SABBATH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT 

Sabbath School Vision:

Sabbath School Department of Southern Tanzania Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventist Church exists to grow quality disciples in Christ through an atmosphere conducive for a total spiritual growth at all levels of the local church by zealous study of His Word and through living and growing in his Word.

Sabbath School Mission:

To nurture every Sabbath School member by building faith through the Study of the Scriptures and the doctrines of Seventh-day Adventist Church and equip all in order to empower those who are volunteers to be engaged into proactive service in the great commission as it is stated in Matthew 28:18-20.  

The objectives of Sabbath School:

The Sabbath School Department of the Southern Tanzania Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists was established as a major setting for religious education in the Church. To honor this original purpose, the Sabbath School Department continues to communicate the good news with the objective to win, hold, and train for Jesus Christ, men, women, youth, boys and girls, in all the world, by emphasizing faith through study of the Bible, Fellowship, Community Outreach, and World Mission.

Areas of emphasize:

The philosophy and mission of the Sabbath School Department are carried out through the following four areas of emphasis:

Faith or Study of the Bible:
We intend to encourage all church members at all levels to use our Christ-centered, Bible-based, and person-oriented Sabbath School Publications on quarterly basis, in order to attain the desired spiritual maturity through Systematic Bible Study, prayer and active sharing of the Word of God which is the Bread of life.
We intend to make the saving gospel of Jesus Christ centralg. in all Sabbath School plans, projects, and programs; thus ensuring that all activities and materials are Christ-centered, Bible-based, and person-oriented. Babb
We intend to cultivate an attitude of prayer and devotion in all members.
We intend to foster spiritual growth and faith through regular study of the Word of God and share that faith with others.

Fellowship:
We intend to foster a caring and loving Christian relationship among members coming from various backgrounds in our weekly Sabbath School program.
We intend to work together to develop and implement programs and projects for recruiting new members.
We intend to enlist the help of all leaders, teachers, and regular members to restore inactive members of the church and Sabbath School to regular attendance and active participation in church life.
We intend to nurture the spiritual lives of newly baptized members.

Community Outreach Emphasis:
We intend to reach out to the community and attract non-members to the Sabbath School and church program’s initiatives. This is the privilege all church members are given to put into practice close to their neighbors, what they have learned and share with them the beauty of Salvation History.
We intend to make every part of the Sabbath School program, class, and meeting contribute to the Christian experience of each member so that he/she may serve as a spiritual magnet to draw others to Christ.
We intend to envelop planned programs that direct all members to discover their spiritual gifts, and to equip, train, and mobilize them in all forms of evangelism.
We intend to assure that all teaching and training programs and materials encourage soul winning and the nurture and retention of those won to Christ.
We intend to be alert to providential openings that present opportunities for soul winning to the Sabbath School or its individual members.

World Mission Emphasis:
We intend to maintain consciousness for the Global Mission of the church and supporting it by systematic 13th Sabbath offering which comes at the end of every quarter and continue the personal involvement/participation.
We intend to foster in children, youth, and adults a desire to serve in spreading the gospel wherever the Lord may lead.

Motivation:

The Sabbath School Department motivates all members to dynamic Christian service with the conviction that “The church of Christ is organized for service” (MH 148), and recognizing that “the Sabbath school work is important, and all who are interested in the truth should endeavor to make it prosperous” (CSW 9); that “the Sabbath school, if rightly conducted, is one of God’s great instrumentalities to bring souls to a knowledge of the truth” (CSW 115); and that “Every church should be a training school for Christian workers. Its members should be taught how to give Bible readings, how to conduct and teach Sabbath school classes, how best to help the poor and to care for the sick, how to work for the unconverted . . . There should not only be teaching, but actual work under experienced instructors” (ChS 59). The Sabbath School Department functions as the primary religious educational and training system at the local church level of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, whereby the majority of Seventh-day Adventists worldwide learn the teachings of the Bible, including the tenets of the Church, and become motivated and equipped to share the gospel with every living soul.