No Charges. No Trial. No Defense: When Ordination Is Revoked Without Due Process

Editor’s Note: Due process is not simply a technicality or a legal concept; it is a moral requirement rooted in the character of God. In both civil society and the family of faith, righteousness demands that no person be judged, condemned, or punished without first giving them the opportunity to be heard and without the facts being carefully examined. Jesus confronted this very abuse of authority when He asked, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” (John 7:51). His words expose the following truth: judgment rendered without a fair hearing is no righteous judgment. This issue is being raised because of a real and grievous failure of biblical justice. A faithful Seventh-day Adventist pastor by the name of James Milam was removed from ministry and had his ordination revoked without being granted due process. He was not given a hearing, the accusations were never presented to him, he was given no opportunity to defend himself or appeal, and the principles God Himself established were disregarded: “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19). This command exists to prevent precisely what occurred: secret accusations, one-sided decisions, and penalties imposed without evidence or a hearing. Due process—though often denied today—is designed to protect the innocent, restrain the misuse of power, and preserve the moral integrity of Christ’s body. Below is our interview with Pastor James Milam.

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Advent Messenger: For those who may not know you, can you share a little about how God led you to become a Seventh-day Adventist and eventually a pastor?

Pastor James Milam: I was born and raised a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. Like many of our youth, however, by the age of 16—despite being active in club ministries—I had mentally checked out. By 18, when I left home, I was completely outside the church, living in open rebellion against God. That path continued for the next 18 years, including my military service during the Iraq War and later starting and running a successful masonry construction business in Kansas City.

Throughout those prodigal years, there was not a single day that my grandmother did not pray for me, my siblings, and our cousins. Around 2008, during the national housing crash, everything in my life began to collapse. My drinking and partying damaged my marriage, and being owed tens of thousands of dollars without payment crippled my business. As everything fell apart, God finally broke through—first through the gentle promptings of my wife, who was not an Adventist, encouraging me to return to church. That marked the beginning of my journey back to a real relationship with God.

From the outset, I purposed in my heart that if I was coming back, I was going all in. I had no interest in hypocrisy or simply going through the motions. My approach to faith has always been all or nothing.

In 2009, I began Bible studies again with a local pastor to truly understand my faith. During that process, I sensed a call to leave secular employment and enter ministry. After placing a few clear fleeces before God—each of which He unmistakably answered—we packed up our family and moved to Texas so I could pursue a theology degree. After graduating from Southwestern Adventist University, I pastored churches in Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth and was ordained in 2017. Later in 2022, I accepted a pastoral call to Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Advent Messenger: Some parts of your journey have been difficult, but there is much that can be learned from such experiences for others who may be going through similar situations. Can you briefly explain why you were let go from the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists?

Pastor James Milam: Almost immediately into my tenure in Hot Springs, serious difficulties began to surface. A small but influential group within the church had no interest in my missional approach to reaching the city and instead operated with a loose, “anything goes” mentality. Some elders and leaders were openly teaching in Sabbath School against foundational Adventist beliefs, including the Godhead, the sanctuary, and the writings of Ellen White.

For more detailed background, I would encourage viewers to watch the interview titled “Fired and Fired Up” on the Med Missionary YouTube channel with Dr. Joyce Choe [1], or my interview with Advent Media Connect. [2]

In short, I am a pastor who unapologetically uses the Spirit of Prophecy in nearly every sermon. I believe it is vital to ground God’s people firmly in Scripture and then strengthen that message through carefully and prayerfully selected Spirit of Prophecy quotations. Sadly, many Adventists today do not understand or appreciate the beauty of this gift given to God’s remnant people.

This emphasis did not sit well with several leaders—many of them retired pastors—within the congregation. I consider myself a missional pastor, and when church leadership operates with a “country club” mentality, conflict is inevitable. While the majority of the Hot Springs congregation enthusiastically supported a return to historic Adventist preaching combined with an intentional missional focus, nearly every outreach initiative faced resistance. That resistance consistently traced back to a small influential group led by former pastors. At the time, there were at least seven retired or former pastors in the congregation. Some stood with me faithfully for a season, but others actively opposed the direction of the work.

Eventually, I received a letter from the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference stating that because disunity occurred during my tenure, I was being asked to seek employment elsewhere. Not long before this, one former pastor openly bragged to a current elder that he and others had informed conference officials they would withhold over one million dollars in wills and trust funds if I were not removed. I cannot say with certainty that this was the reason for the conference’s action, but the timing was certainly suspect.

I was given three months to continue on and pastor the church, to conclude my pastoral duties and relocate. When I informed the elder team, they held an emergency meeting—without me—and independently sent a letter to the conference stating they did not want me to leave. Conference officials assumed I had orchestrated this and accused me of fomenting rebellion. Within 24 hours, I received another letter giving me 72 hours to resign or be terminated. I responded that I had done nothing wrong and that if termination was their decision, they would have to fire me. They did.

After three months of severance, I left denominational employment in September 2024. As my wife and I prayerfully sought God’s direction, He made it clear that we were to remain in Hot Springs. He did not explain why or for how long, but He made the instruction unmistakable.

As we remained, several individuals who had also left the Hot Springs church—due to concerns they personally held about actions and statements they said they witnessed, and which they believed reflected a lack of transparency and due process—began gathering with us. One particular incident involved the conference executive secretary (now conference president) sitting in my office and expressing statements that conflicted with the testimony of four local elders.

These actions affected not only me but also deeply wounded the congregation. As a result, we started a small group and began reading the Bible and worshiping in different homes—not due to theological dissent, but because we are traditional, Bible- and Spirit-of-Prophecy–loving Adventists who simply want to finish the Three Angels’ Messages and go home, bringing as many with us as possible.

Advent Messenger: A lot of people don’t really understand how or why ordination can be taken away. Can you explain, in simple terms, what happened in your case?

Pastor James Milam: After five months of no communication from the conference, I received an after-hours email in February 2025 from the executive secretary informing me that the next morning the union would discuss revoking my ordination. This was the first I had heard of any such issue. I contacted the union president, who later confirmed that my ordination had already been revoked. When I asked why—having received no warning, accusation, or due process—he stated three reasons: that I had entered ministry with Conrad Vine and Ron Kelly, that I had solicited and accepted tithe money, and that I had turned against and disparaged local elders.

All of this information was communicated to me after my ordination had already been revoked. Every accusation was false. At the time, I had only recently met Ron Kelly and had never even met Conrad Vine. I had never solicited tithe or donations from anyone, maintaining a long-standing faith-based policy in these matters. I also never disparaged or turned against local elders. No evidence, written charges, or accusers were ever produced—despite repeated requests.

In May 2025, I formally appealed the revocation of my ordination to the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference and the Southwestern Union, starting and following the Matthew 18 process. [3] When no response came, I waited until after the General Conference Session, giving them the benefit of the doubt that they were busy readying for it. I then appealed to the North American Division Ministerial Department in August, followed by a second appeal to all three—the NAD, the Conference, and the Union—in September. Eventually, the NAD director responded only to say that someone in the office would contact me. To this day, that call has never come. Aside from one union official acknowledging receipt of my emails, I have been entirely ignored.

When an ordination is revoked, most assume it is due to moral failure or apostasy. I was guilty of neither. Leaving such an action unexplained—even to the one accused—is slanderous by implication. Nevertheless, I harbor no bitterness. I pray that these men will reform—not for my sake, but for their own salvation and for those being misled.

Advent Messenger: For pastors, church workers, or believers who may be facing rejection, loss of position, or deep disappointment within the church, what encouragement would you offer from your own experience?

Pastor James Milam: To anyone experiencing rejection, loss of position, or deep disappointment within the church: Romans 8:28 remains true for those who stay faithful and refuse bitterness. Though no longer in denominational employment, I remain a faithful Seventh-day Adventist Christian and am more active in ministry now than ever before. The harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few, and God continues His work through those willing to trust Him. For the past two years, without a regular paycheck, the Lord has faithfully provided through timely, unsolicited gifts. This has greatly strengthened my faith. My food and water have been sure, even if I didn’t know from week to week how they would be provided.

Advent Messenger: Looking back now, how have you seen God at work in your life since that time, and how do you sense He is leading you today? What are you currently involved in?

Pastor James Milam: Currently, I serve weekly as a panelist on Advent Media Connect’s Watchmen Report and as vice president of Loud Cry International, a new ministry founded by Adventist attorney Jonathan Zirkle to network, train, encourage, and equip those seeking to finish the Loud Cry work of Revelation 18:4. More information is available at loudcryintl.org.

Most of my time I spend leading a local ministry in Hot Springs called Remnant Mission Society. God has provided a mission house downtown where we conduct Bible studies, literature distribution—especially The Great Controversy—community outreach, and Sabbath worship services, both in person and online via YouTube and Facebook. Each week, the messages presented are present truth, practical by design to prepare God’s remnant people to live for Him now and go home with Him soon.

Advent Messenger: For those whom God may impress to support your current work, what is the best way for them to contact you or stay connected?

Pastor James Milam: These ministries are not currently self-supporting. I rely entirely on God to impress hearts to give. If anyone feels led to support the work, needs prayer, or has questions, they may contact me at: Pastor James Milam, email: saintjohn1415@yahoo.com

Sources

[1] https://www.youtube.com/live/PoPYrqQgYjU?si=6YDrXBSvI2JsdhOn

[2] https://youtu.be/Q_3cjT-jWuI?si=-6UfXnpJicCkSOsv

[3] https://adventmessenger.org/wp-content/uploads/Union-Appeal.pdf