Lutheran Schools as Christian Education

I know the title seems nearly ridiculous as a title of a post.  To suggest that Lutheran schools should be viewed as Christian Education seems like a no brainer.  But I would suggest that in most places the reasons given for establishing a Lutheran school  are all about reaching the lost rather than the raising up of our children in the way that they should go.

To me, this is another example of Lutherans taking something originally intended for baptized and gutting it in order to call it mission.  We Lutherans are so afraid of doing mission work in obvious and traditional ways that we often simply take what we do already and change it to assuage our “mission guilt.”  We will not preach in the community or talk to our neighbors, so we decide Sunday morning worship is outreach and our schools are mission projects.

Listen.  I rejoice that God does end up calling the lost in worship settings and through our schools.  And yet I do not think it should be our focus.  More than ever we need our children trained well in the faith both in our homes and in our schools where they exist.  When our main goal of our schools is to attract outsiders, we form our schools in ways that are not always the best for nurturing the baptized gathered there.

Instead, let us confess our “mission guilt” instead of trying to cover it up by calling our worship and schools our primary outreach.  Let us admit that we have not sent men as we should have to do the mission work of the church and have not shared the hope that lies within us when given the opportunity.  Yes for this sin also, God will bring forgiveness.   And then we will be free to form our schools to train up our children in the faith through focused and ever deepening study of the Word and sound worship.  At the same time, we are free to do the mission work of the church in more appropriate settings.