In the 1870s the Seventh-day Adventist Church began developing a denominationally-based school system. At its core was the conviction that every individual should have the opportunity to study, grow and develop God-given talents. Today you'll find Adventist schools in nearly 150 countries with 85,000 teachers, 1.5 million students in 7,500 schools, with the Adventist school system being one of the largest Christian educational systems in the world. In the Columbia Union, there are 101 elementary and secondary schools, a health care college and university.