Seventh Day Adventists
| Seventh-day Adventist Church | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Adventist |
| Polity | Polity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church |
| Region | Worldwide |
| Founder | |
| Origin | May 21, 1863 Battle Creek, Michigan |
| Branched from | Millerites |
| Separations |
|
| Congregations | 81,552 churches, 69,909 companies |
| Members | 19,126,438 |
| Ministers | 19,020 |
| Hospitals | 175 |
| Nursing homes | 136 |
| Aid organization | Adventist Development and Relief Agency |
| Primary schools | 5,332 |
| Secondary schools | 2,296 |
| Tertiary institutions | 115 |
| Other name(s) | Adventist church, SDA (informal) |
| Official website | www |
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in Christian and Jewish calendars, as Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent Second Coming (advent) of Jesus Christ. The denomination grew out of the Millerite movement in the United States during the mid-19th century and was formally established in 1863. Among its founders was Ellen G. White, whose extensive writings are still held in high regard by the church.
Much of the theology of the Seventh-day Adventist Church corresponds to common Protestant Christian teachings, such as the Trinity and the infallibility of Scripture. Distinctive teachings include the unconscious state of the dead and the doctrine of an investigative judgment. The church is known for its emphasis on diet and health, its "holistic" understanding of the person, promotion of religious liberty, and its conservative principles and lifestyle.
The world church is governed by a General Conference, with smaller regions administered by divisions, union conferences, and local conferences. It currently has a worldwide baptized membership of about 19.1 million people. As of May 2007, it was the twelfth-largest religious body in the world, and the sixth-largest highly international religious body. It is ethnically and culturally diverse, and maintains a missionary presence in over 200 countries and territories. The church operates numerous schools, hospitals, and publishing houses worldwide, as well as a humanitarian aid organization known as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).
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Wikipedia