ADRA (Humanitarian Aid)
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is a humanitarian agency that rehabilitates communities and enhances the quality of life and well-being of individuals through its financial, material and technical resources. ADRA is active in many developing countries and provides aid to the extremely deprived.
Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries
Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries (ACM) is the denomination's liaison office with organizations using professional chaplains in church-related or public institutions. ACM supports qualified Adventist clergy who are called to campus, community, corrections, healthcare, military or work-place chaplaincy ministries. The National Service Organization chapter of ACM provides pastoral care and religious resources to enhance the spiritual well-being of Seventh-day Adventists in military-related service.
Adventist Membership Systems
The mission of the Adventist Membership Systems department is to develop, implement, and support an effective Adventist church management software system that empowers local churches and enhances membership ministries. Its vision is to enable local churches to serve members more efficiently and help leaders plan more strategically.
Adventist Mission
The Office of Adventist Mission was formed in 2005, bringing Global Mission and the Office of Mission Awareness together in one office. Its purpose is to further the Global Mission objectives of carrying the gospel to unreached areas, promoting the importance of mission and raising vital financial support. Currently active in more than 204 countries, Adventist Mission supports the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist evangelistic, medical, media and development fields.
Adventist Professionals' Network
The Adventist Professionals' Network (APN) is an electronic global registry of Adventists who hold a college or university degree in any field. APN assists participating institutions in locating consultants with expertise, volunteers for short mission assignments, and candidates for positions in teaching, administration and research.
Adventist Review / Adventist World
In print for more than 160 years, the Adventist Review is one of the oldest religious publications in North America. Founded by James and Ellen White in 1849, the magazine is published weekly and has a paid print circulation of approximately 30,000 around the globe, augmented by more than 75,000 unique visitors a month on the magazine's Web site. Adventist World magazine, launched in 2005, has rapidly become one of the most circulated religious magazines in the Christian world, with 1.5 million copies printed monthly in seven languages, and available online in 12 languages. Seventh-day Adventists in more than 140 nations receive the journal at no cost.
Adventist Risk Management
Adventist Risk Management serves the Seventh-day Adventist Church on a global basis as a ministry of active stewardship by providing professional risk management solutions through risk control consultation and education, property/casualty insurance, health care claims adjudication and personal risk services.
Adventist World Radio
Adventist World Radio is the mission radio arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Its goal is to broadcast the Adventist hope in Christ to the hardest-to-reach people groups of the world in their own languages. AWR currently broadcasts in more than 80 major languages, and its aim is to ultimately provide programs in the more than 200 essential languages of the world.
Archives, Statistics, and Research
The Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research manages the records center and archives of the General Conference and of the North American Division. It also conducts research projects for the General Conference administration; evaluates General Conference departments and agencies; produces the denomination's Yearbook and Annual statistical report; and provides a range of important information on a suite of websites, accessible from www.adventistarchives.org.
Auditing (GCAS)
The General Conference Auditing Service (GCAS) audits church entities worldwide. More than 200 auditors around the globe conduct financial statement audits and perform tests for compliance with policies, contracts and regulations in accordance with local or international auditing standards. GCAS is a professionally independent function which employs individuals with the highest professional qualifications and work experience possible.
Biblical Research Institute
The Biblical Research Institute is a doctrinal and theological resource center that produces informative papers on specific topics, presents programs for ministers' meetings, provides specialized short courses for ministerial education programs, and publishes major book-length studies on specific subjects.
Children's Ministries
The Children's Ministries Department seeks to develop the faith of children from birth through age fourteen, leading them into a loving, serving relationship with Jesus and a commitment to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Resources are produced regularly to nurture the spiritual growth of children, and ongoing leadership training is conducted to equip children's leaders and teachers to minister effectively to children.
Communication
"Building bridges of hope" is the mission statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Communication Department. We work toward this goal by reaching out to diverse church audiences -- both internally and externally -- through many avenues of communication. Creating informative and intuitive web sites, updating social media sites, and writing news stories and press releases are some of the ways we share our message. Through our work, we foster a clearer image of the church, its mission, activities and witness, so that many will become followers of Christ and members of His church.
Education
The Education Department is responsible for the supervision, coordination, promotion and quality control of the global Seventh-day Adventist educational system. This includes 7,883 schools, colleges and universities, with 89,481 teachers and 1,758,737 students in 115 countries. In addition to curricular materials and textbooks, the department publishes "The Journal of Adventist Education" and "College and University Dialogue" in four language editions.
Ellen G. White Estate, Inc.
The Ellen G. White Estate is an organization created by the last will and testament of Ellen White to act as her agent in the preservation and publication of her literary works, including translating her writings for circulation around the world. In addition to arranging for the publication of these works in printed form, the trustees of the White Estate have made her writings available in digital formats.
Family Ministries
Family Ministries is a ministry to relationships: husband and wife, parent and child. Relational dynamics are in view rather than the needs of individuals per se. Primary areas of emphasis include premarital guidance, strengthening marriage, parent education, and family evangelism. The primary methodologies of the department are education and enrichment. While the target audience is families at home, the ministry is invaluable to the church as the wider family of God.
Geoscience Research Institute
The mission of the Geoscience Research Institute is to assist the Church through the study of the world of nature with the purpose of discovering the underlying harmony between science and Scripture. One of the many intersections between science and religion is the question of origins. The Institute focuses on this and related matters.
Health Ministries Department
The Health Ministries Department serves as a resource for information and counsel on health and temperance affairs and advises the Church and its departments and related agencies on health and/or temperance related policies and programs. The Health department promotes a healthful lifestyle among church members through literature, programs and Sabbath services, and provides publications, services and programs to aid outreach to the world concerning the physical, mental and soul-destroying effects of tobacco, alcohol and other substances.
Hope Channel
Hope Channel is the leading Christian lifestyle television network, providing the best in Bible study and insights for healthy, faithful living through live and recorded programs. As a global network with more than a dozen diverse TV channels, Hope Channel delivers the gospel through relevant Christ-centered content, contextualized to the language and culture of each audience. The network's goal is to prepare the world for Christ's Second Coming by proclaiming the gospel to everyone, everywhere on the planet and making an impact in every facet of life - mind, body, spirit, family and community. Hope Channel also has a growing number of online-only channels, social media touch-points and video-on-demand offerings.
International Personnel Resources and Services
IPRS is the human resources department for missionaries around the world from the time they are appointed until the time they return to their home country. Besides caring for financial details, IPRS also takes care of special needs of missionaries arising from unusual or emergency circumstances.
Ministerial Association
The Ministerial Association serves pastors, pastors' families, local church elders/company leaders, and Ministerial Association Secretaries. There are seven entities in the Ministerial Association which are as follows: Continuing Education, Elder's Training, Evangelism and Church Growth, Ministry Magazine, PREACH Program, Resource Center and Shepherdess International.
National Accounts
The National Accounts Program is a service of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, under the direction of the Treasury Department in Silver Spring, Maryland. The combined purchasing power of the church enables us to negotiate exceptional contract pricing that we can offer to our member organizations.
Office of General Counsel
The Office of General Counsel provides legal services to church entities located within the General Conference headquarters office complex. The six staff lawyers serve both General Conference and North American Division administration, departments, and services. Each lawyer has assignments covering specific areas of law or specific administrative or departmental offices. Major areas include corporate, tax, pension, trust and estate, constitutional, religious liberty, employment and immigration law and litigation.
Public Affairs and Religious Liberty
Public Affairs and Religious Liberty supports religious liberty internationally as one of the fundamental principles of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and as a God-given right. PARL represents the world headquarters of the Church on government issues, has an office at the United Nations, and hosts many diplomatic meetings to reinforce relations between the Church and different countries.
Publishing
The Publishing Department of the General Conference gives leadership to the work of the publishing departments worldwide, Home/Family Health Education Service offices, Adventist Book Centers, literature ministry seminaries, and literature evangelists.
Sabbath School/Personal Ministries
The Sabbath School/Personal Ministries Department provides full religious education for church members of all ages, including Sabbath School bible study guides and material for programming on Saturday mornings and other activities during the rest of the week. The department also supplies training and resources to local teachers of religious education and other members, promotes personal and world missions, and designs programs and resources to equip and train members to minister to and serve their communities.
Secretariat
The General Conference Secretariat department is an administrative body responsible for processing calls for missionaries worldwide, including interdivision employees, or missionaries, and Adventist Volunteers. Secretariat also prepares committee agendas, archives committee minutes, trains and supports regional church secretariat departments and maintains the church's Working Policy and Church Manual.
Seventh-day Adventist Accounting Software (SunPlus)
SunPlus (Seventh-day Adventist Accounting Software) is a service of the General Conference Treasury Department. A commercially-produced financial and accounting software package parameterized to meet the Church's unique not-for-profit requirements, SunPlus is available to any Church organization or institution. Close cooperation with the program's parent company keeps the system technologically current through regular upgrades.
Stewardship
The Stewardship Department provides leadership training and education in stewardship principles for church members.
Transportation and International Personnel Service
The Transportation and International Personnel Service attends to the needs of inter-division personnel in transit from the time of their appointment to their arrival in the field; while they are on annual leave; and when they are returning from overseas service. The transport of personal effects and supplies for Adventist institutions is coordinated through this office. Call them at 301.680.6263.
Planned Giving & Trust Services
A specialized ministry at every level of the church whereby individuals and families may give their continuing support to God's work through wills, trusts, annuities, and other special gifts. Trust Services offers financial, estate and gift planning information. Services generally are free so every church member can effectively manage the resources God entrusts to them.
International Religious Liberty Association
The International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA), originally founded by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is a non-sectarian, non-governmental organization that promotes religious freedom for all people, everywhere. They are represented in New York and Geneva, and take part in the Human Rights Council meetings every year.
Women's Ministries
The Women's Ministries Department ministers to the spiritual, emotional, physical and social needs of women around the world. It encourages women to improve their potential and participation in the mission of the church. It provides a support system for hurting women, and a forum to address topics and issues as they affect women in and out of the church. It promotes programs to mentor young women and encourages young women academically through a scholarship program.
Youth
The Youth Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church coordinates youth ministry planning and resources between world church regions, and helps youth leaders evaluate and monitor the results of their programming. The department conducts training seminars, workshops, and congresses for both department and specialized ministries in church regions around the world.
