PRESIDENT OF BOARD: That is all. Now while the Board would not at all imply that this statement of principles should be adopted as now read, we do believe that the course indicated in it is the correct one. We are confirmed in this belief by this fact: after the consultation in which was developed these principles of organization, there was placed in our hands a collection of Testimonies on the medical missionary and sanitarium work. Upon reading these Testimonies through, we were gratified to find how exactly we had caught in our draft the principles which these Testimonies called upon us to adopt.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.1

One of these Testimonies was read to us this morning, by Sister White herself. And you can readily recall how its whole tenor carries everything back to the individual with God, and calls upon us to respect individual responsibility, individual talent, and individual effort. To illustrate, one passage runs as follows:—ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.2

“To the leaders in the medical missionary work I must say that no one is to claim kingly power over God’s heritage in the medical missionary work. God’s people are to be under Him and Him alone. There is one Shepherd, and he has one flock. The Lord knows the future. He is the one to be looked to and trusted in to guide and guard and direct in the future development of the various branches of His work. For several years I have been warned that there is danger, constant danger, of men looking to men for permission to do this or that, instead of looking to God for themselves. Thus they become weaklings, bound about with human ties that God has not ordained. The Lord can impress minds and consciences to do His work under bonds to him, and in a brotherly fraternity that will be in accordance with his law.”ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.3

Another statement runs thus: “Each institution is to stand in its own responsibility. They will increase in strength and influence if they follow the light God has given,—if they begin small and work carefully not spending more than they make.... It is best for every sanitarium to stand in its own responsibility.”ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.4

Yet another, which tells must in little, runs as follows: “The kingly power formerly exhibited in the General Conference at Battle Creek is not to be perpetuated. The publishing institutions is not to be a kingdom of itself. It is essential that the principles that govern in General Conference affairs shall be maintained in the management of the publishing work and the sanitarium work.... No one is to think that the branch of work with which he is connected is of vastly more importance than other branches. The division of the General Conference into district union conferences was God’s arrangement. In the work of the Lord for these last days there are to be no Jerusalem centers, no kingly power.”ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.5

Surely here is an outline sufficiently clear,—individual freedom and individual self-government from God alone, the one Shepherd of his flock; institutional freedom and institutional self-government under bonds to God alone as the head and guide, yet in a brotherly fraternity that is in accordance with his law; the division of the General Conference into union conferences, God’s arrangement; and the principles that govern in General Conference affairs to govern in the sanitarium work. And this is exactly the conception of the principles of organization of the medical missionary work here presented.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.6

One great principle that now governs in General Conference affairs is self-government, beginning in the individual united with God.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.7

ELDER WILCOX: I am glad to see our organization finding its source in God’s unit.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.8

PRESIDENT OF BOARD: Yes, Brother Wilcox, and when it shall be indeed that throughout our organization, its source shall be found in God’s unit, then throughout our organization there will be seen God’s unity,—that unity for which Jesus has all these years been praying.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.9

Individual self-government necessarily expands to local self-government of the collection of individuals in a locality, as in the affairs of the church organization or of medical missionary work. From the many localities local self-government expands to State or conference self-government. From the several State or conference organizations self-government expands to union conference self-government. And from union conferences, self-government expands to General Conference self-government: each organization governing itself only, in the field of its own activities, and not attempting to govern any other; yet all working in a brotherly fraternity that is according to God’s law.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.10

In the nature of things, self-government means self-support. Local self-government means local self-support. Therefore the principle that “the weight of endeavor should be always, as a principle, to have every work start and develop as self-supporting, by local resources, local energy, and local control.” And this according to the instruction that each institution is to stand in its own responsibility, beginning small, working carefully, not spending more than it makes, and so growing, but keeping out of debt.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 9.11

This also inevitably brings into active co-operation in the medical missionary work the whole membership of the local church, especially wherever there is to be carried on in any degree sanitarium work. Surely we have had instruction enough, and for years, that each and every church should be a medical missionary working church. Indeed, we have had enough instruction on that subject to justify putting the question this way: What are our churches worth if they are not medical missionary working churches? How much true gospel have they, and what are they doing in the message for to-day, as that message is to-day, unless they are medical missionary working churches? Since the medical missionary work is “God’s helping hand” of the church, if a church is not only not using that hand, but is not in any spirit or condition to use it, then what is the church worth to the world in the great gospel necessities of to-day?ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.1

To me it seems sorely akin to an abomination to see a sanitarium work started in a city where there is a Seventh-day Adventist church, and find scarcely a single member of that church taking any more part or interest in it than if it were not there at all. The physicians and nurses are obliged to work and pinch and make their way by the hardest efforts to get a start and make the work self-supporting, when the intelligent and hearty co-operation of the whole membership of the church in that place would easily make the work flourish from the beginning, and cause it to be a blessing to the church, and to the whole place besides. Therefore the principle that “the constituency of a local enterprise shall be the church well instructed and in active co-operation in the principles of health and medical missionary work.”ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.2

This principle carried out, inseparably unites them. It makes the medical missionary work, the sanitarium work, the very work of the church itself as such. And this is right. Indeed, this only is right in this connection; for this is precisely the church’s calling. The church is the pillar and stay, the ground and support, of the truth in the world. To the church God commits his truth for the world. And the church is recreant to her Lord, to her call, and to her trust when she does not, as the church, give to the world that truth as from the church. Now this glorious and mighty truth of God’s saving health, the medical gospel, is made known and committed by God to his church to-day for the afflicted and perishing world of to-day. And every Seventh-day Adventist church is recreant to her Lord, to her call, and to her trust when she allows the health work, the medical missionary work, the sanitarium work, to be carried on apart from the church, and to stand before the world as not of the church. It is a proper part of church work.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.3

Let all the churches be intelligently and actively engaged in medical missionary work. Let those choose delegates to a State or conference meeting. Such delegates would be capable of having a voice in the election of a State or conference medical missionary board, and of considering the medical missionary interests of the State or conference, as well as of considering the strictly conference business, or the tract and missionary business. Such a delegation in conference assembled could do the medical missionary business and the tract and missionary business. There would not need to be different delegations for different phases of the one great work; but the same delegation would altogether consider the different phases of the one great work; for it would then be seen to be indeed only one work.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.4

At the Portland conference the one delegation was the delegation for all the business. And all who were there have witnessed that we never had a better conference anywhere. When we recognize that the church is God’s only recognized constituency, and then educate, educate, educate, till the church everywhere becomes an all-round church in the work of God, we shall find God’s unity and God’s power in the work as never can be otherwise. That will be the logical outcome of this principle and course of reorganization,—all the people, all God’s church, at work in all his work, as his church, representing and manifesting all his truth, and so, as his church, being the pillar and stay, the ground and support, of the truth in the world.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.5

At this point, on motion, recess was taken till 5 P. M.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.6

Upon the reconvening at the hour of 5 P. M., the study of the proposed principles of organization was resumed, in joint meeting with the members of the California Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association. The study took no wider range than simple question and answer as to the operation of the principles.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.7

ELDER KNOX: I would like to make this motion:—ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.8

That the constituency of the Pacific Union Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association be composed of the members of the Executive Committee of the Pacific Union Conference; the presidents of the local conference Medical Missionary and Benevolent Associations; medical superintendents of all sanitariums in the territory; one representative from every five hundred members in every local conference; the managers of the food factories in the territory; and such delegates as may be present from the International Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association, not to exceed ten.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.9

Thereupon, without any further modification or amendment of the proposed principles, it was moved, seconded, and carried—ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.10

That we approve of this plan as presented by the chairman and Elder Knox, and request the Pacific Union Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association Committee to proceed with the work of organization upon these lines.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.11

The principles of organization of the medical missionary work, as adopted, stand as follows:—ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.12

1. Where the burden of labor rests, there rests the weight of control.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.13

2. The weight of endeavor should be always, as a principle, to have every work started and developed as self-supporting, by local resources, local energy, and local control.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.14

3. Under present circumstances general control of local enterprises is in operation, but whenever an enterprise becomes strong enough under general control to go alone, it should be turned over by the general to the local control.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.15

4. It is possible that circumstances may occur in which the great importance of establishing the work at some pivotal or strategic point may require the establishment of an institution before there is a sufficient local constituency for efficient control. In such cases there should be general effort and general control until there is developed local constituency sufficient for local control.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.16

5. The constituency of a local enterprise shall be the church well instructed and in active co-operation in principles of health and medical missionary work.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.17

6. This church constituency of local enterprise shall elect, or choose an electorate to elect, its own medical missionary board of management, including at least one member of the State Board.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.18

7. The whole number of local constituencies, in annual conference, compose the State constituencies, and elect, or choose an electorate to elect, the State Board, including at least two members of the Pacific Union Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association Board.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.19

8. Delegates from the State constituencies, in union conference assembled, compose the union constituency, and elect, or choose an electorate to elect, a Pacific Union Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association Board, including a member or members of the International Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association Board.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.20

9. The bond of union and co-operation is loyalty to Christians principle in morals, in discipline, and in health and the treatment of disease.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.21

10. In short, the Medical Missionary Association shall be essentially the church—simply the church itself—at work in medical missionary lines, just as the schools and colleges represent the church at work in intellectual lines, and the churches and conference the church at work in evangelical lines. The sanitariums shall be instrumentalities of the church, just as are schools, tract societies, etc. The physicians, nurses, etc., shall be regularly licensed by the conference as church workers, the same as others.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.22

11. The funds of State organizations, at least for the present, shall be from the tithe of the income of local enterprises, and from donations; the funds of the Pacific Union Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association shall be tithe from the income of State organizations, and from donations.ARSH March 3, 1903, page 10.23

February 24, 1903

June 23, 1903