Resolution on the Holy Bible

As delegates to the 2015 General Conference Session in San Antonio, Texas, we reaffirm our commitment to the authority of the Bible as the infallible revelation of God and His will. In them, God revealed His plan to redeem the world through the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and mediation of Jesus Christ. As a…

Same-Sex Unions

Over the past several decades the Seventh-day Adventist Church has felt it necessary to clearly state in various ways its position in regards to marriage, the family, and human sexuality. These subjects are at the heart of many pressing issues facing society. That which for centuries has been considered to be basic Christian morality in…

Resolution on the Spirit of Prophecy

We, the delegates to the 2010 General Conference Session in Atlanta, Georgia, acknowledge with gratitude the continuing contribution to the Seventh-day Adventist Church found in the writings and ministry of Ellen G White. We are witnesses to how the Church has been blessed and guided by God through the inspired counsel of His messenger. Her…

Safeguarding Mission in Changing Social Environments

Seventh-day Adventists are engaged in a mission to communicate to all peoples the everlasting gospel of God’s love, leading them to accept Jesus as personal Savior and Lord, to unite with His remnant church, and to prepare for His soon return. This mission is advanced through many and varied methods of preaching, teaching, and healing.…

Conserving Membership Gains

RECOMMENDED To approve the following appeal to the world Church regarding membership retention and the reclaiming of former members; and further To encourage widespread circulation of this appeal to church leaders and local congregations. Conserving Membership Gains–An Appeal Seventh-day Adventists around the world rejoice in the rapid membership growth of recent years. The Church…

Communication Strategy Commission – Report

VOTED, 1. To accept the Communication Strategy Commission Report as a study document; 2. To request the divisions to place the document under review and report to the General Conference with recommendations prior to the 1995 Spring Meeting; 3. To refer to the 1995 Spring Meeting for further action the Communication Strategy Commission Report which…

Church-State Relations

Preamble God is love. His rule of this universe is based on the willing obedience of His creation evoked by His magnificent benevolence.((“God desires from all His creatures the service of love – service that springs from an appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants…

Strategic Issues for the Seventh-day Adventist Church

VOTED, To approve and refer to each division and the attached union the document, Strategic Issues for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as follows: Strategic Issues for the Seventh-day Adventist Church “The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to proclaim to all peoples the everlasting gospel in the context of the three angels’ messages of…

Female Genital Mutilation

Introduction As part of their mission to the entire world, Seventh-day Adventists have a firm commitment to provide health care that preserves and restores human wholeness. By wholeness we mean the harmonious development of the physical, intellectual, social, and spiritual dimensions of a person’s life, unified through a loving relationship with God and expressed in…

Human Gene Therapy

Introduction Recent advances in medicine and genetic technology make it possible to treat human disease by altering the genes in cells of the sufferer. Though the methods of the emerging field of genetic medicine are still under development, the pace of clinical trials and recent advances suggests that gene therapy will become a common and…

Ethical Foundations for the General Conference and Its Employees

Our Mission The Seventh-day Adventist Church mission is to proclaim to all peoples the everlasting gospel, in the context of the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6-12, leading them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior, and encouraging them to unite with His church and prepare for His soon return. Within the scope of this…

Christian Principles for Genetic Interventions

Introduction Most of the new developments in genetics are the result of increased knowledge concerning the fundamental structure of genes, not only in humans but throughout all the realms of life on earth (Italicized words are defined in a glossary at the end of this statement). Among these developments are genetic mapping, new means for genetic testing, new…

Considerations on Assisted Human Reproduction

Developments in medical technology have led to a number of interventions designed to assist human procreation. Procedures such as artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, embryo transfer, and cloning increasingly provide new options in human reproduction. Such interventions raise serious ethical questions for Christians seeking God’s will on these issues. The hope of having children…

Sabbath Observance

Purpose and Perspective The main objective of this document on Sabbath observance is to provide counsel or guidelines to church members desiring a richer, more meaningful experience in Sabbath keeping. It is hoped that this will provide an impetus toward a real reform in Sabbath keeping on a worldwide basis. Conscious of the fact that…

Methods of Bible Study

Bible Study: Presuppositions, Principles, and Methods This statement was approved and voted by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Executive Committee at the Annual Council Session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 12, 1986

Ecumenical Movement

The General Conference Executive Committee has never voted an official statement regarding the Seventh-day Adventist relationship to the ecumenical movement as such. A book has been written dealing at length with the subject (B. B. Beach, Ecumenism-Boon or Bane? [Review and Herald, 1974]) and a number of articles have appeared over the years in Adventist publications, including…