Departmental Vision
Our vision is to have a church whose members are committed to its mission, whose lifestyle represents the ideals of the church and who appreciate being part of the remnant church of God.

Departmental Objectives
The General Objectives (Five-Year View)

SPIRIT OF PROPHECY IN THE SDA CHURCH

JOB DESCRIPTION FOR DIVISION E G WHITE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY COORDINATIORS

1. Arrange for Spirit of Prophecy Seminars to be conducted in union/conference/mission.

2. Arrange annual Spirit of Prophecy Day Sermon from the E G White Estate to unions and request them to encourage use of the sermon by pastors.

3. Foster translation of EGW books into the major languages used in the division.  (Special financial help from the General Conference is available for the first translation).  Ensure through the help of scholars accuracy of existing translations.  Some books may need re-translating.

4. Arrange for the Division committee to select EGW “Book of the Year.”  Promote its sale and use throughout the territory.

5. Ensure that inexpensive copies of EGW book are available so that our people can afford them.

6. Provide appropriate articles, by various authors, for church papers.

7. Arrange periodically for workers to purchase EGW books at a substantial discount.

8. To encourage the workers, members and students to use the facilities for the EGW research center located in the division.

9. Endeavor to create a positive attitude toward EGW.  Correct any misuse of her writings.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR UNION AND LOCAL CONFERENCE E G WHITE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY COORDINATORS

1. Endeavor to create a positive attitude toward EGW. Correct any misuse of her writings.

2. Arrange for Spirit of Prophecy for local churches.

3. Encourage workers, church members and students to use the facilities of the EGW research center located in the Division.

4. Arrange the display of EGW books in the churches.
5. Make the Spirit of Prophecy Sabbath a very special event including the pastors or elders using the supplied sermon or prepare their own for use on this day.

6. Promote sale of EGW book of the Year (camp meetings, new believers day, etc.)

7. Provide appropriate articles on Spirit of Prophecy by various authors for union paper.

Spirit of Prophecy Directors in the local church

1. The person is appointed by the local church board.
2. Endeavor to create a positive attitude toward EGW. Correct any misuse of her writings.
3. Arrange the display of EGW books in the churches.
4. Responsible for the Spirit of Prophecy Reading Center.
5. Make the Spirit of Prophecy Sabbath a very special event using the supplied sermon or prepare their own for use on this day.

Spirit of Prophecy Council

The SOP leader/director in the local church chairs the SOP council whose members may be the following:

1. Pastor/Elder
2. Personal Ministries Leader
3. AY Leader
4. Sabbath School Leader
5. One or two members who are interested and versed in SOP matters and issues.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE EGW/SDA RESEARCH CENTER DIRECTOR TO THE EGW SPIRIT OF PROPHECY COORDINATORS

1. EGW  White Spirit of Prophecy Coordinators are accountable to their Division/Union/conference presidents and committees; the Center Director is accountable to the Ellen G White Estate Board and the College/University administration with which the Center is connected.

2. The Research Center Director focuses his efforts on the Center, seeing that it functions smoothly and that researchers are given the assistance they need.

3. The Division Directors focuses their efforts on field activities.

4. Inasmuch as there will be some overlapping of interests, it is important that Research Center Directors keep one another informed of their activities (proposed seminars, travel plans, etc). To facilitate a free-flow of information, the Division Coordinators should be appointed as a member of the Research Center Supervisory Committee.

5. The Research Center Director is a resource person who will provide information, on request, to the Division Spirit of Prophecy Coordinator and be invited to participate in area and church EGW seminars by invitation of the Division Spirit of Prophecy Coordinator through the Division committee.

6. To encourage maximum understanding and cooperation, the Division Spirit of Prophecy Director and the Research Center Director should schedule an annual meeting to review their activities and working relationships.

Function and Role of Ellen G White Estate

Function and Role of Division Research Centers

• Each Division is authorized to establish one Ellen G White Seventh-day Adventist Research Center in an educational institutions located within its territory.
• Each Center serves the Division as a resource regarding the writings and ministry of Ellen G White.
• Centers are encouraged to  preserve the broader history of Adventism within their territory.
• The Ellen G White Estate and General Conference share oversight of the Research Center with the Division involved.
• The director of the Research Center is to be recommended every five years by the Division in counsel with the institution where the Center is located, and appointed by the White Estate Board as soon as possible after the General Conference Session.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE EGW/SDA RESEARCH CENTER DIRECTOR TO THE EGW SPIRIT OF PROPHECY COORDINATORS

7. EGW  White Spirit of Prophecy Coordinators are accountable to their Division/Union/conference presidents and committees; the Center Director is accountable to the Ellen G White Estate Board and the College/University administration with which the Center is connected.

8. The Research Center Director focuses his efforts on the Center, seeing that it functions smoothly and that researchers are given the assistance they need.

9. The Division Directors focuses their efforts on field activities.

10. Inasmuch as there will be some overlapping of interests, it is important that Research Center Directors keep one another informed of their activities (proposed seminars, travel plans, etc). To facilitate a free-flow of information, the Division Coordinators should be appointed as a member of the Research Center Supervisory Committee.

11. The Research Center Director is a resource person who will provide information, on request, to the Division Spirit of Prophecy Coordinator and be invited to participate in area and church EGW seminars by invitation of the Division Spirit of Prophecy Coordinator through the Division committee.

12. To encourage maximum understanding and cooperation, the Division Spirit of Prophecy Director and the Research Center Director should schedule an annual meeting to review their activities and working relationships.

Ellen G White SDA Study Centers

• An educational institution may request authorization from its union and the Board for the opening of a Study Center to serve its local academic community.
• The Ellen G White Center consists of a physical space, in or near the library, containing resource materials pertaining to the writings and ministry of Ellen G White, and Adventist history, distinct from Branch offices and Research Centers.
• Study Centers do not have photo reproductions of the unpublished Ellen G White letters and manuscripts.
• All operating expenses, including initial costs and salaries, are to be provided solely by the institution involved.
• A part-time or full time faculty member appointed by the educational institution in consultation with the White Estate, is responsible for the operation of the Study Center.
• This individual reports to the institutions board./
• The Research Center of the division where the Study Center is located serves as the main consultant and adviser for the Study Center.
• A list of required resource materials and equipment needed to establish a Study Center is available from the White Estate.

Ellen  G White Mini-Centers/Reading Centers

Definition and Purpose

• The Ellen G White Mini-Centers or Reading Centers are small nucleus, established for the study of the Bible and the Writings of Ellen G White with the purpose of strengthening the Seventh-day Adventist Church at the local level.
• These centers, with a collection of materials mainly in local languages, are planned to be organized in local churches or in Adventist schools.
• These Centers provide opportunity for those members to strengthen their own faith and knowledge of God’s Word.
• This is a time when our church members are being strongly shaken by the winds of false doctrines and by the storms of all sort of criticisms to the Church.
• The establishment of a Mini-Center will help our church members to be more prepared to face those challenges and to give a more convincing answer to all those who ask for the reason of their faith and hope (1 Pet. 3:15)

Promotion and Support

• Basic for the development of a Network of Ellen G White Mini-Centers is the administrative support of the Department of Education and the Spirit of Prophecy Coordinator at all levels of the denominational structure: Division; Union; Conference/Missions; and local church and schools.

Local Implementation

To establish an  EGW Mini-Center it is necessary to have a designated area for this specific purpose, a director, and the material to be made available:

1. Designated Area
   1. Each Center should have a designated area (preferably a specific room) to accommodate its furniture and equipment, including book-shelves, tables, filing cabinet for documents, and perhaps a computer to run the CD-ROMs of E.G. White materials.
   2. If the Mini-Center is established in a school, the designated area should be in the library, the designated area should be in the library or near to it.
   3. In the case of a local church it needs an area inside the church facility
   4. Mini-Centers located in any kind of private property cannot be recognized or accredited by the Division Research Center.

2. Director and Administrative Committee
   1. If the Mini-Center is located at a local church, the director of the Center should be appointed by that church in consultation with the Spirit of Prophecy Coordinator of the local Conference, and the administrative committee of that Center should be the local church board.
   2. The chairman of the Administrative Committee will be the same of the church board.
   3. If the Mini-Center is located at an educational institution, the director of the Center might be the pastor/Bible teacher, librarian, or another person qualified for that function.
   4. The Administrative Committee of that Center should be the school’s administrator (principal or director, treasurer, Bible /teacher (s) of that institution, one or more local church pastors. And at least one lay person not involved in the running of the school.
   5. The following are the ex-officio of the Administrative Committee:

                                                              i.      Director of the Division’s Ellen G White Research Center.

                                                            ii.      Director of the Conference Education Department

                                                          iii.      Spirit of Prophecy Coordinator for the Conference or Mission.

3. Material

EGW Mini-Centers will be classified according to its collection of materials under one of the following three levels:

                                                              i.      Level One: At this level the Mini-Center should have several books by Ellen G White in the local language

                                                            ii.      Level Two: All the books of Ellen White available in the local language, plus her English books not yet translated into the local language, the four Volumes of the Comprehensive Index to the Writings of Ellen G White and Arthur L White’s one-volume biography titled Ellen G White: Woman of Vision.

                                                          iii.      All books of Ellen G White available both in local language and in English (except her periodicals articles and the Manuscript Releases Volumes); a multimedia computer with an Ellen G White CD-ROM; Herbert Douglass’ book Messenger of the Lord; George Knight’s for volumes series, meeting Ellen G White.

Financial Aspects

• The financial burden for (a) buying the equipment needed, (b) building up the collection, (c) operating the center, (d) updating its collection, will be the responsibility of the respective local church or education institution to which the Center belongs.