What We Do
We believe that God has not given up on the world and He will one day create a New Earth where love and freedom will be a reality. This vision shapes everything we do today.
Across the globe, in bustling cities and remote villages, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is sharing hope through acts of service, education, and healing. With a presence in over 200 countries and territories, our mission extends far beyond church walls, reaching into classrooms where children discover their potential, hospital rooms where the sick find comfort, disaster zones where the desperate receive aid, and communities where neighbors become family.
We believe that no one will be hungry in the New Earth, so we have humanitarian agencies like ADRA that are trying to feed the hungry to anticipate this future reality. We also believe that no one will be sick or even ignorant on this New Earth, which is why we have hospitals and schools everywhere. Each act of service is a preview of God’s coming kingdom—a tangible expression of His love in a world that desperately needs hope.
There are more Adventist churches in more communities worldwide than McDonald’s, Starbucks, or Subway combined. Each of them announces this New Earth every day, calling every person we impact to a saving relationship with Christ so they can start experiencing the joy that will one day soon be our constant reality.
Education:
Nurturing Minds for the New Earth
In the New Earth, ignorance will be no more. That’s why today, we operate the world’s largest Protestant school system with over 10,000 educational institutions serving more than 2.3 million students globally. From primary schools in African villages to universities recognized by governments worldwide, we’re not just teaching mathematics and science but nurturing the whole person mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually.
Our educational philosophy reflects our belief in God’s kingdom values. When the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Higher Education commended our university for its “invaluable contribution to educating thousands of professionals,” he recognized more than academic excellence; he acknowledged an education system that transforms communities.
In Rwanda, where the government partnered with us to expand higher education, the Prime Minister praised our “longstanding commitment to education,” noting how faith-based education advances not just knowledge but character. Our students graduate with a vision to serve others, carrying forward the values of the New Earth into their careers and communities.
Every child who learns to read in our schools, every nurse who graduates from our universities, every farmer trained in sustainable agriculture—they’re all part of God’s plan of preparing people for the New Earth. We teach because we believe that in God’s kingdom, every mind will reach its full potential, and we’re starting that transformation today.
Healthcare:
Healing Hands Anticipating Wholeness
We believe that no one will be sick in the New Earth. The Bible has documented God’s promise that disease, pain, and suffering will be memories of the past. This vision drives our healthcare ministry, the largest not-for-profit Protestant healthcare system globally. With over 700 healthcare institutions, including 244 hospitals and sanitariums, we’re bringing God’s healing touch to millions each year.
Our approach goes beyond treating symptoms. We embrace “whole-person health”, caring for body, mind, and spirit, because we’re preparing people for a world where wholeness will be everyone’s reality. Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, captured this vision when he lauded our Andrews Memorial Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, for “embodying excellence in the healthcare sector” and its “unwavering commitment to wholistic health.”
From free mega-clinics in Zimbabwe that treated 34,000 people in a single week, to advanced medical centers partnering with governments, our healthcare mission demonstrates what the New Earth will be like: a place where everyone has access to healing and hope. The Adventist health message, emphasizing prevention through lifestyle choices, has created “Blue Zones” like Loma Linda, California, where people live longer, healthier lives. This is a glimpse of the eternal vitality God intends for all humanity.
Every surgery performed, every child treated, and every lifestyle disease prevented are much more than medical procedures. They’re acts of faith, declaring that the God who will one day eliminate all suffering is already at work through His people today.
Humanitarian Aid:
Love Made Visible
In the New Earth, no one will hunger or thirst, no one will lack shelter or safety. This promise motivates our global humanitarian ministries, through ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) and locally through ACS (Adventist Community Services). Together, they form a comprehensive network of compassion, anticipating God’s kingdom by meeting human needs with dignity and love.
ADRA, reaching into 120+ countries with United Nations (UN) consultative status, helped 13 million people in 2023 alone. Each food package delivered, each well dug, each shelter built declares: This is what God’s kingdom looks like. UN officials call ADRA a “very trusted partner,” recognizing that our humanitarian work transcends charity, it’s kingdom-building.
While ADRA responds to international crises, like assisting over 1 million displaced families in Ukraine, ACS brings this same compassion to local neighborhoods. Operating community service centers, food pantries, and disaster response units across North America, ACS volunteers ensure that the New Earth’s abundance is shared right in our own communities. When tornadoes strike, when families face unemployment, when seniors need companionship, ACS is there.
This dual approach creates powerful synergy. When hurricanes hit, ACS volunteers provide immediate local relief while ADRA coordinates a larger-scale response. During the pandemic, ACS centers became neighborhood lifelines while ADRA delivered aid globally. Whether a food box is delivered by ACS volunteers to an elderly neighbor or emergency supplies are airlifted by ADRA to earthquake survivors, each act whispers the same promise: You are not forgotten.
The transformation stories are remarkable, like Natalia in Ukraine, whose bombed home was rebuilt by ADRA, or the single mother in Atlanta receiving groceries from ACS while completing job training. Government officials praise our “compassion and professionalism,” while local mayors thank ACS volunteers for being “first responders of hope” in their communities.
Every humanitarian act, local or global, previews the New Earth, where tears will be wiped away and no one will lack any good thing. We’re not just waiting for that day but actively demonstrating God’s abundance every day.
Religious Liberty:
Freedom for the New Earth
The New Earth will be a place of perfect freedom to worship, to believe, to choose. Our century-long advocacy for religious liberty through the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department (PARL) and the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) anticipates this reality. With special consultative status at the UN, we champion freedom of conscience for all people, regardless of their faith.
When Brazilian athlete Tiago Corte de Alencar won his landmark court case to observe the Sabbath without penalty, it wasn’t just a legal victory, it was a glimpse of God’s kingdom where everyone’s conscience is respected. From filing legal briefs in Supreme Courts to advocating for imprisoned believers of all faiths, we’re building bridges of understanding that reflect the harmony of the New Earth. As one of our leaders noted, “Adventist pioneers saw in religious liberty an incontrovertible value… solidarity with the whole human family.” This isn’t just about protecting our own freedom—it’s about creating a world that mirrors heaven’s perfect liberty.
Media and Communication:
Proclaiming Hope to Every Nation
The New Earth’s reality must be announced to every corner of our world. That’s why our media ministries like Hope Channel television broadcasting in 70+ languages, Adventist World Radio reaching into closed countries, and countless digital platforms, work tirelessly to share God’s love with millions who might never enter a church.
The power of media to transform lives is undeniable. When Adventist World Radio broadcasts reached communist rebels in the Philippines, over 2,000 fighters laid down their weapons and gave their hearts to Christ through baptism, ending a 50-year conflict that politics couldn’t solve. Government officials called it “the amazing work of the Holy Spirit through Adventist World Radio.”
Our media doesn’t just preach; it teaches, heals, and transforms. During COVID-19, our “Unlocking Bible Prophecies” YouTube series drew millions of viewers seeking hope. Our radio programs have prevented suicides, brought peace to war zones, and connected isolated believers. Each broadcast is an invitation: The God who promises a New Earth is already transforming lives today.
From professional television studios to volunteer-run podcasts, our communication network ensures that no one is beyond the reach of God’s love. We broadcast because we believe everyone deserves to hear about the joy that will one day soon be our constant reality.
Community Outreach:
Being the Sermon
There are more Adventist churches in communities worldwide than McDonald’s, Starbucks, or Subway combined. Each one is a center of hope actively demonstrating what the New Earth will be like through practical service, love, and community.
Our “Total Member Involvement” initiative encourages every one of our 23 million members to be Christ’s hands and feet. On Global Youth Day alone, hundreds of thousands of young people worldwide engage in community service activities such as cleaning cities, feeding the hungry, and visiting the lonely. They wear shirts saying “Be the Sermon” because actions speak louder than words.
In Jamaica, crime rates dropped in neighborhoods where Adventist volunteers mentored at-risk youth. The Mayor of Portmore publicly thanked our youth for their “holistic approach to community peace.” During the pandemic, churches worldwide transformed into aid distribution centers, providing millions of meals to neighbors in need. A Columbia Union College study found that Adventist congregations in North America alone contribute 1.5 million volunteer hours annually to community service.
Every act of kindness, from literacy classes to job training, from stop-smoking clinics to disaster relief, is a preview of the New Earth’s culture of love. We don’t serve to earn salvation but to share the joy of knowing that God’s kingdom is both coming and already here.
Digital Innovation:
Kingdom Technology
In the New Earth, distance won’t separate us from God or each other. Our digital innovations anticipate this connected future. When a YouTube evangelistic series reaches viewers in closed countries, when online health seminars prevent suicides, when digital platforms connect isolated believers—technology becomes a tool for kingdom building.
We’re pioneering virtual reality experiences that help people understand Bible truths, developing apps that make spiritual resources accessible globally, and creating online communities where faith flourishes. Our digital evangelism doesn’t replace human connection; it extends it, ensuring that geographic, political, or social barriers can’t stop God’s love from reaching seeking hearts.
The transformation is remarkable—entire underground churches formed through online ministries, refugees finding hope through digital broadcasts, young people discovering purpose through social media outreach. Each click, share, and download potentially connects someone to the reality of God’s coming kingdom.
Living the Future Today
The scope of our work may span continents, but at its heart lies a simple truth: We believe that God has not given up on the world. Each school we build anticipates a New Earth where ignorance is eliminated. Every patient healed is a preview of a kingdom free from sickness. Each person we feed, disaster survivor we aid, and freedom we protect points to God’s promise of complete restoration.
Our collaborations with governments, UN agencies, and communities globally demonstrate that this vision resonates beyond denominational boundaries. When government leaders commend our education system, UN officials praise our humanitarian efforts, and communities thank us for crime reduction, they are acknowledging glimpses of God’s kingdom breaking through.
Yet, we strive for more than mere glimpses. With schools and hospitals on every continent and humanitarian agencies prepared to act at any moment, we are constructing an infrastructure of hope. Each institution, program, and act of service conveys the message: The God who promises to make all things new is already at work and will one day bring this good work to completion.
The invitation is personal and profound. We invite you to dream and serve alongside us. Whether you’re a student learning to serve, a healthcare worker bringing healing, a volunteer feeding the hungry, or someone seeking hope, you are a vital part of God’s plan for restoration. Together, we are not just envisioning the New Earth; we are actively demonstrating its reality through love in action.
In a world marked by despair, division, and decay, the Seventh-day Adventist Church stands as a living testimony to the assurance of God’s promises. We serve, heal, teach, feed, protect, and proclaim—not to earn God’s favor, but because we have already received it and wish for everyone to experience the joy that will soon be our constant reality.
This is more than what we do; it reflects who we are. We are a people living between the “already” and the “not yet,” bringing heaven’s values into earthly neighborhoods. While we cannot establish God’s Kingdom on Earth through our efforts alone—this will come when Jesus returns—we are a movement that believes so profoundly in God’s coming reign that we anticipate it here and now, one act of love at a time.
Until that day when God makes all things new, we will continue to look forward to His kingdom in every corner of this old world, proving through each action that God has not given up on humanity. Neither have we.