Church Educational System
 |
|
| Type | Elementary, Secondary, and Higher Education |
|---|---|
| Established | 1877 |
| Commissioner | Kim B. Clark |
|
Academic staff
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ca. 50,000 |
| Students | ca. 700,000 |
| Location | Worldwide |
| Campus | 3 universities; 1 college; 16 elementary and secondary schools; 8,039 seminary and institute programs |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Affiliations | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
| Website | education |
The Church Educational System (CES) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners. Approximately 700,000 individuals were enrolled in CES programs in 143 countries in 2011. CES courses of study are separate and distinct from religious instruction provided through wards (local congregations). Kim B. Clark, a member of the First Quorum of Seventy, has been the Commissioner of the Church Educational System since August 1, 2015.
Religious education programs designed for secondary students are called seminaries. These are programs of religious education for youth aged 14–18 that accompany the students' secular education. In areas with large concentrations of Latter-day Saints, such as in and around the Mormon Corridor in the United States, and some places in Alberta, Canada, instruction is offered on a released time basis during the normal school day in meetinghouses, or facilities built specifically for seminary programs, adjacent to public schools. Released-time seminary classes are generally taught by full-time employees. In areas with smaller LDS populations early-morning or home-study seminary programs are offered. Early-morning seminary classes are held daily before the normal school day in private homes or in meetinghouses and are taught by volunteer teachers. Home-study seminary classes are offered where geographic dispersion of students is so great that it is not feasible to meet on a daily basis. Home-study seminary students study daily, but meet only once a week as a class. Home-study classes are usually held in connection with weekly youth fellowship activities on a weekday evening.
The seminary program provides extensive study of theology, using as texts the church's "standard works" (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants) throughout the school week, in addition to normal Sunday classes. The four courses are taught, one per year, on a rotating basis (the 2016–17 curriculum follows the New Testament). Seminary students are encouraged to study each scriptural text on their own time and to memorize a total of 100 scriptural passages or "scripture mastery" verses during their participation in the four-year program.
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