Why They Must Go

INTRODUCTION

Doug Walker, the Education Director for the Southwestern Union of Seventh-day Adventists, gave a sobering presentation on the state of the schools in our union. Although K-12 school enrollment was up slightly for the 2007-2008 school year, education enrollment trends in the Southwest were far from positive. While the Southwestern Union Conference membership increased over the past decade and a half by a most gratifying 63 percent and the number of churches grew from 491 to 543, school enrollments remained almost static. Of the 123 schools that had operated during this time, only 62 remained in operation. I listened intently as a new member of the Southwestern Union Executive Committee. From my previous experience as a pastor in Central Arkansas, I knew firsthand the strain of pastoring a church with a school that stayed in the Education Intensive Care Unit. Code Blue was called several times as our emaciated school in Little Rock, Arkansas struggled to stay alive. Desperate cries went out on many occasions for transfusions of needed cash and students.

How and why was an active, growing church like ours experiencing a decline in enrollment and facing closure? We had more than enough children in our congregation to fill our school. My daily prayer was, “What can I do as a pastor? How do I reverse this dire predicament in my part of God’s vineyard? Lord, what do you want me to do?”

From my perspective, our membership didn’t comprehend the vast depth of their calling in Christ Jesus and the implications it had for them, their entire family, and future generations. As I prayed for a solution to stem the tide of a declining enrollment, the idea came to preach for one solid month each year on Christian education. I resolved to preach a series of sermons on Christian education for the entire month of January every year as long as I pastored that church. I did that for the next four years. This book is an outgrowth of that sermon series.

Some believe that the increase in the cost of Adventist education has caused the decline in enrollment of our schools. I respectfully disagree with this sentiment. And yet, I do believe that we should do all in our power to provide affordable education to our membership.

I am convinced that when people really understand the vitalness of an enterprise, their support, financial and otherwise, follows. If they know better, they do better. On this point, I agree with the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, who said, "If you have a strong enough why, you can endure any how.” One preacher puts it this way, “Vision precedes provision.” If we wholeheartedly embrace God’s vision for educating His young people, money and resources will flow to make it a reality.

The following pages seek to make plain God’s purpose in establishing the Adventist educational system. May the truths contained within this book be used by the Almighty to reverse the downward trend in the support of Adventist schools by Adventist members. I also pray that this book will reenergize our church and school administrators to stay the course in keeping the “church” in our church schools.