The renewal in certain Adventist circles of the issue of who and what is God’s true church constrains us, as in all such controversies, to consult the written counsel of God as our final authority (Isa. 8:20; Acts 17:11). Neither immediate circumstances, momentary disputes, nor the perspective of noted spiritual leaders can be permitted to sway our convictions in such matters.

Some years ago, there were individuals who asserted quite openly that the concept of a visible and an invisible church is a Roman Catholic doctrine which true Seventh-day Adventists should reject. One such person said it this way:

This was a major controversy during the Reformation. Roman Catholic theologians had made two churches. They said there is an invisible church and that Christ is the head of that, and there is a visible church and the Pope is the head of that. John Wycliffe said, “If there are two heads of the church, that is a monster” [1].

Is This Distinction Valid?

But regardless of what Catholic theologians or even Wycliffe taught, the concept of a visible and an invisible church is found in the writings of Ellen White. In one reference she does use this language in connection with Catholicism, as she quotes from the protest of the German princes in Luther’s time against the papacy:

Protestantism sets the power of conscience above the magistrate, and the authority of the word of God above the visible church [2].

But she also uses this language to refer to God’s true church today, and speaks of the presence of both faithful and unfaithful members there:

The advancement of the church is retarded by the wrong course of its members. Uniting with the church, although an important and necessary act, does not make one a Christian nor insure salvation. We cannot secure a title to heaven by having our names enrolled upon the church book while our hearts are alienated from Christ. . . .

We should all feel our individual responsibility as members of the visible church and workers in the vineyard of the Lord [3].

All must obtain a living experience for themselves; they must have Christ enshrined in the heart, His Spirit controlling the affections, or their profession of faith is of no value, and their condition will be even worse than if they had never heard the truth. . . . As members of the visible church and workers in the vineyard of the Lord, all professed Christians should do their utmost to preserve peace, harmony, and love in the church [4].

At least seven other statements use similar or identical language to the two above [5]. Particularly important about the first of the above statements is the declaration that “uniting with the church” is “an important and necessary act” [6], even though it doesn’t by itself make one a Christian. The fact that she says joining the church is important and necessary, but that by itself it doesn’t assure us of salvation, makes it clear once again that the church being described here is not a body consisting of the true and faithful only. Rather, this is a community which can be “retarded by the wrong course of its members” [7].

This statement raises troubling questions for those in the ranks of conservative Adventists who see membership and participation in the organized church as unnecessary, and who prefer independent worship as a presumed means of separating from apostasy.

But Ellen White doesn’t only use the term “visible church.” She also speaks of an invisible church, this one consisting of faithful members only in contrast with the unfaithful:

There are two kinds of connection between the branches and the vine stock. One is visible, but superficial. The other is invisible and vital. So there is an apparent union, a membership with the church, and a profession of religion, which, though in itself good, is too often unaccompanied by saving faith in Jesus, or living obedience to the commandments of God. The branches that are connected with Christ, the living Vine, will make it manifest by bearing much fruit in good works to the glory of God. But the branches which have nothing but an apparent union, will be fruitless [8].

The same principle, revealed by the same divine illustration, is explained elsewhere:

There is a wide difference between a pretended union and a real connection with Christ by faith. A profession of truth places men in the church, but this does not prove that they have a vital connection with the living Vine. A rule is given by which the true disciple may be distinguished from those who claim to follow Christ, but have not faith in Him. The one class are fruit-bearing, the other, fruitless [9].

In another statement she speaks of the faithful who are hidden—another word for invisible:

Let us thank God that the Master has His hidden ones, who are not recognized by the world, but whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life [10].

Moreover, when in other statements she speaks of “faithful souls” constituting the church [11], the term “invisible church” is quite appropriate, since only God knows who these faithful commandment-keepers are. Because only He knows the heart (I Kings 8:39), only God knows who is truly faithful. The apostle Paul writes, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (II Tim. 2:19).

Conclusion

Years ago I was asked by a fellow conservative Adventist who advocated independent worship as the answer to apostasy (and who, I am grateful to say, has since returned to the organized church and now promotes revival and reformation within official church channels): “How can anyone have fellowship in an invisible church?”

The answer should be obvious. None of us knows whether we are fellowshipping with the invisible church or not, since only God knows whether anyone’s obedience or profession of godliness is truly genuine. Only when the final shaking purifies the end-time church will the visible and invisible churches become one and the same.

It is true God has always had faithful followers since the beginning of the great controversy, within as well as outside the visible faith community. It is equally true that God has consistently worked through a visible collection of believers, from the pre-Flood patriarchal community to the establishment of the Seventh-day Adventist Church structure in 1863. And within each of these visible constructs, faithful and unfaithful believers have generally worked and worshiped alongside each other. This pattern will not cease until the shaking of the last days removes the apostate majority from the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Ellen White’s statement that membership in the visible church is “an important and necessary act” [12] should be strong enough to unsettle any notion that membership in the organized Seventh-day Adventist Church, headed by the General Conference in Silver Spring, Maryland, is merely optional. For many reasons too numerous to address in the present context, independence from the organized global body of Seventh-day Adventists is neither desirable nor a wise method of addressing the very real problems of apostasy, compromise, and worldliness within that body.

REFERENCES

1. John Grosboll, “Who and What is the Church?” Historic Adventist Land Marks, February 1996, p. 9.

2. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 204.

3. ----Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 16 (italics supplied).

4. Ibid, vol. 5, pp. 619-620 (italics supplied)

5. ----The Upward Look, p. 63; Signs of the Times, Sept. 1, 1888; Review and Herald, Feb. 19, 1880; June 16, 1885; June 25, 1887; Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, p. 293; vol. 15, p. 143.

6. ----Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 16.

7. Ibid.

8. ----Signs of the Times, July 27, 1888 (italics supplied).

9. ----Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 228-229.

10. ----Signs of the Times, Aug. 16, 1905.

11. ----Acts of the Apostles, p. 11.

12. ----Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 16.

Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan