By Shad Lehmann, director of education for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada.
I would like to share a vision with you. It’s a vision of our churches and schools partnering together to have an eternal impact on the communities in which they operate. Two other articles in this edition of the Messenger focus on how teachers are involved in the church and how pastors are involved in the school—but what does partnership mean beyond that? What does it mean for church members and the buildings that house our churches and schools? I would like to explore that question.
The work of education has always been integral to the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Ellen G. White said that we must “establish schools for the children wherever there are churches” (Gospel Medical Messenger, Nov. 19, 1913).
She also said this in the first paragraph of her book Education: “Our ideas of education take too narrow and low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man.
“It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of the wider service in the world to come.” It is for this reason that we have Adventist schools across Canada.
In many cases, Adventist schools were established years ago with the intention of growing the mission of the church and, more importantly, to provide students with safe and spiritual places to learn and grow. When a church started a school, it took its first steps towards the partnership between church and school.
Any church that starts a school makes sacrifices of time, commitment, and finances. When members participate on the school board and get involved in the constituency, they sacrifice time and commitment. When a constituent church shares part of its budget to help run a school and keep costs to parents as low as possible, it makes a financial sacrifice.
The sacrifices that a church makes when it opens and supports a school are big, but the eternal consequences for the students are even bigger. This is seen in the North American Division (NAD) Valuegenesis studies over the past 40 years. The findings consistently show that Adventist education is one of the primary factors in a positive relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our Adventist schools in Canada have also helped prepare young people to serve as teachers, pastors, doctors, journeymen, and other professionals. They have helped prepare young people for church service, including as elders, deacons, Sabbath School teachers, Pathfinder leaders, and hostesses. Any time a church makes a commitment to establish a school or to join a constituency, it makes a commitment to God and to young people.
In years past, some conferences have even required all their churches to financially support Adventist education—regardless of whether they had a local church school or not. In fact, the Quebec Conference has recently embarked on a plan to have all churches support Adventist education because of the high value the church places on training young people.
Another way that schools and churches partner together is through building usage. In many cases, small schools were started in church basements. In other cases, school gyms or chapels were used as churches when there was a need for new facilities.
Currently, administrators at the Peel campus of Crawford Adventist Academy in Toronto, Ont., are using a church building for classrooms until the structure they recently purchased is ready. Likewise, the New Perspective Community church in Saskatoon, Sask., recently moved out of Riverside Christian School’s gym, where it had been for several years.
These types of partnerships are not easy, since the church and the school need to share space and move materials around each week. However, even with these difficulties, the camaraderie and shared mission help strengthen the work of both the church and the school.
The concept of shared space has led to some new thoughts about how we can use school and church buildings for more effective ministry. The idea is to create centres of influence that can operate more than just one day a week.
One example of a centre of influence is in Langley, B.C., at the Church in the Valley. This church doesn’t just operate worship services on Sabbath—it also helps people in the community by fixing homes, doing oil changes, and performing other outreach initiatives. The church and Fraser Valley Adventist Academy in Aldergrove, B.C., have also occasionally embarked on ministry crossover and shared ministry.
Many Adventist schools want to have shared ministry initiatives with their local churches. The impact that young people have on local church ministry cannot be underestimated—especially when you consider the energy of many young people working towards the same positive goal.
As Christians, we have been called to a life of service. Christ said that “inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt. 25:40, NKJV). As time continues, it will be increasingly important for our schools and churches to be positive influences in their communities. Their impact will be felt even more if churches and schools are ministering together toward the same goal.
One important part of attending church for young people is the ability to contribute in meaningful ways. They want to participate just as much as adults, but their limited experience can cause hesitation and mistakes as they learn.
Early and regular participation in church is a positive way for our youth to take ownership of their faith. Some church schools participate in events such as Sabbath programs dedicated to education, but many churches involve their young people regularly in their programs. High-school students are teaching kindergarten Sabbath School classes, sharing sermonettes, and even attending and voting at church meetings if they are baptized members.
Students have explained that they feel like an important part of the church body when their talents are used for Christ and that this helps develop their faith. We need to remember that the partnership between church and school includes youth participation early and often. Their opinions must be heard and valued.
Another great partnership comes when church members are directly involved in the school. Although attending constituency meetings or serving on the board is important, involvement with the school can go beyond this.
North America is currently facing a teacher shortage in both the private and public sectors. Teaching has never been an easy job. But it’s even harder now that the pandemic has caused students to fall behind, mental health concerns have increased, and global strife has been escalating.
Stories have been shared of teachers stepping in to support pastors when they couldn’t preach on Sabbath. Likewise, pastors have stepped in at schools to help in classrooms and on playgrounds. This type of support among our teachers and pastors is great, but it can also extend to our church members.
Church members can get involved in our schools in the following ways: practicing reading with little ones; fixing simple items around the school; mowing the lawn; helping with hot lunches; and assisting with school or conference events, such as sports tournaments, music festivals, and service projects.
For example, members at several British Columbia sports tournaments have collected cans for food banks or delivered food hampers. Kingsway College in Oshawa, Ont., has groups that present at churches across Canada. Students have supported large church events by helping prepare for evangelistic series or setting up events like Messiah’s Mansion, the life-size model of the wilderness temple Moses and the Israelites built.
Any of these types of activities require local members to coordinate and assist our energetic youth. Even volunteering for a small amount of time can be a significant support for our teachers. When the church and school work together as partners towards a shared mission, big things can happen within our communities.
The vision of our schools and churches partnering together is important because we believe Christ’s second coming is soon at hand. Right now, people in the world know that something is amiss and they’re looking for answers. As Christians, we have the perfect and eternal answer—Jesus—and He needs to be shared!
Throughout history, our churches and schools have been conduits for sharing the love of Jesus Christ. Our schools have taught young people to know Jesus, to be His disciples, and to share the good news of the gospel. At the same time, our churches have been places for people to worship God and to work together, reaching the community through evangelism, service, and love.
A few years ago, someone asked investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett which type of energy we most needed to feed our increasingly energy-hungry world. Was it nuclear energy, coal, oil, wind, or something else? His response was simple: “All of them.”
I believe people have asked a similar question in our church: What type of ministry will most meet the ever-increasing needs of a fallen world? Will it be evangelism, media, education, service, or something else? I believe the answer is the same: “All of them.”
This year’s education edition of the Messenger is focused on partners in ministry because it’s important to have all ministries of the church working towards the same goal. As members, pastors, teachers, and church leaders, let’s continue to look for ways to be partners as we keep our eyes focused on Jesus. It won’t be long; He is coming soon.
Source: https://adventistmessenger.ca/news/connected-church-and-school-partners-in-ministry
