n this segment General Conference president Jan Paulsen talks with Review editor William G. Johnsson about mission. Next month he will discuss the biggest initiative in mission that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has ever attempted (Jan. 9, 2003, World Edition).

WGJ: Pastor Paulsen, I frequently hear you mentioning mission. Many Adventists think of mission primarily in terms of evangelism and Bible study; do you see mission as being broader than these?

JP: Yes, I do. But let me back up and first say that our emphasis on the preaching of the Word, our emphasis on sharing with people the particular insights into truth for these times and particularly as found in the apocalyptic messages of Scripture, will always be at the heart of mission. If we have done everything else but not attended to our preaching of the Word, our mission has not been done.

But also I think it is part of our mission to address the various factors that shape our everyday life here and now. We have been given by God so many values that are meant to define spirituality, ethics, morality, and our use of resources. If you look at the life of Christ, He came because He cared for people. That the church must also do. So we are also a healing community and a teaching community. We step in where disasters happen. We help people discover the richness, beauty, and goodness of life. So I want mission to be very, very broad.

That takes very seriously the total life of Christ.

That's right. It is striking in the teaching of the Lord that in the end of time as it were-in the parable of the sheep and the goats-He judges people according to what they have done to help others.

I also believe that the church, our church, as a growing community needs to accept seriously the responsibility that accompanies our increasing size. If you are in a country, in a community where you are a large and visible component, people want to know what values you stand for. They want to know whether you have an interest in their lives, and the church should speak.

When you say "the church should speak," do you mean our leaders should speak out on issues?

There are a number of places where we are a largely unknown community in a nation or on an island. I think people should know who we are and what values we live for. It is not easy to get this right, for we are primarily a spiritual movement, but selectively and wisely our leadership should be a voice that speaks to issues that shape and form the life of a nation. For example, we are not a violent community. Where violence is being resorted to, our leaders need to make it clear that that is not acceptable to us. We are front-runners in promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience. We combat drug dependencies-but we minister healing to victims. And there may be times when we can do all of this best by occupying an elected public office. I am reminded of the counsel from Ellen White, which is sometimes overlooked, where she holds up the challenge of Seventh-day Adventists seeking elected public office, where they can by virtue of that office serve the public.

In many developing countries, Adventists feature prominently in public life. Here in the West the objection is often raised that to make statements about public issues or to entangle one's self in politics hinders our ability to preach freely.

I think what is important in any and all public offices is that politics, so called, does not define the church's agenda. Our agenda is set and driven by other values and is set by God. But once the agenda is set, the point at which it impacts the community is the place for the church to speak, to make her stand known. We have countries in the West where we don't have a large membership base and our members suffer from an inferiority complex. They need to seek occasions where they can lift their public profile and feel good about it.

Do you see this understanding of mission as a change from our past practice?

No. If we go back to Ellen White's own words and life-not to mention Jesus'-we find the same broad view of mission.