Shepherd's Rod

American offshoot of the worldwide Seventh day Adventist Church
the literal shepherd's rod

The Shepherd's Rod or The Rod or the Davidians is an American offshoot of the worldwide Seventh day Adventist Church. It was founded in 1929 by Victor Houteff, its President and Prophet. Houteff joined the Seventh day Adventist church in 1919. He was excommunicated from the church in 1930 for promoting "heretical" doctrines. The official organization name was changed in 1942 to Davidian Seventh day Adventists, but was still referred to as "The Rod" by both members and critics. The group was headquartered at a property known as the Mount Carmel Center near Waco, Texas and reached its peak in the early 1950s with thousands of adherents before splintering into various factions after Houteff's death in 1955. The name is a reference to Houteff's initial and most important publication, The Shepherd's Rod. The various groups claiming Houteff's theology continue to be known as the Shepherd's Rod and Davidians.

The Shepherd's Rod traces its roots to Victor Houteff, who was then a Seventh day Adventist Church member in a local California congregation. During the first quarter of 1929, Houteff came into conflict with church authorities over differing interpretations of chapters 54–66 of the Book of Isaiah. He believed that the church was becoming lax in its standards and needed reform. Houteff shared these concepts in his Sabbath School lessons and afternoon study classes at the church. After church members complained, the local leadership determined that his interpretations were not compatible with Adventist theology. He was then asked to discontinue his classes. Shortly thereafter, Houteff had an informal meeting with some local and regional church administrators to share his views. The leaders dismissed his views as "fanciful" and did not take him seriously. Houteff saw himself as a messenger of God and was regarded by his followers as a prophet. He called for a worldwide denominational reform and allegedly brought "new thought" to Seventh day Adventists eschatology. Houteff listed twelve specific areas that he felt the church needed to address under the heading "Partial List of Abominations". According to Houteff, the book's chief purpose was "a call for reformation". It also included information attempting to define the identity of the 144,000 of the Book of Revelation, as well as his disputed interpretations of Isaiah 54–66. Houteff personally handed thirty three copies of his manuscript to church leaders at the General Conference held from May 29 to June 12, 1930, in San Francisco, California. According to Houteff, each recipient promised to read the manuscript thoroughly and respond to him either in person or by letter. In the subsequent six years only two recipients responded. The official church explanation was that the recipients were preoccupied with the tasks of the Session and did not have sufficient time to review the manuscript. Gilbert advised Houteff to give up his ideas. He told his followers: "in case some one's name is taken off the church books for carrying on the message, do not be discouraged in any way but press onward as though nothing happened. Pay your honest tithe and offering to your church and feel like IT IS your Father's house." Collections of study groups began to form in various Adventist churches across the country for the purpose of reviewing Houteff's new doctrines. Those who accepted his conclusions and promoted his material were also disfellowshipped. In 1932, Houteff published The Shepherd's Rod, Volume 2, a 304 page book. Two additional booklets followed in 1933 comprising the beginning of a series of tracts that would be later referred to as Volume Three. Allegations began to surface that believers of Houteff's teachings were being physically removed from worship services simply due to their study of Houteff's materials. Reports also spread that Houteff himself was brutally assaulted upon attempting to enter a Seventh day Adventist Church in Los Angeles, California. Finding no other recourse after the Seventh day Adventist Church rebuffed Houteff's claims and demands for reformation, Rod believers organized the Universal Publishing Association (UPA) in 1934 in Los Angeles, California. The purpose of the UPA was the publishing of the Rod's message, which Rod adherents believe is the Lord's fulfillment of Micah 6:9 and 7:14. In December 1933, Carolina Conference President E. T. Wilson publicly embraced Houteff's views and began promoting them, becoming the Shepherd's Rod Vice President on organization in 1934.

On January 18, 1934 a formal hearing was granted when the Tabernacle Seventh day Adventist Church of Fullerton, California sent a request to regional administrators requesting an official hearing to examine Houteff's teachings. The agreement stipulated that twelve ministers were to assemble as a panel to hear Houteff's views. Houteff was to present five studies to the panel in one week. After each study, the panel was to review his study, determine its veracity and reconvene the meeting. If an error was found in the study, the meeting was to be discontinued. Twelve experienced ministers were chosen to hear Houteff's views and decide if those views were consistent with the Church's understanding of prophecy. The twelve ministers were: A. G. Daniells, Field Secretary; Glenn A. Calkins, President of the Pacific Union Conference; G. A. Roberts, President of the Southern California Conference; C. S. Prout, President of the Southeastern California Arizona Conference; W. G. Wirth, Bible Teacher at the College of Medical Evangelists; H. M. S. Richards, Evangelist; C. M. Sorenson, Bible Teacher at Southern California Junior College; J. A. Burden, Manager of Paradise Valley Sanitarium; J. C. Stevens, Pastor of the Seventh day Adventist Church in Glendale, California; W. M. Adams, Religious Liberty Secretary of the Pacific Union Conference; J. E. Fulton, President of the Northern California Conference; and F. C. Gilbert, Field Secretary of the General Conference. Unknown to Houteff, the highest ecclesiastical body of the church met that same day in Washington, D. C., declared his teaching to be heresy and appointed a committee to prepare a document refuting his arguments for general circulation. After feeling that he was treated unjustly at his hearing, Houteff started to form an association for the purpose of promoting revival and reformation among Seventh day Adventists. Despite taking this step, There is also contention about whether Houteff voluntarily forfeited his membership or not. However, official Seventh day Adventist Church history states that he was disfellowshipped and did not voluntarily forfeit his membership. In 1934–1936 the Seventh day Adventist Church declared the Shepherd's Rod message to be heresy. Today, it continues to identify the Davidian movement as a "disloyal, divisive movement." Any member choosing to identify with either the Davidian message or its originator subjects himself/herself to Church discipline, up to and including being disfellowshipped.

On March 12, 1934, the Shepherd's Rod was officially organized. Houteff argued that this was done because the Fullerton Agreement stipulated that the Seventh day Adventist Conference Committee should have responded to his first study in approximately 24 hours and several weeks had passed with no communication from the Committee after abruptly adjourning the meeting. On July 15, 1934, the organization's first newsletter, The Symbolic Code, was published. In the August 15, 1934 issue, Houteff wrote,
Being deprived of all denominational advantages such as sanitariums, health food factories, printing presses, etc., perhaps it may be necessary for a rural location for the establishment of a combined unit to assist in carrying the message to the church until the "siege against it" shall be successfully culminated in a glorious victory when "the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Isa. 9:7.) This has been suggested by a sister and her husband who have had considerable experience in this line. Therefore we call the attention of all who are standing in the light to give consideration to such an enterprise. Anyone having knowledge of such a location and the necessary information regarding it, please communicate it to this office. Our prayers for such an undertaking on behalf of God's people will be answered by whatever the results to this call might be. In 1937, the organization took a more definite form naming nine persons to form an Executive Council, listing field secretaries and other officers and composing a constitution and by laws under the name "The General Association of Shepherd's Rod Seventh day Adventists. In 1942, the organization name was officially changed to "Davidian Seventh day Adventists" and three organizational tracts were issued in early 1943 identifying additional components of the existing organization. The organization became known as The General Association of Davidian Seventh day Adventists. It was also called The Davidian Seventh day Adventist Association in one of its organizational tracts.

Soon after organizing in 1934, Shepherd's Rod leaders began to desire a larger, more centrally located place to establish headquarters. In April 1935, 189 acres were purchased just outside Waco, Texas, and the headquarters' office was relocated to that property in September 1935. Envisioning the work that they desired to be accomplished from there, the new home for their work was named "Mount Carmel Center" after the place where Elijah called the Israelites back to worshiping God. Up to 125 people resided at the Center. Ironically, some of Houteff's critics issued similar complaints. The Davidian organization established institutions of its own, claiming to strictly follow the guidelines of the Adventist church founders. Over the next twenty years a children's school, sanitarium, rest home, vocational and home economics school, and other improvements were established on the property. There was also an extensive farming operation with an orchard of approximately 900 trees, dairy cows and a large vegetable garden. The flagship structure was the multi level administration building, which housed the main office, additional staff offices, chapel, printing equipment and Houteff's sleeping quarters. This building is currently in the possession of Vanguard College Preparatory School.

Through Houteff's evangelistic endeavors, several thousand Adventists accepted the doctrine of The Shepherd's Rod. It is believed that Benjamin Roden accepted these teachings in 1946, and together with his wife, Lois, tried to share the message with others within the Seventh day Adventist Church. The height of Davidian strength and activity occurred in the early 1950s. By the mid 1950s, its regular subscribers, students, and devotees may have numbered close to 100,000 worldwide. the movement launched a "hunting campaign" in 1953. This was a door to door effort to reach Adventists with the Davidian publications. To help accomplish this, the Association began to sell Mount Carmel Center property and purchased half a dozen new automobiles. An additional factor fueling the sale of Mount Carmel's property was its encroachment onto Waco's city limits. The anticipation was that the encroachment of the city limits upon the property would coalesce with the completion of the door to door effort. It was believed that this would have led to witnessing the fulfillment of Houteff's predictions and going to "the Kingdom." Despite acknowledging that she could not provide any proof, the Executive Council yielded and continued to uphold her request. Once established as Vice President, Mrs. Houteff announced that she had some procedural changes in mind, and increased the veto power of the Vice President. Mrs. Houteff and the Executive Council rebuffed Roden's claims. Houteff published a prediction that the forty two month period told of in Revelation 11:3–6 would begin in November 1955 and terminate on April 22, 1959. This prediction has been allegedly attributed to Victor Houteff, but no statement from his writings has ever been produced supporting this interpretation. Roden opposed Houteff's prediction

On April 9, 1959, a group of Branch Davidians sent a protest letter to the General Conference of Seventh day Adventists clarifying their opposition to Mrs. Houteff's predictions and their rationale for doing so. Houteff and the Executive Council published an open challenge to the Seventh day Adventist Church leadership shortly before the termination of the 42 months on April 22, 1959. Mrs. Houteff's challenge stated that the fulfillment of her prediction would determine whether her late husband's message was true or not. April 22, 1959, passed without the predicted events materializing. Confusion and embarrassment set in and the Davidian movement continued to fracture. Many adherents left. In 1962, another group of Davidians sent a protest letter to Seventh day Adventist Church leadership, rejecting Houteff's 42 month prediction. This group went to California to reorganize and continue the distribution of Houteff's original literature. These individuals became the forerunners of the Davidian Seventh day Adventist Association of today. Houteff announced her intention to disband the Davidian organization, with the assets to be sold off and the proceeds disbursed among her Executive Council. This arrangement was opposed by many members. She and the Executive Council members that remained loyal to her resigned on March 1, 1962, took five thousand dollars in cash with them, and left the remaining assets in the hands of a lawyer for distribution. Most of the Mount Carmel Center property ended up in the hands of the EE Ranch, but the Branch Davidians retained a core around the administrative building.

Followers of Victor Houteff's writings are referred to as The Shepherd's Rod (or The Rod), but also use the term to refer to Davidian Seventh day Adventists. The appellation "Shepherd's Rod" is derived from the title of a two volume series authored by Houteff, the first volume of which was released in 1930. In both volumes of his work, Houteff made references to the biblical book of Micah: The Lord's voice crieth unto the city and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it, and Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. The by laws of the DSDA, written by Houteff in February 1943, and known as "The Leviticus of D. S. D. A." state:

The name, Davidian, deriving from the name of the king of Ancient Israel, accrues to this Association by reason of its following aspects: First, it is dedicated to the work of announcing and bringing forth the restoration (as predicted in Hosea 1:11; 3:5) of David's kingdom in antitype, upon the throne of which Christ, "the son of David," is to sit. Second, it purports itself to be the first of the first fruits of the living, the vanguard from among the present day descendants of those Jews who composed the Early Christian Church. With the emergence of this vanguard and its army, the first fruits, from which are elected the 12,000 out of each of the twelve tribes of Jacob, "the 144,000" (Rev. 14:1; 7:2–8) who stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb (Rev. 14:1; 7:2–8), the reign of antitypical David begins.

The Davidian Seventh day organization's mission is to announce and prepare the way for what it says will be the restoration of David's kingdom of peace predicted in the Bible. This Davidic kingdom is to bring about "peace on earth and good will toward men". The mission states that it will accomplish this by first calling for a reformation in the Seventh day Adventist Church and then spreading the "Three Angels' Messages" of Revelation 14 throughout the world. It is believed that this will prepare a people for Christ's Second Coming and usher in the end of all sorrow and suffering.

The governing document for Davidian Seventh day Adventists is entitled The Leviticus of the Davidian Seventh day Adventists. It is referred to as one of "three organizational tracts of 102 pages" and the "literature of reformation.". This tract contains the constitution and by laws as well as the Davidian Seventh day Adventist Association's purpose and pattern. While it claims to constitute the literature of "reformation," it acknowledges that its constitution and by laws will not be fully operational until the proposed "kingdom of peace" is established. The Executive Council constitutes the governing body. Ideally, it consists of seven members: four officers and three non officers. The Executive Council has full administrative and executive authority between sessions of the Association. When the Davidian Seventh day Adventist Association is in Session, the Executive Council yields its authority to the Session. The regular officers of the council are President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The scriptural examples referred to in the constitution outline that the President is chosen directly by God through a direct, face to face encounter. This process is without any other human involvement. The President has the dual role as prophet and chief administrator of the Association. The scriptural examples connected with all of the other officers outline three methods of appointment: direct appointment by the President, indirect appointment by the President and direct appointment by the body of believers. In the absence of someone to fill the position of President, some Davidian groups have a Vice President as their chief administrator. The vice president assumes the administrative role and the prophetic role (by other Davidic Group. This position is taken based on the understanding that no additional inspired interpreters (prophets) are due to the church until after the establishment of the kingdom. Davidian ministers may be either licensed or ordained. Ordained ministers are qualified to officially teach and represent the Davidian movement as well as perform ceremonies such as baptisms, funerals and weddings. Licensed ministers may teach and represent the movement, but may not perform scriptural ceremonies unless specially authorized by the Executive Council. Since there is no desire to establish separate houses of worship, the ministers do not function in the traditional sense but have the capacity to do so if and when the need arises. The ceremonies are usually performed for believers to the Davidian message when mainstream Seventh day Adventist ministers refuse to do so. Field Secretaries are credentialed ministers or Bible workers who are responsible for a particular geographic area within a designated territory. They may make contact with interested parties, answer inquiries and direct individuals to workers within their territory. Bible workers are individuals who have demonstrated competency with teaching the Davidian message. They may engage in this activity on a full time or part time basis. Under most circumstances, those who became credentialed Bible workers and ministers graduated from the training school: the Davidic Levitical Institute (D. L. I.). These training schools are held at various times in various locations domestically and internationally. Members generally fall into two classifications: accredited and non accredited. The accredited member is one who has applied for and been granted a Certificate of Fellowship. Davidian representatives were implicated by certain Seventh day Adventist Church leaders in setting a fire that resulted in four deaths in San Francisco, California, at the time of the General Conference Session in 1936. The Davidians suspected were detained, questioned and were cleared and released within thirty minutes. According to Dr. William Pitts, Professor of Religion at Baylor University and noted Davidian expert, "Adventists have told me of their counselors who collected Davidian tracts from campers as soon as they were distributed and deposited them in trash cans." Published testimonies by adherents at the time suggest that those instructions were carried out. In a 2012 memo to its area pastors, the Georgia Cumberland Conference of the Seventh day Adventist Church referred to adherents of the Davidian message as "hardcore aggressors against the church" and compared them to "cancer cells." The memo also includes a form letter that is to be given to any individual identified with the Davidian movement requesting that they cease and desist from coming onto church property immediately. It further states that if the individual decides to recant The Rod message, he or she will not receive help from the local congregation, but must communicate with local conference officials. There is evidence that this policy has been implemented. In countering and dispelling these allegations, Davidians generally point to historical incidents in which their adherents were treated with unprovoked physical and psychological abuse, from the Seventh day Adventist Church leadership or church personnel. As a result, Davidians advocate that The Rod message strictly teaches to be non disruptive and peaceful.

Eight of Victor Houteff's prophetic charts were featured in an art exhibit entitled "At the Eleventh Hour" at Cabinet in Brooklyn, New York, in 2009.