p. 9 | Church Letters by John Norton Loughborough

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Dec 27, 1906

Church Letters

By John Norton Loughborough

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH

That church letters of commendation are in harmony with New Testament usage is apparent from the following texts: “Need we as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?” 2 Cor. 3:1. “Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will we send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.” 1 Cor. 16:3. In harmony with this, in the order that has been established among Seventh-day Adventists, two kinds of letters

have been suggested that should be used:—

First, when a person is to journey from place to place, and wishes to associate among our people, but without changing his residence, there is given what is called a “traveling letter,” which simply states that the brother or sister is a member in good standing in the church which gives the letter.

Second, it has several times been advised by the General Conference that persons changing their residence from one place to another have letters of commendation sent to the church where they are going, and that they unite at once with that church. Such a letter is valid for only three months. When the person is voted into the church, the matter is reported to the clerk of the church whence he came, and his membership ceases in that church.

Some peculiar cases have arisen to which we will call attention. In one instance a person presented a letter to the writer, wishing to unite with the church. It was a year since the letter was given. According to the general usage of our people that letter had ceased to be of force nine months before. Again, the letter should have specified some church to which the individual was recommended, and should not have been given to the person himself. The individual, on being thus informed, wished us to accept him on profession of faith, as recommended by that letter. In the course of inquiry it was ascertained that during six months of the time since that letter was given he had been breaking the Sabbath.

Another case was that of an individual from another State who enjoyed the church privileges of one of our churches in California, but when asked in reference to his tithes, or any help in church matters, he invariably replied, “My membership is in another State.” Finally matters so developed that he saw it necessary for him to change his membership to this State. On applying for a letter, the church clerk here was informed that the man “had been away three years, and had not reported to them, and they could not report him in good standing.” As is proper in any such doubtful cases, the matter was referred to the president of that conference where the person’s name appeared as a member. He replied that this member left the place with unsettled difficulties in the church, that he had not reported to the church or paid any tithes or rendered other help to the church in that three years. He further said, “You there of course know of the man’s present standing. If your church decides to receive him on profession of faith, we will take his name off our church book.” Of course we decided not to receive the man until his wrongs were righted. It seems to me that the proper course to pursue in such cases is to lay the matter before the president of the conference from which the member comes. In no case should a church give a member a letter of “good standing” when such is not known to be true. Doing this is committing a trespass on the church to which the erring one is recommended.

Mountain View, Cal.