SDA Race Relations & History

[Gregory Matthews]

In a seminal article: "Protest & Progress: Untold Stories in Adventist History," as featured in Vol. 17, Issue 1, of Spectrum,  retired GC Vice-President, Calvin B. Rock writes on race relations in the SDA Church.

NOTE:   This article is believed to represent a book he has written and is in the process of being published under the title:  The Four Major Freedom Endeavors of Black Seventh-day Adventist Leaders in the Twentieth Century.

This article is of value not only in the stories that it tells, but in his perspective, as a General Conference Vice-President, of what effect those events had on the denomination and what was happening behind the scene.

 

[Gregory Matthews]

I find of interest his comments on the Regional Conferences leaving the retirement system of the General Conference and establishing their own retirement system.  In my words, here is some of what he says:

*  The Regional Conference retirement system allows full retirement at 30 years of service in contrast to the General  Conference system which requires 40 years of service.

*  On the average  the Regional Conference system pays its retirees $1,000 more a month that would be paid under the GC system.
*  The Regional system has a $200,000,000+  portfolio.

*  The Regional system offers  similar health benefits to that of the GC system.

I would comment that it is because of perceived views of the GC System that some SDA schools hire teachers who are not placed under the GC system for pay. benefits and retirement and are provided a complete package of comparable benefits that cost the school less than it would cost if the school were on the GC system.

We are living in a time when individual SDA congregations are hiring pastors who are not on Conference salary and are paid directly (or in some cases indirectly)  by the congregation.

NOTE:  On a personal note, my comments above do not in every way reflect my person thinking about the total subject.