On June 28, 2023, an explicit letter of warning from Pastor Charles Tapp, president of the Potomac Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, was sent to every member of the Roanoke (Virginia) Seventh-day Adventist Church. The official letter ¹ threatened to remove the Roanoke Church from the "sisterhood of churches of the Potomac Conference" if they did not mend their ways.
What did the Roanoke Church do that places them in such jeopardy? Perhaps they co-hosted a weekend summit on the topic of LGBTQ perspectives? Or maybe they invited a guest preacher who spoke during the divine worship hour, claiming the Bible doesn't really mean what it says, and quoting feminist and queer theologians to boost his claims. A guest preacher who tells the congregation that he has hope for them because they are "not completely imprisoned to doctrine." Maybe they had queer individuals come to its Sabbath School classes or afternoon programs explaining how they've been mistreated by the church and urging that changes take place so LGBTQ+ individuals will be celebrated within the Seventh-day Adventist Church?
Surely a church that invited such speakers who speak against the Bible and our fundamental beliefs would receive a letter of warning from the Potomac Conference?
Invitation Upheld
Roanoke invited no such speakers. Instead, they invited Pastor Stephen Bohr to speak on "confidence and certainty in the end times." Pastor Bohr is an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister in good and regular standing within the Adventist Church. He is the president/speaker of Secrets Unsealed, a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and a member of the Adventist Services and Laymen's Industries (ASI), which identifies bona fide ministries with the organized church.
While the Potomac Conference attempted to block Elder Bohr from speaking at Roanoke, the church board voted to uphold its invitation to Elder Bohr, who spoke to a packed church on May 5 and 6, 2023. His Christ-centered presentations were uplifting and inspiring.
Christ-centered Presentations
In his first presentation Friday evening, Elder Bohr spoke on "Beware of Fools' Gold," outlining the temptations brought to Adam and Eve and drawing out parallels with his temptations at the end of time.
During the Sabbath morning worship hour, Elder Bohr preached on "For God, It's a Done Deal," explaining how God is the I AM outside of time and space. "Prophecy is built on this truth," said Bohr. "Nothing takes Him by surprise. God sees the past and future as clearly as He sees the present."
Following a delightful fellowship lunch, the meetings continued with Elder Bohr speaking on "God, History, Prophecy, Time and Eternity." Prophecies reveal that God is active in the events of man, Bohr assured. "Our perception of the time of God's promise may seem to tarry, but there is never a delay with God."
Later that afternoon Elder Bohr answered various questions on prophecy during an insightful Q & A Session.
In his final presentation of the series, "Horizontal and Vertical History," Elder Bohr pointed out that while man's history can only deal with the visible actions and events of the past, there is another history that concerns the invisible world. The Bible and prophecy give us glimpses into this unseen reality, he said.
Following the meetings, many expressed deep appreciation for the deeply Biblical, spiritual messages presented by Pastor Bohr.
One wonders why the Potomac Conference was so adamantly opposed to having Elder Bohr speak at Roanoke, and in fact has attempted to bar him from speaking at any Seventh-day Adventist Church within their territory.
"The Values of the Potomac Conference"
In his June 28 letter of warning to the Roanoke members, conference president Charles Tapp cited Potomac Conference Policy 820.00:
"There are several independent ministries within the North American Division and indeed in other territories outside the Division. It is essential to understand that there are independent ministries that are "adversarial" and "controversial" against the values of Potomac Conference rather than "supportive." There may be instances when the leaders of independent ministries are invited to speak within the territory of Potomac Conference. Churches must use caution when considering inviting the leaders of these ministries to speak within the Potomac Conference" (emphasis supplied).
So, what is it about Elder Bohr that might be "against the values of Potomac Conference?"
He found out in a phone call he received from a Potomac Conference official urging him not to speak at Roanoke. The official listed several guidelines for acceptable speakers within the Potomac Conference including: "c) Do they support the role of women in ministry and the ordination of women to the gospel ministry?"
While Bohr supports women in ministry, he does not support the ordination of women. So, while his presentations at Roanoke had nothing to do with the topic of women's ordination, the conference attempted to ban him (and anyone else who holds his views) from speaking because it goes against their active promotion of ordaining women to the gospel ministry.
The Potomac Conference was the first conference to go against world church policy by choosing to ordain women, and proudly continues to actively support and encourage going against world church decisions.
The Church Manual
In bolstering the conference's threats against the Roanoke church, Tapp cited the newly voted (2022 General Conference Session) Church Manual guidelines:
“Authorized Speakers - Only speakers worthy of confidence will be invited to the pulpit by the local church pastor, in harmony with guidelines given by the conference.
The local elders or church board may also invite speakers in consultation with the pastor and in harmony with conference guidelines. Individuals who are no longer members or who are under discipline should not be given access to the pulpit.
At times it is acceptable for government officials or civic leaders to address a congregation, but all others should be excluded from the pulpit unless permission is granted by the conference. Every pastor, elder, and conference president must enforce this rule" (pp. 126-127).
Interestingly, while Tapp quotes the Church Manual's new policy on authorized speakers, he seems to ignore what is published on page 31 of the Church Manual:
"General Conference the Highest Authority
"In the Church today the General Conference Session, and the General Conference Executive Committee between Sessions, is the highest ecclesiastical authority in the administration of the Church. The General Conference Executive Committee is authorized by its Constitution to create subordinate organizations with authority to carry out their roles. Therefore, all subordinate organizations and institutions throughout the Church will recognize the General Conference Session, and the General Conference Executive Committee between Sessions, as the highest ecclesiastical authority, under God, among Seventh-day Adventists" (p. 31).
The Church Manual quotes Ellen White:
“I have often been instructed by the Lord that no man’s judgment should be surrendered to the judgment of any other one man. Never should the mind of one man or the minds of a few men be regarded as sufficient in wisdom and power to control the work and to say what plans shall be followed. But when, in a General Conference, the judgment of the brethren assembled from all parts of the field is exercised, private independence and private judgment must not be stubbornly maintained, but surrendered. Never should a laborer regard as a virtue the persistent maintenance of his position of independence, contrary to the decision of the general body.”— 9T 260 (p. 31).
Perhaps President Tapp and his group of leaders at the Potomac Conference have somehow forgotten that the General Conference has voted three times on the subject of women's ordination:
1990 GC Session, Indianapolis: Voted "No" to ordain women to the gospel ministry. (See p. 15 of hyperlinked report). In part, the motion stated, "In view of the widespread lack of support for the ordination of women to the gospel ministry in the world church and in view of the possible risk of disunity, dissension, and diversion from the mission of the church, we do not approve ordination of women to the gospel ministry."
1995 GC Session, Utrecht: Voted "No" to a variation request by the North American Division to ordain women within its territory (see p. 30 of hyperlinked report).
2015 GC Session, San Antonio: Voted "No" to the following: “After your prayerful study on ordination from the Bible, the writings of Ellen G. White, and the reports of the study commissions, and; after your careful consideration of what is best for the church and the fulfillment of its mission, is it acceptable for division executive committees, as they may deem it appropriate in their territories, to make provision for the ordination of women to the gospel ministry? Yes or No.”
It seems rather ridiculous for a local conference to threaten disbanding a local church on the basis of what it perceives as a Church Manual violation, when the Potomac conference has for years been a leader in violating the Church Manual by ignoring General Conference Session votes and ordaining many women to the gospel ministry.
Accusations and Threats
Notwithstanding, its own Church Manual violations, the following actions were voted by the Potomac Conference executive committee, as listed in Tapp's letter:
"on June 27, 2023, the Potomac Conference Corporation Executive Committee took the following action:
"a. Any further disregard or violation of speaker policy demonstrates that the Roanoke SDA Church wishes not to be a part of the sisterhood of churches of the Potomac Conference and may be removed from such affiliation.
"b. Any further disregard for or violation of Potomac Conference and Church Manual policies will result in further action to be determined solely at the discretion of the Executive Committee and as provided by the Church Manual."
Deeply Concerning
Regardless of one's views on women's ordination, every Seventh-day Adventist should be alarmed at this unprecedented action taken by a local conference against one of its own churches and against an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister who has never been under censor and is in good standing within the Church. An ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister holding current credentials who is not under church discipline has automatically, by virtue of his ordination, global authority and is an authorized speaker within the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide.
We invite you to pray earnestly for the Potomac Conference and its leadership—that they will come back into harmony with the world church, stop allowing non-biblical messages to be preached from its Sligo pulpit, and stop persecuting churches, pastors, and members who are in full harmony with the beliefs and practices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and with God's Word.
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“But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
¹ Full letter from Potomac HERE
* None of the content in this article came from Roanoke church members.