Confluence of Issues to be Faced at the 2025 General Conference Session

The Remnant Herald

The 2025 General Conference Session is to be conducted in St. Louis, Missouri, against a backdrop of events surrounding disclosures from Dr. Conrad Vine regarding denominational policies and practices that have shaken the confidence of a growing number of the laity in the decisions and direction of the Church. The agenda to be voted upon reveals that rather than honestly addressing the issues on key matters that deserve to be aired—for which much-needed changes should be made—officialdom is seeking to occupy much of the session with revisions to the Church Manual that maintain, even enhance, the status quo.

One matter that has always been a point of utmost sensitivity to church leaders, which elicits the strongest and swiftest reaction from them, is that of finance (tithes and offerings)—not the biblical concept of it, but the revenue that sustains the working of the organized structure. Any rightful questioning of why many thousands of dollars are spent on dubious projects usually elicits frowns and censure. A new entry for the Church Manual, if voted upon, will state:

“The returning of a faithful tithe is a prerequisite for holding church office.” The 2025 GC Agenda, p. 51

This will be interpreted by church leaders not simply as a member returning what is due from the Lord, to give as required within the full scope of His work—including self-supporting ministry—but to do so only within the confines of the conference. Pastors, together with the local church treasurer, will have latitude to rule that no person who maintains a conscientious objection to how the denomination uses the tithes and offerings will hold church office. What has been the practice for many years is to become law.

Paragraphs are taken up with new entries buttressing the duty of members to give tithes and offerings, emphasizing that it be “regular and systematic.” Let it be declared, to avoid any misunderstanding, that the biblical concept of tithes and offerings—and its liberality and regularity—is to be upheld and practiced by all of our people, irrespective of their theological leanings, because God requires it (Malachi 3:8-10).

“All our blessings come from His bountiful hand. In turn, He would have men and women show their gratitude by returning Him a portion in tithes and offerings—in thank offerings, in freewill offerings, in trespass offerings. Should means flow into the treasury in accordance with this divinely appointed plan—a tenth of all the increase and liberal offerings—there would be an abundance for the advancement of the Lord’s work.” Acts of the Apostles, p. 75

“He has specified tithes and offerings as the measure of our obligation. And He desires us to give regularly and systematically.’” Review and Herald, May 9, 1893

“I have been shown that many in our churches are robbing God in tithes and offerings. God will execute upon them just that which He has declared. To the obedient, He will give rich blessings; to the transgressor, a curse … This is not a request of man; it is one of God’s ordinances, whereby His work may be sustained and carried on in the world. God help us to repent. ‘Return unto Me,’ He says, ‘and I will return unto You.’ Men who have a desire to do their duty, have it all laid down in clear lines in this chapter. No one can excuse himself from paying his tithes and offerings to the Lord.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 307

But the fact that the General Conference feels the need to provide added emphasis on returning money into the Church treasury is a backhanded admission of how deeply concerned it is that it has lost the confidence of an increasing proportion of the laity in its management of the corporatized structure—who are diverting their tithes and offerings to support other ministries. A large number of these people are conscientiously acting upon the following statements that will never be inserted into the Church Manual:

“The churches must arouse. The members must awake out of sleep and begin to enquire, How is the money which we put into the treasury being used? The Lord desires that a close search be made.” The Kress Collection, p. 120 (Manuscript 34, 1900)

“It would be poor policy to support from the treasury of God those who really mar and injure His work, and who are constantly lowering the standard of Christianity.” Testimonies for the Church, volume 3, p. 553

“I saw that there were fearful woes for those who preach the truth and are not sanctified by it, and there are woes also for those who consent to receive and maintain the unsanctified to minister to them in word and doctrine.” Testimonies for the Church, volume 1, p. 261

The controversy regarding whether the “storehouse” is the Conference alone or whether it includes every ministry that labors faithfully to uphold and advance the truth is one that has perplexed many a sincere soul. It is not possible to give a full answer in this article. Suffice to say, the fact that God established self-supporting ministries in biblical times—Christ Himself was a self-supporting worker who received financial help (Luke 8:1-3)—is powerful evidence to settle the debate. For church leaders to emphasize only one part of this subject and not the totality of it is to reflect an anxiety that stems more from self-interest than from faithful compliance to biblical principles.

Another significant entry proposed for the Church Manual is the role of ministers as evangelists and educators in training the members to nurture the congregation and win people to Christ. The following inspired quotations are recommended for insertion:

“Remember that a minister’s work does not consist merely in preaching. He is to visit families in their homes, to pray with them, and to open to them the Scriptures. He who does faithful work outside the pulpit will accomplish tenfold more than he who confines his labors to the desk.” Testimonies for the Church, volume 9, p. 124

“Just as soon as a church is organized, let the minister set the members at work. They will need to be taught how to labor successfully. Let the minister devote more of his time to educating than to preaching. Let him teach the people how to give to others the knowledge they have received.” Testimonies for the Church, volume 7, p. 20

“Our ministers should plan wisely, as faithful stewards. They should feel that it is not their duty to hover over the churches already raised up, but that they should be doing aggressive evangelistic work, preaching the Word and doing house-to-house work in places that have not yet heard the truth … They will find that nothing is so encouraging as doing evangelistic work in new fields.” Evangelism, p. 382 (Letter 169, 1904)

The shifting role of the minister from an evangelist to an established pastor of a church—so often looked up to as the “boss” of the congregation—has led to a decline of enthusiasm for public evangelism and an atrophy in biblical discipleship. In 1912, then General Conference President A. G. Daniells declared the role of the ministry in his day:

“We have not settled our ministers over churches as pastors to any large extent. In some of the very large churches, we have elected pastors, but as a rule we have held ourselves ready for field service, evangelistic work and our brethren and sisters have held themselves ready to maintain their church services and carry forward their church work without settled pastors. And I hope this will never cease to be the order of affairs in this denomination; for when we cease our forward movement work and begin to settle over our churches, to stay by them, and do their thinking and their praying and their work that is to be done, then our churches will begin to weaken, and lose their life and spirit, and become paralyzed and fossilized, and our work will be on a retreat.” Quoted in Ministry, February 2017

It is very difficult to see the denomination changing its entire structure of the ministry to how it existed in Sister White’s time, as that would entail the care of the congregation to be in the hands of the elders and deacons (as it should be), who could exercise autonomy in making decisions that would be contrary to the will of the administrators of the Conference.

And that is the crux of the entire problem that exists within a centralized, hierarchical structure—conformity of the Church through policy, man-made decisions, and money. Its highest priority is the maintenance of its institutions, positions, status, and income rather than the spiritual vitality, growth, and maturity of its members. As Sister White aptly wrote:

“The success of a church does not depend on the efforts and labor of the living preacher, but it depends upon the piety of the individual members … Let it be seen that Christ, not the minister, is the head of the church. The members of the body of Christ have a part to act, and they will not be accounted faithful unless they do act their part. Let a divine work be wrought in every soul, until Christ shall behold His image reflected in His followers.” Signs of the Times, January 27, 1890

There is no word in the General Conference Session agenda calling for a revival and reformation, no entry concerning the necessity of re-evaluating the denomination’s position on a wide range of matters—coercive policies on vaccinations during COVID-19, ecumenical participations at the pastoral and leadership level, the receiving of government money to augment the work of the Church, collaboration with organizations whose agendas are contrary to the messages of Revelation 14 and 18. A sizeable lay presence is expected at this Session, both within and without the venue. I will be there to observe, converse with various people, and record firsthand what will transpire in St. Louis, to provide a report in the next edition of The Remnant Herald. We need to pray that more people shall awake out of their Laodicean apathy.

About The Remnant Herald: The Remnant Herald is an Australian publication produced by Remnant Ministries. The current editor and author is Elvis Placer, and we have reproduced this article with his permission. You can contact Elvis Placer through email at rh1844@pm.me or call the office clerk at +61 3 9706 2173 to request a FREE subscription to The Remnant Herald.