Ellen White does not automatically forbid the use of transportation on the Sabbath for traveling to church.
She emphasizes something else: the Sabbath must remain a holy day, so unnecessary travel should be avoided, and everything needed should be planned in advance. If the journey is connected with worship, ministry, or a real need, it should be done with reverence for God’s day.
In the writings of Ellen G. White, the topic of travel on the Sabbath is mentioned mainly in the context of ships, trains, and carriages, because that was the transportation of her time. However, the principle itself can easily be applied today to the bus, tram, subway, or commuter train when a believer is going to a worship service. The question is not only the kind of transportation itself, but the intention of the heart, the necessity of the trip, and whether we are turning the holy Sabbath into an ordinary day.
The main principle in Ellen White
Her best-known statement on this subject says that on the Sabbath one should be careful about traveling, yet at the same time she acknowledges that sometimes a trip may be necessary for God’s work. It is important that tickets, preparations, and everything possible be arranged beforehand, not on the Sabbath day itself. Therefore, traveling by public transportation to church is not in itself called a sin, if it is truly a journey for worship and cannot reasonably be avoided.
This approach agrees with the biblical understanding of the Sabbath as time set apart for God:
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words” Isa. 58:13
Here the emphasis is not only on physical movement, but on “your own ways,” that is, on one’s own everyday affairs and ordinary interests. If a person travels not for entertainment, trade, or personal business, but to worship God together with the church, that is an entirely different moral situation.
Is it permissible to travel by city transport to church
In most cases, the answer will be this: if a church member has no other real way to get to the worship service, using the bus, subway, or tram on the Sabbath for the sake of participating in worship may be acceptable. This is especially true in large cities, where distances are great and the church gathering may take place far from home.
Here it is appropriate to remember the biblical call not to forsake assembling together:
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” Heb. 10:25
If the journey to a worship service requires public transportation, the believer should weigh not only the letter of the question, but also its spiritual purpose. The Sabbath was given for worship, fellowship with God, and fellowship with His people. Therefore, the trip to church may be part of proper Sabbath observance, if it is not accompanied by carelessness, haste, bustle, or unnecessary worldly activities.
What extremes should be avoided
The first extreme is to think that any use of transportation on the Sabbath is a violation of the commandment. Ellen White does not formulate such an absolute rule. The second extreme is to treat the Sabbath as though there is no difference at all between traveling to a worship service and ordinary trips for shopping, entertainment, or personal business.
The Bible teaches that the Sabbath is holy time:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work” Ex. 20:8-10
Therefore, the Adventist approach is not about seeking the minimum limit of what is allowed, but about the desire to glorify God. If a person can walk to church without difficulty, that is often the better option. If one can move closer in advance, stay with a family of fellow believers, or otherwise plan the route—that is also wise. But when such opportunities do not exist, using transportation itself should not automatically be equated with sin.
The spirit in which such a trip is made
Ellen White emphasizes that even when travel on the Sabbath is necessary, it should take place in a spiritual frame of mind. The journey should not be turned into a time for ordinary business conversations, shopping, or secular plans. The mind should be directed to God.
This corresponds to the words of Jesus about the true meaning of the Sabbath:
“And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath’” Mark 2:27
Jesus did not diminish the holiness of the Sabbath, but showed that it should be understood through mercy, worship, and goodness, not through lifeless formalism. That is why the journey to a place of worship does not contradict the spirit of the Sabbath if it helps a person draw closer to God.
Practical advice for the believer
First, plan everything ahead: refill your transit card, check the route, and prepare your clothes and Bible before sunset on Friday. Second, avoid unnecessary trips on the Sabbath; do not combine the journey to church with other errands. Third, keep a Sabbath spirit: you may pray on the way, reflect on Scripture, and prepare your heart for worship. Fourth, if possible, look for ways that connect you less with the ordinary bustle of Sabbath-day life.
It is also important to remember the words of Christ:
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20
The purpose of the journey is not merely to reach the church building, but to enter God’s presence together with the congregation. That is what gives the trip spiritual meaning.
In summary, from the standpoint of Adventist teaching and the principles of Ellen G. White, using city transportation on the Sabbath to travel to church may be acceptable if it is necessary, if everything possible has been prepared in advance, and if the person preserves the holiness of the day. The practical application is this: before each Sabbath, ask yourself—does this trip truly lead me to worship God, can I make it simpler and holier, and does my heart on this journey belong to the Lord?
