Commitment to Health and Healing

Official Statements October 14, 2009

The Seventh-day Adventist Church affirms the commitment and objectives of its Health Ministry aiming to achieve the well being of its members and the communities it serves, and improving global health.*

The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists reiterates its commitment to the principles of human dignity and equity, social justice, freedom, self-determination, access to clean food and water, and non-discriminatory universal access to available health care. Through its ministry of preaching, teaching, healing, and discipling the Church seeks to represent the mission of Jesus Christ in such a way as to be:

  1. Regarded globally as teaching a wholistic model of evidence based healthful living in primary health care.
  2. Seen at all times as a trusted, transparent ally of organizations with compatible goals and vision, in alleviating suffering and addressing basic health and well-being.
  3. Recognized for the unconditional scope of its embrace of all persons seeking this basic health and well-being.
  4. Involved not only administratively but also functionally at every level including each congregation and church member in this ministry of health and healing.

* This statement follows the deliberations and recommendations of the Global Conference on Health and Lifestyle held in Geneva July 2009 in collaboration with the World Health Organization, and calls for cooperation with similar credible bodies aiming to improve global health.

This document was voted by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Executive Committee at the Annual Council Session in Silver Spring, Maryland on October 14, 2009.