On March 14, 2015, the Chewelah Seventh-day Adventist Church held Grassroots Faith Sabbath. Members of this North American Division (NAD) congregation responded to the NAD “Theology of Ordination Q&A” brochure. Some two weeks previously the Division had printed thousands of brochures and mailed copies to all NAD churches without informing their home conferences. In the unedited video, after a two minute introduction, members respond to the NAD mailing and speak to General Conference session delegates. After receiving the NAD WO brochures, members of the congregation had wanted to respond in their own words, whether in favor or opposed, to women’s ordination and this was arranged. Vocations of those participating include nurse, engineer, psychologist, business owner, wellness educator, farmer, film director-producer, health consultant, software programmer/analyst, missionary, evangelist, and marriage and family counselor. Presentations were uncoached, unedited, unrehearsed and uncensored. Every participant is a member of the Chewelah Church. The Council of Adventist Pastors thought OrdinationTruth.com readers would find the material a fascinating snapshot showing how members in the pews—the real grassroots of the church—view the women’s ordination issue as it has been handled by the North American Division. The denomination has heard from scholars, pastors, and administrators, but the various media have carried relatively less from rank and file membership. It seemed useful to us for interested members of the world church to hear from others who, like themselves, are truly the backbone of the church.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church where this was recorded is located at 2310 Sand Canyon Rd, about two miles off highway 395, Chewelah, Washington, USA.