This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of Seventh-day Adventist interchurch relations - a 20-million member body whose ecumenical stance has so far been underresearched. For the sake of interpreting denominational involvement and reservations in Adventism as well as beyond, the study develops a new academic approach to ecumenism based on Relational Models Theory, a comprehensive social science paradigm of interpreting human relationships. The resulting typology of ecumenical interactions and the historical case study of Adventism suggest that such a relational interpretation of ecumenical interaction sheds light on many of the unresolved issues in ecumenics - such as divergent concepts of unity, difficulties in recognition processes, and the permanence of denominationalism.

Stefan Höschele is Professor of Systematic Theology & Adventist Studies at Theologische Hochschule Friedensau, Germany. He served in Algeria (1993-94) and Tanzania (1997-2003) and has taught at Friedensau since 2003.

Adventist interchurch relations are a historical case study that shows how ecumenical interactions can be best explained with the help of a social scientific approach called Relational Models Theory.