The Sabbath School is a Bible school adapted by its form of organization to impart spiritual instruction to the entire Church. It may be likened to a table in a home with food suitable for the nourishment of each member of the family.

The Sabbath School session is a church devoted to Bible study. Its objective is the establishment of character through a knowledge of the Word of God. What the heart is to the physical body, the Sabbath School is to the church in spiritual things. The heart is the center of life. From it the blood streams, which contains life, nourishment and energy. As the pure blood is distributed to the body, building and strengthening its tissues, so the Sabbath School trains workers, promotes Christian growth, and adds members to the Church.

The First Sabbath School of Modern Times

The first Sabbath School of which there is any historical record was organized by German Seventh-day Adventist Baptists under the leadership of Ludwig Hacker at Ephrata, Pennsylvania in 1739. For thirty-eight years, or until the Battle of Brandywine, in the Revolutionary War, this Sabbath School was conducted without interruption.

The Sabbath School today

From a humble beginning of two Sabbath schools, there are now 79,357 Sabbath schools with a membership of 10,217,837 in 208 countries (236 recognized by the United Nations); since this world report (first quarter 1994).

Each Sabbath School is one unit of the worldwide Sabbath School organization. Thus, the whole organization is affected by the standing of each individual school.

The Sabbath School comprises the following Divisions:

Senior - College age through Adulthood
Youth - 14-18 years of age
Earliteen - 10-14 years of age
Junior - 10-12 years of age
Primary - 7-10 years of age
Kindergarten - 4-7 years of age
Cradle Roll - Birth to 4 years of age