Records Pertaining to Ellen G. White's Ministerial/Ordination Credentials from the White Estate

[Lauralea]

Records Pertaining to Ellen G. White's Ministerial/Ordination Credentials A. Ellen White's Biographical Information Form

On March 5, 1909, Ellen White's biographical information form was filled out by her assistant, Mary Steward, as requested for General Conference records. Question 19 asked, "If ordained, state when, where, and by whom." The line was marked with an "x" indicating that she had not been ordained, just as an "x" was recorded for question 26, "If remarried, give date, and to whom."

B. Conference Credentialing Records in the Review and Herald

Ellen White's name is not found in lists of Michigan Conference credentialed ministers prior to 1871. (See, for example, lists published in RH, May 31, 1864, May 28, 1867, and May 26, 1868.) She was first issued ministerial credentials on February 10, 1871, by the Michigan Conference:

"Moved and voted, That Sr. Ellen G. White receive credentials from this Conference."—RH, Feb. 14, 1871, p. 69.

Her credentials were renewed by the Michigan Conference annually thereafter through 1887.[1] The 1886 report was introduced with the words: "Your committee on credentials and licenses would present the following names of ordained ministers for a renewal of their credentials the ensuing year." (Ellen White was not listed in the Michigan Conference report for 1888.)

C. Listings in the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook & General Conference Bulletin

The first listing of ministers in the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook was in 1884. Ellen White was listed under both "General Conference" Ministers and "Michigan" Ministers. The listings appeared the same in 1885, 1886, and 1887. In 1888 she was listed under "California" Ministers, as well as under "Michigan" Ministers and "General Field" Ministers. She was also listed under "Ministers" (not Licentiates) in the "Alphabetical List of Laborers."

Beginning in 1889, all the workers were listed alphabetically, as well as by territory, with letter codes inserted to indicate whether the worker was (l) licensed to preach or (m) an ordained minister. Ellen White was listed under "General Conference" Ministers only (not "Michigan" or "California") and an (m) appeared after her name in the directory. She was listed the same way from 1890-1894. No yearbooks were published from 1895 to 1903, however, "Workers' Directories" were published in the General Conference Bulletin.

In the 1895/1896/1897/1898 Bulletins, Ellen White was consistently listed in the "Workers' Directory" with the code for "Minister" (m) in the absence of any separate coding for ordained ministers in the directory, as well as appearing in the list of "General Conference" Ministers. In the 1899/1900 Bulletins, the Ministerial Directory listed (m) for ordained minister and (l) for licensed minister. Ellen White was listed with the (m) code, and in the list of "General Conference" Ministers.

In the 1901/1902 Bulletins, the codes were not used, but a distinction between Ministers and Licentiates was made in territorial listings. Ellen White was listed in the General Conference "Ministers" list rather than the "Licentiates." No directory was published for 1903, but she was granted "ministerial credentials" from the General Conference by action reported in the General Conference Bulletin, Apr. 14, 1903, p. 216.

In the 1904 Yearbook, Ellen White was listed in the Ministerial Directory and with "Ministers Under the Direction of the General Conference." There was no separate coding for ordained ministers in the directory. In the 1905/1906/1907/1908 Yearbooks, she was listed in the Ministerial Directory and with Ministers listed under "Laborers Engaged in General Work and in Mission Fields, Under the General Conference." Again, there was no separate coding for ordained ministers in the directory.

In the 1909/1910/1911/1912/1913 Yearbooks, Ellen White was listed in the Ministerial Directory and with Ministers under "Laborers Engaged in General Work Under the General Conference" (with no separate coding for ordained ministers in the directory).

In the 1914/1915 Yearbooks, Ellen White was listed in the Ministerial Directory and with Ministers listed under "General Laborers Holding Credentials From the General Conference" (with no separate coding for ordained ministers in the directory).

D. Ellen White's Paper Credentials

The White Estate possesses six paper credentials that were issued to Ellen White. The first credential is dated October 1, 1883, from the Michigan Conference. The second is dated December 6, 1885, from the General Conference. On that one credential, the word "ordained" was crossed out. The third is dated December 27, 1887, from the General Conference. The fourth is dated March 7, 1899, from the General Conference. The fifth is dated June 14, 1909, from the General Conference. The sixth is dated June 12, 1913, from the General Conference.

E. Statement by Ellen G. White's Family

In a letter dated Nov. 17, 1935, Dores E. Robinson replied on behalf of W. C. White (Ellen White's son and Robinson's father-in-law) in response to a query concerning Ellen White's ministerial credentials. He wrote: "[W. C. White] tells me that Sister White was never ordained, that she never baptized, nor did she ever give the ordination charge to others."

Summary

From 1871 until her death in 1915, Ellen White was issued ministerial credentials. From 1871 to 1887 she was credentialed by the Michigan Conference, and from 1884 until her death, she was credentialed as a General Conference Minister. On one of the credentials (1885), the word "ordained" is struck through. (In the 1888 Yearbook she was also listed among the California Ministers.) Throughout the years, her name was listed along with ordained ministers rather than licentiates, although her biographical information sheet and the testimony of her family indicates that she did not receive ordination at the hands of church officials.

Compiled by the Ellen G. White Estate, Inc.

October 2012

[Lauralea]

Ellen White was ordained of God to be the messenger to the remnant church. Her work included that of a prophet. She also carried ministerial credentials. She was not ordained by the laying on of human hands. God chose 2 men first. They did not accept the call. She says the Lord said he would use one of His weakest servants (herself). Similar to Deborah, the fact that He used a woman did not honor the men that had turned down the call, or in Deborah;s case, Barak, who refused to lead out without her in battle. So in a perfect world, maybe God would not need to use women to fill these positions, but if he uses women who are prophets, it would appear he may use them in other positions at least at certain times- persecution, war, countries like China, and outlying areas without sufficient ministers which are culturally ready for such a step. I do not say this to agitate the issue but because although I lean conservative I believe it is worthy of study. 

[Gregory Matthews]

It is not accurate to suggest that two men refused to accept the call of "God.

 

It would be true to say that Hazen Foss refused to accept the call.

 

William Foy is another situation.  Foy accepted the call of God and began to proclaim the message that God had given him.  Then, he became quite confused in regard to a message that God had given him that he did not understand.  When understanding failed to come to him,, in prayer he asked God to relieve him of the call, which God did.    Foy did not in rebellion refuse to give God's message.  He proclaimed it as best he could as he understood it.  God accepted him on his level and relieved him of the responsibility.  But, it is not accurate to suggest that he refused to give it.

 

The church has published a book in William Foy and how he responded to God.  I suggest that you read it.  The book is THE UNKNOWN PROPHET, 160 pages, and was published in 1987

 

The SDA Encyclopedia has a good article on Foy, page 474 - 475.

 

It also has an article on Foss, page 173 and 174.

 

For a good article on William Foy, see:  http://spectrummagazine.org/blog/2011/03/03/unknown-prophet

 

There is a lot of other stuff available about Foy, but the above shoudl give you the basics.

 

As to the idea that Foy refused to give God's message, it should be noted the Ellen White, in writing about her life, tells how she attended a meeting in which Willaim Foy preached the message that God had given him, as he understood it.

 

It is true the in the beginning, Foy did not proclaim the message as he believed that God had not directed him to do so.  But, as time passed, Foy felt that God had called him to proclaim and at one time, he went on a three month preaching tour during which he held meetings and proclaimed the message.  Then as he became confused, he asked for God to relieve him of that responsibility and God did.  But, Foy did not rebell and refuse.    The historical evidence is beyond doubt that he did proclaim the message for a period of time.

[Lauralea]

That is true Gregory. Thank you for correcting that . Foy accepted the call and preached at first then worked to support his family for a time then returned to speaking but did not understand the third vision so stopped and died soon after.

"Although he was a fluent speaker, he reluctantly complied, fearing that the general prejudice against visions, and the fact that he was a mulatto, would make his work difficult. The “large congregation assembled” was spellbound, and with this initial encouragement, Foy traveled three months, delivering his message to “crowded houses.” Then to secure means to support his family, he left public work for a time, but, finding “no rest day nor night,” he took it up again. Ellen Harmon, when but a girl, heard him speak at Beethoven Hall in Portland, Maine. (Interview of D. E. Robinson with Mrs. E. G. White, 1912. White Publications, D.F. 231.)

Near the time of the expectation in 1844, according to J. N. Loughborough, Foy was given a third vision in which were presented three platforms, which he could not understand in the light of his belief in the imminent coming of Christ, and he ceased public work. (The Great Second Advent Movement, pages 146, 147.)

It so happened that a short time after this, Foy was present at a meeting in which Ellen Harmon related her first visions. She did not know that he was present until he interrupted with a shout, and exclaimed that it was just what he had seen. (D.F. 231.) Foy did not live long after this."

Appendix C of A Prophet Among You by T Housel Jemison.

 

However while not judging Foy he was reluctant to continue to preach the message due to not understanding it and the Lord chose Ellen White instead because the first two calls he gave did not work out with someone willing to preach the message long term and despite not always understanding the details of what they were called to do.

[Kevin H]

While our histories prior to the book "The Unknown Prophet" in the 1970s and 80s thought that Foy had rejected the message and died soon there after, that research found that he was faithful. Then as Mrs. White started her ministry, Foy showed the spirit of Jonathan and John the Baptist by getting out of her way. He left his comfortable life in main stream America to move to the back woods of Maine. There he lived a good long life searching for people who lived out in the backwoods, who did not have much contact with others and he would search them out to minister to them and raise up churches where they could worship.  

 

When we see him he will have a special crown, full of stars, but a few stars are really going to catch our attention. Whether they are a different color or brilliance, we'll see what God designs, but those who he searched out the forgotten people in the backwoods of Maine will have some way of being different from the stars that he won when he lived on the mainstream and from those that he shares with Mrs. White.

 

But he was faithful and he did not die soon after but lived a long and fruitful life for the Lord and his neighbors! Someone who we can be proud of indeed!

[Kevin H]

Another issue with Foy was he was African American and many would not listen to him because of his race.

[Kevin H]

I don't like the spirit of Mrs. White being God's last choice because the MEN refused the job. God had another job in store for Mrs. White. She had a great philosophical mind and was a literary genius. She probably would have been a famous novelist (in the fuller sense of novel, not the narrow view that she and other novelists such as Nathanial Hawthorn and Herman Melville criticized) and people studying her novels and thought would have been lead to see the affect that her Adventist background had on her `and thus would have been a way of spreading the message beyond what the Prophet could do and what she could do as the prophet.

[Tom Wetmore]

Since Foy spent those years in the backwoods of Maine, I have to wonder if he had contact with some my ancestors from Maine.

[Lauralea]

Ellen White was "the weakest of the weak" to quote Hazen Foss's impression of who would be given the vision if he failed to make it known. It was easier for a male to proclaim the message due to their culture maybe not so much for Foy due to his mixed race but for Foss. The purpose of the post was to draw parallels about the circumstances of how the Lord used female prophets to lead in 2 situations. He used those who were culturally more vulnerable and less accepted as leaders because they were willing to be used. While further research may have changed the generally accepted view of what happened to Foy, he did not continue his original ministry to be the primary prophetic  messenger to the remnant church. Ellen White was chosen.

 

It may have been because of her weakness as well as willingness the Lord used her. In regards to being female, perhaps I should not have included her with Deborah in this respect, but Deborah as a prophetess did say that a woman would be used due to Barak's reluctance.

⁸ And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!”

⁹ So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.”

 

My point here is certainly not to be critical of leadership as relating to men in the least. I consider the continued leadership of men in the Seventh day Adventist Church to be a given.  I think in the case of Ellen White perhaps it would be more tactful to say the Lord used her because of her being weak, and not draw the parallel with the other case as stated by Deborah. I regret any controversy that may have caused.

 

The purpose was to consider the instances when the Lord markedly used a woman in a position of leadership to see what circumstances those might be with relation to womens ordination.

[Kevin H]

Since you brought up Deborah, first the book of Judges has 12 Judges one from each tribe. This indicates that each tribe gave a story of one of their judges and there may have been other women judges.

 

Scholars have also pointed that with Sisera going to rest at Jael's tent was that Jael must have been a female priest and that Sisera was going expecting the concept of "Sanctuary" however with him being an enemy of God's people and Jael being a priest of the true God, like when miserable Joab went to Sanctuary from Solomon, the tradition of Sanctuary was not honored.

[Lauralea]

Yes I agree there may have been other women judges. I also get from the text he was seeking sanctuary, at least from what he thought was an ally, but no sanctuary was given because of his being an enemy of God's people. Scripture states Jael was the wife of Heber  and Sisera went to her because there was peace between his house and the king of Hazor.