“Of course you’d send your kids to Christian schools…You and your wife teach at one…”

Yet, our family would fare better financially if we went back to the public school our children were in two years ago.  So then, “Why would I send my kids to a Christian school?”  

Before I answer the question, I need to give some context.  To give and protect life God has established, in this order, the gifts of Family, Church, and State.  Homeschools, Christian schools, and public schools are invaluable for the lives, development, and prosperity of our most valuable treasure: our children.

 The Family is where education always begins.

The Church is where American education began and still pioneers.

The State is where we the people decided that education should be an American priority for every child.  In public schools we find many master teachers, many of whom are solid Christian witnesses.

Emily, our two oldest children, and I have had some of our favorite teachers in the public school system.  So, if a State-run school is free with some pretty cool teachers… why would two teachers now pay for education?  The reasons are simple: Christ, High Standards, Christian Family Values, and yes, Christ. 

Reason 1:  CHRIST

Jesus Christ is at the center of everything, especially our children’s upbringing.  “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

Reason 2:  High Academic Standards for Teachers and Students

There are competitive market forces in the private sector.  Like any private business, every private school is accountable to these forces.  A guaranteed annual supply of students to fill desks is not a luxury private schools enjoy.  With no unions or collective bargaining, the competitive edge for private schools is absolute autonomy over their profession. 

With conventional business practices at their disposal, private schools buck the status quo by hiring who they want, how many they want, for the positions they want, when they want, all while discharging the ineffective and uncooperative.  It is basic arithmetic that an empowered principal, with the ability to move swiftly on behalf of a classroom full of students, will have a disproportionately high amount of effective to ineffective teachers as compared to an un-empowered principal.

Schools are created on behalf of the child to benefit the Family, not the Church or State.  In the private sector, job security is exclusively based on passion and performance which fosters a culture of excellence.  Innovation and adaptation to accommodate an evolving job market is rewarded with time and resources and ineffective programs are promptly removed from the budget.  This same culture allows private school to flourish.  The site-based authority that acts on behalf of the student creates a climate that translates into student success in the job market.  When private schools compete with "free" being exceptional while exceeding state and national standards is not optional...It is essential.

Reason 3:  Partnership in Family Core Values

As the Family, it is solely our responsibility to provide for our children’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  It is a gift from God that the needs of education can be provided for the Family through the Church or State.  Who's task then, is it to point to Christ and His gifts?  It is the Church that is established to deliver Christ to families. 

What makes a Christian school unique is the fact that the Christian school is commissioned and entrusted by the Church to deliver Christ all day to the children.  Christian schools are never hostile to the confidence we have in our Lord’s love and forgiveness.  Rather, Christian schools proclaim our family’s shared core values that we have in Jesus Christ.  Be it in the classroom, lunchroom, field, or stage, it begins, middles, and ends with Christ.

Reason 4:  Christ

And yes, Jesus not only begins, middles, and ends our days, He also bookends the four reasons why our children attend a Christian school.  Christian schools see our dirty-kneed, super-hero, ninja son as a forgiven child of God.  This is how our Lord sees my family and your family.  Since He spilled His blood for you, FORGIVEN is how He expects and desires us to go about our days.

Emily and I know our children are far from perfect. They take after their father...but...

1. Forgiveness is the only thing that allows our family to live together in close quarters, in relative peace for eighteen years...
2. Forgiveness is the only thing that allows a righteous God to live, not in close quarters, but in complete unity and absolute peace with His children for eternity...

At a Christian school, our children hear on a daily basis that this peace and unity is only possible because our Father nailed imperfection’s debt to a cross.  He left guilt hanging there so His Holy Spirit could bring us cleanly into the communion of His Name and call us blessed.

“Of course you’d send your kids to Christian schools…You and your wife teach at one…”

Faith Lutheran’s Core Values are in the acronym of their name.  Family, Academics, Innovation, Truth, and High Achievement.  So for our family, Faith is the Christian school that is best for our kids.  And what a great place it is not only to send our beloved children, but send ourselves to educate and hopefully have the opportunity to share with your most valuable treasure that they too are beloved and cherished by a righteous, yet compassionate Lord!

Mr. Stephen Blank serves as a parent first and middle school Science teacher second at Faith Lutheran Middle School and High School in Las Vegas, NV.   For more information about the Three Estates: Family, Church, and State read an article from lutheranreformation.org.  Photos taken by Sarah Crowder Photography.