When Clarity is Kindness - Adrian Dixon on the 2026 DOP

This year’s triennial is shaping up to be a monumental gathering as delegates and leaders across our denomination discuss a proposed update to the Declaration of Principles (DoP) and revisions to our bylaws. I recognize that pastors and church leaders are forming strong opinions about these proposed changes and what they may mean for the future of the Advent Christian movement.

As I write this and in full transparency, I am mindful of my role as Coordinator of Church Planting for the Advent Christian General Conference (ACGC), but these thoughts are written primarily from my perspective as the pastor of Northside Community Church in Knightdale, North Carolina.

Coming away from our most recent Triennial in 2023, one of the most fascinating discussions centered around a simple question: What is an Advent Christian? Surprisingly—or perhaps not surprisingly, there was not a clear answer. That reality alone revealed something important.

I understand why many within our denomination believe our current DoP has not sufficiently clarified who we are. In many ways, the panel discussion on What is an Advent Christian? became Exhibit A for why greater clarity is needed.

For much of our history, many of have understood Christian character to be the true test of fellowship more than theological precision. I want to acknowledge that there is something admirable in that instinct. We want to be gracious. We want to be charitable. We want to avoid unnecessary division. Yet somewhere along the way, our desire to be welcoming sometimes made us hesitant to be clear. We wanted people to see what we see and believe what we believe, but when definitions remain vague, people inevitably begin filling in the blanks for themselves. And when clarity is absent, confusion often fills the vacuum. 

As a result, we have often struggled to define ourselves positively. Instead, we have frequently defined ourselves by what we are not or by who we are similar to. We are “not quite this” and “not exactly that.” But movements that cannot clearly articulate who they are can eventually lose confidence in why they exist.

Clarity is not the enemy of unity. In fact, clarity is often what makes meaningful unity possible.

As I reviewed the proposed DoP, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not changing who we are, it’s reflecting it.  Every church, denomination, and movement has doctrinal boundaries whether written clearly or assumed informally. The question is not whether boundaries exist, but whether we are honest and transparent about them.

Kindness does not require ambiguity. Grace does not require doctrinal uncertainty. Clarity can itself be an act of kindness because it allows people to know who we are, what we believe, and whether they can genuinely and wholeheartedly walk alongside us. This matters for our churches. It matters for pastors. It matters for church planting. It matters for discipleship. It matters for those who are not part of our movement yet. And it matters for future generations who deserve more than vague theological generalities. They deserve a movement with conviction, identity, and purpose. A clear theological identity does not mean every Advent Christian will agree on every secondary issue. It does not mean we lose humility or charity. But it does mean there is a shared understanding of the foundational convictions that unite us.

In a cultural moment where confusion is often celebrated and conviction is often viewed with suspicion; The Church must resist the temptation to believe that uncertainty is a virtue. Scripture repeatedly calls the people of God to speak truth plainly, hold fast to sound doctrine, and contend for the faith entrusted to the saints.

There is a difference between being divisive and being defined. As we approach this Triennial, my hope is not merely that we preserve a denomination, but that we strengthen a movement with theological clarity, spiritual conviction, and Christlike love. Those things are not enemies of one another. In fact, they belong together. And when clarity is rooted in humility and love, clarity becomes kindness.