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Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, director of the Schooling Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, shared statistics and up to date details about Adventist schooling, particularly in mild of the challenges ensuing from the COVID-19 pandemic. Beardsley-Hardy’s presentation on October 7, 2022, was a part of the Management, Schooling, and Improvement (LEAD) Convention on the denomination headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, and included church leaders from around the globe.
“Throughout the 2017-2021 quinquennium, developments present a ten.06 p.c improve in major stage college students in Adventist colleges, 2.18 p.c in secondary stage, and 71.84 p.c in employees coaching,” Beardsley-Hardy mentioned in a section titled “Legacy within the Midst of Storms.” She defined that the latter consists of the coaching offered in nursing employees packages and vocational packages. Alternatively, enrollment of tertiary stage college students at Adventist colleges decreased by 4.91 p.c, for an general improve of 6.72 p.c, she mentioned.
The Storm of COVID
Beardsley-Hardy acknowledged that “the storm of COVID” impacted enrollments. “In 2020, general, we misplaced 21,000 college students. … However in 2021, numbers at secondary stage have rebounded,” she mentioned.
She added that on the plus facet, throughout COVID, super creativity was unleashed. “Outmoded instructing strategies and mindsets had been thrown overboard to extend entry to schooling and nurture religious development via expertise,” she mentioned.
COVID-19 additionally modified instructing and studying, she reported, as there was a rise in on-line and hybrid courses, a higher want for digital and data competence, and a necessity for pedagogical innovation and lively methodologies, together with digital libraries. Together with an growth of distance education schemes, there was additionally a necessity for religious nurture, she mentioned.
Beardsley-Hardy defined how this elevated deal with religious nurturing led the South American Division to shut 2021 with 6,577 scholar baptisms. “These college students had been nurtured digitally,” she mentioned. Nonetheless, she added, “for baptism, you could have simply to get moist. [Church leaders] had been in a position to nurture these college students on-line, digitally, however nonetheless convey them to religious dedication. We reward God for a way some colleges responded,” she mentioned.
The appropriate use of expertise saved some, however Beardsley-Hardy additionally acknowledged that the usage of expertise elevated the digital divide and disproportionately affected the poor, these in rural areas, and people with particular wants.
The Storm of Battle
One other storm that Adventist schooling has needed to climate recently is the battle in Ukraine, the place there are 24 Adventist instructional establishments, together with the Ukrainian Middle for Greater Schooling (UCHE) in Bucha. The Adventist Improvement and Aid Company (ADRA) “enabled college students to complete the varsity 12 months, and we salute and thank ADRA for his or her response,” Beardsley-Hardy mentioned.
She additionally talked about that Adventist colleges in Europe, the Philippines, and even North America have taken tertiary college students displaced by the battle. “Kettering School in Ohio [United States] mentioned, ‘We are going to take 50 college students totally free when you handle to get them right here,’” Beardsley-Hardy mentioned. Ultimately, greater than 20 college students have already been admitted beneath a free-tuition initiative at Kettering School.
The Storm of Challenges to the Bible
One other storm going through Adventist schooling facilities on challenges to the Bible as a revelation of fact, God’s love, and the plan of salvation, Beardsley-Hardy mentioned. Beardsley-Hardy, who can also be secretary of the Worldwide Board of Schooling (IBE) and chair of the Adventist Accrediting Affiliation (AAA), shared how the impression of media and civil laws on marriage and gender identification is resulting in a sexual-moral disaster and conflicts between spiritual liberty and civil rights. She reported that in response, the AAA is working to develop standards to face this problem.
A world survey of church members in 2017-18 revealed {that a} substantial proportion of Adventists consider within the unbiblical concept of the immortality of the soul. It’s one other problem that Adventist instructional leaders should sort out, Beardsley-Hardy mentioned.
Extra Challenges
Basic Convention president Ted N. C. Wilson emphasised the important thing function that Adventist schooling performs within the church. “One of many nice foundational constructing blocks of [the Seventh-day Adventist] motion is the large instructional community and system throughout this globe,” he mentioned. “We’re doing nice in lots of instances, however in lots of instances, we face a disaster. As a few of our colleges change into so giant … we run the chance that the very character of the varsity that attracted individuals could be modified except [we] are proactive in ensuring by God’s grace that doesn’t occur that approach,” Wilson mentioned.
Wilson defined that as well as, there are different locations the place colleges have existed for a very long time, “the place in some way our church members will not be discovering a very good cause to expend somewhat extra of their cash to ship their kids to an academic establishment that’s operated by Seventh-day Adventists as a result of they possibly don’t see the distinction, or maybe as a result of they don’t have the funds. We’re seeing a few of our colleges slowly dying,” he mentioned. “It prices some huge cash to run a Seventh-day Adventist instructional establishment.”
He added that the Adventist instructional system is a cause to reward God. “However except we maintain the Bible absolutely targeted and in view of all the scholars, and [unless] we maintain Christ and His Phrase, [we] will see slippage,” Wilson mentioned.
Rules that Endure
In that sense, Wilson referred to as Adventist instructional leaders to satisfy their duties to the perfect of their talents. “I wish to encourage all chairs of instructional establishments to take your duty [very] significantly,” Wilson mentioned. “You will need to really feel intricately a part of [the institution you chair] and have a religious burden for that establishment, in order that instructional establishment will attain the best educational, bodily, and religious requirements. Upon your shoulders rests an unlimited load, however the Lord will assist you raise it. Jesus is the Grasp Instructor; He’s additionally the Grasp Chair,” he mentioned.
Beardsley-Hardy agreed, as she closed her presentation reminding church leaders that in a world of change, the rules of Seventh-day Adventist schooling endure. These rules, she mentioned, embrace the redemptive objective of Adventist schooling; a balanced, wholistic improvement; and the centrality of the Bible in all studying. It additionally seeks, amongst different issues, to revive the picture of God in college students and develop sensible abilities for all times.
“I thanks on behalf of the Basic Convention Division of Schooling for what you might be doing and your half within the Lord’s winery,” Beardsley-Hardy advised church leaders. “God bless you.”
This article initially appeared on the Adventist Review website
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