Methodist SDA Missionaries

[Gregory Matthews]

Let us say that you are a devout Baptist (Methodist or Roman Catholic) who wanted to work in a SDA setting doing work that you believed contributed to the work of the Lord, how would you go about it?  Would it even be possible?

Well, that day is coming (2018)!  See:

http://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/story5531-adventist-church-launches-new-mission-website

Quote

VividFaith will be open to anyone, Adventist or non-Adventist, who has the desire to do ministry with the Adventist Church,” says Osorio. “Members will discover a place to find mission opportunities and/or create social interaction with other people engaged in mission.

 

 

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

so this looks like it's under the auspices of the official SDA church, as the SDA logo is being used:

 

I find the concept rather odd.  And I can just see discrimination lawsuits down the pike, when a non-Adventist who wanted a job is not hired, in favor of an Adventist.

I don't know.  Is there a lack of SDAs who want to serve??

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

Pam, under the provisions of the 1st Amendment, and established case law, a religious denomination can employ whoever it wants, free of anti-discriminations, for work that is essential to ministry.  This does not change anything.  Everything in this area of employment remains the same.

And why not?  I will illustrate.

In my prior employment I became acquainted  with a devout non-SDA Registered Nurse who was looking for a short-term appointment providing clinical services to people who had little available.   I contacted one of the independent SDA organizations that provides clinical services, from a boat, to people who do not normally have such access.  The agreed to consider her for such a short-term trip.

In actual fact, as this developed, she with another agency that she felt better met her needs for a short-term trip.  I am trying to remember the details, but I think that in part she decided not to spend the time living on a boat.  Or, it may have been that the timing of a planned trip did not meet her needs.  I think that both may have been involved.  So, she went with another group.

My point is:  Even if this one case did not work out, why not allow such?   If she had decided to go with the SDA group, the potential is there for both the group to have benefited from her services and for her to have benefited form the mission experience.   Would she likely to have converted to Adventism?  Probably not.  But, so what?  It still could have been beneficial to all involved.