The Need for Strong Christian Schools

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. Isaiah 58:12

Christian schools in America ought to be equipping the next generation of young people to impact our nation and world for Christ. Unfortunately, in too many ways that is not the case, in part because of a lack of effective leadership and resources allocated to our Christian schools. Let’s examine how we can remedy this situation and lead our schools and students to achieve greater excellence and relevance for the cause of Christ.

The Problem

In a day when we should see a significant growth in Christian education, we find that Christian schools are nearly in full retreat around our country. This ought not to be so, my brethren! What is more important than the salvation and education of our children?

The need for strong homes, churches, and authentic high-quality, uncompromising Christian schools in America has never been greater. I urge you to pray and plan for a major resurgence in this vital movement by deploying the needed resources and your best and brightest leaders to usher our schools to new heights in the twenty-first century. I have identified three major kinds of schools which need real leadership to turn the tide:

The Emerging School (start-up or first few years)
Currently, this category in our nation is only about 5% of our schools. This simply does not do our children and the cause of Christ justice! Currently, only about 45% of Baptist churches have a Christian school. It is time for us to recommit ourselves, our resources, and our finest pioneering leaders to this extremely worthy cause.

The Endangered School (stagnate, struggling, and just surviving)
Many schools are just struggling to keep their doors open, others have had to cut their staffs or even close certain grades over the last few years. While we realize the economy has played a role in this decline, we cannot place all the blame on the economy. The fact is, about a quarter of our schools are flourishing during this time. What is making the difference: Leadership and resources! An effective school principal leads his school through good and difficult times with success. Up to 70% of Christian schools are endangered because most of them simply are substandard—spiritually and academically.

The Expanding School (thriving spiritually, academically, and financially)
These schools (about 25%) are flourishing because of effective leadership. Their spiritual thrust is high, enrollments are up, innovation and appropriate technologies are embraced, and scholastics are rising with each year.

The Priorities

Effective school leaders achieve a healthy balance between their responsibilities at home, church, and school. In addition, they have a passion for excellence, are tenacious, and have an attitude of continual growth. They also are consistently developing their educational knowledge. Given these items, a principal can lead a school to excellence as they focus on these ten major priorities:

1. Making your school’s purpose right, written, and quantifiable
2. Setting the right philosophy of education and keeping the spiritual environment right
3. Recruiting, orienting, evaluating, and developing the right staff/faculty
4. Selecting, supervising, and deploying the right curriculum/methods of instruction
5. Student recruitment, orientation, and services (effective enrollment management)
6. Administrating the right kind of discipline and school policies
7. Effective and consistent communication with parents and other stakeholders
8. Expanding the extracurricular school programs, including fine arts, athletics, etc.
9. Maintaining, developing, and efficiently using facilities and transportation assets
10. Developing an accurate budget, providing effective financial oversight, and preparing a sound five-year, strategic school plan

As a school principal focuses his efforts in these areas, schools will experience solid growth spiritually, academically, socially, and financially. A healthy school of excellence assists students in developing a greater love for the Lord, their family, church, community, and country. This is another reason we must recommit ourselves to high-quality, uncompromising Christian schools. School leaders which focus on these priorities help produce students with great influence and integrity.

The Product

I recently read a nation-wide study that stated that up to eight out of ten Christian teens in America drop out of church within four years of high school graduation. While this may not be the case in our churches, it is something we must take note of and carefully evaluate. Moreover, this same study gave some encouraging and positive results. They found that students who have a solid Christian home, church, and school were six times more likely to develop a solid biblical worldview and remain faithful to the Lord. These students have the greatest foundation for life that can be provided. While we all know students who are exceptions to the rule, when one looks at the overwhelming majority, the evidence is clear—a consistent and loving Christian home, church, and school provides the best foundation a student can have in life.

Here are just three of the many benefits an authentic Christian school helps to produce as it complements the Christian home and church:

View
Students develop a solid biblical worldview, thereby growing in wisdom. These students are ready, willing, and able to impact our nation and world for Christ.

Vessel
Students are educated and equipped to be servant leaders with honor and distinction. No matter what ministry or vocation the Lord directs them to, they will be faithful witnesses for the cause of Christ. They will be salt and light wherever the Lord leads them. They will be “vessels of honor” (2 Timothy 2:21).

Victory
Students will experience greater victory in their Christian lives as they surrender to His purpose for their lives. Students will also receive a first-class education and experience greater victories in their God-given vocation, again, having greater influence for Christ! (Romans 8:28, 37)

Ministry leaders, we must realize the great and urgent need we have to strengthen, enhance, and expand our Christian schools and to deploy our best and brightest leaders, while providing them the necessary resources to lead our schools and students to excellence in the twenty-first century. It is time for us to make the Lord’s schools the finest schools in America and “raise up the foundations of many generations.”