counsels included in Volume One.During the times of this volume, steps were also being taken to organize the Seventh-day Adventist Church. There was much discussion about the idea of organization, as opponents of the move argued that the idea of organization itself came straight from Babylon. Also notable during this period was the introduction of health reform in 1863. After Ellen White received a vision that emphasized the relationship between the laws of health and spiritual development, she began to admonish the members on this topic. Reforms in dress were also closely related to the health reform movement.Additional counsel led the members to establish the Health Reform Institute. During the American Civil War, guidance was also needed-and provided-about the proper relationship between the church and civil government.Other notable topics covered during those formative years (and included in Testimonies for the Church Volume One) included the importance of the home in the building of Christian character, the responsibility of parents, and admonitions for the youth. Counsel and admonition for the church body was also included. All in all, the counsels in Volume One spanned a very important phase in the development of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and were very influential in its development.

In 1872, when the first testimony of volume 3 was written, most members of the still small Seventh-day Adventist Church lived in the central and Northeastern United States. At that time, the church employed 86 ministers. It also operated one publishing house and one small medical institution, both of which were in Battle Creek, Michigan. During the early years of church growth, James Whtie tirelessly pioneered the way. By 1872, Elder White was beginning to break under the load, which explains why the great need more and younger help to shoulder the load received so much emphasis in volume 3. Warnings were also given against the hazards of looking to one man as the leader.James White's own failing health, his conviction that others should be stepping in to lift the burdens, and his frequent calls to duty elsewhere, all resulted in the Whites spending time away from Battle Creek. In an effort to regain and preserve their health, they spent time in California and the mountains of Colorado. With the Whites away, others were forced to assume responsibilities of leadership at the headquarters, strengthening the work.During this time, Ellen White continued to encourage believers in the work of health reform. Church members also developed a wider missionary interest, leading them to see the entire world as their field of labor. They began to recognize the need to educate workers to go out into the field. The little school established by Goodloe Bell in Battle Creek was only the beginning of the much wider educational work to come. During the times of volume 3, the idea of "systematic benevolence" (or regular giving) was also developed and explained much more fully. With Scriptural guidance and the continued counsel of Ellen White, members came to understand that giving was much more than a way to raise money, for it developed and perfected character in the giver as well.Energetic evangelistic efforts led to conflict with other religious groups, with counsel being given against argument and debate. Volume 3 contains many personal messages given to believers of various background, many of them with experiences that Ellen White said were similar to those of others. The story of how Ellen White approached some backsliding children of a believer and tenderly prayed with them before being taken into vision is related in this volume. As it was described, "The news spread, and soon the house was crowded. Sinners trembled, believers wept, and backsliders returned to God. The work was not confined to those present, as we have since learned. Some who had remained at home were powerfully convicted. They saw themselves as they had never done before. The angel of God was shaking the place. The shortness of time, the terrors and nearness of coming judgments and the time of trouble, the worldly-mindedness of the church, their lack of brotherly love, and their state of unreadiness to meet the Lord, were strongly impressed upon the minds of all." Such were the times of volume 3.