Perceptions of seventh-day adventist church ministers toward seventh-day adventist schools

Abstract

The Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church operates one of the largest private educational systems in the United States. However, throughout the past ten years, there has been a steady decrease in the enrollment of Seventh-Day Adventist schools, although church membership has increased. Previous research has shown that SDA ministers have considerable influence, and have proved particularly influential in decisions regarding SDA schools. Since the educational values of SDA schools are conveyed to the church members by their ministers, it is important for Church leaders to have a knowledge of the values held by their ministers. The primary purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of the SDA Church ministers concerning the values, effectiveness, fiscal status, and future structure of the SDA schools.