Structure
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is
organized with a representative form of church government. This means that the authority
in the Church rests in the church membership, with executive responsibility delegated to
representative bodies and officers for the governing of the Church. This form of church
government recognizes also the equality of the ordination of the entire ministry. There
are four constituent levels leading from the individual believer to the worldwide
organization of the work of the Church:
- The local church, a united organized body of
individual believers,
- The local conference or local field/mission,
a united organized body of churches in a state, province, or territory,
- The union conference or union field/mission,
a united body of conferences or fields within a larger territory, and
- The General Conference, the largest unit of
organization, embraces all unions in all parts of the world. Divisions are sections of the
General Conference, with administrative responsibility assigned to them in designated
geographical areas.
Within these four constituent levels the
Church operates a variety of institutions. In their world outreach, Adventists serve the
whole person and have developed educational, health-care, publishing, and other
institutions. The multiple units of the world Church, whether congregations, conferences,
health-care institutions, publishing houses, schools, or other organizations, all find
their organizational unity in the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists in
which they have representation.
The General Conference is the highest
earthly authority for the Church. The General Conference in session, and the Executive
Committee between sessions, is the highest organization in the administration of the
Church's worldwide work, and is authorized by its constitution to create subordinate
organizations to promote specific interests in various sections of the world. When
differences arise in or between organizations and institutions, appeal to the next higher
organization is proper until it reaches the General Conference in session, or the
Executive Committee at the Annual Council.
During the interim between these sessions,
the Executive Committee shall constitute the body of final authority on all questions
where a difference of viewpoint may develop.
Administratively, the Church has 11
Divisions, which are composed of churches grouped by a collection of missions, fields, or
states into unions of churches. The Divisions, headquarters, and geographical descriptions
are:
- Africa-Indian Ocean (AID): Abidjan, Cote
d'Ivoire; 32 mostly French-speaking countries across Africa to Indian Ocean islands,
- Asia Pacific (APD): - formerly Far Eastern
(FED) Singapore; 17 countries in the Orient and Pacific Islands north of the equator,
- Eastern Africa (EAD): Harare, Zimbabwe; ten
nations primarily along the east coast from Djibouti to Botswana,
- Euro-Africa (EUD): Bern, Switzerland; three
Portuguese-speaking nations of Africa attached to 25 central European countries because of
common languages.
- Euro-Asian (ESD): Tula, Russia; states in
the Commonwealth,
- Inter-American (IAD): 46 nations including
Mexico and four countries on the north rim of South America, and the Caribbean Islands.
- North American (NAD): the United States,
Canada, Bermuda, two Islands in the Pacific Ocean beyond Hawaii, and two off the coast of
Newfoundland,
- South American (SAD): Brasilia, Brazil;
eight nations below the rim on the north of the continent which are associated with
Inter-America.
- South Pacific (SPD): Wahroonga, Australia;
Australia, New Zealand, Kiribati and the islands of the Pacific lying south of the Equator
between 140 East and 120 West longitudes.
- Southern Asia (SUD): Tamil Nadu, India;
India, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldive Islands,
- Trans-European (TED): St. Albans, England;
18 diverse nations of Great Britain and Scandinavia southward from Poland through the
Balkans to Greece and Israel, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Two areas function directly under the world
headquarters:
- Middle East Union (MEU): Nocosia, Cyprus; 17
countries in and south of the Mediterranean and north Africa, and,
- Southern Africa Union (SAU): Bloemfontein,
Orange Free State; seven countries in the south of the continent.
Nearly 200,000 believers in the People's
Republic of China direct their own program in cooperation with the Three-Self Movement.
