Mission’s
New
C h a p t e r
Frontier
7
The Seventh-day Adventist church has had an ambiguous
history
regarding working in the cities.
Perhaps this is nowhere better demonstrated
than two compilations of the writings of Ellen G. White
which were published in 1946.
The compilation Country Living sought to bring out
the contrast between the evils of city life
and the benefits of living in a more rural environment.
In the same year, another compilation entitled
Evangelism
had two significant chapters named
“The Metropolitan Masses”
and “The Work in the Large American Cities”
which urged we setting up memorials for God in the
cities.
As the twenty-first century arrives, more people will
be living
in the city than in the country.
This essay has been
written
to give a brief overview of the issues
surrounding the tension between rural living and urban
evangelism
The Secular City
Harvie Conn, a leading urban missions expert, writes that
an executive at a meeting of the Evangelical Foreign Missions
Association once said to him: “God made the country and man made
the suburb. But the devil made the city.”1
Evangelicals have
always had an aversion towards work in the urban jungle. After
limited success, Dwight L. Moody lamented big city evangelism in
1896 by saying of New York city: “If it was not for the work I
am called to do, I would never show my head in this city or any
other again.”2
In fact the age-old vision of the city as an evil place
goes clear back to the second century A.D. when Juvenal
lamented:
“‘What can I do in Rome?’ he asked.
‘I have never
3
learned to lie.’”
The inevitable tension between the otherworldly, Holy city of God and the worldly, secular city of man
is typified by the scolding of a monk by Jerome in A.D. 374.
The monk had for abandoned the life in seclusion for the lures
of the city and Jerome encouraged him to return to the beauties
of the desert:
O wasteland bright with the spring flowers of Christ!
O solitude out of which come these stones that build
the city of the great King in the Apocalypse! O
desolate desert rejoicing in God’s familiar presence!
what keeps you in the world, O brother? You are above
and beyond the world.
How long is the shade of the
house going to conceal you? How long shall the grimy
prisons of those cities intern you.4
A more modern assessment is expressed by Jacques Ellul in
his book The Meaning of the City: “Like a vampire, it preys on
the true living creation, alive in its connection with the
Creator.
The city is dead, made of dead things for dead
5
people.”
In the middle of the twentieth century the church was
still not equipped to meet this complex new mission field as
witnessed by this statement which summarized the spread of
Christianity during the previous one hundred years: “There are
three great areas of our world which the churches have not
really penetrated. They are: Hinduism, Islam and the culture of
modern cities.”6
The Seventh-day Adventist church has also had an ambiguous
history and position regarding urban missiology.
Perhaps this
is nowhere better demonstrated than two compilations of the
writings of Ellen G. White which came out in 1946.
In the
foreword to Country Living the following statement appears from
the Ellen G. White Estate Trustees:
The advantages of country living have been repeatedly
stressed through the Spirit of Prophecy counsels. The
gathering storm clouds signalize the appropriateness
of resounding the call to leave the cities.
It must
be evident to every thoughtful Seventh-day Adventist
that city living, with its congestion, allurements,
and mounting labor conflicts, does not provide a
wholesome environment for christian families.7
In another volume entitled Evangelism published that same
year, two significant chapters appear named “The Metropolitan
Masses” and “The Work in the Large American Cities.”
latter chapter this paragraph appears:
In the
Those who bear the burden of the work in Greater New
York should have the help of the best workers that can
be secured. Here let a center for God's work be made,
and let all that is done be a symbol of the work the
Lord desires to see done in the world.8
The objective of reaching the expanding American cities on
the Eastern seaboard with the highly receptive immigrant peoples
from Europe at the turn of the 20th century was finally reached
only after an intense struggle.9 Jon Dybdahl, who is the current
Director of the Institute of World Mission at Andrews
University, reflects the struggle to reach the cities by saying:
“Traditionally, many Adventists tend to avoid or fear the
cities.
Consequently, in many parts of the world, our work in
the cities is weak. We must find ways to claim the cities for
10
Christ.”
And Adventist urban missions specialist Bruce Moyer
recently commented: “If the Adventist Church does not meet the
challenge of the cities, particularly in the Third World, it may
find itself speaking to very few people.”11
Rural Outposts and Urban Mission
The twenty first century presents a new and emerging
challenge for the mission frontier has changed from the rural
outpost to the urban jungle. In this century alone, the people
in cities has rapidly grown from fourteen percent in 1900 to
fifty-five percent at the beginning of the new millennia.12 For
the first time in recorded history, more people live in the
cities than in the countryside.
The emerging, world-wide reality of the growth of cities
presents a special challenge to the Seventh-day Adventist
Church.
While we are on the one hand counseled to keep
ourselves from the world, the world we are to warn is
increasingly found in the cities.
There are several important
factors which have led to the stressing of the rural over the
urban in Adventists mission work:
• The Seventh-day Adventist Church grew out of the rural
milieu of the 19th Century.
• The city has almost always been pictured as the epitome
of evil and worldliness whereas the country has been seen
as idealic in nature.
• The call to “leave the cities” and setup outpost centers
has usually been interpreted in a narrow and often
ineffective way.
In the compilation entitled Country Living by Ellen White,
there appears the following statement concerning
institutions of the SDA church should be located:
where
As far as possible, our institutions should be located
away from the cities. We must have workers for these
institutions, and if they are located in the city,
that means that families of our people must settle
the
near them. But it is not God's will that His people
shall settle in the cities, where there is constant
turmoil and confusion. Their children should be spared
this; for the whole system is demoralized by the hurry
and rush and noise. The Lord desires His people to
move into the country, where they can settle on the
land, and raise their own fruit and vegetables, and
where their children can be brought in direct contact
with the works of God in nature. Take your families
away from the cities is my message.13
Some in the church have taken this and other statements to
show that all Seventh-day Adventists should move out of the
cities.
However,
a
careful
reading
reveals
that
only
institutions and not churches are mentioned.
A question needs
to be asked over the possible distinction between the inner city
where “turmoil,” “confusion” and “noise” exist and a relatively
quiet suburb.
When Ellen White penned the above statement in 1902 suburbs
did not exist. Harvie Conn, in his book The American City and
the Evangelical Church points out that housing reformers at the
turn of the century themselves saw that the “overcrowding in the
downtown areas was the handmaiden of crime and poverty.
Henry
Ford predicted, ‘The city is doomed . . . We shall solve the
city problem by leaving the city [by means of the automobile].
Everywhere
new
suburbs
sprouted
in
support
of
these
14
prophecies.”
It took two generations for suburbia to become the dominant
percentage of the American population: “In 1920, city dwellers
became a majority of the population. In 1970 another milestone
was marked; more Americans were living in the suburbs than in
the cities.”15
Within the last decade three major institutions have moved
to more rural places in harmony with this counsel. The Pacific
Press, which was located in Mountain View, California, was moved
to the more sparsely populated and affordable housing area of
Nampa Idaho. The General Conference headquarters and the Review
and Herald Publishing Association were transferred out of the
heart of Washington DC to the more suburban settings of Silver
Springs and Hagerstown Maryland.
The hesitancy to tackle the difficulties of working in the
large cities by the early SDA church and how it was resolved is
recorded in this most revealing passage from the pen of
inspiration:
I dreamed that several of our brethren were in
council, considering plans of labor for this season
[1874]. They thought it best not to enter the large
cities, but to begin work in small places, remote from
the cities; here they would meet less opposition from
the clergy, and would avoid great expense. They
reasoned that our ministers, being few in number,
could not be spared to instruct and care for those who
might accept the truth in the cities, and who, because
of the greater opposition they would there meet, would
need more help than would the churches in small
country places.
Thus the fruit of giving a course of lectures in the
city would, in a great measure, be lost.
Again, it
was urged that, because of our limited means, and
because of the many changes from moving that might be
expected from a church in a large city, it would be
difficult to build up a church that would be a
strength to the cause. My husband was urging the
brethren to make broader plans without delay, and put
forth, in our large cities, extended and thorough
effort, that would better correspond to the character
of our message. One worker related incidents of his
experience in the cities, showing that the work was
nearly a failure, but he testified to better success
in the small places.
One of dignity and authority--One who is present in
all our council meetings--was listening with deepest
interest to every word. He spoke with deliberation and
perfect assurance. "The whole world," He said, "is
God's
great
vineyard.
The
cities
and
villages
constitute a part of that vineyard. These must be
worked."16
If the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to be more effective
in its prophetic ministry to the masses of people around us, it
must find a way to resolve the issue between rural outposts and
city missions.
And in our attempts to find a satisfactory
answer we must ultimately follow the example of Jesus, who left
His safe home to minister to our sin-filled world without
becoming corrupted by its influence. The next section provides
perhaps one component of the answer by briefly outlining how
Ellen White describes both the church and its ministry to the
world in terms of a “city.”
The City of Refuge
In the important first chapter of the book, Acts of the
Apostles, entitled “God’s Purpose for His Church,” Ellen G.
White begins by stating: “The church is God's appointed agency
for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its
mission is to carry the gospel to the world.”17 Within this first
chapter, the word “city” is used three times–twice to describe
the church and once to picture the world. “The city of refuge”
is the first image of the church presented in the chapter:
The church is God's fortress. His city of refuge,
which He holds in a revolted world. Any betrayal of
the church is treachery to Him who has bought mankind
with the blood of His only-begotten Son. From the
beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church
on earth. In every age the Lord has had His watchmen,
who have borne a faithful testimony to the generation
in which they lived. These sentinels gave the message
of warning; and when they were called to lay off their
armor, others took up the work. God brought these
witnesses into covenant relation with Himself, uniting
the church on earth with the church in heaven. He has
sent forth His angels to minister to His church, and
the gates of hell have not been able to prevail
against His people.18
Fortress, refuge, safety. Yes, the church is to provide a
sense of security for those who have gathered within her walls.
But a careful reading of the paragraph shows that those gathered
are not to be cloistered together for their benefit alone but
are to be “watchmen” “sentinels” and “witnesses” to those who
are wandering in the insecure, guilt-ridden darkness.
A
wonderful balance between refuge for the purpose of soulwinning
is revealed in this first picture of the church.
The City Set on a Hill
The second image of the church is “the city set on a hill”
imagery when Jesus taught us during the Sermon on the Mount
that:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill
cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and
put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the
same way, let your light shine before men, that they
may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).
Ellen White takes this figure and again applies it in a
dual way to the church.
God unfolds the pure doctrines of
heaven within its borders and makes the church the theater of
His grace in order to reveal His power to transform hearts. The
glow of God’s love from His holy hill serves as a beacon light
to those who are in the dark.
During ages of spiritual darkness the church of God
has been as a city set on a hill. From age to age,
through successive generations, the pure doctrines of
heaven have been unfolding within its borders.
Enfeebled and defective as it may appear, the church
is the one object upon which God bestows in a special
sense His supreme regard. It is the theater of His
grace, in which He delights to reveal His power to
transform hearts.19
The City in the Wilderness
The third time the word city is used in the opening chapter
of Acts of the Apostles describes the mission of the church to
the “cities of the wilderness.”
The Jewish leaders thought themselves too wise to need
instruction, too righteous to need salvation, too
highly honored to need the honor that comes from
Christ. The Saviour turned from them to entrust to
others the privileges they had abused and the work
they had slighted. God's glory must be revealed, His
word established. Christ's kingdom must be set up in
the world. The salvation of God must be made known in
the cities of the wilderness; and the disciples were
called to do the work that the Jewish leaders had
failed to do.20
God’s glory, His word, Christ’s kingdom must be revealed to
the cities in the wilderness. Our privileges must not be abused
nor our work slighted The salvation of God must be made known
to the pilgrims who are gathering in the great cities of the
earth.
And from song number 356 found in the Seventh-day
Adventist hymnal, the call goes forth to “All Who Love and Serve
Your City” to be willing Jonahs and show the Lord’s love and
compassion to those who know Him not.
All who love and serve your city, All who bear its
daily stress,
All who cry for peace and justice, All who curse and
all who bless.
In your day of loss and sorrow, In your day of
helpless strife,
Honor, peace, and love retreating, Seek the Lord, who
is your life.
For all days are days of judgment, And the Lord is
waiting still,
Drawing near His friends who spurn Him, Offering peace
from Calvary’s hill.
Risen Lord, shall yet the city,
Be the city of
despair?
Come today, our judge, our glory; Be its name “The
Lord is there!”21
Summary
The story of redemption begins in a garden and ends in a
glorious city. If the Seventh-day Adventist Church is going to
be effective in the twenty-first century then it must seek to
resolve the issue between rural outposts and city missions.
Throughout the Scriptures, the gathering of God’s people is
often likened to a city.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus
taught His people were to be like “a city built on a hill cannot
be hid” (Matthew 5:14).
Unity must also be maintained in the
Kingdom for, “no city or house divided against itself will
stand” (Matthew 12:25).
The world has also gathered its pilgrims together in cities
of rebellion. Her freeways are filled with the lost. And like
the great Assyrian city of old, God is heard pleading with His
oft reluctant church:
“Should I not be concerned about that
great city” (Jonah 4:11)?
Endnotes
1. Harvie Conn, A Clarified Vision for Urban Mission,
Rapids: Zondervan, 1987), pg. 20.
2.
3.
Church,
(Grand
Ibid., page 26.
Harvie Conn, The American City and the Evangelical
(Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), page 9.
4. Harvie Conn, “The Kingdom of God and the City of God: A
History of the City/church Dialogue,” in Roger Greenway, editor,
Discipling the City. 2nd edition,
(Grand Rapids: Baker Books,
1992), page 247.
5. Ellul, Jacques, The Meaning of the City, (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1970), page 150.
6. Schaller, Lyle, ed. , Center City Churches, (Nashville,
TN: Abingdon Press, 1993), pg. 11.
7. Ellen White, Country Living, (Washington D.C.: Review &
Herald, 1946), page 3.
8.
Ellen White, Evangelism, (Washington D.C.: Review &
Herald, 1946), pages 384-385.
9.
Howard Weeks, Adventist Evangelism in the Twentieth
Century, (Washington D.C.: Review & Herald, 1969), pages 27-42.
10. Jon Dybdahl, Exploring the Challenges, Adventist Review
172, 23:12, 1995.
11. Bruce Moyer, “The Challenge of the Cities,” Ministry
85, 1992, page 49.
12. Eugene Rubingh, Strategies for Evanglization in Cities,
(Grand Rapids: Centennial Missions Scholarship Committee, 1986),
page 16.
13. Ellen White, Country Living, (Washington D.C.: Review &
Herald, 1946), pages 29-30.
.
14.
Harvie Conn, The American City and the Evangelical
Church, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), page 77.
15. Ibid., page 83.
16. Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, Volume
(Washington D.C.: Review & Herald, 1946), pages 34-35.
7,
17. Ellen White, Acts of the Apostles, (Mountain View, CA:
Pacific Press, 1911), page 9.
18. Ibid., page 11.
19. Ibid., page 12.
20. Ibid., page 16.
21. Charles L. Brooks, Chairman, The Seventh-day Adventist
Hymnal, (Washington D.C.: Review & Herald, 1985), page 356.