PRES ID E NT'S P E RSP ECT I V E
What Makes Adventism Adventist? Is it our penchant for wholistic living that causes us to live as many as 7 to 10 years longer than we would if we didn’t have our health-transforming, Bible-informed, plant-based, dietary plan the world is now discovering?
E Maurice Valentine
4 JUNE/JULY 2021
Is it our many doctrines we hold so dear, especially the Sabbath, State of the Dead, Sanctuary, Spirit of Prophecy and Second Coming of Jesus? Or is it our linear view of the Great Controversy theme which helps us understand the prophetic timeline that begins with the crafting of the plan of redemption to the restoration of mankind to face-to-face communion with God? Is it our laser-like focus on end-time events as informed by the Three Angels of Revelation 14 that tell us what milestones to look for on this timeline, helping us know what’s soon to come on all mankind? Is it the faithfulness of our lay-leaders and members? Could it be the tremendous burden we have to practice prayer, study God’s Word, and share our faith? Is it our organization and institutions? As for organization, through the dedication of missionaries, our message has reached around the globe in less than 150 years. As for institutions, in 11 years of service as a church administrator, I have been honored to sit on many boards, every one of them doing nothing less than extraordinary work. Just from following God’s blueprint for Christian education, we are blessed to have what are likely some of most committed people on the planet running these institutions. And how does a church so young have one of the largest religious education and healthcare delivery systems in the world? As I look at where our people land in places of employ — be they blue-collar or white-collar workers because all are co-laborers with Christ who was both a blue-collar and white-collar worker, carpenter
and teacher respectively, innovation abounds in all that we do. Our organizations and institutions rise on the thermals of God’s grace even as we individually also excel in agriculture, private business philanthropy, entrepreneurship, government and in the corporate setting. Is it because all of our institutions globally are interconnected? A healthcare leader of another faith community recently said, “We have a lot to learn from you in the way that you work so closely together.” Today’s corporations and franchises turn out high-quality products because they maintain high standards and quality controls for all of their wares and outlets that represent their brand. I’ve noticed the same is true of our many institutions. Because we have core values that leaders are admonished to attain to in every institution, our level of high-quality delivery of health, educational, publishing, media, and church level training and products causes us in many respects to be recognized by our friends in the public arena who say, “You have something special.” There’s not a board meeting I’ve left where I haven’t been absolutely inspired at the grace of God as demonstrated by how He has filled the leadership ranks in each institution with visionary, creative, innovative, dedicated, committed and inspiring leaders. Repeatedly, I leave these meetings saying to myself, “Wow, look at what God hath wrought!” But what is our product? Our product is the proclamation of the gospel in the context of the Three Angels’ Messages which Visit LakeUnionHerald.org
