About Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a mainstream Protestant church with a membership of 21 million plus worldwide, including more than 1.2 million members in North America. The Seventh-day Adventist Church seeks to enhance quality of life for people everywhere and to let people know that Jesus is coming again soon.
Adventists believe in the three persons of the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—make up one God. They made salvation possible when Jesus, the Son, came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem and lived a sinless life in accordance with the Father's will. When Jesus was crucified for the sins of the people of the world and arose from the dead on the third day, victory was won for everyone.
When He returned to heaven following the resurrection, Jesus left the Holy Spirit to serve as our Comforter and Counselor. He promised to return to earth a second time to complete His plan of salvation and take His people to heaven. Adventists are among the believers who look forward to that day.
Adventists believe that God is concerned with the quality of human life, and that everything—the way we live, eat, speak, think, treat each other, and care for the world around us—is part of His plan. Our families, our children, our jobs, our talents, our money, and our time are all important to Him.
General Facts
- The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been an official denomination since 1863.
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Membership:
- Worldwide: 21 million
- United States and Canada: 1.2 million
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Churches:
- Worldwide: 153,253 congregations
- United States and Canada: 6,257 congregations
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Schools: The world's second largest integrated network of schools.
- Worldwide: 7,792 with 1.8 million students
- United States and Canada: 852 (13 Tertiary Institutions, 111 Secondary Schools, 728 Primary Schools)
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Hospitals: Largest Protestant integrated network of hospitals and clinics worldwide.
- Worldwide: 733 Health care institutions, 31,772 beds/units
- United States and Canada: 65 Hospitals, 28 Nursing and Retirement Homes, 4 Clinics/Dispensaries.
- In 2011, the Seventh-day Adventist Church was recognized as the fastest-growing Christian denomination in North America, according to USA Today.
- The Seventh-day Adventist Church is the most racially diverse religious group in the United States according to the Pew Research Center in its 2014 Religious Landscape Study. Of adults who identify as Seventh-day Adventist, it found that:
- 37% are white
- 32% are black
- 15% are Hispanic
- 8% are Asian
- 8% are another race or mixed race.
More statistics about the Seventh-day Adventist church.
What Seventh-day Adventists Believe
As a Christian church, Seventh-day Adventists are a faith community rooted in the beliefs described by the Holy Scriptures. Adventists describe these beliefs in the following ways: Learn more>>
Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible as their only creed and hold certain fundamental beliefs to be the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. These beliefs, as set forth here, constitute the church's understanding and expression of the teaching of Scripture. Learn more>>