SABBATH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. In the General Conference, the department that fostered and guided the operation of Sabbath schools, offered training and counsel to officers and teachers, and produced lessons and teaching aids (see Sabbath School Publications) until it was merged into the Church Ministries Department in 1985.
Organization of Sabbath schools began in California in 1877, with the formation of the first state Sabbath school association. The formation of this society was followed in the same year by the organization of the Michigan State Sabbath School Association. In March 1878 the General Sabbath School Association was organized at the third special session of the General Conference. The next October the new association’s first report listed 12 state organizations, eight of which reported a total of 177 Sabbath schools with 5,851 members (Review and Herald 51:85, Mar. 14, and 52:129, Oct. 24, 1878).
After the work had spread to countries outside the United States and an association had been formed in 1883 in Switzerland and another in 1886 in England, the name was changed at the General Conference of 1886 to the International Sabbath School Association. At that time there were 813 Sabbath schools, with 23,364 Sabbath school members. The local schools took up offerings for their Sabbath school supplies and paid a tithe of these offerings to the state association, which sent a tithe of their funds to support the general and international Sabbath school associations.
When the General Conference was reorganized in 1901, the International Sabbath School Association became the Sabbath School Department of the General Conference. Under this arrangement the funds of the association went into the General Conference treasury and the Sabbath School Department was given a budget for its running expenses. See Sabbath School Offerings.
Under the new organization the interests of the Sabbath schools were taken over by the Sabbath school departmental secretaries in the General Conference and in the lower organizational levels. The 1901 directory (in the General Conference Bulletin) listed Sabbath school departments or secretaries for four of the six union conferences in North America, and in most of the local conferences and missions; and for areas outside of North America in the three unions and a few of the local conferences and missions. The 1902 directory listed Sabbath school departments in more local conferences and missions but in only two of the North American unionsCLake and Central. (Of the unions the Lake Union Conference alone maintained a department until 1912; then from 1912 to 1920 the Northern Pacific Union had one. After that the Yearbook lists no union Sabbath school secretaries for North America until, beginning in 1937, one after another of the unions begins to list one. The 1945 Yearbook listed one in each union.) After 1913, as the world divisions were organized, each division had its Sabbath school department.
In 1974 the Sabbath School Department restudied and redefined its objectives, as follows: The Sabbath school was developed to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in response to the command of Jesus, and in the setting of the three angels’ messages. In loyalty to this original purpose the Sabbath school continues to communicate the good news with the objective to win, hold, and train for Jesus Christ, men and women, youth, boys and girls, in all the world. This objective is carried forward through the following four areas: faith emphasis, fellowship emphasis, community emphasis, and world emphasis.
The General Conference Sabbath School Department produced various helps for local schools (see Sabbath School Publications).
Presidents of the General [International] Sabbath School Association, according to the minutes of the annual meetings of the association published in the Review and Herald or in the Yearbook were: D. M. Canright, 1878 [1879B1880?]; S. N. Haskell, 1878B1879; G. H. Bell, 1880B1881; W. C. White, 1881B1882; G. H. Bell, 1882B1883; W. C. White, 1883B1886; C. H. Jones, 1886B1899; M. C. Wilcox, 1899B1901.
Sabbath School Department Secretaries (until 1908 called chairmen): W. A. Spicer, 1901B1904; G. B. Thompson, 1904B1913; Mrs. L. Flora Plummer, 1913B1936; J. A. Stevens, 1936B1950; L. L. Moffitt, 1950B1958; G. R. Nash, 1958B1970; Fernon Retzer, 1970B1974.
Directors (after 1974): Fernon Retzer, 1974B1975; H. F. Rampton, 1975B1985.[i]
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