Our ideas of education take too narrow and too low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come (Ellen G. White, Education, p. 13).
In 2023, the Global Church Members’ Survey (GCMS) asked church members around the world to share a little about their educational experience. The answers revealed that 1.6% of members had never attended school, 11.5% of members had attended some or all of elementary/primary school, and 29.9% had attended some or all of high/secondary school. Vocational school accounted for 5.5% of members, 12.5% had attended some college/university, 28% were college/university graduates, and 11.2% had attended graduate school. The percentage of members who had completed some level of education was 98.4%, and 75.1% had completed high/secondary school or above.
As a denomination, we have always valued Christian education. Our school system across the world, from preschool to university, is admired for the way it produces not only a stellar education, but also well-rounded and upright citizens. However, many primary and secondary schools are closing, and in some parts of the world, our colleges are fighting for the few students being sent to college within the Adventist system.
The 2023 survey asked what percentage of members had attended an Adventist school, and 42.5% answered that they had: 31.2% had attended Adventist elementary/primary school; 31% had attended Adventist secondary/high school; and 29.3% had attended Adventist college or university. (Of course, some people will have said “yes” to more than one of the options.)
While we are grateful that 42.5% of the members had attended an Adventist school at some point, that means that 57.5% of the members never had. There are many reasons why Adventist education seems to be declining: among others, aging demographics, adult conversion, differing cultural values, and rising educational costs when wages are not keeping up. There is a great need for Seventh-day Adventist church members to put their children though Adventist education.
Statistics also show that our youth are leaving the church in more significant numbers than ever before. We often hear the proverb, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6, NIV). We keep repeating it because it is true.
Please access the Meta-Analysis Report here.
Created in collaboration with the Institute of Church Ministry.
Published by ASTR on 07/17/2024.