Seventh-Day Adventist Church Manual

Letter Valid Six Months ................................................................53 Alternative Method for Membership Transfer ......................................53 Membership During Transfer............................................................53 Receiving Members Under Difficult Conditions ..................................53 Counted in Statistical Reports ..........................................................53 If Member Is Not Accepted ..............................................................54 Letters Granted Only to Those in Regular Standing ..........................54 No Letter Without Member’s Approval ............................................54 Church Board Cannot Grant Letters ................................................54 Membership in the Conference Church ..............................................55 Membership Record ........................................................................55 CHAPTER 7 Discipline ..............................................................................................56 General Principles ............................................................................56 Dealing With Erring Members ........................................................56 God’s Plan....................................................................................57 Authority of the Church ..................................................................58 Church’s Responsibility ..................................................................58 Unconsecrated Resist Discipline ........................................................58 Safeguarding Unity of the Church ....................................................59 Reconciliation of Differences..............................................................59 Settlement of Grievances of Members Against the Church ....................61 Settlement of Grievances of the Church Against Members ....................61 Reasons for Discipline ......................................................................61 Process of Discipline ........................................................................62 Discipline by Censure ....................................................................62 Discipline by Removal From Membership ..........................................63 No Additional Tests of Fellowship....................................................63 Timeliness of Discipline ..................................................................63 Caution About Judging Character and Motive....................................63 At a Properly Called Meeting ..........................................................64

By Majority Vote ..........................................................................64 Church Board Cannot Remove Members ..........................................64 Fundamental Rights of the Members ................................................64 Lawyers Not to Represent Members ..................................................65 Transferring Members Under Censure................................................65 Members Not to Be Removed for Nonattendance ................................65 Members Moving Away and Not Reporting ......................................65 Members Not to Be Removed for Pecuniary Reasons ..........................66 Removing Members at Their Request ................................................66 Notification to Those Removed From Membership ..............................66