Last summer I was given the opportunity to assume the position of administrator of Pleasant Valley Baptist School. I enjoyed my first year and learned a lot. I am looking forward to this year and the growth that God has for our students. As Susanah and I prepare to send our oldest, Moriah, into the 1st grade in a couple of days, I have been thinking much about the importance of a Christian education. While I am still new at this, here are some thoughts I have had.
1. I am thankful for a Christian school that is a Christian school. As an administrator, I am often asked by parents about all of the programs our school offers. While we don’t offer all that we would like to, I am grateful that our goal is not to be like a public school with a Christian name! Our entire philosophy and purpose is different. Christian schools did not begin because young people were receiving a bad education. Christian schools began to provide a place where the philosophy and atmosphere were Christ honoring. I am grateful to enroll my children in a place where there is a positive peer pressure to do right and to honor the Lord. I am thankful for teachers that model a godly life and understand that their “walk” talks so much louder than their “talk” does.
2. I am thankful for a Christian school that emphasizes ministry. While I know not every student will be called into full-time Christian service, I am grateful for a place that clearly emphasizes it. Far too often in an attempt to relieve the pressure students feel to go into full-time Christian service we fail to emphasize what a privilege it is to serve the Lord. If we are not careful we can make going into the ministry second rate. The most prestigious vocation our school trains students for is that of serving God with their entire life. Some may be preachers while others may be doctors, but all are equipped to serve God with all they have.
3. I am thankful for a school that emphasizes parental responsibility. We live in a day when the government tells us that it is best to give them our children as young as possible. Daycares, pre-schools, and all kinds of programs are available to us to supposedly get our children ready for school. I firmly believe the education of every child is the responsibility of their parents. I am grateful to have a school to enroll my children that believes the same way and strives to strengthen the values of my home in the heart of my children. God says in Ecclesiastes 4:12, “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” When the home, church, and school are all working together, it is a beautiful picture of God’s amazing order.
I pray you have a conviction about your children receiving a Christian education. This would either be at home or at a Christian school. I truly believe anything other than a Christian education is a sin. Having graduated from a Christian school and now administrating one, I know they are not perfect. Many people like to criticize them for various reasons. If you have a good one, thank God for it and the next time a problem arises, determine to be part of the solution and not the problem.
