Denominational Profile

Notes

The Seventh-day Adventist Church grew out of the work of William Miller, who predicted the Second Coming of Christ in 1843/44. After the failure of the prophecy, many attracted to his message reorganized. Some who continued as Adventists and also accepted sabbath worship found new leadership in the persons of Ellen G. White and James White.

Membership Data

Year	Clergy	Churches	Members
1925	835	2,253	112,255
1929	915	2,250	119,843
1931	-	-	128,313
1933	-	2,277	135,766
1935	995	2,274	149,595
1937	-	2,362	156,205
1940	-	2,565	176,218
1942	-	2,491	186,478
1944	-	2,531	194,832
1946	-	-	208,030
1947	-	2,589	215,545
1950	1,752	2,712	237,168
1951	1,449	2,728	245,974
1952	1,482	2,776	253,889
1953	2,084	2,835	260,742
1954	1,628	2,845	270,079
1955	2,106	2,858	277,162
1956	2,167	2,880	283,140
1957	2,357	2,912	291,567
1958	2,252	2,956	301,826
1959	2,532	3,002	311,535
1960	2,563	3,032	317,852
1961	2,210	3,054	329,152
1962	-	3,261	335,765
1963	2,802	3,125	346,286
1964	2,829	3,326	370,688
1965	2,394	3,156	364,666
1966	2,315	3,163	374,433
1967	3,266	3,180	384,878
1968	3,443	3,202	396,097
1969	3,151	3,216	407,766
1970	3,341	3,218	420,419
1971	3,365	3,235	433,906
1972	3,422	3,278	449,188
1973	3,490	3,301	464,276
1974	3,606	3,333	479,799
1975	3,630	3,386	495,699
1976	3,207	3,446	509,792
1977	3,939	3,482	522,317
1978	4,016	3,591	535,705
1979	4,388	3,672	553,089
1980	4,266	3,730	571,141
1981	4,480	3,769	588,536
1982	4,541	3,826	606,310
1983	4,434	3,907	623,563
1984	5,070	3,949	638,929
1985	4,308	4,009	651,954
1986	5,481	4,055	666,199
1987	4,512	4,096	675,702
1988	4,537	4,145	687,200
1989	4,493	4,193	701,781
1990	4,582	4,217	717,466
1991	4,485	4,229	733,026
1992	4,355	4,261	748,687
1993	4,684	4,270	761,703
1994	4,799	4,303	775,349
1995	5,075	4,297	790,731
1996	5,184	4,363	809,159
1997	4,912	4,348	825,654
1998	5,044	4,405	839,915
1999	5,116	4,421	861,860
2000	5,249	4,486	880,921
2001	5,148	4,594	900,985
2002	4,946	4,619	918,882
2003	5,060	4,683	935,428
2005	5,210	4,750	964,811
2006	5,046	4,820	980,551
2007	5,205	4,833	1,000,472
2008	5,150	4,870	1,021,777
2009	5,067	4,892	1,043,606

Data were taken from the National Council of Churches' Historic Archive CD and recent editions of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Denomination descriptions provided by Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion (ISAR). [More information on data sources]