BY WILLIAM G. JOHNSSON

ome 45 church leaders gathered in Europe April 29 - May 8, 2002 to consider the topic "Theological Unity in a Growing World Church." Comprised of General Conference personnel, most of the presidents of the world divisions, and several scholars, the conference was called by the General Conference and organized by the Biblical Research Institute.

In order to provide a biblical setting, the conference convened in first, Greece and then Turkey. The group interspersed theological discussions with visits to Athens, Corinth, Istanbul, some of the sites of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2-3, and finally Patmos. Retracing the footsteps of Paul and John proved deeply inspiring to the participants.

A series of papers on theological topics provided the structure for the deliberations. The areas covered in the papers were: Issues in archeology (Randall Younker), forces in church development and the Adventist future (George Reid), theological thinking in the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Ekkehardt Mueller), issues in revelation and inspiration (Peter van Bemmelen), issues in biblical interpretation (Greg King), creation (Elaine Kennedy), eschatology (Gerhard Pfandl), Ellen G. White (Alberto Timm), the remnant (Angel Rodriguez), independent ministries (Woodrow Whidden), and soteriology (Woodrow Whidden).

John McVay, dean of the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University, led in daily devotional exercises and preached for the Sabbath service, which was held in the Seventh-day Adventist church in Istanbul, Turkey.

General Conference president Jan Paulsen gave the keynote address, "The Theological Landscape." After its presentation the assembled leaders requested that it be printed in the Adventist Review and also be made available for distribution as a standalone publication. (The Adventist Review for June 13, 2002 carried this address as an insert; extra copies are available from the Biblical Research Institute, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904-6600.).

Although the conference focused on the world Adventist church, leaders also took time to learn about the state of the church in the countries they visited. The fact is that in Greece and Turkey, lands where Christianity took root very early, Adventists have but a minimal presence today. However, one senses that opportunities for the spread of the everlasting gospel are strong in both countries.

Mission president Apostolos Maglis gave us a report of th progress and challenges of the work in Greece. He is the first president actually born in Greece, although he came to the office five years ago, from Australia, where he was serving as a pastor in Melbourne. Adventists attempted to start a work in Greece as early as the 19th century, but progress has been very slow. Maglis told us that when he arrived back in Greece five years ago, members numbered only 210, with about 150 attending on Sabbath. In recent years, however, a new spirit has come into the church: there have been 100 baptisms, more than 300 people attend church, and a new congregation has been organized.

Adventist work in Turkey is even smaller. At one point we had several hundred members and operated a school, but the church has declined owing to difficult conditions and emigration. However, on Sabbath we visitors from the field conference, with the local members and other visitors, filled the Adventist Church in Istanbul. It was a moving experience to join the spirited singing of familiar hymns like "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "In a Little White We're Going Home." Some of the congregation sang in English, some in Turkish, some in Russian.

Leading the Adventist church in Istanbul is a lively young woman, Tina Delice. Her father pastored the same church for 30 years. Tina went to the United States, earned a degree in systematic theology from the Seminary at Andrews University, and returned to serve in her homeland. When her father retired a few months ago, she became the shepherd for the congregation.

As the field conference drew to a close, participants focused their energies on developing a statement for the world church. Concerned that leaders at all levels, both clergy and laypeople, be alert to trends and the need of theological unity, they issued a call to obedience to the Lord and His Word. The statement is not an official action of the church; nevertheless it expresses the convictions of the leaders present at the conference and will be taken up by the appropriate bodies of the world church.

The statement reads as follows:

THEOLOGICAL UNITY IN A GROWING WORLD CHURCH: A CALL
TO OBEDIENCE TO THE LORD AND HIS WORD

A. Preamble
For the past several days we leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church gathered from around the world have reflected on our doctrinal heritage and trends within our movement We have been privileged to do so in the lands of Greece and Turkey, where the apostle Paul labored and the Christian Church took root. Our deliberations in this setting, so rich in history, have reminded us of our heritage based on the Scriptures and we give all praise and glory to Jesus, who is Lord of the Church and Word of God incarnate.

The focus of our meeting was on subjects critical to the identity and mission of the church as reflected in the call to unity found in Section B below. Several factors demand that not only we but the entire Seventh-day Adventist Church give serious attention to theological integrity at this time:

1. Under the good hand of the Lord, our movement is experiencing unparalleled growth. From humble origins we are now a world family of more than 13 million baptized members, and another million or more added to the number every year. More than half of our present family have been members for less than 10 years. We rejoice in these accessions, but we recognize that our Lord's commission (Matt. 28:18-20) is not merely to baptize but to make disciples. It is imperative that the new members swelling the church be thoroughly instructed in doctrine and be nurtured to grow up into the stature of Jesus Christ.
2. An aggressive atheism and agnosticism is gaining ground in many areas of the world, as well as a secular mindset. Adventists must be thoroughly grounded in the Bible for their own spiritual welfare and witness.
3. The spirit of the age seeks to blur doctrinal distinctions and even differences between right and wrong. It argues that all is relative; there are no absolutes. The spirit of the age emphasizes individual feelings and experiences as the ultimate values. Over against such ideas we Seventh-day Adventists have been, and must continue to be a people of the Word, with the Word as the source and standard of our teachings and the test of experience.
4. Tendencies to theological divergence and dissidence are also apparent among us. Such tendencies are not new, but the large size and complexity of the church today, together with its rapid growth, demand that we be sensitive and alert to these tendencies toward theological polarity, and that we know how to meet them.

B. A Call to Theological Unity
We have been impressed that the Lord is calling us to theological integrity through our message as articulated in the 27 Fundamental Beliefs and other commonly shared biblical understandings. Specifically, the findings of this conference are moving us to work toward shared faith and action in the following areas:

1. To make the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God, the basis for our proclamation, life and witness, so that Seventh-day Adventists may once again be truly the "people of the book."
2. To uphold and follow the counsels of the Lord He has graciously given us through the writings of Ellen G. White and making sure our church members and especially our youth treasures this wonderful gift.
3. To make Jesus and His atonement the only source of our salvation, and of a life of obedience lived in loving response to His grace.
4. To set forth our identity as the church which bears the characteristics of the remnant humbly, gratefully and clearly as a people entrusted by God with His message to a dying world.
5. To boldly teach and proclaim that we are in the last days of earth's history and that Jesus is coming again soon to bring an end to this world's misery.
6. To worship God as Creator of heaven and earth who brought all things into being by His Word and thereby acknowledging that theistic evolution and progressive creation fall short of appreciating fully both the fact of creation and salvation as found in Christ.
7. To value the church as the bride of Christ, who is honored as we live and work together in love, but who is dishonored by dissension and division, shunning whatever hinders the unity of the church and promoting whatever fosters it.

C. A Call to All Leaders
While the call to theological unity comes to every Seventh-day Adventist, it comes with particular force to leaders of the church, whether ministerial or lay:

1. Preaching: We call on all who preach to ensure that the Word of God is the foundation of their preparation and proclamation. Biblical preaching includes expounding the message entrusted to the church in a meaningful way.
2. Teaching: We call on all who teach to be men and women of integrity who know the Word, and live it, and whose instruction is grounded in God's Word and supports the message as understood by our church.
3. Writing: We call on all who write for church publications to leave no doubt that the Word informs, guides, and tests their ideas and to make a positive contribution affirming what the church stands for.
4. Discipling: Without diminishing our emphasis on evangelism, we call for evangelists and administrators to ensure that candidates for baptism are carefully prepared having understood and accepted the baptismal vow and that proper means are set in place for their spiritual development-at a minimum, a place of worship and spiritual leadership.
5. Administering the Church: We call on all leaders to be people of the Word, to give priority to the Word of God, and to be intentional in promoting and safe-guarding the theological unity of the church. We call on them to make the business of executive committees and board spiritually focused and mission driven.
6. Leading the Youth: We call on all Adventist youth to be true to our heritage and take up the torch, and we call on youth leaders to inspire the youth with a vision of our message and mission.
7. Administering Institutions: We call on all leaders and workers in all Adventist institutions-schools, publishing houses, health care centers, food factories-to so live, work, and instruct that each institution will have a clearly Adventist identity and mission.

We are an extremely diverse and far-flung church, but the Lord has kept us together thus far. Only He can keep us together as we face the days ahead. But we have a part to play: we must be alert, informed, aware of trends, diligent and above all in close touch with the Lord day by day. As we earnestly seek His guidance and His power, He will enable us to be faithful to the wonderful heritage of truth entrusted to us.

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all in all" (Eph. 4:3-6).