As a member and leader in a faith based organization which began as a movement, struggled with the question of organization early in its history and subsequently evolved into a recognized Christian denomination, I would offer to provide an analysis of this process which could be instructive to the discussion occurring within the Gülen movement at this time over the need for more central organization.  A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of retaining a movement structure versus an organizational structure in faith based movements will be pursued.  A comparison will be made with the history of the Advent Movement of the early 19th Century, its structure, philosophy and sense of mission, and the comparative issues reflected in the Gülen movement. Rather than an analysis of the specific values, beliefs, or practices, I will rather compare the two movements which seem to exhibit similar overarching values and have or are struggling with similar issues regarding organization. Further, the development of the Seventh-day Adventist movement with its struggle over organizing versus remaining as a less structured movement, its internal sense of mission and the subsequent evolvement into a formal church institution will be reviewed.  The resultant effort to become accepted within Christian denominations and its effect on the global mission of the movement will also be explored.  Comparative lessons which may be helpful in the discussion within the Gülen movement of whether to initiate a more formal organizational structure or remain as a loosely related movement will be explored with particular focus on what might be the optimum “structure” for affecting the mission that Gülen has enunciated. This will necessitate a review of the mission of the movement, and how the movement can remain faithful to that mission and what organizational structure would be optimum to achieve its mission.  Reference will also be made to the “natural” development of movements into institutions and the lessons to be learned from this pattern. As an outside sympathetic observer who is a member of a faith based organization that struggled with similar issues in its early development I offer this study for its potential help in the discussion.

Dr. Jerald Whitehouse received his undergraduate degree from Walla Walla University, College Place, Washington in Theology in 1965 and his Doctor of Public Health degree from Loma Linda University, Loma Linda California in 1977.  He has been involved at the country level in health and development issues as Country Director for ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) in Sudan and Bangladesh and at the Global level as Senior Health Advisor for ADRA Headquarters.  From 2005 until July of 2009 he has applied his global experience of living internationally for sixteen years and advising on Global Health issues for three years, to serve as Director of the Global Center for Adventist Muslim Relations.  He has been involved in several interfaith dialogue events including papers presented at the Doha Conference for Interfaith Dialogue in 2007 and 2008, and participating in the Yale Common Word Conference in July of 2008.  Dr. Whitehouse is a respectful admirer of the Gülen movement and the values it promotes.