What is the Ellen G. White Estate?

Ellen G. White’s contributions to the formation and growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are an integral part of its history. As a significant co-founder of the denomination, her writings provided millions of people with practical and spiritual counsel. So to preserve and manage this literary legacy, the Ellen G. White Estate was established as outlined in her last will.

But this organization is more than just an archive or a library. The White Estate also serves as a place of learning about the early history of the Adventist Church. So if you’re ever in Silver Spring, Maryland, you can even stop by to tour the museum inside the Ellen G. White Visitor Center.

A big part of the White Estate’s mission is to be a helpful resource for anyone who wants to understand more about Adventist history, Ellen White, and her extensive, widely-influential ministry.

Let’s learn more about how the White Estate operates and why it’s so highly valued by Adventists. We will cover:

• How the Ellen G. White Estate was established
• Purpose and mission
• History
• Operation

Let’s start with some historical background.

How was the Ellen G. White Estate established?

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

As she faced the later years of her life, Ellen White considered what might be the best way to manage the preservation of her written works. So when she established her will in 1912, she also laid out the framework for this estate. As specified in her will, the organization would have a four-part purpose:

• Acting as her legal agent by holding custody and copyright of her writings
• Conducting any business related to her writings
• Securing the printing of new translations, whether modernizations of wording or translations into other languages like Spanish, Portuguese, or French
• Printing of compilations from [her] manuscripts, such as books like The Adventist Home¹

Ellen White also listed the names of those she wished to be on the first board of trustees: Arthur G. Daniells, William C. White (her son), Clarence C. Crisler, Charles H. Jones, and Francis M. Wilcox.²

When she passed away in 1915, the Estate was established.³

It had its beginnings at Ellen White’s final home, known as “Elmshaven,” in St. Helena, California. The first trustees rented an office building on the grounds to conduct any business.⁴

The purpose and mission of the White Estate

Ellen White wanted to be clear that the establishment of this estate was not because of any personal pride, or simply due to familial sentiment. The Estate’s mission statement reflects the true purpose for its existence:

“The Ellen G. White Estate supports the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in uplifting Jesus Christ and His Word by sharing Ellen White’s prophetic ministry and writings throughout the world.”⁵

To do that, the White Estate provides digital access to all the published writings of Ellen G. White, as well as some additional letters and manuscripts meant for sharing. These writings, be they books, letters, articles, or pamphlets, can be searched through at egwwritings.org, which is operated by the White Estate. These writings have also been translated into more than 140 languages, and those translations are available on that site as well.

They’ve also developed apps for iOS and Android for users to read on mobile, or listen to as audiobooks.

All of this is in addition to the White Estate’s website, which has several articles that address different aspects of her ministry within the Adventist Church, and how she always sought to point people toward the Bible, the one authoritative standard of all truth.

They also have a question-and-answer section. People have submitted questions about what Ellen White wrote about a certain subject, or if she provided counsel in applying a particular biblical principle to modern life. Then her writings, along with the Bible, are used to answer those questions.

History

Soon after Ellen White passed away, the original five trustees began the work of indexing and publishing compilations of her writings. They also laid the groundwork for keeping the trusteeship self-perpetuating, as she had directed in her will.

This led the trustees to form a corporation to manage the Estate. The corporation would then be the entity that had the legal responsibility of carrying out the provisions of the charitable trust that was also created by Ellen White’s last will and testament.

Additionally, even though the White Estate is a separate entity from the General Conference, the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, they formed a mutually beneficial alliance early on. The General Conference provides financial support for the ministry of the White Estate.

In January 1938, the White Estate moved its office to Washington, DC to be more closely connected to the work of the General Conference.

As the church grew, it became apparent that the White Estate would also have to grow to meet the needs. So in 1950, it increased its number of board members. Although the number has fluctuated over the years, there are currently five lifetime trustees and 10 term-based board members.

Today, the Ellen G. White Estate continues to serve the Adventist Church from its main office in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Operation

“Courtesy of the Ellen G. White Estate, Inc.”

In addition to the trustees who compose the White Estate board, the day-to-day work of the Estate is managed by several staff members who work at General Conference headquarters. These staff members are in charge of:

• Maintaining the records and indexes entrusted to the Estate
• Handling copyrights for Ellen White’s works
• Researching her works and related historical material when needed
• Answering questions regarding Ellen White’s writings and ministry
• Assembling material for compilations of Ellen White’s writings
• Coordinating the translation of her writings, as well as preparing adaptations or abridgments
• Presentations at churches, events, and ministry offices
• Conducting tours of historical Adventist sites, especially in New England
• Preparing articles, text, and correspondence lessons⁶

While its main office is in Maryland, the White Estate operates branch offices and research centers all over the world. Its four branch offices are located at:

• Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California
• Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan
• Adventist University of Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
• Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Cavite, Philippines

Each branch office and research center contains copies of all Ellen White’s letters and manuscripts.

In addition to the branch offices, the White Estate maintains more than 20 research centers at Adventist universities around the world for public use. These centers will gladly assist people who are visiting or looking for information about Ellen White and Adventist history.

These branch offices and research centers are just one more way the White Estate works to fulfill the mission of Ellen G. White and the founders of the Adventist Church.

The Holy Spirit worked through Ellen White in extraordinary ways, primarily through the gift of prophecy (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:28). From its inception, the White Estate has sought to continue the blessing of that ministry, seeking to glorify God with the resources they have been tasked to manage.

1. “Origins of the White Estate,” [↵]
2. Ibid. [↵]
3. Ibid. [↵]
4. “Organizations of the White Estate,” [↵]
5. “Our Mission,” [↵]
6. “The Work of the White Estate,” [↵]

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