The Role of Seventh-day Adventist Educational Institutions

Responsibilities and Outcomes

The Seventh day Adventist Church has made a commitment to provide a broad education and spiritual formation for its children, youth, and young adults within the context of the Christian worldview. The Church extends this same opportunity to other children and youth of the community who share similar values and ideals. Adventist education seeks to maintain academic excellence in all teaching and learning activities.

Elementary schools

The Adventist elementary school offers students (1) a climate in which they can understand God's will, commit their lives to Him, and experience the joy of helping others; (2) an organized program leading toward spiritual, physical, mental, social, and emotional development; (3) a basic core of skills and knowledge for everyday living appropriate to their age; (4) a wholesome appreciation and respect for the home, the church, the school, and the community.
Students completing the elementary level at an Adventist school should

  • Have had the opportunity to commit their lives to God through conversion, baptism, service, and a desire to do God's will in every area of living.

  • Demonstrate competence in thinking, communication and quantitative skills along with other academic areas foundational to schooling at the secondary level.

  • Manifest interpersonal skills and emotional growth necessary for healthy relationships with their peers, family, and community.

  • Know and practice basic principles of health and balanced living including a wise use of time and entertainment media.

  • Develop an appreciation for the dignity of labor along with a general awareness of career options appropriate to their interests and God given abilities. 

Secondary schools

The Adventist secondary school builds on what has been achieved at the elementary level with a focus on values, choices, and Christ like character. It offers students (1) a formal and non-formal curriculum in which academic study, spiritual values, and daily life are integrated; (2) a broad academic and vocational program leading to productive living and satisfactory career choices; (3) avenues whereby Christian faith is made relevant to their emerging needs, leading to more mature relationships with others and with God; and (4) an opportunity to develop a Christian lifestyle of values, service, and witness.
Students completing the secondary level at an Adventist school should:

  • Have had an opportunity to commit their lives to God and therefore manifest a maturing faith in Him characterized by personal devotion, public worship, and service and witness to others in fulfillment of the Church mission.

  • Demonstrate competence in communication, quantitative skills, and creative thinking, along with other academic areas that are foundational to excellence in tertiary education and/or the world of work.

  • Demonstrate maturity and Christ-like sensitivity within the family circle, in the choice of friendships, in preparation for marriage, and in broad participation within their church and community.

  • Have learned how to make good decisions and wise choices in ways that demonstrate their belief in the body as a temple of God. This includes careful use of time and discriminating selection of music, media, and other forms of entertainment.

  • Have developed a strong work ethic functioning competently in everyday life, as well as within entry-level work experiences appropriate to their interests and God given abilities. 

Tertiary institutions

Adventist institutions of higher education provide students with a unique environment needed in pursuit of learning in the arts, humanities and religion, sciences and various professions, within the perspective of the Adventist philosophy of education and spiritual commitment. Adventist higher education (1) gives preference to careers that directly support the mission of the Church; (2) recognizes the importance of the quest for truth in all its dimensions as it affects the total development of the individual in relation both to God and to fellow human beings; (3) utilizes available resources such as revelation, reason, reflection and research to discover truth and its implications for human life here and in the hereafter, while recognizing the limitations inherent in all human endeavors; (4) leads students to develop lives of integrity based upon principles compatible with the religious, ethical, social, and service values essential to the Adventist worldview; (5) fosters particularly at the graduate level the mastery, critical evaluation, discovery and dissemination of knowledge, and the nurture of wisdom in a community of Christian scholars.
Students completing the tertiary level at an Adventist institution should

  • Have had the opportunity to commit themselves to God and therefore live a principled life in accordance with His will with a desire to experience and support the message and mission of the Seventh day Adventist Church.

  • Exhibit proficiency in critical thinking, stewardship, creativity, appreciation of beauty and the natural environment, communication, and other forms of academic scholarship toward fulfillment of their vocations and life-long learning.

  • Manifest social sensitivity and loving concern for the well-being of others in preparation for marriage and family life, citizenship within a diverse community, and fellowship within the community of God.

  • Maintain a consistent lifestyle that demonstrates a commitment to optimal health practices essential to effective adult living. This includes careful use of time and discriminating selection of music, media, and other forms of entertainment.

  • Answer God's call in the selection and pursuit of their chosen careers, in selfless service to the mission of the Church, and in building a free, just, and productive society and world community.

Life-long learning

Education goes beyond formal schooling. Life-long learning should meet the needs of both professionals and non-professionals. Among professional responsibilities are opportunities for continuing education for certification and career enrichment for educators, clergy, business and health care personnel, and others. (2) In the non-professional realm opportunities exist for programs in such areas as local church leadership, family life, personal development, spirituality, Christian growth, and service to the church and the community. Programs need to be developed that utilize both traditional teaching techniques and extension learning through media technology. Formal schooling combines with the other agencies of education in preparing the student "for the joy of service in this world and the higher joy of wider service in the world to come."
Note: This statement reflects a broad consensus of Adventist educators and leaders attending the First International Conference on the Philosophy of Seventh day Adventist Education convened by the General Conference Department of Education and held at Andrews University, April 7-9, 2001. It is envisioned that the Statement will be used as guidelines for Adventist educational institutions world-wide.