WORLD CHURCH

• EDUCATION DEPARTMENT (Return)
  
  The Holy Scriptures emphasize the importance of education, as stat­ed in Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." God's word and the Spirit of Prophecy should be the foundation of our educational life, for the pur­pose of bringing man into close communion with God.
  
  "True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possi­ble to man." -Education, p. 13.
  
  Therefore, the primary responsibilities of this department consist of:
  
  (1) Promoting spiritual and cultural development both in the church and in secular life through written and illustrated materials as well as seminars;
  
  (2) Developing educational activities in the spiritual area, such as mis­sionary schools;
  
  (3) Encouraging the development of primary and secondary schools and also the advancement of secular knowledge;
  
  (4) Presenting, sharing, and establishing the truth among our member­ship in a manner that is adapted to the ages, cultures and responsi­bilities of the various groups composing the church to achieve the following divine goal: "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." Job 28:28.
  
  "The knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ expressed in the charac­ter is the very highest education." -Counsels to Parents, Teachers and Students, p. 37.