Christian School Movement in Trouble?
Forum category
Recently, an educator in a large Christian school shared his concern with me that the Christian School movement is dying. Another leader in Christian education recently expressed similiar concerns to a friend of mine who is a Pastor. A parent recently told me that the school where they send their child experienced a drastic drop in enrollment and probably will not be able to offer sports like soccer to the students this year.
Where I live, the Christian schools are few, and their prices are out of reach for my family’s budget. So, we have chosen to provide home education for our children. We lament that our children miss some of the opportunities that would be afforded them at a Christian school, but accept that God has not opened this door for us. While we are unable to send our children to a Christian school, we lament the declines so many Christian schools seem to be experiencing.
What’s going on with Christian education in America? What role to local churches have in this? Do you think this will eventually have an impact on higher Christian education? Are there lessons we should be learning in light of this decline in an institution in which God’s people have so heavily invested over the years?
Where I live, the Christian schools are few, and their prices are out of reach for my family’s budget. So, we have chosen to provide home education for our children. We lament that our children miss some of the opportunities that would be afforded them at a Christian school, but accept that God has not opened this door for us. While we are unable to send our children to a Christian school, we lament the declines so many Christian schools seem to be experiencing.
What’s going on with Christian education in America? What role to local churches have in this? Do you think this will eventually have an impact on higher Christian education? Are there lessons we should be learning in light of this decline in an institution in which God’s people have so heavily invested over the years?
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[dcbii] Now it sounds to me like you are saying the church itself also having the Christian school leads to or even causes this divide between those who go to the church’s school, and those who choose to home school anyway. I can see how that could happen. If the church leadership allows or encourages those kids of cliques (“those homeschoolers should be attending our school, and they are disloyal if they aren’t”), then that’s a real problem. I don’t think that I personally would stick around in a church like that, if there were any other choice.Right, that’s exactly what I was saying. I think it’s very unhealthy, and often pastors have no idea what’s going on (e.g. when do most pastors get honest, real feedback from the mature students in the youthgroup about it’s shortcomings?)Pastors miss a lot, I think (I hope; to assume they don’t leads to some rather unpleasant implications about what many seem willing to tolerate, assuming they know what’s going on), because of the top-down perspective they have, and the fact that their perception is filtered through other leaders “below” them in the church. Leaders seem to underestimate how distorting this can be; if you want to correct things, or strengthen things, you almost always need people who are not “inside” your perspective, which means one must be open to people, including young people, to hear how they are experiencing things, etc. That’s rare, I fear, for a lot of reasons.
I agree with your perspective, Joseph. It is something I’ve seen again and again over the years, regardless of the makeup of the youth group. Part of the problem is, in my opinion, that we are allergic to advice and correction. We only ‘receive’ it when it comes from someone we consider wiser and more admirable than ourselves. I’ve been thinking about this alot lately- Paul rejoiced in the message of Christ being spread, regardless of the intent of the source, and I think it would behoove us to have the same attitude towards correction, because I think we’d really benefit if we could ignore the source of correction more and instead look for the kernel of truth that the correction might contain.
So if church leaders could avail themselves of the information that the questions and concerns of their congregation would give them, I think some of these splintering issues could be addressed more effectively. There is an apathy that takes over when laypeople feel that their insights will have no worth in the eyes of church leadership unless they are held in high esteem for some talent they possess or function they perform in the church.
A church school really needs to be an effort that the whole church can get behind to some extent. Not that all parents should be pressured to put their kids in the school, but even a supportive atmosphere is helpful. I’ve been to churches that are friendly to homeschoolers, and some that were not so friendly, and it was all about attitude. A church can be unified in their efforts to help parents teach and train their kids, and every person- single, married w/o kids, married w/ kids, grandparents, widowed, retired… has something beneficial to offer the next generation.
So if church leaders could avail themselves of the information that the questions and concerns of their congregation would give them, I think some of these splintering issues could be addressed more effectively. There is an apathy that takes over when laypeople feel that their insights will have no worth in the eyes of church leadership unless they are held in high esteem for some talent they possess or function they perform in the church.
A church school really needs to be an effort that the whole church can get behind to some extent. Not that all parents should be pressured to put their kids in the school, but even a supportive atmosphere is helpful. I’ve been to churches that are friendly to homeschoolers, and some that were not so friendly, and it was all about attitude. A church can be unified in their efforts to help parents teach and train their kids, and every person- single, married w/o kids, married w/ kids, grandparents, widowed, retired… has something beneficial to offer the next generation.
#1 PURPOSE
Does the Christian school have a definite purpose?
Why do you have a Christian school? (“For the glory of God” is too nebulous to qualify.)
Is your school fulfilling its purpose?
#2 ASK, LISTEN AND EVALUATE
If your church has parents that choose not to send their children to your Christian school, ask them why they don’t. Financial reasons may be understandable, but when they start listing things like academics, students behavior, teacher qualifications; pay attention–they may have some valid points.
Does the Christian school have a definite purpose?
Why do you have a Christian school? (“For the glory of God” is too nebulous to qualify.)
Is your school fulfilling its purpose?
#2 ASK, LISTEN AND EVALUATE
If your church has parents that choose not to send their children to your Christian school, ask them why they don’t. Financial reasons may be understandable, but when they start listing things like academics, students behavior, teacher qualifications; pay attention–they may have some valid points.
"Some things are of that nature as to make one's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache." John Bunyan
Christian School Movement
I have worked in the Christian School area as a Deacon in my church and a school board member for 10 years as well as sending my 3 children to our church’s christian school since kindergarten. Our school averages around 250 students with a peak enrollment of 420 students 6 years ago. I am not a pastor or Christian educator, but I am a business man who had to work thru a failing Christian school. I offer the following advice and strategies in building and maintaining a strong, vibrant, Christ honoring Christian school. Compromise does not have to creep in to the school , but stubborn, old-school, my way or the highway will only tear down your school and cause it to fail. Some things that worked in 1970, does not work well today. If your church or school is making excuses on why your not successful, you must pray and ask yourselves, “Do we have what it takes to run a Christian school”. It’s not enough for a church or coop group to say, we want a school. You must have the chops to run it and be successful.
This is not a comprehensive document, but it is a specific list where I think many conservative Christian schools are failing.
1. Quit complaining about or blaming public schools and or homeschoolers - Move on!
2. Never ever hire church members or family members because they need a job. Do hire church members or family members only if they are fully qualified and worthy of the job. Do not hire a pre-school teacher unless they are completely qualified. If your church has a policy that you only hire church members, then you need to search for someone who is qualified and willing to relocate. In my church, the old school adm. hired one of the assistant pastors wife for our pre-school and completely ruined it. She was not qualified or remotely interested in the job, but wanted a job at the church.
3. Start or build up your pre-school program. A pre-school is great for your church members and the community at large. It’s a good feeder program for your school as well as helping to fund the 1st – 12 grades. It’s also good for the church for soul winning and prospective members. In our school, we do not require the pre school parents to be Christians or active Christians. Also, do not make the excuse that “we do not have the room”. Have the program off campus if necessary.
4. Write a business plan for the school. Break it down into elementary, middle, and high school along with preschool. Plan your work then work your plan. Share it with the teachers and explain very clearly where they fit in. Get advice and feedback from them and use it. Hold specific progress meetings and one on ones. In my opinion, teacher contracts are a waste of time. Either they are hired or they are not. Make it very clear that if they do not excel in their work and the bettering of the school, then this might not be the right job for them. You are letting down the students and the parents if you keep a not so good teacher in a position because they are a church member or the assistant pastor’s wife. You have no business having a Christian school if you are not willing to improve a not so good teacher. This does not mean you have to fire him/her, but create a changed environment and bring them into it. Are you willing to fail 20 kids just so a good church member wants or needs a job? If your answer is yes, then you have no business operating a school.
5. Have nice facilities. This is tough for some schools, but you may have to think outside of the box here. Have volunteers plant flower beds and trees, build a great, safe playground. You may not have a big, modern campus, but do your best and build into your business plan how you will modernize. Stop using the excuse that you don’t have the money. Make something happen. Employees, students and parents like to be in environments where things are happening and exciting. Make something happen and share the excitement.
6. Do Not undercharge for tuition. If parents cannot afford it, then they cannot afford it. Do not have a mediocre school because you want to make it affordable. What good does this do if the school is inexpensive, but is inadequate in many areas. This might be OK for some, but remember, most Christian parents do not send their kids to school to get religion, they do it so they get the best education in a Christian environment. They want the best for their kids. They want the school to be great. You must give the children a great school.
7. Don’t make the rules harsh just to be harsh. Rules must be fair and for specific reasons. Do not teach to your past, but teach to the childrens future. We do not allow shorts at our school for modesty reasons. However, our previous administrator would not allow jeans at after school functions. Well guess what? Little or no kids would come to these functions. He personally did not like blue jeans. Our new administrator now allows modest fitting blue jeans at after school functions and guess what, we now have kids not only coming to the functions, but more are returning the next year. Parents no longer are the sole decision maker. Kids often times influence their parents on where they go to school. Unfortunately, many parents are saying, “ Why should I spend $4000 or $5000 dollars a year if my kid does not like it here. This is not 1970!!!!! Be sensible on dress code, but do not compromise. Communicate with the kids on this and help them to want to be modest.
8. The teachers and administrators must have a personal, loving relationship with each child. Some of the more strict and firm teachers at our school have the best relationships with the students. There is a Christian school about 2 miles from ours that has an enrollment of about 300 students , but the facilities and grounds are terrible. There are about 10 portables and no library, no gym, no cafeteria, no ballfields. But the parents and the students absolutely love the teachers. If this is possible, can you imagine what it could be like if you had great facilities. We had some teachers who were mean spirited, who did not feel that having a relationship with the students and their parents was necessary. We could not move ahead as a school until these teachers either drastically changed or were fired or laid off. Once again, if you want the kids to come back, the kids and the parents must know you love them and care for them.
9. Do not spank! This is the parent’s responsibility imho.
10. Have a very good sports program and maintain it. If you have a small school and have trouble fielding teams, use your church’s homeschoolers to fill the roster. Make sure you charge the homeschoolers more than the school kids. This is extremely fair considering what it costs to send kids to school. Use rec fields and ask if you can hang banners, even if it is only during the games. If you use volunteers, make sure you pay them, even if it is a small amount. Sometimes volunteers do not hold themselves as accountable than if they are being payed. I would not include uniforms in the general budget. Buy used or have the team fund raise.
10. Only have fundraisers where people want to spend the money. ie, car wash, auctions, flea markets, golf events. Sometimes give kids ½ day off to participate in or as a reward for their efforts. Be creative. Try to avoid pizza kits and candy sales, etc, unless you can be successful. However, people tire of those types of fundraisers.
11. Participate in fairs, parades, certain community events. You need to be careful here, but sometimes a little exposure is necessary and good for the kids and the school.
12. Remember, school is not and extended Sunday School class with reading, writing and math. Too many Pastor’s think this way. They may not want to admit it, but it’s true. School is school!! Don’t run it like Sunday School or church.
13. Get your alumni involved in the school and ask them to help fund it. Give them regular updates and include them in your vision for the school. The administrator and or Pastor must maintain control of the school, but the alumni can be a valuable asset. We have had very little success in this area, but I believe it is vital in this ministry. In the past ten years or so, our students did not like the school and some even hate it. This is why we are struggling in this area. But we are turning this around and will try to get the graduates to understand that they are vital for the school to continue. Usually alumni are financially able to help when they turn about 30, but get them involved much sooner than that.
These are just a few things it takes to run a successful school in 2009, but in my experience, these are some of the key areas where Christian school leaders are making huge mistakes and why Christian schools are in big trouble. The kids must want to come back. I will say it again, if the parents see that their kids don’t like it, they often times will not return.
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Forum director comment: I did some minor editing to correct spelling! Thanks for this post by the way!
I have worked in the Christian School area as a Deacon in my church and a school board member for 10 years as well as sending my 3 children to our church’s christian school since kindergarten. Our school averages around 250 students with a peak enrollment of 420 students 6 years ago. I am not a pastor or Christian educator, but I am a business man who had to work thru a failing Christian school. I offer the following advice and strategies in building and maintaining a strong, vibrant, Christ honoring Christian school. Compromise does not have to creep in to the school , but stubborn, old-school, my way or the highway will only tear down your school and cause it to fail. Some things that worked in 1970, does not work well today. If your church or school is making excuses on why your not successful, you must pray and ask yourselves, “Do we have what it takes to run a Christian school”. It’s not enough for a church or coop group to say, we want a school. You must have the chops to run it and be successful.
This is not a comprehensive document, but it is a specific list where I think many conservative Christian schools are failing.
1. Quit complaining about or blaming public schools and or homeschoolers - Move on!
2. Never ever hire church members or family members because they need a job. Do hire church members or family members only if they are fully qualified and worthy of the job. Do not hire a pre-school teacher unless they are completely qualified. If your church has a policy that you only hire church members, then you need to search for someone who is qualified and willing to relocate. In my church, the old school adm. hired one of the assistant pastors wife for our pre-school and completely ruined it. She was not qualified or remotely interested in the job, but wanted a job at the church.
3. Start or build up your pre-school program. A pre-school is great for your church members and the community at large. It’s a good feeder program for your school as well as helping to fund the 1st – 12 grades. It’s also good for the church for soul winning and prospective members. In our school, we do not require the pre school parents to be Christians or active Christians. Also, do not make the excuse that “we do not have the room”. Have the program off campus if necessary.
4. Write a business plan for the school. Break it down into elementary, middle, and high school along with preschool. Plan your work then work your plan. Share it with the teachers and explain very clearly where they fit in. Get advice and feedback from them and use it. Hold specific progress meetings and one on ones. In my opinion, teacher contracts are a waste of time. Either they are hired or they are not. Make it very clear that if they do not excel in their work and the bettering of the school, then this might not be the right job for them. You are letting down the students and the parents if you keep a not so good teacher in a position because they are a church member or the assistant pastor’s wife. You have no business having a Christian school if you are not willing to improve a not so good teacher. This does not mean you have to fire him/her, but create a changed environment and bring them into it. Are you willing to fail 20 kids just so a good church member wants or needs a job? If your answer is yes, then you have no business operating a school.
5. Have nice facilities. This is tough for some schools, but you may have to think outside of the box here. Have volunteers plant flower beds and trees, build a great, safe playground. You may not have a big, modern campus, but do your best and build into your business plan how you will modernize. Stop using the excuse that you don’t have the money. Make something happen. Employees, students and parents like to be in environments where things are happening and exciting. Make something happen and share the excitement.
6. Do Not undercharge for tuition. If parents cannot afford it, then they cannot afford it. Do not have a mediocre school because you want to make it affordable. What good does this do if the school is inexpensive, but is inadequate in many areas. This might be OK for some, but remember, most Christian parents do not send their kids to school to get religion, they do it so they get the best education in a Christian environment. They want the best for their kids. They want the school to be great. You must give the children a great school.
7. Don’t make the rules harsh just to be harsh. Rules must be fair and for specific reasons. Do not teach to your past, but teach to the childrens future. We do not allow shorts at our school for modesty reasons. However, our previous administrator would not allow jeans at after school functions. Well guess what? Little or no kids would come to these functions. He personally did not like blue jeans. Our new administrator now allows modest fitting blue jeans at after school functions and guess what, we now have kids not only coming to the functions, but more are returning the next year. Parents no longer are the sole decision maker. Kids often times influence their parents on where they go to school. Unfortunately, many parents are saying, “ Why should I spend $4000 or $5000 dollars a year if my kid does not like it here. This is not 1970!!!!! Be sensible on dress code, but do not compromise. Communicate with the kids on this and help them to want to be modest.
8. The teachers and administrators must have a personal, loving relationship with each child. Some of the more strict and firm teachers at our school have the best relationships with the students. There is a Christian school about 2 miles from ours that has an enrollment of about 300 students , but the facilities and grounds are terrible. There are about 10 portables and no library, no gym, no cafeteria, no ballfields. But the parents and the students absolutely love the teachers. If this is possible, can you imagine what it could be like if you had great facilities. We had some teachers who were mean spirited, who did not feel that having a relationship with the students and their parents was necessary. We could not move ahead as a school until these teachers either drastically changed or were fired or laid off. Once again, if you want the kids to come back, the kids and the parents must know you love them and care for them.
9. Do not spank! This is the parent’s responsibility imho.
10. Have a very good sports program and maintain it. If you have a small school and have trouble fielding teams, use your church’s homeschoolers to fill the roster. Make sure you charge the homeschoolers more than the school kids. This is extremely fair considering what it costs to send kids to school. Use rec fields and ask if you can hang banners, even if it is only during the games. If you use volunteers, make sure you pay them, even if it is a small amount. Sometimes volunteers do not hold themselves as accountable than if they are being payed. I would not include uniforms in the general budget. Buy used or have the team fund raise.
10. Only have fundraisers where people want to spend the money. ie, car wash, auctions, flea markets, golf events. Sometimes give kids ½ day off to participate in or as a reward for their efforts. Be creative. Try to avoid pizza kits and candy sales, etc, unless you can be successful. However, people tire of those types of fundraisers.
11. Participate in fairs, parades, certain community events. You need to be careful here, but sometimes a little exposure is necessary and good for the kids and the school.
12. Remember, school is not and extended Sunday School class with reading, writing and math. Too many Pastor’s think this way. They may not want to admit it, but it’s true. School is school!! Don’t run it like Sunday School or church.
13. Get your alumni involved in the school and ask them to help fund it. Give them regular updates and include them in your vision for the school. The administrator and or Pastor must maintain control of the school, but the alumni can be a valuable asset. We have had very little success in this area, but I believe it is vital in this ministry. In the past ten years or so, our students did not like the school and some even hate it. This is why we are struggling in this area. But we are turning this around and will try to get the graduates to understand that they are vital for the school to continue. Usually alumni are financially able to help when they turn about 30, but get them involved much sooner than that.
These are just a few things it takes to run a successful school in 2009, but in my experience, these are some of the key areas where Christian school leaders are making huge mistakes and why Christian schools are in big trouble. The kids must want to come back. I will say it again, if the parents see that their kids don’t like it, they often times will not return.
––––-
Forum director comment: I did some minor editing to correct spelling! Thanks for this post by the way!
martin
Martins,
Excellent post! I found very little that i disagree with.
Excellent post! I found very little that i disagree with.
Roger Carlson, Pastor Berean Baptist Church
Our IFB high school’ers now predictably graduate and leave the church as in other places no doubt. Other younger members too. I grieve. The school Admr. cites more worldly taste in music as a key reason. And probably bvr standards too.
By contrast local CCM new-evngl churches are running 2-3 AM services. These Willow Creek-like, gospel-lite churches , seem to be the weak leading the weak, IMO. We all know about this.
Has any one out there solved this puzzle? I have a couple of radical ideas. I dream of a third alternative to praise and worship. More lively than hymns alone but more edifying than the faddish, froth and foam that is so popular. And, it’s even Biblical. Ever done a Strong’s word study on key OT words translated “praise”?
By contrast local CCM new-evngl churches are running 2-3 AM services. These Willow Creek-like, gospel-lite churches , seem to be the weak leading the weak, IMO. We all know about this.
Has any one out there solved this puzzle? I have a couple of radical ideas. I dream of a third alternative to praise and worship. More lively than hymns alone but more edifying than the faddish, froth and foam that is so popular. And, it’s even Biblical. Ever done a Strong’s word study on key OT words translated “praise”?
Discussion