The Seminary Training Question — How Does Pastoral Education Need to Change?

Executive summary

The Adventist Church faces a youth retention crisis — the 2024 ASTR data shows a 42.98% net loss rate, with more than 4 of every 10 members slipping away (Trim, 2024, https://www.adventistresearch.info/wp-content/uploads/ACRep2024-Text.pdf). Yet the pastors responsible for addressing this crisis are trained in seminary programmes that may not adequately equip them for evidence-based youth ministry.