The Purpose of Organization

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 14, 1907

The Purpose of Organization

IN the growth of this second advent movement organization has come as a necessity. In the early days of this work, when there were few laborers and fewer institutions, there was little demand for any outward form of organization, but as believers multiplied, and the real extent of this movement as a world-wide message was more fully realized, order and system became necessary in order that the interests of all might be safeguarded, and that the efforts put forth might yield the best returns.

Here is the explanation of our whole system of organization: a great work is to be done; all kinds of talent must be employed in developing and carrying forward the different lines of effort, such as evangelical work, medical work, educational work, publishing work, and all the allied methods of labor for the spread of this gospel message. Every worker must have his place and his work, and there must be a systematic extension of effort until the whole field—the world—is worked. It must also be possible to marshal all the believers in united movements against the enemy of truth to accomplish such results as are impossible to individual effort. It is true that every believer and every worker is to sustain personal union with the great Head of the church, but this will not prevent him from being in harmonious relation with every other believer in a divinely approved organization for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God in the earth.

Those who are acquainted with the practical workings of our plans of organization know that these are the simple facts. In local conferences, in union conferences, and in the General Conference the one purpose of any form of organization is to facilitate the work, to make the combined efforts of all the workers count for the most in the spread of the truth. Those who see something else in our system of organization must be possessed of the faculty of seeing what they wish to see,—a faculty which is easily acquired,—just as the woman “saw that the tree was good for food;” but an evil eye simply distorts things to the vision of its possessor, and does not change things in reality. Our organization will survive all such criticism.