Part 2
Description of SDA Church
The
Seventh-day Adventist Church[a] is a
Protestant Christian denomination[3] distinguished by its observance of
Saturday,
[4] the seventh
day of the week in
Christian and
Jewish calendars, as the
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.
[5] Among its founders was
Ellen G. White, whose extensive writings are still held in high regard by the church.
[6]
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,
[7] promotion of religious liberty, and its conservative principles and lifestyle.
[8]
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 over 20 million people, and 25 million adherents.
[9][10] As of May 2007, it was the twelfth-largest religious body in the world,
[11] and the sixth-largest highly international religious body.
[12] It is ethnically and culturally diverse, and maintains a
missionary presence in over 215 countries and territories.
[2][13] The church operates over 7,500
schools including over 100 post-secondary institutions, numerous
hospitals, and publishing houses worldwide, as well as a
humanitarian aid organization known as the
Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).