FOR MORE than a century since their first school opened its doors, Seventh-day Adventists have demonstrated an avid commitment to Christian education. The result, under the Lord's guidance and blessing, has been a remarkable upthrust of educational institutions undergirding the global spread of the Advent Movement. Throughout the world the church now operates 4,294 elementary and secondary schools, colleges, seminaries, and universities the largest international Protestant school system extant.
Why, then, has the church set aside 1978 for education emphasis? The 1976 Annual Council listed the following six purposes for Adventist Education Year:
1. To emphasize the value and the necessity of carrying on Seventh-day Adventist education throughout the world.
2. To highlight the contributions of the educational program to the Seventh-day Adventist movement.
3. To develop strong training for a witnessing and outreach program that will lead to greater participation by the education community in world evangelism.
4. To set spiritual, academic, recruitment, and physical-expansion goals for the future, and to focus attention on their accomplishment.
5. To identify strengths and weaknesses in the present educational system, and to point out the major needs of conference systems, elementary schools, academies, and higher institutions, placing emphasis on the spiritual values on all levels.
6. To effect a forward thrust in Adventist education, selecting specific needed projects, and providing financial assistance for the expansion of materials and facilities.
The theme for the year, "Redemption Through Christ in Education," puts Christ in the center and reminds us that the goals sought in Adventist education are distinct, involving the saving of our young people through their winning others to the Redeemer.
Adventist Education Year provides an extended opportunity to reflect on the contributions that Christian education has made through the history of the church, and a special time for gratitude, for re-examination, for planning, study, giving, and action. The entire church should be made aware that Christian education is indispensable.
Concerning our heritage of Christian education, Ellen White wrote: "Of all institutions in our world the school is the most important!" "There is no more important work that can be done than the educating and training of ... youth and children." —Fundamentals of Christian Education, pp. 226, 267. (Italics supplied.) Educational leaders have laid plans that include an already-distributed special calendar on Adventist education, several major conventions, improvement campaigns, and systematic restudy of Spirit of Prophecy guidelines for education.
A four-volume paperback set of the Ellen White books on education (Education; Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students; Counsels on Education; and Fundamentals of Christian Education) will be offered in several languages. A study guide for the book Education will be available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. A high point occurs during the third quarter of 1978, when the entire church will ponder aspects of Christian education through that quarter's Sabbath school lessons. One major priority will be the translation and adaptation of some new Bible textbooks for overseas schools.
What can you as ministers and church leaders do to help? Here are some suggestions:
1. Preach creatively and often on the doctrine of Christian education.
2. Conduct study groups on Spirit of Prophecy guidelines on education.
3. Counsel all families to enroll their children in Seventh-day Adventist schools.
4. Plan inspirational education days and rallies, including Education Week activities.
5. Where no school exists to serve a local church, lead the church to pray and plan and give and act until a new school is built.
6. Work with the church educational secretary in the interest of the church school, including appropriate publicity.
7. Lead your school board in assessing the school's program and facilities and in providing needed improvements.
8. Stimulate total support of Christian education, including tuition assistance to large families.
9. Support the Home and School Association.
10. Recommend that at camp-meeting time a sermon on Christian education be given on Sabbath during the 11-o'clock service.
11. Visit the church school and academy, and encourage both students and teachers.
12. Obtain and utilize as much of the available promotional material on Christian education as is useful in your situation.
Efforts to strengthen Adventist education will pay priceless dividends. More children will be saved and baptized into the church. An increased number of youth will choose to witness for Christ, and many will formally enter full-time service for the Lord.