Adventist Church 101

The North American Division has produced a series of videos that have been developed to enhance the understanding of denomination workers, members, and lay-persons about the inner-workings of the church. These videos will cover the local church, working policy, the function/role of the North American Division, nominating committees, and constituency session. 

Organized for Mission—The Business of Being a Church

When you become a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, you no doubt see yourself as part of a local congregation committed to fulfilling the Gospel Commission. At the same time, you become part of a worldwide Church that has a presence in at least 202 countries. How does the local congregation you joined conduct its business? How is this local congregation linked to the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church, and how does this global organization function? Where and when are decisions made, and by whom?

Church Polity—Many Parts, One Movement!

Structural Design for the SDA Church

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has both a local and a global identity. A Seventh-day Adventist person holds membership in a local Seventh-day Adventist Church. But this local church is only one of over 80,000 Seventh-day Adventist churches worldwide. How are all these churches linked into one global Seventh-day Adventist Church? And how does the global Seventh-day Adventist Church compare with other Christian denominations?

Nominating Committee

Every unit of Church organization (local church, local conference, union conference, General Conference, institutions) conducts periodic business meetings to address important matters. The election of persons to leadership roles is one of those important matters. How is a Nominating Committee selected? Who serves on the Nominating committee? What is the work of the Nominating Committee?

Constituency Session

Attending to Church Business

The Seventh-day Adventist form of governance is representative. It recognizes that authority rests in the membership and is expressed through duly elected representatives at each level of organization. This authority is expressed by Constituency session, the meeting of delegates—an event when delegates representing the member units in a church organization meet to conduct essential business for that organization. How does this Constituency session work in the Adventist church?

Introduction to Legal Matters

This video covers how to handle legal matters that unions and conferences may experience. Josh Pierre of the Office of General Counsel will lead you through a series of common issues and how to manage or process those issues.