Are Christian schools living out their mission?
Open Season
It seems as though the dawn of each new day is met by a another report of a public school refusing to let a child pray before lunch (Source 1), or being suspended for reading their Bible (Source 2). For Christian parents, this all-out assault on traditional values presents a choice: either let their children be taught academics at school and morality at home, or remove them from these intolerant, secular environments and send them to Christian schools that will teach morality alongside academics.
Alternative Nation: Christian Schools
Parents who have chosen to participate in the exodus are depending on Christian educators to help them imprint their children with traditional, biblical values while providing a competitive education. Chances are that your school has a mission statement providing the biblical context for exactly how this goal is to be achieved. Whether this declaration references Proverbs 9:10, or Colossians 2:8, at the heart of the affirmation is a vow to teach the youth of America to love God, to love people.
The question is, is your school living its mission?
Mission Statement
Every school has a mission statement. Do your staff and parents know what is your school’s mission?
Pray, Pray, Pray
Parents haven’t enrolled their children in your school simply because you allow prayer on the property, but because they look to you, and your staff, to be prayer leaders. Not only do they expect you to provide a scheduled time for daily worship, they also assume some level of staff participation which amounts to leadership by example.
Day-to-Day Business
While it is likely that you and your staff were called to be “fishers of men,” in the day to day trenches of adult life, running a school can feel much like running a business. While no one likes to think of the development of young minds and souls as a business, experienced administrators understand just how easy it is to become bogged down in the details of tuition, expenses, and the never ending enrollment paperwork (Source 3). For the last of these processes, there are excellent programs – such as K12-Online – that automate the cumbersome enrollment procedure and allow you to focus on instilling your students with the doctrine of Christ. In addition, there are several other simple actions that Christian schools can take in order to keep their mission in sharp focus:
- Begin each school day with Principal led prayer
- Kick off staff meetings and/or parent teacher conferences with prayer
- Schedule weekly student led testimonials
- Make your school a force in the community by holding food/clothing drives or hosting charity events
- Are your staff treating the students in a Christ-like manner?
- Are your staff treating co-workers in a Christ-like manner?
- Don’t be afraid to broadcast your good works
What is your school’s mission, and can people see that you are living it?
