The Council of Adventist Pastors (CAP) offers the following as an
outline of our understanding of the mission, vision, and values to which
Heaven has called us to be faithful.
MISSION
The mission of the Council of Adventist Pastors is to faithfully present
Scriptural views of unity, ordination, and other subjects.
VISION
The vision for the Council of Adventist Pastors is to see the world
church unified in belief and practice.
VALUES
We labor to serve in harmony in doctrine and practice with the
Fundamental Beliefs as expressed by the most recent General Conference
session.
We believe that God is leading His Church even today. We are part of a
larger whole. We serve a world church and must be faithful to the God of
heaven, whatever position we find ourselves in. If a union should place
itself in an insubordinate relation to the Seventh-day Adventist Church,
we pledge ourselves to manifest our loyalty to God in support of the
world church–and not in support of a rebel union or conference.
6 replies on “CAP Mission/Vision/Values Statements”
Dear CAP friends, Would it be possible to re-word “not in support of a rebel union or conference”? It would be better to say that we support the world church, the unions, and the conferences as they support the Scriptures, or, that we support the Scriptural stances of these unions/conferences, but not their unscriptural positions. Using the word “rebel” is harsh and will create unnecessary distancing. It reminds me of what Moses said when he committed the sin that kept him out of Canaan. Let us go forward on our knees, with prayer and fasting, under the sweet influence of the redemptive Spirit of God. Thank you for your kind consideration of my request, Your sister in Christ, Diane
Hi Diane,
We can assure you that the language chosen here is all reviewed by many eyes and many hearts. that does not mean that we cannot fail or err, but that the language that is used across the site in general materials has all been looked at with some care. A post like this response is not the same, and reflects the best current thinking of the web site admin.
We have been very reflective and have discussed wording such as “rebellion” and “insubordination” and so forth. We appreciate yuour concern and share it. However, we have been led thus far to use this language in some cases.
Oh, I agree wholeheartedly with Diane’s comment about the “harsh” reference to “a rebel union or conference.” Even before I read Diane’s comment, when I read the Mission/Vision/Values statements and then the paragraph with the distasteful wording, I thought to myself that that was very inappropriate language – for a church that represents a loving God – to boldly state as part of its values and its mission. What is becoming of our church that seems to be compromising with so much that we once distanced ourselves from because it was truly unbiblical and unrepresentative of Christ’s teachings and methods, and yet we are on the prowl to catch this that and the other “rebel” who just might be wanting to keep purity in the church? We are on very shaky ground in many areas, and perhaps we are not Berean enough to truly check the scriptures, and to pray for Godly discernment before we get out the “guns” to rid the church so quickly of “rebels.” Isn’t that the way of the Pharisees in Christ’s day? And who did they buttonhole as a rebel? Christ! They had their backs to the truth when they foolishly thought they were upholding it. Thank you, Diane, for speaking out about that point.
I am very concerned with the establishment of a “Council of Adventist Pastors” as this to me is far to similar to the Catholic institution of College of Cardinals. I believe the Adventist Church has long maintained that your relationship with God is a personal thing, with only overarching themes driving the unity of the church. The establishment of this Council of Adventist Pastors which seeks to further define what is “correct” or “incorrect” Adventist belifes seems to be a affront to that personal relationship with Christ. Again bringing us back to the establishment of the Adventist College of Cardinals. Next thing that might occur is the solidification of the leader of the church as the principal intermediary with the Holy Spirit guiding the church, much as the Pope has done. Let’s shy away from this and promote that each congregation should seek their ideals as fitting their members.
My dear concerned Adventist, Thanks for your concern but I believe it’s not intended to be a permanent organization, but since the quest for women ordination is much aggressive and seem to have started with their union or conference, they see it fit to express their opinion.
God is in control.
Wow, you sure jumped into the deep end of the pool. I find this CAP mission so comforting & reassuring – there are still ministers that are brave and have the principals of Christ. They are the reps for Christ on this earth. They are protecting Christ’s bride – his Church. A relationship with God is private, but it is also corporate because our mission is to bring in more souls to the present truth – into Christ’s church (His bride). Rebellion and trying to replace man’s will with God’s clear will on this WO issue is blasphemy and the apostate (morally wrong) methods used to promote this agenda are just as disturbing. This church is Christ’s bride and the apple of God’s eye. He created the relationship between Adam & Eve in the same manner as the relationship between God & Christ – a submissive attitude. Woman submissive to man (husband) – man submissive to Christ – Christ submissive to God.