Written by Rev. Mark Schroeder.
These theses were originally discussed at a principals’ meeting at Luther Preparatory School in Watertown WI on January 21, 2013. They are republished here to widen the circle of discussion.
In the introduction to the Small Catechism, Martin Luther wrote: “Urge governing authorities [in the church] and parents to rule well and to send their children to school. Point out how they are obliged to do so and what a damnable sin they commit if they do not. For thereby, as the worst enemies of God and humanity, they overthrow and lay waste both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. Explain very clearly what kind of horrible damage they do when they do not help to train children . . . and tell them that God will punish them dreadfully for this. For in our day and age it is necessary to preach about these things. The extent to which parents and governing authorities are now sinning in these matters defies description. The devil, too, intends to do something horrible in all this.”
- Recognize that the challenges facing us today are not new, but they may take different forms.
- Christian education—of all types—is an integral part of the ongoing mission of the church.
- As an integral part of the mission of the church, Christian education is also an integral part of the life and work of every Lutheran congregation. Avoid characterizing schools as “ministries” unto themselves; rather emphasize that schools are a part of the congregation’s one ministry.
- School leaders need to recognize the relatively large share of congregational resources that are devoted to the school’s operation and work very hard not only to be good stewards of the resources provided but also to recognize that other congregational programs (especially in the areas of worship and outreach) are also important.
- Lutheran elementary and secondary education has played an important and historical role in providing the synod with a laity that is well versed in Scripture and biblical doctrine.
- The need for a well-educated laity (in terms of Scripture, biblical values, and the mission of the church) grows more acute as the culture surrounding us becomes more secularized and hostile to historic Christianity.
- Lutheran schools must be clearly and consciously linked to the mission of the local congregation. Congregational “ownership” of the school is vital not only among those who have children but also among those who do not.
- Congregational ownership of the school’s work cannot be fully achieved without the full support and participation of the pastor.
- Congregational ownership of the school and the church-school relationship can be enhanced by full participation by all teachers in the life and work of the congregation (outside of the school). Particularly important is participation in worship and Bible class.
- Leaders of the school will look for opportunities to involve the pastor in school-related matters (beyond the expected teaching of confirmation instruction classes).
- The mission of the school in each locality must be clearly defined and explained. Is the school primarily designed for the nurture of congregational members? Is it primarily intended to be a tool for outreach? Is it both?
- Schools that enroll non-members as an opportunity for outreach must work closely with the pastor to develop a specific strategy to bring non-members into the life of the congregation.
- We need to be bold in outlining and explaining the clear advantages and benefits of Christian education over public school education (without demeaning public education per se).
- Both school and congregation need to develop plans to “market” the school to its members, communicating the benefits both to parents and to members who have no children.
- School leaders and teachers need to be in the Word, remembering Luther’s quip, when asked how he could spend so much time in the Word when he was so busy, that only by being in the Word was he able to get anything else done and done well (or something to that effect).
- Schools should be intentionally “Lutheran,” not just Christian or private schools. They should not shy away from a clear identity.
- We need to ask the question, “Has the decline in the sense of congregational ownership resulted at least in part from the move to a tuition-based model?” In other words, when tuition becomes the primary source of school funding, do we encourage the idea that “the school and those who use it should support it”?
- We need to recognize that the public school system is not just an alternative. Public schools have become aggressive recruiters of students because their funding is determined by their enrollment. They are competing for our students. We need to develop strategies to recruit earlier and better than the public schools do.
- Communication between the school and congregational members is crucial. Tell them what you are doing and why it’s good, and then tell them again.
- Schools need to strive for excellence—in curriculum, in quality of instruction, in personal care for students and families. We need to recognize that we may not be able to keep up with the public sector in terms of facilities and programs, so we need to identify areas in which we can provide excellence.
- School teachers need to see themselves as ministers of the gospel to students and parents, not just as educators.
- School leaders need to focus on the basics and avoid finding solutions in the latest programs or educational fads.
Pastor Mark Schroeder serves as president of the Wisconsin Ev. Lutheran Synod.
This is a great article. I look forward to sharing it with our congregation, school board and faculty! Thanks for sharing it with us!
It’s hard to decide which of these theses is the most important, or which one to focus on, or decide to tackle first. Each one of these things is so vital to the work of our congregations.
I especially appreciate the focus on the fact that schools are not “ministries unto themselves” but, rather, part of the overall ministry of the congregation. That leads into so many other of the points — how will we fund this, what is our mission, how do pastors and teachers work together, relate together, serve together, etc., how do members without kids in school interact with the school, and so on and so forth.
As a product of Lutheran education from kindergarten through seminary, and then a member of the governing board of one of our prep schools, and now the pastor of a parish operating a Lutheran elementary school, I have always struggled with why these aren’t slam dunk decisions: 1) to open an LES wherever and whenever possible (following Walther’s dictum, “Where’s there’s a Lutheran congregation, there’s a Lutheran school); and 2) why the majority of our families aren’t always using these schools.
I know this isn’t a new problem, Luther wrote about 500 years ago. I know sometimes we’ve used “holy shoddy” as an excuse for not being excellent in all areas of our educational ministries (facilities, technology, continuing ed), giving reasons to parents to doubt the value of what we have to offer. We must be excellent in what we do.
But in the end, it’s the Gospel lesson from last week, Luke 10:38-42. Everything else the world has to offer can be taken away from you: goods, fame, child, and wife. All the things of this world distract us, as they did Martha. But there is one thing, and one thing only that is absolutely and eternal needful and necessary — Jesus, Jesus, only Jesus can our heartfelt longing still; to paraphrase St. Augustine, “We cannot rest, until we rest on Christ!” — and Jesus said, “It will not be taken from [you.]”
The challenge is to encourage, not beat over the head with a club. The challenge is to preach Lutheran education as we must preach the sacrament, in such a beautiful, compelling, evangelical way that they will pound down the doors to get it.
Not sure whose quote I like better, Walther’s or yours! “The challenge is to preach Lutheran education as we must preach the sacrament, in such a beautiful, compelling, evangelical way that they will pound down the doors to get it.”
Thank you!
“School leaders need to recognize the relatively large share of congregational resources that are devoted to the school’s operation and work very hard not only to be good stewards of the resources provided but also to recognize that other congregational programs (especially in the areas of worship and outreach) are also important.”
This is a great point because school’s are undoubtedly extremely expensive and quickly become a consuming piece of any church who has or starts one. I don’t think, though, that this burden to recognize the irregular balance that will emerge when a congregation has a school lies totally on just the school leaders but the whole congregation and especially the pastor – “Congregational ownership of the school’s work cannot be fully achieved without the full support and participation of the pastor.” – Amen!
When a congregation (pastor, laity, teachers, etc…) begins a school as part of their ministry they need to recognize that this will instantly become the largest (time, energy, finances, focus) and most consuming (dare I say vital) piece of their congregation’s ministry. Many congregations lose sight of this fact over the decades and then the school is held up against other things as an either/or proposition.
This change or loss of focus on how encompassing a school can become is the source of the negative side of many of his other points such as:
– We need to ask the question, “Has the decline in the sense of congregational ownership resulted at least in part from the move to a tuition-based model?” In other words, when tuition becomes the primary source of school funding, do we encourage the idea that “the school and those who use it should support it”?
– The mission of the school in each locality must be clearly defined and explained. Is the school primarily designed for the nurture of congregational members? Is it primarily intended to be a tool for outreach? Is it both?
It can be easy for congregations to lose focus of the desire and passion for the immense broad cost and energy of a school that was present when it started. Losing this can be costly to overall ministry.
It is very encouraging to hear these well-placed words from Pres. Schroeder. it is also suprising to find so few comments on them after almost 2 weeks. So many changing forces increasingly threaten our schools in so many ways. If we are not keenly aware of them and actively addressing them in theory and practice, our entire hugely beneficial WELS system of Lutheran Christian education is gravely threatened.
“Communication between the school and congregational members is crucial. Tell them what you are doing and why it’s good, and then tell them again.”
Also tell your community! Publish stories in local newspapers, hold open houses for your school, promote your school door-to-door. The Holy Spirit can accomplish so much!