The Church's Vital Mission
05 Dec 2024 - Michael Hess II
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This is a lightly edited version of a letter I sent to the Michigan Conference Executive Officers the week Pastor Kelly was removed from his position. I have removed some sensitive details, but am sharing the rest here for others to see.
Dear Michigan Conference Leadership,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I write as a firm believer in the message and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church, and as a concerned member of the Michigan Conference.
It is from my burden for our mission that my concern arises. All over the world, I have met church leaders who love Jesus and His body and whose decisions reflect that love. I have also seen concerning trends in many regions toward treating the church organization as an end unto itself, with destructive consequences for the church’s wellbeing and mission. Tragically, one of the most public recent examples has been the Michigan Conference’s treatment of Elder Conrad Vine and Pastor Ron Kelly.
Neither man is perfect. I have not agreed with Elder Vine on everything he has ever said. But I have seen firsthand his heart for the work of the gospel, and believe that his call to eschew coercion and compromise is an outgrowth of this passion for mission and not, as some have suggested, a distraction from it. The letter banning him from Michigan pulpits failed to make a Biblical case, instead exhibiting a reflexive defense of church hierarchy that ignored the substance of the sermon he had preached. This raises alarm bells of an organization that is forgetting its mission and sliding toward a status quo of self-preservation for its own sake.
I am also aware of other ongoing issues with Ron Kelly and that the most recent incident is not the only charge against him. Even so, defending Elder Vine should not have been the last straw. If other problems were not sufficient cause to remove Kelly from office, standing up to pressure to remove a church officer without due process should not have provoked this response.
Jesus told his disciples, “The kings of the Gentiles domineer over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way for you; rather, the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant” (Luke 22:25–26, NASB). By neglecting the sharp distinction Jesus drew between how the world works and how the church must work, the conference has damaged the church’s credibility as an entity independent of and dissimilar to the kingdoms of this world, compromising the integrity of our witness to a world in desperate need of the kingdom of God.
The conference has also allowed its dispute with Elder Vine to interfere with the church’s mission efforts, by blocking advances in medical and educational initiatives unless he is removed from office. The work of the gospel must never be held hostage in this way—to say nothing of the self-evident consequences of attacking the president of one of our most important mission organizations.
When the Pharisees plotted to seize Jesus, Nicodemus could boldly challenge them by asking, “Our Law does not judge the person unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” (John 7:51, NASB). Ellen White records that “Silence fell on the assembly. The words of Nicodemus came home to their consciences. They could not condemn a man unheard” (DA 460). If even the seared consciences of the Pharisees could sense the truth in Nicodemus’ words, how much more should Seventh-day Adventist leadership be swift to hear the heart of God’s faithful servants and slow to speak judgment on them without due process or just cause!
It is not too late to change course. The Michigan conference can still apologize for its treatment of Elder Vine and Pastor Kelly. If the conference has sound Biblical reasons why the positions they have taken are wrong, it is not too late to expound them clearly and allow opportunity for response. The conference’s actions have already harmed the church’s witness and mission, but it is not too late to seek reconciliation with those wronged and commit to a renewed focus on supporting the church’s mission.
I pray that we may soon be united in the vital work of seeing the everlasting gospel go to the ends of the earth.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Sincerely,
Michael Hess II
Member of Mount Pleasant SDA Church