General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Encyclopedia
The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
. It is located in Silver Spring
, Maryland
, United States
, where it moved in 1989. The church headquarters building, commonly known as the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, houses and supports the administration of the church.
The General Conference is overseen by an executive committee, headed by a President. The General Conference Session
is a meeting held every five years, during which the executive committee and officers are elected. In 2010 the General Conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia
, United States.
The General Conference is the at the administrative head of the church, but the Seventh-day Adventist Church is organized with a representative form of church government. This means authority in the Church comes from the membership of local churches, who send representatives to vote on matters at the next level up. Each level sends representatives to the next level. At the top, the General Conference elects the executive committee and officers to govern the Church until the next General Conference session. Four levels of Church structure lead from the individual believer to the worldwide Church organization:
The levels are-
1)The local church with its members
2)The local conference made up of a number of local churches in area.
3)The union conference, made up of local conferences of a area.
4)The division, consisting of several conferences and missions within a world geographical area.
5)The General Conference administers the worldwide direction of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
To direct its worldwide activity, the General Conference has established regional offices, known as divisions of the General Conference which have general administrative oversight for designated groups of unions in major areas. It is divided into 13 divisions, which are then subdivided into unions, conferences, and missions.
is extensive worldwide, however only a few institutions are structured directly under General Conference oversight
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
. It is located in Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where it moved in 1989. The church headquarters building, commonly known as the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, houses and supports the administration of the church.
The General Conference is overseen by an executive committee, headed by a President. The General Conference Session
General Conference Session
The General Conference Session is the official world meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The first session was held on May 20, 1863 with 20 delegates in attendance, and it is now held quinquennially ....
is a meeting held every five years, during which the executive committee and officers are elected. In 2010 the General Conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States.
The General Conference is the at the administrative head of the church, but the Seventh-day Adventist Church is organized with a representative form of church government. This means authority in the Church comes from the membership of local churches, who send representatives to vote on matters at the next level up. Each level sends representatives to the next level. At the top, the General Conference elects the executive committee and officers to govern the Church until the next General Conference session. Four levels of Church structure lead from the individual believer to the worldwide Church organization:
The levels are-
1)The local church with its members
2)The local conference made up of a number of local churches in area.
3)The union conference, made up of local conferences of a area.
4)The division, consisting of several conferences and missions within a world geographical area.
5)The General Conference administers the worldwide direction of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
To direct its worldwide activity, the General Conference has established regional offices, known as divisions of the General Conference which have general administrative oversight for designated groups of unions in major areas. It is divided into 13 divisions, which are then subdivided into unions, conferences, and missions.
Divisions
- East-Central AfricaEast-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe East-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It covers the area of the nations of Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
http://www.ecd.adventist.org/ - NairobiNairobiNairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east... - Euro-AfricaEuro-Africa Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Euro-Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters are in Bern, Switzerland...
http://www.euroafrica.org/ - Berne, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... - Euro-AsiaEuro-Asia Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Euro-Asia Division of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters are in Moscow, Russia...
http://www.adventist.ru/ - MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... - Inter-AmericanInter-American Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Inter-American Division of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters are in Miami, Florida, United States...
http://www.interamerica.org/ - MiamiMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(IAD) - North AmericanNorth American Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda is officially organized as the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists...
http://www.nadadventist.org/ - Silver SpringSilver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(NAD) - Northern Asia-PacificNorthern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Northern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters are in Koyang City, Republic of Korea...
http://www.nsdadventist.org/ - GoyangGoyangGoyang is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Goyang includes the new city of Ilsan, which is connected to Seoul via Seoul Subway Line 3. Goyang is bordered by Seoul to the south; walls of the Bukhan Mountain Fortress lie along a small portion of this border.Several institutions of higher...
, South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
(NSD) - Southern Africa-Indian OceanSouthern Africa-Indian Ocean Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters are in Irene, Pretoria, the executive capital of South Africa...
http://www.sidadventist.org/ - PretoriaPretoriaPretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... - South AmericanSouth American Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe South American Division of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters are in Brasilia, Brazil....
http://www.dsa.org.br/ - BrasiliaBrasíliaBrasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... - South PacificSouth Pacific Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, , is formally organised as the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists , also abbreviated as the South Pacific Division or simply "the Division". It is one of 13 world divisions of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in...
http://www.adventist.org.au/ - WahroongaWahroonga, New South WalesWahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wahroonga is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire....
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(SPD) - Southern AsiaSouthern Asia Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Southern Asia Division of Seventh-day Adventists is headquartered at Hosur, Tamil Nadu, India. It heads the activities of the Seventh-day Adventist Churches and its affiliated bodies in India, Nepal and Bhutan....
- Tamil NaduTamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... - Southern Asia-PacificSouthern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Southern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists is the administrative body for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Southeast Asia...
http://www.ssd.org/ - Cavite, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(SSD) - Trans-EuropeanTrans-European Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Trans-European Division of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters are in St Albans, United Kingdom....
http://www.ted-adventist.org/ - St. Albans, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(TED) - West-Central AfricaWest-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe West-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters are in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire....
http://www.wad-adventist.org/ - AbidjanAbidjanAbidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
, Côte d'IvoireCôte d'IvoireThe Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
Educational institutions
The Seventh-day Adventist educational systemSeventh-day Adventist education
The Seventh-day Adventist educational system is the second-largest Christian school system in the world, after the Roman Catholic system ....
is extensive worldwide, however only a few institutions are structured directly under General Conference oversight
- Adventist International Institute of Advanced StudiesAdventist International Institute of Advanced StudiesThe Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies is a graduate level educational institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. AIIAS is a locally and internationally accredited institution located in Silang, Cavite, Philippines, about 25 miles south of Manila...
- Adventist University of AfricaAdventist University of AfricaThe Adventist University of Africa is a Seventh-day Adventist university created for the purpose of providing post-graduate education throughout Africa.Adventist University of Africa has two departments, the Seminary, and the School of Graduate Studies...
- Andrews UniversityAndrews UniversityAndrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is the flagship university of the Seventh-day...
- Griggs International Academy
- Griggs UniversityGriggs UniversityGriggs University, formerly Home Study International, is a Seventh-day Adventist distance learning university recently based on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan . Founded in 1909 as The Fireside Correspondence School and later known as the Home Study Institute, it began...
- Loma Linda UniversityLoma Linda UniversityLoma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...
- Oakwood University
- Northern Caribbean UniversityNorthern Caribbean UniversityThe Northern Caribbean University is a tertiary level academic facility in Mandeville, Manchester, west-central Jamaica run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church...
- Adventist University of the PhilippinesAdventist University of the PhilippinesAdventist University of the Philippines is private coeducational Christian university located in Putting Kahoy, Silang, Cavite, Philippines. The university is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and holds an autonomous status recognized by CHED .-History:The Adventist University of the...
- Mountain View College (Philippines)
- Pacific Union CollegePacific Union CollegePacific Union College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Angwin, California, United States. It is the only four-year college in Napa County, California....
- Southern Adventist UniversitySouthern Adventist UniversitySouthern Adventist University is a college in Collegedale, Tennessee, owned and operated by the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. U.S. News & World Report categorizes it as a Southern Regional College, and the magazine has consistently ranked it as one of the top-tier schools in...
- Union CollegeUnion CollegeUnion College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
- University of Eastern Africa, BaratonUniversity of Eastern Africa, BaratonThe University of Eastern Africa, Baraton is a private coeducational Seventh-Day Adventist university located about 50 km from Eldoret Kenya. It offers various degrees in a number of graduate and undergraduate programs in the fields of Business, the Humanities, Agriculture, Technology, Health...
Outreach
- Adventist Development and Relief AgencyAdventist Development and Relief AgencyThe Adventist Development and Relief Agency International is a humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the purpose of providing individual and community development and disaster relief...
- Adventist MissionAdventist MissionAdventist Mission is an office of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's world headquarters. Its main purpose is to provide coordination and funding for the Seventh-day Adventist Church's worldwide mission work...
- Adventist World Radio
- Global MissionGlobal MissionGlobal Mission is the frontline mission arm of Adventist Mission, an office of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s world headquarters. The organization sends volunteer missionaries, typically for one or two years, to reach people in areas of the world where there are no Seventh-day Adventist members...
General Conference Session
The General Conference Session is the official world meeting of the church, and is now held quinquennially (every five years). The first session was held on May 20, 1863, with 20 delegates in attendance.See also
- Government of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
- List of Presidents of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
- AdventistAdventistAdventism is a Christian movement which began in the 19th century, in the context of the Second Great Awakening revival in the United States. The name refers to belief in the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It was started by William Miller, whose followers became known as Millerites...
- Seventh-day Adventist ChurchSeventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
- Seventh-day Adventist Church in IndiaSeventh-day Adventist Church in IndiaThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is present in India. The headquarters of its Southern Asia Division is in Tamil Nadu. Among the other states of India with presence of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are Kerala, Jharkhand, Manipur, Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.Adventist missionary...
- Seventh-day Adventist Church in NigeriaSeventh-day Adventist Church in NigeriaThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a major Christian denomination with a significant presence in Nigeria.Eastern Nigeria Union Mission and North-Western Nigeria Union Mission exist. They have more than 100,000 members each...
- List of Seventh-day Adventist hospitals
- List of Seventh-day Adventist medical schools
- List of Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools
- List of Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities
External links
- Adventist Yearbook The official organizational directory
- World Divisions map and links
- General Conference Committee Minutes from Adventist Archives