by Bedinical Ndatoya Zambia Union Conference Executive Secretary

The Seveth-day Adventist church in Zambia was organized as a Union Mission in 1972. At that time there were only two Fields, namely:  South Zambia Field and North Zambia Field.  South Zambia Field   covered the following provinces; Southern, Lusaka, Central, and Eastern.  North Zambia Field covered  Northern, Luapula,  Copperbelt and North-Western provinces. Western Province was not a Field per se but was an attached Field to Zambia Union Mission.

In 1988, Zambia Union Mission held a realignment session which made the Union Mission to realign into six entities namely: Central Zambia Field, East Zambia Field, Copperbelt Field, West Zambia Field, North Zambia Field and South Zambia Field.

The growth of Zambia Union Mission made us reorganize Central Zambia Field and later South Zambia Field into Conferences. This growth subsequently led to the attainment of Union Conference status from  Union Mission in 2004.

Growth in separate entities led to the realignment of the former Central Zambia Conference 2011 Central Zambia Conference. The conference was divide into two conferences - that of Lusaka Conference and the newer Central Zambia Conference. In the year 2013 Copperbelt Field also became a conference.

This growth is what brings about the realignment of our country into two Unions - Southern Zambia Union Conference and Northern Zambia Union Conference.

At the beginning of this quinquennium in 2010 our membership was 718 759 and we now stand at 1 037 000 as of June 2015.

 In tracing the history of the church in Zambia from 1905 to date we reckon the following mission establishments: Rusangu, Musofu, Chipembe, Mwami, and Liumba/Sitoti.

We praise God for the way the church has grown as a result of our committed clergy and lay persons. And indeed we have come this far by faith to the point of realignment.

Northern Zambia Union Conference will have its headquarters in Kitwe and will consist of the following entities:  Copperbelt Conference, Central Zambia Conference, Luapula Zambia Field, and North Zambia Field. And the Southern Zambia Union Conference with Headquarters in Lusaka will have the following entities:  South Zambia Conference, Lusaka Conference, East Zambia Field, and West Zambia Field.