The Seventh-day Adventist Church in German-speaking Switzerland has launched a new five-minute film featuring educators from its two Adventist schools, showcasing their commitment to integrating Christian values with holistic pedagogy. The film bears the slogan "Church goes to school" and is part of a broader initiative to promote the unique educational approach of Adventist institutions.
In addition to the Swiss film, a similar branded video has been released for the seven private Adventist schools in Austria.
The Adventist Church is known for maintaining the largest Protestant education system globally. This initiative traces its origins to 1896 in a small castle in the canton of Bern, Switzerland, with earlier roots dating back to 1858 in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA. Today, the network comprises over 9,800 schools in nearly 150 countries, enrolling more than two million students.
In German-speaking Switzerland, there are currently over 1,780 students across 24 Adventist school locations, ranging from Oranienburg, Germany, to Zurich and Vienna, Austria. Among these, the Marienhöhe school center in Darmstadt is one of the oldest and largest, with 533 students, and is set to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025. The private school A to Z in Zurich has been operational for 70 years, while the smaller private school A to Z in Reinach, Aargau, is part of this global network emphasizing Christian values in education.
"Every school develops its own profile at its location and makes a suitable offer that is well received in its regional environment," stated Christian Fischer, head of the Department for Education and Training at the Adventist Church in Germany.
The schools are interconnected within a loose association across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, which focuses on quality management and professional development. Furthermore, in Switzerland, there is collaboration with other Christian private schools through the Initiative for Christian Education.
"Our educational institutions in German-speaking countries complement and expand the public school system and make a contribution to the diversity of the school landscape," explained Cornelia Dell'mour, the Adventist education representative in German-speaking Switzerland.
"If churches do not contribute to society, they become irrelevant, and education has always been an important contribution, even historically. Regardless of their origin and social background, we want to offer the children and young people at our schools a compass of values that gives them orientation in a constantly changing world."
The original article was published on the Adventistischer Pressedienst website.
