The teaching ministry of the church is one of the most basic and important functions it has to accomplish. The educational program of a church extends through the entire life cycle of a person, from the cradle to the grave. Other institutions are involved in education, but none have the lifetime educational program that the church has. Day schools teach children and youth from ages five through eighteen. Colleges teach young adults.
Industrial training focuses on adults.
The church teaches all ages. The ages are divided up into four main categories, with subdivisions. The preschool division is children from birth to five years old, and is sometimes identified as nursery and beginners. The children division is for school age children in grades one through six, and is sometimes called primaries, middlers, and juniors. The youth division is for those in junior and senior high school.