History and beliefs of the Advent Christian General Conference

Advent Christians number well over 50,000 adherents worldwide and have been faithfully proclaiming the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ for nearly 150 years.
The denomination had its beginning in 1860 representing thousands of believers who had come to faith in Jesus Christ as a result of the Second Advent revival of the mid 19th century. Many of these believers had gathered in groups intent on sharing and perpetuating the message of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. What started as an informal fellowship of believers in local communities grew into a network of associations of local churches sharing a common purpose and commitment. By 1860 the need was felt for a more formal structure linking these local churches and associations in a more formal way as a means of supporting and encouraging one another, continuing their common interests, and more effectively impacting the world for Christ.
In the earliest days of the Advent Christian denomination, the focus of their life together was Bible prophecy. Prophetic Conferences were held in many of the great cities of the northeast including Boston and Worcester, MA; Providence, RI; and Hartford, CT. These Prophetic Conferences were used of God to the salvation of many souls as well as the encouragement and up-building of believers. Campmeetings were also organized as a means of sharing the message with the world at large. Similar conferences were held in other strategic centers across the United States.
Prolific publications put the message in print and many thousands of people around the world received the message and believed.
Advent Christians still place a strong emphasis on Bible prophecy. Convictions growing out of the study of God’s word lead them to believe that we are living in the last days and that God will soon intervene in human history with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ in power and great glory.
Advent Christians believe Jesus is coming again – personally, purposefully, and powerfully, and that the day is close at hand.

COMMITTED TO MISSIONS

Historically the denomination has had outreaches in many parts of the world such as India, where for more than 100 years, missionaries have shared the gospel and ministered to people’s material needs as well.
Today, there are more than 17,000 Christian believers worshiping in 90 Advent Christian churches in India. In addition, there are two Bible schools to train national workers, and a Christian school system enrolling more than 14,000 students with 400 teachers. This school system is one of the highest rated educational systems in India.

Additionally, Advent Christians have mission outreach works in more than 30 countries including Croatia, Romania, the Ukraine, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, New Zealand, Honduras, and China, where the remnant of their pre-World War II mission still numbers in the thousands.
Advent Christian World Missions continues to grow rapidly, largely fueled by the intense missionary vision of national workers. New fields being opened and new churches being planted are largely the work of nationals.
The Advent Christian denomination is a mission minded fellowship of believers. David Ross, the former Executive Director of the Advent Christian General Conference, states that, “The number of Advent Christian missionary fields doubled in the 1990’s and may double again within the first decade of the new century.” Advent Christian World Missions expected to see an Advent Christian presence in at least 35 countries by 2003.
In addition to the traditional approach to world missions, many local churches in the United States have organized and sent short-term mission teams to various fields providing ministry and practical assistance to established mission enterprises.
Missions have always been an important part of the Advent Christian denomination. One clear evidence of this commitment is the fact that more than 50% of all money raised in the United Ministries annual budget of the denomination is earmarked for world mission outreach. Each year over one half million dollars is raised by local churches for Advent Christian world missions.
Another interesting development of the last decade or so is the renewed commitment to strategic ministries here in North America, like the planting of several new ethnic churches. For the first time in the long and effective history of the denomination, important publications are being made available in the native languages of some ethnic groups now residing in the United States.
These developments and many more illustrate the Great Commission heart of the Advent Christian people.

GREAT COMMISSION OBEDIENCE
After a few decades of marking time, the Advent Christian denomination has recommited itself to God’s call to “go and make disciples.” It was something Advent Christians always knew, but by the grace of God became their focus in the decade of the 1970’s.
The awakening began with a sense of urgency for planting new churches. The church planting emphasis, which spread throughout the denomination, was refocused by the Long Range Strategy Committee of the denomination in the late 1980’s with an emphasis on disciple making.
The key point in this transition took place in 1991 when the Advent Christian General Conference Executive Council employed David Ross, a member of the Long Range Strategy Committee as the Executive Director of the denomination and challenged him with the task of implementing a denominational disciple-making ministry.
In 1992, Dr. Dann Spader of Sonlife Ministries and the Advent Christian denomination began to develop a partnership that would lead to the restoration of a Great Commission passion to the heart of the Advent Christian church.
Over the last few years this partnership has grown to the point that the majority of Advent Christian pastors and many key lay leaders have received training with Sonlife Ministries a para- church agency whose focus is disciple making.
Some Advent Christian pastors have gone on to receive advanced training and certification as trainers themselves.
The Advent Christian Denomination is committed to restoring a Great Commission passion to the heart of Advent Christian churches, pastors and people.

man under Divine inspiration and providence; that its historic statements are correct, and that it is the only Divine and infallible standard of faith and practice (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15,16; John 17:17).
II. We believe, as revealed in the Bible –
A. In one God, our Father, eternal, and infinite in His wisdom, love and power, the Creator of all things, “In whom we live and move, and have our being” (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 40:28; Matthew 6:6)
B. And in Jesus Christ, our Lord, the only begotten Son of God conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; who came into our world to seek and to save that which was lost; who died for our sins, who was raised bodily from the dead for our justification; who ascended into heaven as our High Priest and Mediator, and who will come again in the end of this age, to judge the living and the dead, and to reign forever and ever (1 Timothy 3:16).
C. And in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, sent from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, whereby we are sanctified and sealed unto the day of redemption (John 14:16, 26; 16:7-11; Ephesians 1:13).
III. We believe that man was created for immortality, but that through sin he forfeited his Divine birthright; that because of sin, death entered into the world, and passed upon all men; and that only through faith in Jesus Christ, the divinely ordained Life-giver, can men become “partakers of the divine nature,” and live forever (2 Timothy 1:10; Romans 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 51-54).
IV. We believe that death is a condition of unconsciousness to all persons, righteous and wicked; a condition which will remain unchanged until the resurrection of Christ’s second coming, at which time the righteous will receive everlasting life while the wicked will be “punished with everlasting destruction”; suffering complete extinction of being (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Job 14:14; John 5:28,29; Matthew 10:28).
V. We believe that salvation is free to all those who, in this life and in this age, accept it on the conditions imposed, which conditions are simple and inflexible; namely, turning from sin, repentance toward God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and a life of consecration to the service of God; thus excluding all hope of a future probation, or of universal salvation (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Luke 13:25-28).
VI. We believe that Jesus Christ, according to His promise, will come again to this earth, even “in like manner” as he went into heaven personally, visibly and gloriously - to reign here forever; and that this coming is the hope of the Church, inasmuch as upon that coming depend the resurrection and the reward of the righteous, the abolition f sin and its consequences, and the renewal of the earth now marred by sin - to become the eternal home of the redeemed, after which event the earth will be forever free from sin and death (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; Revelation 22:12,20).
VII. We