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In relatively few centuries servant ministry by all believers in the New Testament gave place to a clear distinction between laity and clergy. Tracing this modification serves to highlight the unbiblical character of clergy privilege (chap. 5). At the birth of the Advent Movement, forms of church polity and pastoral leadership developed as the young church had need, often borrowing from other Christian bodies (chap.6). For Seventh-day Adventists no theological study would be complete without an analysis of the writings of Ellen G. White on the topic; chapter 7 explores her understanding of ordination. Taking the Bible, history, and Ellen White into consideration, a Seventh-day Adventist theology of ordination is developed and set forth in chapter 8.
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