The Seventh-day Adventist Church, one of the fastest-growing Christian movements in the world, has recorded over 18 million baptized members. As of September 30, 2013, according to the Church’s Archives, Statistics and Research department, there were 18,028,796 Seventh-day Adventists worldwide.

An estimated 25 to 30 million men, women and children attend weekly Adventist worship services. The Church does not baptize infants or very young children, thus the gap between attendees and baptized members.

In October 2013, G.T. Ng, executive secretary of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, noted the continuing growth in church membership: “On any given day, 3,052 people join the church. Every hour 127 people are baptized. Every minute, two individuals are baptized, and we praise God for that,” he told church leaders during his report at the 2013 Annual Council in Silver Spring, Maryland.

David Trim, director of Archives, Statistics, and Research, commented on the milestone: “We are excited at this growth at a time when, globally, many religious groups are no longer growing. We thank God that, in the face of challenges such as political oppression, religious persecution, and increasing materialism and secularism, this movement, which emphasizes hope and wholeness, is continuing to grow and has now passed this statistical milestone.”

Formally organized in 1863, the Seventh-day Adventist Church operates 112 colleges and universities, more than 1,900 secondary schools and nearly 6,000 primary schools, with a total enrolment of over 1.75 million, along with 172 hospitals, treating over 16 million people annually. The Church’s commitment to serving humanity includes ADRA, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, as well as evangelistic campaigns and broadcast ministries designed to share the Three Angels’ messages with a world in need of Bible-based answers.