What Is the International Pathfinder Camporee?

The Adventist Church has more than 22 million members and 100,000 churches worldwide, plus a large system of hospitals, schools, and publishing houses. Learn more about this diverse church.

Although camp meetings didn’t begin with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, they’re as much an Adventist thing as haystacks.
Camp meeting is an extended event for Adventists (and non-Adventists) of all ages to gather and participate in spiritual seminars and activities. During the event, attendees often camp in tents, campers, or RVs.

Whether you heard about the Seventh-day Adventist Church through a traveling evangelist, during your online searches, or through a loved one or relative, you might be considering joining yourself.

For Christians, dedication ceremonies for babies, also for older children, are an important time for parents and the church. It’s a special part of the worship service when parents present their young children to God and the church family. Both parents, along with the congregation, regard this as a solemn promise to be a Christ-like example to the child.

Like many Christian denominations, Adventists regularly participate in communion, also referred to as the “Lord’s Supper” or the “Last Supper.” They also practice foot washing (John 13:1-20), or the “ordinance of humility,” during the service—which isn’t as common.

Present truth is the principle that certain biblical truths are relevant to God’s people at specific times in history. God sends the Holy Spirit to reveal truths that help us better understand how to interpret and apply His Word in a present moment.

Yes, many Seventh-day Adventists do celebrate Easter.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been organizing and operating youth ministry programs since 1879.
In our opinion, youth ministry is one of the most important ministries a church can have.

Yes, most Seventh-day Adventists do celebrate birthdays because we see them as excellent reminders of the life God has blessed us with. And we celebrate them the same way everyone else does—with friends, family, presents, and a special meal.

Sola scriptura is a term that originated during the Protestant Reformation. It represents the way many Christians view the Bible and its authority. While the idea is simple enough, there is so much more to sola scriptura than its basic definition.

In recent years, the age group often classified as “young adults” has been trickier to engage. It’s been a significant concern for Christian churches around the world. Though interestingly enough, similar observations regarding young adults have been coming up in conversations about the economy, the entertainment industry, politics, and more.

The answer to this question is simply, “no.”

When it comes to salvation in Jesus Christ, all that is required of a person is to acknowledge Jesus’ sacrifice for us, believe that He has saved us, and claim the free gift of salvation that is always available to us. Salvation is not based on denomination.

Of course not. Membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church has never included any dietary requirements. However, there might be some reasons people might think that. So many Adventists are vegetarians or even vegan, and a plant-based lifestyle has many health benefits.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church uses a variety of methods to spread the hope of the gospel to the world. One of these ways is through colporteuring, also called “canvassing” or “literature evangelism.”

When you walk into any one of the many Adventist Book Center (ABC) locations, chances are you’ll be greeted by pleasant gospel music in the background, friendly employees, and row after row of Christian books, movies, Bibles, study guides, kids’ games, and more.

Wondering whether your Adventist classmate or coworker keeps the same holidays you do? Perhaps you want to include them in some festivities, but you also want to respect their beliefs. Thus, you’re unsure of how to navigate the holiday question. Will they accept your invitation to the office Christmas party?

Haystacks are basically a taco salad—with an Adventist spin on it! Most versions are vegetarian and offer an endless combination of tasty toppings. We eat them often because they’re healthy, scrumptious, and easy to make.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in and supports evidence-based medical care. In fact, medicine has played a significant part in our history, and today we run a major health system with hospitals, medical schools, and clinics throughout the world.

Adventists see religious liberty as an essential human right. After all, God endowed humanity with freedom of choice from the very beginning. So we believe it’s best for governments to also support their citizens’ rights to worship based on their convictions.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates the largest Protestant education system in the world. A big part of this system is our K-8 elementary schools, or primary schools, as they’re known in other parts of the world.

Like the boy or girl scouts, Pathfinders and Adventurers learn about nature and life skills. But what makes these clubs special is their purpose to bring young people closer to Jesus.

While the previous 12 Sabbaths of the quarter feature an established Adventist ministry and its current giving needs, the 13th is a rotating spot reserved for current mission projects.

On the outside, Seventh-day Adventist universities may not look much different than other college campuses. But the real differences are beneath the surface.

ASI, which stands for Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries, is a membership-based organization that provides support for Seventh-day Adventist laypeople (Adventist professionals who aren’t pastors).

The Seventh-day Adventist Church puts a huge emphasis on sharing the gospel through evangelism, or sharing the gospel through preaching, teaching, and testimony. One of the ways we accomplish this is by organizing public events called evangelistic meetings.

School’s out, the sun’s shining, and your kids are thrilled to have the summer ahead of them. Then three days in, you hear, “I’m bored…”

Adventists have some unique beliefs—you might be able to name some of them right now. The seventh-day Sabbath. Death as a sleep. Hell as nonexistence.

Friday rolls around, and you’re spending time with your Adventist friends or relatives when they mention they’re going to vespers tonight.

What is the role of a pastor in the Adventist Church? The position itself, at least as far as a local congregation is concerned, is not much different from that of pastors in other protestant denominations.