Preface
A directory of the General Conference and its
twelve world divisions, with their unions and local
conferences or local missions and the related insti-
tutions of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination,
is given in the following pages. The information has
been furnished by the organizations themselves;
but in cases where current reports have not been
received, the most recent previous records have
been retained or adjusted.
The order in which workers are listed follows that
given in the General Conference Working Policy:
ordained ministers holding ministerial credentials,
credentialed missionaries, credentialed Bible in-
structors, licensed ministers, licensed missionaries,
licensed Bible instructors, and credentialed litera-
ture evangelists. In addition, the Directory of Work-
ers gives the names and addresses of all licensed
ministers and credentialed workers.
The data that appears below has been summarized
largely from the 1975 Statistical Report, while the
figures for the number of churches and for church
membership throughout the Yearbook are drawn
from official repotts rendered for june 30, 1976.
Although the name "Seventh-day Adventist” was
chosen in 1860, the denomination was not officially
organized until May 21, 1863, with a constituency of
125 churches and 3,500 members. Work was largely
confined to North America until 1874 when the
Church's first missionary, J. N. Andrews, was sent to
Switzerland. The first non-Protestant country en-
tered was Russia, where an Adventist minister went
‘in 1886. On July 28, 1890, the schooner "Pitcairn”
was launched at San Francisco and was soon en-
gaged in carrying missionaries to the Pacific islands.
Seventh-day Adventist workers first entered a non-
Christian country in 1894, when they opened a mis-
sion in Matabeleland, South Africa, and named it
Solusi after a local chief. The same year saw mis-
sionaries entering South America, and in 1896 the
Church had its representatives in japan.
The publication and distribution of literature were
major factors in the growth of the Advent Move-
ment. The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,
general church paper, was launched in Paris, Maine,
in 1850; the Youth's Instructor in Rochester, New
York, in 1852; and the Signs of the Times in Oak-
land, California, in 1874. The first denominational’
publishing house, at Battle Creek, Michigan, began
operating in 1855 and was duly incorporated in 1861
under the name of Seventh-day Adventist. Publish-
ing Association.
The Health Reform Institute, later known as the
Battle Creek Sanitarium, opened its doors in 1866,
and missionary society work was organized on a
state-wide basis in 1870. The first of the Church's
world-wide network of schools was established in
1872, while 1877 saw the formation of state-wide
Sabbath school associations. In 1903, the denomina-
tional headquarters was moved from Battle Creek,
Michigan, to Washington, D.C., where it continues
to form the nerve-center of an ever-expanding
work, Each year sees further development in the
work of the Church. That this may be accurately and
inspiringly reflected in this Yearbook is the desire of
the Archives and Statistics Committee and staff.
World Statistics for 1975
(except as noted)
MEMBERSHIP AND WORKERS
(as of June 30, 1976)
Baptized church members... 2,727,022
Organized churches.............. ... 18,668
Sabbath school members... 3, 422,401
Sabbath schools ................... . 36,201
Ordained ministers, active... .... 8,358
Total active workers... . 75,838
Baptisms and Professions of Faith 223,816
(June ‘75 to June '76)
MISSION WORK
Countries in which Church is working
{Countries in the world—222) ee 192
Number of Divisions 12
Number of Unions... 79
Number of Conferences, Missions and Fields 373
Missionaries sent to Mission Fields... 340
GOOD NEIGHBOR PROGRAM
Persons helped .. 11,765,012
Articles of clothing given 17,400,889
Cash and value of food given... $9,360,835
Value of medical supplies and equip-
ment given $709,926
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Schools operated by Denomination ........... 4,039
Total enrollment .. .
Primary and Elementary Schools
Secondary Schools .. SS
4
Colleges...
Schools of Nursing
Universities... i.
HEALTH MINISTRY
Sanitariums and Hospitals rrererienane. 136
Dispensaries, Clinics and launches ............ 261
Physicians, dentists, residents and
interns _. tenet eeen 1,737
Nurses _ . 6,708
Patients treated .. I 4, 700,360
Investment in medical facilities .. $430,237,893
(1974 figure)
Food Companies... i . 28
Retirement Homes and ‘Orphanages en 53
PUBLISHING WORK
Publishing Houses . . 51
Languages in which Church is s working... or. 559
Languages, publishing ir in. . eee 197
Literature evangelists ...
Literature sales ............
viieee. 6,506
$79,930,827
CONTRIBUTIONS
Tithe—World .. $231,308 464
North America... 154,365,839
Sabbath School—World .. 23,684,018
North America... wv... 15,422,105
Ingathering—World 12,934,481
North America .......o.ooocevveemieeeie. 8,191,170
All Contributions—World. 386,740,731
276,078 656