Churches Helping Families Flourish in Schools
Each August brings both anticipation and anxiety for many families. Children are excited about new school supplies, new clothes, reconnecting with friends, and getting back into sports. Some parents look forward to returning to the school routine like their children. However, others are less enthusiastic as they navigate questions and concerns.
There is the single mom working two jobs who wonders, “How will I pay for their school supplies and uniforms?” There are the parents who ask, “Who will be my son’s teacher? Will they understand his unique personality and learning style?” Other parents are concerned about whether their children will get along with others or whether they will be safe and protected at their school. Along with these questions, a growing number of families are concerned about whether the ideas and practices promoted in their school are consistent with their values.
As we look forward to the beginning of a new school year, we are grateful for the more than 50 church/school partnerships responding to practical needs by providing school supplies and uniforms, student mentors, and supporting teachers and school staff. Along with these important and tangible ways to partner with schools, there is also a growing need for churches to partner with schools to help support the spiritual and relational needs of families.
The Golden Triangle
Throughout the Bible, we see passages that reflect the truth that God has given the primary responsibility for raising children to families (Deut. 6:6-7, Prov. 4:1-5, Eph. 6:4). Right now, in our culture, moms and dads need help to fulfill that responsibility. The Church is a family of families, and it is uniquely suited to partner with parents and schools in what educational leader Dr. Gary Arnold calls the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is a concept where parents, churches, and schools work together to educate the next generation. When the Golden Triangle works, it produces the best outcomes for students, as God’s Word and growing research in the field of social science affirms.
In an article for the Institute for Family Studies, researchers Nicholas Zill and Brad Wilcox write:
Children from stable, married families have a better chance of receiving the guidance and support they need to succeed academically and adapt confidently to the classroom environment than children from disrupted or reconstituted families. This does not mean that children from non-traditional families cannot do well in school. Many do, despite the conflict, turmoil, or curtailed parenting they may experience at home. But the odds of school success are more favorable for those from families headed by married, biological parents.
In an article about academic achievement, educator and researcher Williams Jeynes writes:
The data are clear: parental family structure and parental involvement were major explanatory factors and solutions with respect to the achievement gap.
In addition to family structure, a studentʼs faith also has a significant impact on his or her academic performance. Regularly attending church, or another house of worship, and defining oneself as being a very religious person yielded the most significant reductions in the achievement gap.
If growing up with both mom and dad in the home gives children a distinctive advantage, as the research suggests, what about those not experiencing this reality? Thank God that there is hope in Jesus Christ regardless of our circumstances! He loves children and is the God who can do exceedingly beyond what we think and ask.
Even in two-parent families, moms and dads need God’s help and the help of a supportive community. When family circumstances are not ideal, often beyond the family’s choice or control, the Church is uniquely designed to help. As a family of families, the Church can become an extended family to provide needed relational encouragement and support.
We pray for families. We can become mentors and spiritual aunts and uncles for children without a dad or mom in the home. We can help families by partnering with the schools (public, private, Christian, home, etc.) where they attend and to support our families with options that best align with their needs.
An Emerging Opportunity for Churches
Lauren, a friend, co-worker, and young mom, recently told me:
Nothing is better than a child growing up within the Golden Triangle, right in the middle of home, church, and school guidance. I have been very fortunate to have spent nearly all of my education within the Golden Triangle. One where home, church, and school align, and Christ is the center of every subject. While that was an incredible experience for me, it isn’t the experience of most. Even worse, it seems unattainable for most.
She went on to describe the dilemma of one of her friends, Shelly. Her family is concerned about the school they are zoned for and that it won’t be a good fit for their daughter. She would prefer a private school, but it costs too much for them. She felt deflated and discouraged. Why does it have to be so hard for Shelly to have a Christ-centered education where every subject is saturated in biblical truth?
In The Education Reformation, author and church leader Trevon Wax writes,
We are living through a dramatic cultural shift. Western culture has been barreling down the road of secularization at breakneck speed. The moral vision that once sustained and promoted the Christian values that shaped America has been sidelined. The church, once the keeper of our shared values, has been disapprovingly cast aside. The ties between our American culture and our Judeo-Christian roots have been largely erased, and the results are disastrous.
As we think together theologically, we come to realize an important truth: the redemptive presence of Christians as salt and light in the world is not just about our individual presence. We bless our communities not only as individual Christians, but through institutional expressions of what we value. Our redemptive presence is not just personal, but corporate. What better way to bless our communities than to build new and better institutions that accomplish the educational and moral formation of our children?
Our existing educational institutions are in trouble, and we are growing increasingly aware of this truth. There is, of course, no single answer to this crisis. It’s clear that we need renewal within our existing public schools, and some Christian parents and teachers may feel the call to be part of the solution there. But given the government’s deep involvement, the high amount of legislated regulation, and the ideological capture of the entities overseeing public education, it makes sense that other parents will look for alternatives.
There is also a growing desire to explore a new paradigm in education outside of the traditional Western model. One way to spark educational reform within the public schools themselves is by offering the competition of a healthy alternative. Starting new Christian schools could become a pathway to renewal for our entire culture.
One option for parents is a church-based model like Courage Schools, which will launch in Central Arkansas this fall (see related article). It’s a model based on the Golden Triangle that works to educate in a joint partnership between parents, churches, and schools. Their model is truth-filled, mastery-based, and mentor-guided, all in a church-based setting. With the implementation of the LEARNS Act in our State in 2025, it’s a model that will make this kind of education accessible to many who previously could not afford it.
Lauren also shared about her husband, Adam. He was educated traditionally and struggled with new paradigms like the one for Courage Schools for a long time. However, Lauren recently heard him tell a friend, “I want our children to have the biblical worldview Lauren received. I want them to know and love the Lord and look to Him for each area of study in their lives.”
Praying for the School Year
As families return to school this August, will you pray with us for our families, churches, and schools? As churches, may we fulfill our important role in the Golden Triangle by:
- Praying for our families and the schools where they attend
- Launching new or strengthening existing church/school partnerships
- Considering a church-based school in 2025
If you want to learn more about Courage Schools, email Lauren Linz at [email protected].
