A Bold Progressive Vision for Adventist Education in the 21st Century

Editorial by Weymouth Spence, WAU president

Congratulations to the Seventh-day Adventist Church for investing in Christian education since it was formally established in 1863. Among its most prominent founders were Joseph Bates, James White and Ellen G. White. According to the Statistical Report of Seventh-day Adventist Conferences, Missions, and Institutions: The Eighty-third Annual Report Year Ending December 31, 1945, it reported that in the 1870s, the denomination turned to evangelism through missionary work and revivals, tripling its membership to 16,609 by 1880 and establishing a presence beyond North America during the late 19th century. The denomination’s rapid growth continued, with 75,000 members in 1901. By that time, the denomination operated six colleges, a medical school, a 40+ academies, 12 hospitals and 12 publishing houses. By 1945, the church estimated that it had 246,000 members in the United States and Canada, along with 332,000 members who lived in other parts of the world; the church’s budget was $12.7 million, and the number of students who were enrolled in the church’s schools was 140,000.

May I be bold enough to suggest that the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s growth was due to evangelism and the investment in Christian education through missionary work, revivals and the establishment of Adventist Christian schools at all levels? Christian education played a major role in preparing individuals to be leaders, evangelists, pastors, missionaries, teachers and health care workers. Frankly, much of the denomination’s workforce was prepared in Adventist schools at some or all educational levels.

The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists reported that in 2023, the Seventh-day Adventist Church had associations with 10,364 educational institutions operating in more than 150 countries around the world, with more than 2,330,305 million students worldwide. It is considered the most extensive Protestant educational system and the second-largest Christian educational system in the world. Again, congratulations to the Adventist Church for the foundational investment in Christian education.

The 21st century requires the 1860 pioneers commitment with the required 21st century bold strategies for continuing and growing Adventist Christian education. The buildings have expired, and there is a need to develop and implement a new organizational structure based on current best practices to attract, prepare and equip a Christian  workforce for the gospel mission. The mission remains the same: to preach and teach the gospel, promote health through hospitals and clinics, run development projects to improve living standards and provide relief in times of calamity. We must be committed to preparing a workforce in the same way Jesus was prepared. “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52, NIV). There is no better place to prepare such a workforce than in an Adventist Christian institution. If we don’t do this, the world will. I believe that many, if not most, of our Adventist youth attend non-Adventist schools at all levels.

This is the moment for church leaders and members to work toward a common goal of fostering educational opportunities, supporting families and strengthening local and international academic communities so that our students can be ready for the workplace and eternity. This includes the entire educational system—early childhood, K–12 education, higher education, and workforce professional development. Each sector is a load-bearing support for the sharing of the life and teachings of Jesus. The educational progress of the Adventist Church must not end with the current achievements; there are more people to be prepared for eternity. We must now take a hard and detailed review of the current worldwide system and implement a bold, progressive vision for the Adventist education brand for the system to be sustainable for the next 100 years. The desired outcome is a system that ensures that quality education is manageable and accessible for every family and for everyone seeking growth and development.

A thriving Adventist education system was essential for the growth and development of the Adventist world church. A thriving 21st century Adventist educational system is even more essential for the continuing growth of the church and its mission. George Orwell once said, “Fruit trees are not planted for the fruit they yield tomorrow, but for the fruit that they can yield in the years to come.” Now is the moment to examine the current data to boldly implement the actions and adjustments that will produce a sustainable Adventist educational system for years and decades to come or until Jesus returns. God uses our schools to engage minds and transform lives.

This is Washington Adventist University.