The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a manual called the General Conference Working Policy. It acts like the official rulebook for how the church is supposed to operate around the world.
On page 4, this manual says it’s the highest authority for how the church does its work. However, there’s a section buried deeper in the document—B 15 10—with power to override everything else, even this rulebook itself. That section says (paraphrased):
If a country’s laws seem to make it illegal for the church to follow its own policies, the church can follow the government’s law as long as two conditions are met:
The top three church leaders (President, Secretary, and Treasurer) agree that there’s a real conflict between the law and church policy.
Following the government’s law does not appear to go against the Bible.
At first glance, this might seem reasonable. But here’s where the problem comes in:
Only three men are responsible for deciding both whether a conflict exists and, more importantly, whether following the law violates the Bible.
There is no requirement for involving the representative input of the full church body in these decisions.
This gives an enormous amount of power to just three individuals, with no real checks and balances.
Why This Is a Big Deal: A Dangerous Scenario
Imagine the government passes a law saying everyone must worship on a certain day—not Saturday, the biblical Sabbath. Church members are concerned. They look to the church’s official policy for guidance.
Under B 15 10, the members report the issue to the three top leaders. Here’s what could happen:
These leaders agree the new law conflicts with church beliefs.
But then they also decide that following this law doesn’t technically go against the Bible—maybe by using vague language about unity or different interpretations of Sabbath-keeping.
So, they tell the church it’s okay to follow the government’s law.
Now, without involving the global church body, the entire denomination could be legally mandated to go along with a law that goes directly against a core belief—just because three men said so.
Has This Already Happened?
During the global vaccine mandates, many members were concerned about how quickly the church sided with government mandates. The same policy, at least in principle, B 15 10, was likely used then, too.
No special global church session was called. No open theological discussion. No request for membership input, just a small group of leaders deciding for everyone… And a decision that has not been allowed to be questioned or challenged on procedural or scriptural grounds since.
What the Spirit of Prophecy Warns
Ellen White strongly warned against giving too much control to just a few people:
“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…”— Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 260
She taught that decisions about the direction of God’s Church should be made by the entire church body, especially during General Conference Sessions where delegates from around the world are present.
What Needs to Change
Right now, B 15 10 gives legal and policy power to just three men to override church policy and even decisions made by General Conference Sessions—if these three men believe it doesn’t violate the Bible. This ought to be changed. At the very least, the policy must:
Clearly define who decides what is or isn’t a violation of the Bible.
Require a broader representative group of laity to be involved in these decisions.
Ultimately, respect the authority of the General Conference Session, which, according to page 72 of the Working Policy, is supposed to be the highest authority in the church and therefore must be permitted to audit and discuss these decisions.
Final Thought
Even if we trust the current leaders, the structure itself is risky. Leadership has much to lose if it confronts unscriptural laws and practices: government funding for its institutions, pensions, closure of healthcare institutions, schools, even their very jobs. This automatically creates an incentive for them to comply, forming a very real conflict of interest.
As it stands right now, General Conference Working Policy Section B 15 10, gives too much unchecked power to too few people—and that’s never safe for God’s Church.
Discuss…
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“After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord” (Acts 15:34-35).