“Let the Children Come. . . . But Will the Adults Follow?”

            “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!” We have all heard that proverbial advice and perhaps experienced it for good or bad in our lives. In the spirit of that axiom, some are asking if the congregations of the WELS are beginning to put all their “evangelism eggs” in “one basket” called early childhood ministries. Continue reading →

In states where voucher programs fund private or parochial school options, a new model is meeting parents’ demand for tuition-free 4K. The objective is to open public 4K classrooms without increasing the district’s tax burden.[i] These programs are attracting attention within the WELS. But in an era of unlikely partnerships, this particular model deserves scrutiny because of the way in which the two very different educational models are positioned. In terms of philosophy and curricular content, the educational part of this 4K model essentially remains a public school venue while the classroom itself is housed in a facility that identifies with, and is dedicated to, the educational model we know of as Christian education (CE). Educators of every ilk know that, “Whoever tells the story shapes the culture.” [ii] Continue reading →