Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105 NKJV).
As Seventh-day Adventists, we recognize the emphasis that Scripture places on prayer and the study of God’s Word—the lamp to our feet and light on our paths. In exploring institutional employees’ practices of personal spirituality, the researchers sought to know how often church workers prayed and read Scripture outside of religious services.
The 2023 Institutional Workers’ Survey found that 66.9% of teachers and lecturers and 64.7% of healthcare workers, ADRA personnel, publishing house employees, and media centers employees prayedoutside of religious services one or more times per day. In contrast, 4.1% of teachers and lecturers, and 4.7% of non-educational employees reported never praying outside of religious services.
When analyzed by division, it was found that, among educational employees, 92.8% in the North American Division, 87.3% in the Inter-European Division, and 79.6% in the Inter-American Division prayed every day, whereas 16.5% in the Southern Asia Division, 10.1% in the East-Central Africa Division, and 8.8% in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division never prayed outside of religious services.
Among non-educational employees, the highest percentages of workers praying once or more a day were 90.3% in the North American Division and 85% in the West-Central Africa Division. The highest percentages of employees who never prayed outside of religious services were 17.4% in the Southern Asia Division, 10.3% in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division, and 9.2% in the East-Central Africa Division.
With respect to Scripture reading outside of religious services, the researchers found that 48.9% of teachers and lecturers, and 43.2% of healthcare workers, ADRA personnel, publishing house employees, and media centers employees read Scriptureonce or more a day. By contrast, 3.5% of teachers and lecturers, and 5.2% of non-educational employees never read Scripture outside of religious services.
At the division level, the highest percentage of educational employees reading Scripture once or more per day was 75% in the West-Central Africa Division. Six divisions reported rates between 50% and 50.8%, while the remaining Divisions reported rates below 50%. Among those who never read Scripture outside of religious services, the highest percentages were 15.3% in the Southern Asia Division, 11.9% in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division, and 5.5% in the South Pacific Division.
The highest percentages of non-educational workers reading Scripture once or more a day were 75% in the West-Central Africa Division, 55.9% in the East-Central Africa Division, and 53.6% in the South Pacific Division. Conversely, the highest rates of those who never read Scripture outside religious services were 21.7% in the Southern Asia Division and 20.7% in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division. All other divisions reported rates below 5% in this category.
Several factors may contribute to the percentages presented here. One explanation is that some divisions have more non-Adventist employees, which influences these results. Another factor, as discussed in another post, is that whether a culture is more communal or more individualist can have a strong influence on private devotion. An additional consideration is literacy rates and the availability of literature in relevant languages. However, it is clear that employees across all categories could use encouragement to spend more time in private prayer and the study of Scripture.
“We should pray in the family circle, and above all we must not neglect secret prayer, for this is the life of the soul. It is impossible for the soul to flourish while prayer is neglected. Family or public prayer alone is not sufficient. In solitude let the soul be laid open to the inspecting eye of God” (Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 98). Although Ellen White encouraged communal prayer, especially within the family, she also emphasized the vital importance of prayer when we are alone, open to God’s presence with no distractions or fear of judgement.
You can access the full report here.
Created in collaboration with the Institute of Church Ministry.
Published by ASTR on 08/24/2026
