Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2009 [Black] Regional Conferences in the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church Compared with United Methodist [Black] Central Jurisdiction/Annual Conferences with White SDA Conferences, From 1940 - 2001 Alfonzo Greene, Jr. Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Greene, Jr., Alfonzo, "[Black] Regional Conferences in the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church Compared with United Methodist [Black] Central Jurisdiction/Annual Conferences with White SDA Conferences, From 1940 - 2001" (2009). Dissertations. 160. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/160 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2009 Alfonzo Greene, Jr. LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO [BLACK] REGIONAL CONFERENCES IN THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH (SDA) COMPARED WITH UNITED METHODIST [BLACK] CENTRAL JURISDICTION/ANNUAL CONFERENCES WITH WHITE S.D.A. CONFERENCES, FROM 1940-2001 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN HISTORY BY ALFONZO GREENE, JR. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS DECEMBER 2009 Copyright by Alfonzo Greene, Jr. 2009 All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. vi ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER I: Historical Background of Pioneers In The Black Work, and The Progression To [Black] Regional Conferences .........................................................15 Organization and Organizational Structure of the SDA Church ..............................21 Black Millerite Preachers ..........................................................................................24 Charles Bowles and John W. Lewis ...............................................................24 William Ellis Foy ............................................................................................25 Ellen Harmon White and Her Position on Issues Impacting The Black SDA Work .....................................................................................26 Ellen White and a Separate Work ...................................................................39 Leaders in the Black Work in the South after Slavery ..............................................41 Robert M. Kilgore ...........................................................................................43 Charles M. Kinney……………………………………………………... .......47 James Edson White .........................................................................................51 The Major Actions Leading to the Establishment of [Black] Regional Conferences .....................................................................................56 Negro Department-Lack of Black Representation .........................................60 Schism Involving Leading Black Ministers Lewis C. Sheafe, John W. Mann, and James K. Humphrey .................................................................................62 Lewis C. Sheafe ..............................................................................................62 John W. Manns ...............................................................................................73 Historical Overview ..................................................................................................79 James Kemuel Humphrey ...............................................................................81 Structural Changes in the SDA Church ..........................................................93 White Leaders Reject Idea of [Black] Regional Conferences ........................97 Historical Overview ..................................................................................................99 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................102 The Lucy Byard Incident ..............................................................................103 The Committee for the Advancement of a World-wide Work among Colored Seventh-day Adventist ....................................................................104 Regional Conference – Introduced ...............................................................106 CHAPTER II: The Historical Background of Methodism in America Methodists and Slavery and Blacks in the United Methodist Church ...............109 Historical Overview ................................................................................................116 iii Methodism, Slavery and Blacks in the Methodist Episcopal Church .....................120 Historical Overview ................................................................................................126 The Pioneers in Ministry to Black Methodist .........................................................128 Harry Hosier .................................................................................................128 Henry Evans .................................................................................................132 John Stewart .................................................................................................134 William Capers .............................................................................................141 Historical Overview .................................................................................................146 Methodist Retreat on the Slavery Issue ........................................................150 The General Council Confronts Slavery Issue .............................................154 Historical Overview .................................................................................................159 A Period of Change in the Methodist-Episcopal Church North and South ..163 The Establishment of Black Annual Conferences ...................................................166 The Freedman Aid Society and the Women’s Home Missionary Society ...168 Historical Overview .................................................................................................169 The First Black Bishops................................................................................176 Women in Ministry .......................................................................................177 Historical Overview .................................................................................................177 Debate over Reunification of the Methodist Church ....................................183 The Establishment of the Central Jurisdiction .........................................................184 A Period of Proclamation, 1944-1956 ..........................................................188 Historical Overview ................................................................................................189 Abolition of the Central Jurisdiction ............................................................195 Historical Overview ......................................................................................197 The Creation of the United Methodist Church .............................................202 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................203 CHAPTER III: [Black] Regional SDA Conferences Compared to [Black] Central Jurisdiction/Annual Conferences With White SDA Conferences .............207 The “Dialectical Model” ..........................................................................................211 Historical Overview ................................................................................................221 Church Growth and Development of the Membership of the [Black] Central Jurisdiction of the Methodist Church ...........................................................224 Differences in the Perspective between the United Methodist Church and the Seventh-day Adventist Church ........................................................231 Edward Earl Cleveland: Major Act in Church Growth and Development ...235 Historical Overview ................................................................................................239 Church Growth and Development of Membership Income and Tithe Funds .........249 Historical Overview ................................................................................................257 [Black] SDA Regional Conferences Compared With White SDA Conferences ....264 New [Black] Regional Conferences Retirement Compared with North American Division White Conferences Retirement ...........................273 iv A Comparison of NAD Sustentation Program and the Regional Conference New Retirement Plan ....................................................................................275 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................277