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Seventh-day Adventist vs. Church of Christ

A side-by-side comparison of Seventh-day Adventist and Church of Christ teaching on 16 questions, from Scripture and salvation to baptism, communion and church government.

Seventh-day Adventist

The Seventh-day Adventist Church grew out of the Millerite expectation of Christ’s return in the 1840s and was formally organized in 1863. It worships on the seventh day, Saturday, and holds distinctive teaching on the state of the dead and the end times.

Church of Christ

The Churches of Christ come from the American Restoration Movement of the early 1800s, which sought to return to the pattern of the New Testament church. Congregations are independent, and they are known for weekly communion and unaccompanied singing.

At a glance

Where they differ: How a person is saved; Baptism; Church government; Death, purgatory and hell; The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts; Day of worship.

Varies within one or both: Clergy and women in ministry.

Where they agree: Authority: Scripture and tradition; Books of the Bible; The Trinity; Can a saved person fall away?; Predestination and free will; Communion (the Lord’s Supper); Sacraments or ordinances; Mary and the saints; Style of worship.

Side by side

Question	Seventh-day Adventist	Church of Christ
Authority: Scripture and traditionAgree	The Bible alone is the standard for doctrine. Adventists also honor the writings of Ellen G. White as a prophetic gift, but hold them to be subject to Scripture.	The New Testament is the pattern for worship and church life. Practices are expected to be supported by a command, an example or a necessary inference from Scripture.
Books of the BibleAgree	66 books.	66 books.
The TrinityAgree	One God in three co-eternal persons. Some early Adventists were not Trinitarian, but the church has affirmed the doctrine since the 20th century.	One God in three persons. Churches of Christ have no written creed and rest the belief directly on Scripture.
How a person is savedDiffer	Saved by grace through faith in Christ. Adventists teach that obedience, including keeping the Ten Commandments, is the fruit of salvation and not its cause.	Saved by grace, received through faith that includes repentance, confession of Christ and baptism. Baptism is taught as the point at which sins are forgiven, and faith is understood as active obedience.
Can a saved person fall away?Agree	Yes. Salvation can be lost by rejecting God, but no one is lost who continues to trust in Christ.	Yes. A Christian who lives in sin without repenting can fall away, and Churches of Christ point to warnings such as Hebrews 6 and 10.
Predestination and free willAgree	Arminian in outlook. God desires all to be saved, and each person chooses whether to respond.	Rejects Calvinist predestination. God offers salvation to all and each person must choose to obey the gospel.
BaptismDiffer	Baptism by immersion, given after instruction and a public profession of faith. It marks membership in the church.	Immersion of a believer for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Baptism is taught as necessary for salvation, and infant baptism is rejected.
Communion (the Lord’s Supper)Agree	Observed quarterly, in a service that includes foot washing as an act of humility. The bread and grape juice are symbols.	A memorial observed every Sunday, since Acts 20:7 is taken to show the pattern of the early church. The elements are symbols.
Sacraments or ordinancesAgree	Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church’s own statement treats foot washing as part of the Lord’s Supper service, and some Adventists describe it as a third ordinance.	Two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Church governmentDiffer	A representative system of local churches, regional conferences and a General Conference. Delegates make decisions for the world church.	Each congregation is fully autonomous and is led by a group of elders (also called shepherds or overseers). There is no denominational headquarters.
Clergy and women in ministryVaries	Women serve as pastors and elders in many regions, but ordaining women as pastors has been disputed at the level of the world church.	Elders, preachers and public worship leaders are men. Women teach children and other women and take part in many other roles.
Mary and the saintsAgree	Mary is honored as Jesus’ mother. Adventists do not pray to saints and teach that the dead are unconscious until the resurrection.	Mary is honored as the mother of Jesus. There is no prayer to saints, and no role for saints in worship.
Death, purgatory and hellDiffer	The dead are unconscious until the resurrection (sometimes called “soul sleep”). The wicked are ultimately destroyed rather than tormented forever, which is the doctrine of conditional immortality.	The dead await judgment in Hades, in comfort or in torment. After the resurrection the righteous enter heaven and the wicked face eternal punishment.
Style of worshipAgree	A Sabbath school and a worship service on Saturday. The service is built around preaching, hymns and prayer.	A simple service of singing, prayer, preaching, communion and giving. Most congregations sing without instruments.
The Holy Spirit and spiritual giftsDiffer	Spiritual gifts are believed to continue, and the church holds that the gift of prophecy was shown in Ellen G. White. Tongues are understood as real human languages.	Generally teaches that miraculous gifts, such as tongues and healing, ended with the apostolic age. The Spirit is understood to work through the written Word.
Day of worshipDiffer	Saturday, the seventh day. Adventists keep the biblical Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset and consider it a lasting commandment.	Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).
Best known for	Saturday Sabbath, a health message that includes vegetarian eating, a large system of schools and hospitals, and the expectation of Christ’s soon return.	Weekly communion, unaccompanied singing, believer’s baptism for forgiveness and a determination to follow the New Testament pattern.

“Agree” means the two traditions take the same broad position, although the wording above may still note finer differences. “Varies” means at least one of the two is itself divided on the question, so no single position can be given. These summaries describe typical teaching, and individual churches may vary. For an authoritative statement, consult each denomination’s own confessions.

Seventh-day Adventist vs. Church of Christ