Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement
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| Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement | |
| Classification | Protestant |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Adventist; Arminian; Christian pacifist |
| Polity | Modified presbyterian polity |
| Founder | Groups of Seventh-day Adventist in different countries |
| Origin | 1925 |
| Separated from | Seventh-day Adventist Church |
| Separations | Seventh Day Adventist Third Part |
| Geographical Area | Worldwide (125 countries) |
| Statistics | |
| Members | 35 000 |
The Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement is a Protestant Christian denomination, part of sabbatarian adventist movement. SDARM Church is division from the Seventh-day Adventist Church created by disagreement over proper Sabbath observance and military service during World War I.
Contents |
[edit] History
When the German army mobilized in 1914, Seventh-day Adventists in that country had to decide whether they would serve in the military. The president of the East German Union Conference and others in council decided that conscripted Adventists would bear arms and could render service on the Sabbath in defense of their country. Though most followed their leadership in this policy, a minority felt they could not uphold what they believed was the church's original position in regard to keeping the Law of God and also serve in the military. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Europe disfellowshipped those who refused to serve in the military.
There were about 4,000 Adventists in Germany and other parts of Europe that were disfellowshipped. Attempts at reconciliation were made at the conclusion of the war, and again in 1920 and 1922. The Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement was organized as a separate church from the main body of Seventh-day Adventists at Gotha, Germany, July 14-20, 1925.
The Reform Movement was first headquartered in Isernhagen, Germany, then later in Basel, Switzerland. After World War II, headquarters were moved to Sacramento, California. The church was incorporated in 1949. Offices are currently located in Roanoke, Virginia. The Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement has members in over 100 countries. The SDARM General Conference coordinates the work of the denomination around the world, including the various Union Conferences, Field Conferences and Missions.
The 20th quadrennial delegation session of the General Conference was held in Jeju, South Korea, September 19 to October 7, 2007. This was the first time the session had been held in Asia. Previous sessions have been held in Brazil (1955, 1959, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2003), Canada (1983), Germany (1925, 1928, 1931, 1963, 1991), Hungary (1934), the Netherlands (1948, 1951), Romania (1995), and the United States of America (1979).
The Reform Movement has suffered one division. Near the end of the 1940s, two parties developed, but continued together until June 6, 1952. The cause of this split was accusations of adultery, divorce and financial misappropriation. The other body operates as the International Missionary Society, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Reform Movement, and was headquartered in Germany until 2002 when the offices were moved to Los Angeles, California. In 2007, the headquarters were relocated to Cedartown, Georgia.
Seventh-day Adventist church leaders in Germany and Austria released a declaration in 2005 deeply regretting its failures during World War II in a declaration first published in 2005. However, they did not say 'sorry' to the 2% of the Adventists they dis-fellowshipped for not agreeing with the church's stand on bearing arms and advocating Sabbath breaking during World War I and II.
[edit] Officers
President
| Term | President | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 - 1934 | Otto Welp | Germany |
| 1934 - 1942 | Willi Maas | Germany |
| 1942 - 1948 | Albert Mueller | Germany |
| 1948 - 1951 | Carlos Kozel | Argentina |
| 1951 - 1959 | Dumitru Nicolici | Romania |
| 1959 - 1963 | Andre Lavrik | Brazil |
| 1963 - 1967 | Clyde T. Stewart | Australia |
| 1967 - 1979 | Francisco Devai | Brazil |
| 1979 - 1983 | Wilhelm Volpp | Germany |
| 1983 - 1991 | João Moreno | Germany |
| 1991 - 1995 | Neville S. Brittain | Australia |
| 1995 - 2003 | Alfredo Carlos Sas | Brazil |
| 2003 - | Duraisamy Sureshkumar | India |
Vice-President
| Term | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 - 1931 | Wilhelm Maas | Germany |
| 1931 - 1948 | vacant | |
| 1948 - 1951 | Albert Mueller | Germany |
| 1951 - 1959 | Andre Lavrik | Brazil |
| 1959 - 1963 | Dumitru Nicolici | USA |
| 1963 - 1967 | Emmerich Kanyo Benedek | Brazil |
| 1967 - 1971 | Ivan W. Smith | Australia |
| 1971 - 1979 | Wilhelm Volpp | Germany |
| 1979 - 1987 | Francisco Devai Lucacin | USA |
| 1987 - 1995 | Daniel Dumitru | USA |
| 1995 - 1997 | Neville S. Brittain | Australia |
| 1995 - 1999 | Duraisamy Sureshkumar | India |
| 1999 - 2003 - | Duraisamy Sureshkumar | India |
| 2003 - | Davi Paes Silva | USA |
Secretary
| Term | Secretary | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 - 1934 | Willi Maas | Germany |
| 1934 - 1948 | A. Rieck | Germany |
| 1948 - 1951 | Dumitru Nicolici | Romania |
| 1951 - 1955 | Clyde T. Stewart | Australia |
| 1955 - 1963 | Ivan W. Smith | USA |
| 1963 - 1967 | Alfons Balbach | Brazil |
| 1967 - 1971 | Alex Norman Macdonald | USA |
| 1971 - 1980 | Alfons Balbach | Brazil |
| 1980 - 1987 | Alex Norman Macdonald | USA |
| 1987 - 1995 | Alfredo Carlos Sas | Brazil |
| 1995 - 1999 | Davi Paes Silva | Brazil |
| 1999 - 2001 | John Garbi | USA |
| 2001 - 2003 | Benjamin Burec | USA |
| 2003 - 2007 | David Zic | Canada |
| 2007 - | Paul Balbach | USA |
[edit] General Conference Sessions
| — | Year | City | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1925 | Gotha | Germany |
| 2. | 1928 | Isernhagen | Germany |
| 3. | 1931 | Isernhagen | Germany |
| 4. | 1934 | Budapest | Hungary |
| 5. | 1948 | The Hague | Netherlands |
| 6. | 1951 | Zeist | Netherlands |
| 7. | 1955 | Sao Paulo | Brazil |
| 8. | 1959 | Sao Paulo | Brazil |
| 9. | 1963 | Gross Gerau | Germany |
| 10. | 1967 | Sao Paulo | Brazil |
| 11. | 1971 | Brasilia | Brazil |
| 12. | 1975 | Brasilia | Brazil |
| 13. | 1979 | Bushkill Falls, Pennsylvania | USA |
| 14. | 1983 | Puslinch, Ontario | Canada |
| 15. | 1987 | Braganca Paulista | Brazil |
| 16. | 1991 | Breuberg | Germany |
| 17. | 1995 | Voineasa | Romania |
| 18. | 1999 | Itu | Brazil |
| 19. | 2003 | Itu | Brazil |
| 20. | 2007 | Jeju [1] | South Korea |
[edit] External links
SDARM Sites:
- SDARM General Conference
- [GC Medical Department]
- White Creek Wellness Center (Tennessee, USA)
- Mission Projects International - USA
Sites in Opposition to SDARM
- Information on the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement by Gerhard Pfandl from the Biblical Research Institute
Other:
- "Church Leaders Say 'We're Sorry': German and Austrian churches apologize for Holocaust actions" by Mark A. Kellner (Seventh-day Adventist)
[edit] References
- The Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Review & Herald Publishing Association
- History of the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement, Alfons Balbach, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 1999.
