p. 897 | New Testament Conferences by William A. Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 18, 1913

New Testament Conferences

By William A. Spicer

Titus had been appointed to work in the island of Crete. Paul wrote him:—“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.” Titus 1: 5.

For the time being, Titus was assigned the oversight of the churches in Crete, laboring among them and organizing them for service. It is just the kind of service that falls to the presidents and other officers and laborers of our conferences today. The churches of Crete, we should say in modern terms, composed the Cretian Conference; and for the time being, Titus was acting president of that conference.

The New Testament gives us a view of the church as one body throughout the Roman world, organized and officered. Individual churches located in the same territory acted together as a conference of churches, members one of another, just as the individual believers were united in local churches, as members one of another. Thus, on one occasion, the churches of Macedonia took united action in appointing a delegate to represent all Macedonia in accompanying Paul to Jerusalem,—“who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us,” as the apostle wrote. 2 Cor. 8: 19. Thus churches of a district acted together, just as churches in a State conference act together in our work.

And the work in those states and provinces of the eastern Mediterranean, the Greek and Roman territory, was under the general oversight of the apostle Paul, whose calling to the work among the Gentiles had been formally recognized by the general conference of representatives of all the church, at Jerusalem. Acts 15: 22; Gal. 2: 9. It was a great union or divisional field, more or less closely related in language and by national and commercial interests. Thus it formed naturally one great division of the world-wide work and was so administered.

All the brief record that the New Testament gives us of the church in action shows a growth in systematic organization and administration to keep

pace with the needs of the growing, spreading work. Order is heaven’s first law. The church, filled with the Holy Spirit, added this office and that, as the needs arose, all laboring together, as harmonious members of the one body, to carry the gospel message into all the world.

And from time to time, these laborers far separated in fields, met “in conference” (Gal. 2: 6) — General Conference, we should call it — for counsel and planning and study, so that perfect unity might be maintained in the common work.

The New Testament shows us a church with the gifts of government and organization planted in it by the Holy Spirit. The same thing is seen in the organization of Israel, the church of God in olden times. The same gifts of the Spirit are for the development of system and order in the work of God in the remnant church.

W. A. S.