Adventism is a branch ofProtestantChristianity[1][2] that believes in the imminentSecond Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in theUnited States during theSecond Great Awakening whenBaptist preacherWilliam Miller first publicly shared his belief that the Second Coming would occur at some point between 1843 and 1844. His followers became known asMillerites. AfterMiller's prophecies failed, the Millerite movement split up and was continued by a number of groups that held different doctrines from one another. These groups, stemming from a common Millerite ancestor, collectively became known as the Adventist movement.
Although the Adventist churches hold much in common with mainline Christianity, theirtheologies differ on whether theintermediate state of the dead isunconscious sleep or consciousness, whether the ultimate punishment of the wicked isannihilation or eternal torment, the nature of immortality, whether the wicked areresurrected afterthe millennium, and whether the sanctuary ofDaniel 8 refers to the one inheaven or one on earth.[1] Seventh-day Adventists and some smaller Adventist groups observe theseventh day Sabbath. TheGeneral Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has compiled that church's core beliefs inthe 28 Fundamental Beliefs (1980 and 2005).
In 2010, Adventism claimed to have some 22 million believers who were scattered in various independent churches.[3] The largest church within the movement—theSeventh-day Adventist Church—had more than 23 million members in 2025.[4]
Adventism began as an inter-denominational movement. Its most vocal leader was William Miller. Between 50,000 and 100,000 people in the United States supported Miller's predictions of Christ's return. After the "Great Disappointment" of October 22, 1844, many people in the movement gave up on Adventism. Of those remaining Adventist, the majority gave up believing in any prophetic (biblical) significance for the October 22 date, yet they remained expectant of the near Advent (second coming of Jesus).[1][5]
Of those who retained the October 22 date, many maintained that Jesus had come not literally but "spiritually", and consequently were known as "spiritualizers". A small minority held that something concrete had indeed happened on October 22, but that this event had been misinterpreted. This belief later emerged and crystallized with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the largest remaining body.[1][5]
The Albany Conference in 1845, attended by 61 delegates, was called to attempt to determine the future course and meaning of the Millerite movement. Following this meeting, the "Millerites" then became known as "Adventists" or "Second Adventists". However, the delegates disagreed on several theological points. Four groups emerged from the conference: The Evangelical Adventists, The Life and Advent Union, theAdvent Christian Church, and theSeventh-day Adventist Church.
The largest group was organized as the American Millennial Association, a portion of which was later known as the Evangelical Adventist Church.[1] Unique among the Adventists, they believed in aneternal hell andconsciousness in death. They declined in numbers, and by 1916 their name did not appear in the United States Census of Religious Bodies. It has diminished to almost non-existence today. Their main publication was theAdvent Herald,[6] of whichSylvester Bliss was the editor until his death in 1863. It was later called theMessiah's Herald.
The Life and Advent Union was founded byGeorge Storrs in 1863. He had establishedThe Bible Examiner in 1842. It merged with the Adventist Christian Church in 1964.
TheAdvent Christian Church officially formed in 1861 and grew rapidly at first. It declined a little during the 20th century. The Advent Christians publish the four magazinesThe Advent Christian Witness,Advent Christian News,Advent Christian Missions andMaranatha. They also operate a liberal arts college at Aurora, Illinois; and a one-year Bible College in Lenox, Massachusetts, called Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies.[7] The Primitive Advent Christian Church later separated from a few congregations in West Virginia.
TheSeventh-day Adventist Church officially formed in 1863. It believes in the sanctity of the seventh-day Sabbath as a holy day for worship. It publishes theAdventist Review, which evolved from several early church publications. Youth publications includeKidsView,Guide andInsight. It has grown to a large worldwide denomination and has a significant network of medical and educational institutions.
Miller did not join any of the movements, and he spent the last few years of his life working for unity, before dying in 1849.
TheHandbook of Denominations in the United States, 12th ed., describes the following churches as "Adventist and Sabbatarian (Hebraic) Churches":
The Christadelphians were founded in 1844 byJohn Thomas. In 2000, there were an estimated 25,000 members in 170 ecclesias, or churches, in the United States.
TheAdvent Christian Church was founded in 1860 and had 25,277 members in 302 churches in 2002 in America. It is a "first-day" body of Adventist Christians founded on the teachings of William Miller. It adopted the "conditional immortality" doctrine of Charles F. Hudson andGeorge Storrs, who formed the "Advent Christian Association" inSalem, Massachusetts, in 1860.
ThePrimitive Advent Christian Church is a small group which separated from the Advent Christian Church. It differs from the parent body mainly on two points. Its members observe foot washing as a rite of the church, and they teach that reclaimed backsliders should be baptized (even though they had formerly been baptized). This is sometimes referred to as rebaptism.
TheSeventh-day Adventist Church, founded in 1863, had over 23,000,000 baptized members (not counting children of members) worldwide in 2025.[8] It is best known for its teaching that Saturday, the seventh day of the week, is theSabbath and is the appropriate day for worship. However, the second coming of Jesus Christ, along with Judgment Day based on the three angels' message in Revelation 14:6–13, remain core beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists.
TheSeventh Day Adventist Reform Movement is a small offshoot with an unknown number of members from theSeventh-day Adventist Church caused by disagreement over military service on the Sabbath day duringWorld War I.
TheDavidians (originally namedShepherd's Rod) is a small offshoot with an unknown number of members made up primarily of voluntarily disfellowshipped members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They were originally known as the Shepherd's Rod and are still sometimes referred to as such. The group derives its name from two books on Bible doctrine written by its founder,Victor Houteff, in 1929.
TheBranch Davidians were a split ("branch") from the Davidians.
A group that gathered aroundDavid Koresh (the so-calledKoreshians) abandoned Davidian teachings and turned into areligious cult. Many of them were killed during the infamousWaco Siege of April 1993.
TheChurch of God (Seventh-Day) was founded in 1863 and it had an estimated 11,000 members in 185 churches in 1999 in America. Its founding members separated in 1858 from those Adventists associated withEllen G. White who later organized themselves as Seventh-day Adventists in 1863. The Church of God (Seventh Day) split in 1933, creating two bodies: one headquartered in Salem, West Virginia, and known as theChurch of God (7th day) – Salem Conference and the other one headquartered in Denver, Colorado and known as theGeneral Conference of the Church of God (Seventh-Day). TheWorldwide Church of God splintered from this.[9]
Many denominations known as "Church of God" have Adventist origins.
TheChurch of God General Conference was founded in 1921 and had 7,634 members in 162 churches in 2004 in America. It is a nontrinitarian first-day Adventist Christian body which is also known as theChurch of God of the Abrahamic Faith and theChurch of God General Conference (Morrow, GA).
TheCreation Seventh-Day Adventist Church is a small group that broke off from the Seventh-Day Adventists in 1988, and organized itself as a church in 1991.
TheUnited Seventh-Day Brethren is a small Sabbatarian Adventist body.In 1947, several individuals and two independent congregations within the Church of God Adventist movement formed theUnited Seventh-Day Brethren, seeking to increase fellowship and to combine their efforts in evangelism, publications, and other .
Early in its development, theBible Student movement founded byCharles Taze Russell had close connections with the Millerite movement and stalwarts of the Adventist faith, including George Storrs andJoseph Seiss. Although bothJehovah's Witnesses and the Bible Students do not identify as part of the Millerite Adventist movement (or other denominations, in general), some theologians categorize these groups as Millerite Adventist because of their teachings regarding an imminent Second Coming and their use of specific dates. The various independent Bible Student groups currently have a cumulative membership of about 20,000 worldwide.[citation needed] According to the Watch Tower Society, there were about 8.8 million Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide as of 2024.[11]
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