And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:23-24 NKJV).
In the effort to understand the experiences and opinions of employees at Church institutions, the Institutional Workers’ Survey 2023 asked workers how much they agreed with several statements about their workplace environments.
Levels of Agreement in the Education Sector
Overall, among educational workers, 94.4% agreed or strongly agreed that they liked that their workplace represented God, while only 4.2% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 1.4% did not know.
When asked if they agreed that the leadership didn’t value them, answers were spread more evenly, with 41% agreeing or strongly agreeing and 48.5% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing; 11.3% did not know.
A large majority of workers agreed or strongly agreed that they could share their faith in the workplace, at 88.8%, while only 8.7% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 2.5% did not know.
Being able to help the needy through their work was important to workers, with 85% agreeing or strongly agreeing that they could help; 11.6% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 3.4% did not know.
The survey asked workers whether they agreed that their institution gave too much attention to not upsetting Christians with extreme views. Opinions were more varied, with 45.8% agreeing or strongly agreeing; 38.3% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 15.9% did not know.
Many respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they worked in a pleasant atmosphere, at 77.5%, but 16.5% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 5.9% did not know.
When asked whether their organization should ensure that what it already does is done well before offering new programs or services, 78.5% agreed or strongly agreed, 14.6% disagreed or strongly disagreed, while 6.8% did not know.
A vast majority, 93.5%, agreed or strongly agreed that they liked that their workplace was faith-based; only 4.8% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 1.6% did not know.
Ellen White believed that the purpose of Adventist institutions was to take forward the work of the gospel, and that those who worked in them should think of themselves as missionaries. In Special Testimony to the Managers and Workers in our Institutions, Mrs. White wrote, “In our health institutions, our publishing houses, our schools, all should work harmoniously to carry out the purpose of God, and everything connected with the institutions should tend toward reform” (p. 3).
Most of the workers in our educational institutions agreed that they appreciated the God-centered aspects of their workplaces, although there was a split in whether their institution should be evangelizing. The Church should be clear with the institutions, and in turn the institutions with their employees, that everything they do as an Adventist workers should be an expression of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
You can access the full report here.
Created in collaboration with the Institute of Church Ministry.
Published by ASTR on 06/02/2026.