The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the world headquarters and coordinating body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. It serves as the administrative and spiritual center for a global Christian denomination present across 115 countries, organised through 13 regional divisions.
The organisation operates one of the world's largest private education networks, overseeing 9,489 schools, colleges, and universities with more than 111,000 teachers serving over 2 million students. Beyond education, the General Conference coordinates healthcare institutions, media operations, and humanitarian agencies across its membership.
Governance occurs through regular structured processes: the General Conference Session, held every five years as the highest decision-making body, and the Annual Council each October for budget decisions and policy adoption. The organisation's stated mission centres on helping people understand the Bible and find freedom, healing, and hope in Jesus, with emphasis on equipping members to share these teachings within their communities and globally.