There is only one Kingdom we are trying to build. Christ's.
That sounds obvious, but sometimes Christian institutions can unintentionally begin protecting their own territory instead of advancing a shared Kingdom mission.
Churches have ministries. Schools have programs. Pastors have responsibilities. Administrators have responsibilities. Organizations have brands, traditions, schedules, budgets, and priorities. But none of those should become greater than the mission.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…”
The home, church, and Christian school must remember:
We are not competing kingdoms.
A Christian school should never communicate that enrollment replaces involvement in a local church. Bible class isn't church. Chapel isn't church. Spiritual emphasis week isn't church. A Christian school should consistently encourage families toward faithful involvement in a Bible-believing local church.
Why? Because Christ established His Church. Students need pastors. They need corporate worship. They need multigenerational relationships. They need opportunities to serve. They need to see their parents planted in the body of Christ.
Christian education should strengthen that relationship, not compete with it.
Likewise, churches should recognize the important discipleship work taking place inside Christian schools.
Teachers are doing far more than teaching mathematics, science, literature, history, and grammar. Kingdom educators are helping students understand those subjects through the lens of biblical truth.
Second Corinthians 10:5 speaks of:
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
That is worldview development. A Christian teacher has the opportunity to help a student understand that all truth belongs to God.
Pastors should pray for Christian educators. Churches should celebrate Christian teachers. Schools should honor pastors. And both should continually point children back toward their parents as the primary disciplers in their lives.
Christian schools must also resist the temptation to believe that because we are educational professionals, we know children better than their parents. Parents possess a God-given role that a school should honor. That means communication matters. Listening matters. Transparency matters. Partnership matters.
When problems arise, the school's first posture should not be defensiveness. It should be partnership:
“How can we work together for this child?”
That does not mean every parental request can or should be granted. Leadership sometimes requires difficult decisions. But even when the answer is no, the posture can remain honorable.
Partnership works both ways. Once families prayerfully choose a Christian school, they must allow that school to fulfill its responsibility. A school cannot maintain standards if every expectation becomes negotiable.
There will be rules parents would write differently. There will be coaching decisions they question. There will be academic expectations that create frustration. There will be disciplinary situations where parents do not have every piece of information.
Honor says:
“I will seek understanding before assuming the worst.”
That simple commitment could transform Christian communities.
One of the greatest enemies of a system of honor is triangulation. A student has a problem with a teacher and tells the parent. The parent tells another parent. That parent tells someone at church. Someone contacts an administrator. Eventually, everyone is discussing the problem except the two people who could have resolved it in the beginning.
This isn't Kingdom culture. Jesus provides a better way. Go to one another. Speak truth. Listen. Seek reconciliation. Extend grace. Protect unity.
At the end of the day, the name on the church building isn't what matters most. The name on the school isn't what matters most. Our individual titles aren't what matter most.
There is one Name above every name. Jesus. And there is one Kingdom worthy of our lives. His Kingdom.
When the home, church, and school understand that, competition gives way to collaboration. Suspicion gives way to trust. Isolation gives way to partnership. And our children get to witness adults demonstrating the very biblical worldview we are trying to teach them.
We aren't building competing kingdoms. We are raising a generation for the King.
About Mr. Euler
Mr. Euler has 27 years’ experience working in Christian Schools, 17 as a Head of School and is currently the Head of School at Word of God Academy, Shreveport, LA., a ministry of Word of God Ministries.
Website www.wogacademy.org
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“EQUIPPING FUTURE GENERATIONS FOR LIFE AND ETERNITY”
Early Childhood: 6645 Bert Kouns Ind. Loop, Shreveport, LA 71129 | Telephone: 318.698.4093 | Fax: 318.698.4119
Lower School: 2820 Summer Grove Drive, Shreveport, LA 71118 | Telephone: 318.687.9003 | Fax: 318.687.9607
Upper School: 6645 Bert Kouns Ind. Loop, Shreveport, LA 71129 | Telephone: 318.698.4093 | Fax: 318.698.4119
Shekinah School: 2820 Summer Grove Drive, Shreveport, LA 71118 | Telephone: 318.687.9003 | Fax: 318.687.9607