What Is the General Conference Session?
The General Conference Session is the highest governing body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It serves as the global forum for electing the church’s top leaders and making amendments to its Constitution. During the Session, official delegates also receive reports from each of the church’s 13 administrative regions around the world.
Delegates are selected based on both regional church membership and the self-sufficiency of administrative divisions. According to the church’s Constitution, at least half of all delegates must be laypersons, pastors, teachers, or other non-administrative employees—representing both genders, various age groups, and diverse national backgrounds. For many church members, the Session is also a chance to reunite with friends and fellow believers from around the globe.
How the Session Has Evolved
Today’s Sessions are held in massive stadiums, but that wasn’t always the case. Historical photographs show early delegates gathered at the entrance of a modest church building. In the 19th century, leaders traveled by train or horse-drawn carriage to attend Sessions, which were then held primarily in Michigan, USA.
Much has changed. Today, about one-third of Adventist members live in Africa, with another third residing in Central and South America. Brazil, in fact, now has the highest number of Adventists in any single country—more than 1.3 million.
The First Session
The first official General Conference Session took place in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1863. According to the meeting minutes, the purpose was to “organize a General Conference.” The gathering began on the evening of May 20, when delegates elected a chairman and secretary. During that Session, the group adopted a constitution and bylaws and appointed the first Conference officers: a President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This organizational structure remains in place today across all levels of the church.
Battle Creek hosted 26 of the first 31 Sessions. The first Session held west of the Mississippi River took place in Oakland, California, in November 1887. Sessions have been held outside the United States only three times: in Austria (1975), the Netherlands (1995), and Canada (2000). The upcoming Session in St. Louis will be the 61st in the church’s history.
How Often Are Sessions Held?
The frequency of Sessions has changed over time. Initially, they were held annually until 1891. From then until 1905, they occurred every other year. The Session took a four-year pause after that, followed by a gap during World War I, resuming in 1918. From then on, they were held every four years until the Great Depression caused another disruption—Sessions were held in 1930, skipped in 1932 and 1934, and resumed in 1936 and again in 1941.
Since 1970, the Adventist Church Constitution has mandated that Sessions be held every five years.
Where Do Sessions Take Place?
Modern General Conference Sessions are typically held in large sports stadiums in North America and Europe. Few venues worldwide can accommodate the event’s extensive requirements, which include seating for over 70,000 attendees, reliable transportation, staff fluent in English (the church’s official working language), and safe food services for large crowds.
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