John Byington: A Review

John Byington was the first president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He was the 2nd choice for the Committee charged with the task of finding and hiring a president for the organization when the church was officially formed in 1863. Their first choice was James White, but he turned them down, so they elected 65-year old John Byington, a farmer-preacher who served the Seventh-day Adventist Church well.

Prior to joining the Seventh-day Adventist Church, John Byington was a licensed Methodist minister who was a Circuit Riding Preacher for the Methodists from 1822-1852. When he became a Seventh-day Adventist, he continued his circuit riding preaching as a Seventh-day Adventist.

Byington served as President of the SDA Church from 1863-1865 and much of that time  he was traveling from church to church. So, in reality, between his 30 years as a Methodist Circuit riding preacher and his 35 years as an Adventist preacher, Byington preached for 65 years.

During all his years working for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Byington did not accept a regular salary but supported himself by his farm. He was also able to give funds for the support of the church and he and his wife often helped those in need.

While serving as a Methodist minister, he was very active in supporting abolitionist societies and also was strongly against Secret Societies like the Masons.

To a significant degree, Elder Byington remained a circuit riding preacher throughout his life. Unlike his Adventist ministerial colleagues, he did not receive a salary either from the Michigan conference or from the General Conference; he did not conduct evangelistic tent meetings to convert non-Adventists; he did not preach long doctrinal sermons or write book on theology. Instead he and Catharine (his wife) set out to cheer the discouraged, reconcile differences, urge repentance, and build faith and unity by holding revival, testimony, prayer, quarterly, social and business meetings; by preaching short homilies about heaven, grace, prayer, conversion, and perseverance and by visiting and praying with every family in every congregation in his vast parish. To prepare for this mission, John and Catharine began every year with fasting and prayer. Then they covered hundreds of back roads by horseback, buggy, sleigh and on foot and traversed muddy quagmires, snow-drifted fields, dusty paths, and rock strewn highways, facing carriage accidents, disease, and frequent opposition. Yet during his thirty-five year ministry, Elder Byington witnessed stronger congregations, faith healings, hundreds of baptisms, and a tightly unified, rapidly growing denomination.

Click here to read the first chapter of this inspiring autobiography on line for free and for information on ordering copies of this book.