But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:14-15 ESV).
In the 2023 survey of Adventist pastors, the Church wanted to find out what the pastors’ understanding of Adventist education was. As a starting point, pastors around the world were asked about their personal experiences in regard to Adventist education.
Years Adventist Pastors Attended Adventist Education
When asked how many years they attended Adventist primary schools, 66.9% said they had never attended an Adventist primary school, 5.1% had attended for 1–2 years, 6.5% had attended for 3–4 years, 11% had attended for 5–7 years, and 10.6% had attended for 8 or more years.
When asked about Adventist secondary schools, 66.5% said they had never attended, 6% had attended 1–2 years, 13.7% had attended 3–4 years, 9.4% had attended 5–7 years, and 4.4% had attended 8 or more years.
When it came to attending Adventist colleges and universities, 10.3% had never attended, 5.3% had attended 1–2 years, 39% had attended 3–4 years, 30.9% had attended 5–7 years, and 14.5% had attended 8 years or more.
It is striking that although nearly 70% of pastors had never attended an Adventist primary school, and more than 66% had never attended an Adventist secondary school, almost 90% of pastors had attended Adventist colleges and universities. There are various reasons why this might be. First, Adventist pastors are typically required to attend an Adventist seminary before they can become a pastor. Another factor may be that many Adventists converted as adults and did not have the opportunity to attend Adventist schools before that. While some parts of the world are well served by Adventist schools, these schools are few and far apart in many others.
A follow-up question asked pastors how much the Adventist education system contributes to the mission of the Church.
Pastors’ Belief that Adventist Education Contributes to the Mission of the Church
Most pastors think that Adventist schools make a “significant contribution” (58%) or an important contribution (32%) to the mission of the Church; only 8% think they make a “minor contribution”, and just 2% that they “do not make a great contribution”.
The servant of the Lord stated, “When I was shown by the angel of God that an institution should be established for the education of our youth I saw that it would be one of the greatest means ordained of God for the salvation of souls”(Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 419). Adventist education plays an important role in preparing God’s workers and in helping students grow mentally, spiritually, and socially.
You can access the full report here.
Created in collaboration with the Institute of Church Ministry.
Published by ASTR on 9/9/2025.