Churches and Schools

Should Pastors Talk About Schools?

I recently read an interesting short book by the North American Mission Board titled The Education Reformation: Why Your Church Should Start a Christian School.  The book is offered by the North American Mission Board free at this link.

From the NAMB site, the topics of the book include:

·       The evangelistic impact of church-based schools

·       Education as an extension of discipleship

·       Missional opportunities to engage public schools

·       Steps to get started

·       And more

This short book does present some compelling questions for those inside the Christian Church to consider.  While NAMB suggests each church with an empty building (they use the term educational wing) during the Monday through Friday timeframe should start a school, it is really in the reasons why that I find exciting.

Ultimately, the greatest question that is not directly asked, but it is certainly addressed is “what is the point or goal of education?”.  The NAMB, through the authors Jimmy Scroggins and Trevin Wax, suggest the Church is not truly living up to a great part of its mission – to help families in the discipleship of their children.

To summarize them, it is critical for the Church to assist, urge, and insist on parents taking an active – the active – role in the raising and discipling of their children while the Church and school fill important supportive roles for both parents and children.

They quote at decent length Rod Dreher and one of his most well-known books, The Benedict Option about the importance of education.  Dreher is a great supporter and encourager of classical education, while Scroggins and Wax do not address the pedagogical aspects of  schooling directly.  They do, however, attribute some keen thoughts to Dreher’s words.  Dreher noted specifically in The Benedict Option that:

Because public education in America is neither rightly ordered, nor religiously informed, nor able to form an imagination devoted to Western civilization, it is time for all Christians to pull their children out of the public school system. If those reasons weren’t already enough, the corrosive effect of the toxic peer culture found among students in many public schools (as well as private ones) would confirm the case…Plus, public schools by nature are on the front lines of the latest and worst trends in popular culture. (155).

So, what is the role of the larger Church when it comes to education?  Should pastors shepherd their flocks by calling out public – or government run – education and encouraging them to leave?  Should they promote local Christian schools?  Should they start their own?  Or, should they just leave well-enough alone?

I hope not the last, at least any longer. 

I won’t pretend to know what it is like to run a church and have the responsibility a pastor at a local church.  I can imagine – and know from talking with several pastors over the years – that they cannot please everyone with what things they do and do not talk about from the pulpit (nor should they be seeking to please people…).

One thing many do have of course, is the great desire to ensure the next generation of Christians that will potentially lead their very church are grounded deeply in their faith and in wisdom.

Where does that grounding come from?  Certainly, through the work of the Holy Spirit.  It also comes from family, church, and school each working in tandem with each other.  When they are not, what is the likely result?

Eric Cook, the President of the Society for Classical Learning (SCL) recently posted some thoughts about this topic on LinkedIn and they are worth continuing to consider.  Cook makes the following points on how churches can be engaged in advancing Christian education: Vision, startup assistance, infrastructure, financing, and leadership.

To our pastors – there is so much on your plates.  Thank you for the work you do and for faithfully ministering and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  From one in education, let me ask that you include discipleship of parents and students, including how they chose and consider schooling, among they ways you minister.  Cook rightly quotes Martin Luther at the end of his post and I include it here as an encouragement as well:

“If ever there were a need to labor at anything in earnest, it is at the maintenance of schools. If we are to have good and able persons, both for civil and ecclesiastical leadership, we must spare no effort, time, and expense in teaching and educating our children."