The logo reflects the core values of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Its foundation is the Bible,

the Word of God, shown open because its message should be read and put into practice. Central to
that biblical message is the cross, which is also a central feature of the logo. Above the cross and
the open Bible is a burning flame that represents the Holy Spirit, the messenger of truth.

THE SECOND COMING

The lines at the top of the design suggest upward momentum symbolizing the resurrection and
ascension to heaven at Christ’s second coming, the ultimate focus of our faith.

THE FLAME
This is the shape formed by three lines encircling an implied sphere. The lines represent the three
angels of Revelation 14 circling the globe and our commission to take the gospel to the entire world.
The overall shape forms a flame symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

THE CROSS
The symbol of the cross, representing the gospel of salvation, is positioned in the center of the
design to emphasize Christ’s sacrifice, which is the central theme of the Adventist faith.

THE OPEN BIBLE

The Bible forms the base of the design and represents the biblical foundation of our beliefs. It is
portrayed in a fully open position suggesting a full acceptance of God’s word.

It is our hope and prayer that though this logo is a very simple picture of the foundation of Adventist
beliefs and values it may be a recognizable symbol of the Adventist message to the world.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church pioneers were members of Seventh-day
Adventist Church, part of the group of Millerites, who came together after the Great
Disappointment across the United States and formed the Seventh-day Adventist
Church. In 1860, the pioneers of the fledgling movement settled on the name, Seventh-
day Adventist, representative of the church's distinguishing beliefs. Three years later,
on May 21, 1863, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists was formed and the
movement became an official organization.

John Nevin Andrews

Joseph Bates
John Byington
Daniel Bourdeau
Merritt Cornell
Owen Russell Lomis Crosier
Hiram Edson
John Norton Loughborough
Uriah Smith
Stephen Haskell
Ellen G. White
James Springer White

Andrews was the first SDA missionary sent to countries outside North America. He
was born in Poland, Maine, and died at Basel, Switzerland, at the age of 54 years. In
1856, he married Angeline S. Steven; their children were Charles, born in 1857, and
Mary, born 1861, and two who died in infancy. As a theologian Andrews made
significant contributions to the development of various doctrines of the SDA
denomination.Andrews was also active helping in the development of church
organization. He was chairman of a three-man committee to suggest a plan of
organization for the denominational publishing house, also chairman of a committee to
draft a constitution and bylaws for the central organization of the church.

Bates (July 8, 1792 - March 19, 1872) was an American seaman and revivalist minister.
He was the founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Bates is also credited with
convincing James White and Ellen G. White of the validity of the seventh-day Sabbath.
Joseph Bates was the oldest of the three founders of the Seventh- day Adventist
denomination. He was born on July 8, 1972 at Rochester, Massachusetts. When he was
one year old his father moved to New Bradford (renamed Fairhaven during the war of
1812). He attended the Fair Haven Academy from his eighth to fifteenth years. He was
permitted to sail as a cabin boy just before his fifteenth birthday and after subsequent
voyages he became emerged as a captain and owner of vessels, whereby he made his
modest fortune of twelve thousand dollars and retired.In 1839, he accepted the Second
Advent preaching of William Miller and became an active successful Mille rite preacher.
He eventually invested all his money in the Advent Movement. Bates experienced the
1844 disappointment without losing faith.

Byington (1798–1887) was a lay preacher and first president of the newly organized
Seventh-day Adventist church. Born in Vermont, son of a Methodist preacher who had
served as a soldier in the Revolutionary army. John was baptized into the Methodist
church at age 17. He shortly was given a license to preach as a lay preacher.

 Bourdeau was an evangelist and missionary, and brother of A. C. Bourdeau. At 11 years

of age he joined the Baptist Church and at 16, with his brother, attended a Baptist
French-language institution at Grand Ligne, Lower Canada. In 1861 he married Marion
E. Saxby. Ordained to the SDA ministry in 1858, he, with his brother, spent many years
in evangelism in New England and Canada. As far as is known, the two brothers were
the first of French descent to have accepted the SDA faith. In 1868, with J. N.
Loughborough, he responded to a call from an SDA group in California, headed by M.
G. Kellogg, to open SDA work in that State. 

 Cornell (1827–1893) Born in New York state, and raised from age 10 in Michigan,
Merritt Cornell early believed the advent message, and dedicated his life to preaching it.
In 1852 he was shown and believed the Sabbath truth, and immediately began sharing it
with others, J. P. Kellogg and Cornell's father-in-law, Henry Lyon, being among the first
persons he met. Both accepted the Bible evidence for the seventh day sacredness. With
J. N. Loughborough during 1854 in Battle Creek he held the first Sabbatarian Adventist
tent meetings. He continued to be active in evangelism, working at various times with
Hiram Case, James White, J. H. Waggoner, R. J. Lawrence, D. M. Canright, and J. O.
Corliss. 

Crosier (1820-1912) was a Millerite preacher and editor, from Canandaigua, New York.
He collaborated with Hiram Edson and Dr. F. B. Hahn in publishing a small Millerite
paper, the Day-Dawn. He was with Edson on the morning after the great
disappointment on October 22, 1844. Edson received an inspiration from God which
explained that the Millerites’ error was not in the date, but in the event; that Jesus had
begun His work as High Priest in the most holy place in Heaven. Crosier, Edson, and
Hahn joined together to study the subject, and Crosier was selected to write out their
findings on the subject of the sanctuary and its cleansing. Joseph Bates and James
White were among those Millerites who were convinced by the resulting article. When
Ellen White read the second and expanded printing of the article published in the Day-
Star Extra, of February 7, 1846, she immediately recommended it to the brethren as
"true light." When Elder Bates presented the Sabbath message to a group at Edson's,
Crosier at first accepted the new light and kept the Sabbath. But eventually, he
abandoned Sabbath keeping, and also his early sanctuary view.

Edson (1806–1882) was a pioneer of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, known for

introducing the investigative judgment doctrine to reveal to the early Sabbath-keeping
Adventists the meaning of the cleansing of the sanctuary. The understanding of the
investigative judgment was given to the members when Hiram Edson felt he was given
it after a night of prayer after the Great Disappointment to explain why Jesus had not
come: the sanctuary needed to be cleansed and a review of the records in heaven needed
to be completed before Christ would appear. With Joseph Bates and James White, he
was one of the pioneers who developed the Seventh-day Adventist movement.
Loughborough (1832 – April 7, 1924) was an early Seventh-day Adventist minister.
He first heard the present truth preached by J. N. Andrews in September 1852 at
Rochester, New York, and was immediately convinced of the seventh-day Sabbath. He
took a public position to keep the Sabbath in October 1852 and immediately began to
proclaim his new belief. Health Reform; He published an account of the message and
history of Seventh-day Adventism in 1902 titled The Rise and Progress of the Third
Angel's Message, but the book was lost when the Review and Herald burned in Battle
Creek, Michigan, in 1903. He then published another book, The Great Second Advent
Movement, in 1905. In it, Loughborough describes his first-hand experiences in the
history of the church, the visions and prophecies of Ellen White, early divisions in the
church, and various philosophical and religious matters, as well as some
autobiographical material.

Smith (May 3, 1832 – March 6, 1903) was a Seventh-day Adventist author and editor

who worked for the Review and Herald (now the Adventist Review) for 50 years. His
book Daniel and the Revelation became the classic text on Adventist end-time beliefs.

Haskell (1833–1922) Stephen Haskell was an evangelist and administrator. Stephen

Haskell began preaching for First-day Adventists in 1853, but the same year, after
reading a tract on the Sabbath, he became a Sabbath keeper at the age of 20. Following
some years in self-supporting work in New England, he was ordained in 1870 and
became president of the New England Conference, serving from 1870 to 1887. While in
that position, he served three times president of the California Conference (1879–1887,
1891–1894, 1908–1911) and also of the Maine Conference (1884–1886). School;

Ellen Gould White (born Harmon) (November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was a
prolific Christian author and one of the American Christian pioneers whose ministry
was instrumental in founding the seventh-day Adventist movement that led to the rise
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Seventh-day Adventist believe she had the spiritual gift of prophecy as outlined
in Revelation 19:10. Her restorationist writings endeavor to showcase the hand of God
in Christian history. This cosmic conflict, referred to as the "Great Controversy theme",
is foundational to the development of Seventh-day Adventist theology. Her involvement
with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James
White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

James Springer White (August 4, 1821, Palmyra, Maine - August 6, 1881, Battle

Creek, Michigan), also known as Elder White was a co-founder of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church and husband of Ellen G. White. In 1849 he started the first
Sabbatarian Adventist periodical entitled "The Present Truth" (now the Adventist
Review) in 1855 he relocated the fledgling center of the movement to Battle
Creek, Michigan, and in 1863 played a pivotal role in the formal organization of the
denomination. He later played a major role in the development of the Adventist
educational structure beginning in 1874 with the formation of Battle Creek College
(which is now Andrews University).
ANCIENT AND TIMELESS, A MASTERPIECE OF LITERATURE,
THE HOLY BIBLE REVEALS GOD’S ROLE IN HUMAN HISTORY,
OUR PLACE IN GOD’S PLAN, AND TRUTH TO GUIDE US AND
SHIELD US FROM DECEPTION.

The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, given by
divine inspiration. The inspired authors spoke and wrote as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit. In this Word, God has committed to humanity the knowledge necessary for
salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the supreme, authoritative, and the infallible
revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the
definitive revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history. (Ps.
119:105; Prov. 30:5, 6; Isa. 8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Heb. 4:12; 2
Peter 1:20, 21.)

Behaviour and ethics

Behaviour and ethics of Seventh-day Adventists

The Adventist lifestyle is simple, and, by secular standards, rather puritanical.
Adventists see it as wholesome and deeply rewarding.

Healthy living
Personal health is specifically mentioned in Adventist doctrine, which tells them to
regard their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.

Adventists believe that what is good for the body is good for the soul, and vice versa,
and they are instructed that it is their...

...religious duty to observe the laws of health, both for our own well-being
and happiness and for more efficient service to God and our fellow men.

Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual

Ellen G White summed it up like this:

Both mental and spiritual vigour are in great degree dependent upon
physical strength and activity; whatever promotes physical health,
promotes the development of a strong mind and a well-balanced character

Ellen G. White, Education

One way Adventists keep healthy is by eating a healthy diet, following the food rules laid
down in Leviticus 11. A vegetarian diet is recommended but not insisted upon.

One little known fact is that Adventists were responsible for the popularisation of
breakfast cereal; the Adventist layman John Harvey Kellogg invented cornflakes as a
replacement for eggs and bacon.

Adventists do not use alcohol, tobacco or recreational drugs.

Health has a missionary as well as an individual purpose. Adventists believe that "it is
the Lord's design that the restoring influence of health reform shall be a part of the last
great effort to proclaim the gospel message." (Medical Ministry, p. 259)

Dress
Adventists dress modestly, following Church guidance that:

Dress is to be simple, modest, and neat, befitting those whose true beauty
does not consist of outward adornment but in the imperishable ornament
of a gentle and quiet spirit.

Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual

But they don't adopt an antique style of dress; preferring to wear tasteful conservative
and sensible styles that are common at any particular period. They are not "the first to
adopt the new styles of dress or the last to lay the old aside."

Clothes are chosen for their durability, and "profuse ornamentation" and "gaudy
display" are unacceptable.

Adventists do not wear jewellery, other than a wedding ring.

Entertainment
Radio and television: Educational programmes, news and current affairs and
classical music programmes are valuable. Adventists avoid programmes that are neither
"wholesome nor uplifting".

Theatre and cinema: Adventists are advised not to go to the theatre, cinema (or,
presumably to watch videos or DVDs), which, with other entertainments, are seen as
partly responsible for the poor moral state of the world.

Dancing: Social dancing is not permitted.

Music: Some music is of great value, while other forms of music are dangerous:

Great care should be exercised in the choice of music. Any melody

partaking of the nature of jazz, rock, or related hybrid forms, or any
language expressing foolish or trivial sentiments, will be shunned by
persons of true culture.

Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual

Social events
The Church Manual sets out a code of practice for social events, which are usually held
in family homes, rather than commercial places of entertainment:

Social gatherings for old and young should be made occasions, not for
light and trifling amusement, but for happy fellowship and improvement
of the powers of mind and soul.
 Good music, elevating conversation, good recitations, suitable still or
motion pictures, games carefully selected for their educational value, and,
above all, the making and using of plans for outreach (missionary) effort
can provide programs for social gatherings that will bless and strengthen
the lives of all.

Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual

Sexual behaviour
Adventists adopt the highest standards of sexual behaviour.

Sex outside marriage is forbidden, and parents are expected to chaperone meetings
between young people. Young people, for their part, are expected to take responsibility
for avoiding sexual encounters.

Adultery, homosexual and lesbian practices, sexual abuse within marriage, incest and
sexual abuse of children are banned. Pornography should be avoided.

Marriage

The monogamous union in marriage of a man and a woman is affirmed as

the divinely ordained foundation of the family and social life and the only
morally appropriate locus of genital or related intimate sexual expression.

An Affirmation of Marriage, official statement, 1996

Mixed marriages
Seventh-day Adventist ministers will not marry church members to non-members.

Divorce and remarriage

Adultery, sexual perversion and "abandonment by a non-believing spouse" are valid
grounds for divorce, although the Church will first try to mediate and reconcile the
couple.

If reconciliation isn't possible, the couple can divorce and the spouse who remained
faithful has the right to remarry. The spouse who broke the marriage vow may not
remarry while their ex-partner lives.

War
The Adventist movement was strongly pacifist from the beginning.