The Seventh-day Adventist Church came from a small group of people called the Millerites. The Millerites firmly believed Jesus would come back to earth on October 22, 1844. When it didn’t happen, many of the Millerites were sad and stopped believing that Jesus would come back in person but other Millerites went back to studying the Bible. From their studies of the Bible, they believed that the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath and that Jesus would come again, so in 1860, they agreed to have the name Seventh-day Adventist. Three years later they organized themselves as a church to help them be more effective in sharing the good news of salvation.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church recognizes there is a need for men and women of all ages, and all ethnic and social backgrounds, to follow the example of our founders. Because of our love for our Savior and His love for sinners, we need to share the good news of His death and resurrection, His longing that men and women be whole, and His desire that we “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
For a dramatized story about how the Seventh-day Adventist Church began, watch Tell The World. You can see it in separate episodes here: https://telltheworld.adventist.org/watch
Or watch it below as an entire video.
Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists
The Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists project is directed by and based at the General Conference Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research (ASTR), Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
ESDA is a global church project which aims at completing approximately 8,500 articles with accompanying photographs, media, and original documents. ESDA is a great tool, not only for those seeking to learn more about the church, but also for those looking to witness to others. ESDA Online, the church’s first online reference work, launched on July 1st, 2020. This free online resource will continue indefinitely, to be constantly updated and expanded.
