Adventist Denominations

[RileyG]

I'm just curious, is the SDA the only Adventist denomination currently in existence?

Are there other smaller Adventists?

Blessings

 

[Freth]

There are other denominations that are Adventists offshoots. Wikipedia has a page on it. Just like there are many other denominational offshoots, there are Adventist offshoots, but they are disconnected from/not affiliated with the official Seventh-day Adventists church.

Also there are numerous other Sabbath observing denominations that have similar beliefs, like the Seventh-day Baptists.

 

[RileyG]

There are other denominations that are Adventists offshoots. Wikipedia has a page on it. Just like there are many other denominational offshoots, there are Adventist offshoots, but they are disconnected from/not affiliated with the official Seventh-day Adventists church.

Also there are numerous other independent Sabbath observing denominations that have similar beliefs, like the Seventh-day Baptists.

Thanks for posting.

It appears most of the offshoots are very, very small.

 

[Freth]

Thanks for posting.

It appears most of the offshoots are very, very small.

Seventh-day Adventists church membership comes in at approximately 20 million. SDA offshoots will no doubt have much smaller member counts.

If you take SDA (and offshoots) out of the picture and just look at other Sabbath observing Protestant denominations, you may find the numbers are quite large. For example, the True Jesus Church denomination came out of the Pentacostal movement and has 3 million members in 70 countries.

The belief of seventh-day Sabbath observance leads to many other scriptural conclusions. I would say SDA have a lot more in common with other Sabbath observant denominations than not.

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Here is some interesting history concerning SDA and the origin of our Sabbath observance.

The pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist church were from various denominations.

The Thomas Preble Wikipedia page:

Thomas Motherwell Preble (1810–1907) was a Free Will Baptist minister in New Hampshire and a Millerite preacher. After accepting the teachings of William Miller, Preble was excommunicated from his church.

Preble appears to have accepted the seventh-day Sabbath in 1844, possibly from Frederick Wheeler or someone associated with the Washington, New Hampshire, church. Preble was the first Millerite to advocate the Sabbath in print. In the Feb. 28, 1845, issue of the Hope of Israel, an Adventist periodical in Portland, Maine, was reprinted in tract form in March, 1845, with the title, Tract, Showing That the Seventh Day Should be Observed as the Sabbath. This tract led to the conversion of J. N. Andrews and other Adventist families in Paris, Maine, as well as to Joseph Bates.

Two years later, however, Preble repudiated the Sabbath and later wrote some articles against the Seventh-Day Sabbath in The World's Crisis and a book, entitled First-Day Sabbath.

In 1845 the Millerites held the Albany Conference. The Wikipedia Millerism page:

The doctrine of the Sabbath was one of the schismatic issues debated at the Albany Conferences. The seventh-day Sabbath was rejected by delegates at the Albany Conference, who passed a resolution to have "no fellowship with Jewish fables and commandments of man, that turn from the truth." Sabbatarianism remained a minority position among the Millerites, but the doctrine received a significant boost when Thomas Preble published a tract on the topic (in 1845). The tract, titled, A Tract, Showing that the Seventh Day Should Be Observed as the Sabbath, Instead of the First Day; "According to the Commandment", was widely read by Miller's followers.

Joseph Bates became a Millerite preacher in 1839. He read Thomas Preble's tract in 1845 and was convinced of the Sabbath (and so was J. N. Andrews, another Millerite and SDA pioneer). Joseph Bates wrote his own tract in 1846 called The Seventh Day Sabbath, A Perpetual Sign. James and Ellen White read the Joseph Bates tract that same year. It was because of this tract and subsequent scriptural study that James and Ellen White were convinced of the Sabbath.

Rachel Oakes Preston, a Seventh Day Baptist, influenced Thomas Preble on the Sabbath, according to Wikipedia:

Bates was introduced to the Sabbath doctrine through a tract written by Millerite preacher Thomas M. Preble, who in turn had been influenced by Rachel Oakes Preston, a young Seventh Day Baptist. This message was gradually accepted and formed the topic of the first edition of the church publication The Present Truth, which appeared in July 1849.

In 1844, Rachel also convinced Frederick Wheeler, an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of the Sabbath. He is reputed to be the first ordained Adventist minister to preach in favor of the seventh-day Sabbath.

In 1863 the Seventh-day Adventist church formed.

If I were to give credit to anyone for our Sabbath observance origins it would be Rachel Oakes Preston, a Seventh Day Baptist who was able to convince multiple preachers of the Sabbath.

 

[RileyG]

Seventh-day Adventists church membership comes in at approximately 20 million members. SDA offshoots will no doubt have much smaller member counts.

If you take SDA (and offshoots) out of the picture and just look at other Sabbath observing Protestant denominations, you may find the numbers are quite large. For example, the True Jesus Church denomination came out of the Pentacostal movement and has 3 million members in 70 countries.

The belief of seventh-day Sabbath observance leads to many other scriptural conclusions. I would say SDA have a lot more in common with other Sabbath observant denominations than not.

---

Here is some interesting history concerning SDA and the origin of our Sabbath observance.

The pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist church were from various denominations.

The Thomas Preble Wikipedia page:



In 1845 the Millerites held the Albany Conference. The Wikipedia Millerism page:



Joseph Bates became a Millerite preacher in 1839. He read Thomas Preble's tract in 1845 and was convinced of the Sabbath (and so was J. N. Andrews, another Millerite and SDA pioneer). Joseph Bates wrote his own tract in 1846 called The Seventh Day Sabbath, A Perpetual Sign. James and Ellen White read the Joseph Bates tract that same year. It was because of this tract and subsequent scriptural study that James and Ellen White were convinced of the Sabbath.

Rachel Oakes Preston, a Seventh Day Baptist, influenced Thomas Preble on the Sabbath, according to Wikipedia:



In 1844, Rachel also convinced Frederick Wheeler, an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of the Sabbath. He is reputed to be the first ordained Adventist minister to preach in favor of the seventh-day Sabbath.

In 1863 the Seventh-day Adventist church formed.

If I were to give credit to anyone for our Sabbath observance origins it would be Rachel Oakes Preston, a Seventh Day Baptist who was able to convince multiple preachers of the Sabbath.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Freth]

You're welcome.

Today the Seventh-day Baptist denomination has about 45,000 members in 81 churches, which is surprisingly small considering Rachel's influence on so many people. I would've loved to have met her.

 

[Gary K]

You're welcome.

Today the Seventh-day Baptist denomination has about 45,000 members in 81 churches, which is surprisingly small considering Rachel's influence on so many people. I would've loved to have met her.

Remain faithful and some day you will.