It’s back to school time. As a parent and educator I’ve been involved these last two weeks in preparing for the start of the 2016-17 school year. Buying school clothes, binders and notebooks, correlating curriculum to state standards and setting up a classroom. As a pastor I find myself looking at this annual rite from a different perspective.
Our children are facing a future of uncertainty. The pace of change is accelerating. Islamic terrorism, environmental degradation, global epidemic diseases, and economic uncertainty fill the headlines. In a world where a 12-year-old can Google the answer to a question in 10 minutes when it would have taken me a day to find the answer in Oxford’s Bodleian Library as an undergraduate, the role of a school is shifting from being a place where knowledge is dispensed to being a place where inquiry learners hone their skills in collaborative, creative environments.
Dave Adney, the president of the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals spoke at the opening in-service for the staff of the Lake Superior School District last Tuesday. During his presentation he said healthy decision making is based on faith, experience, intuition, and learning. He suggested that each must be developed (yes, intuition can be developed by learning to pay attention to patterns) in order for teachers to teach, business leaders to lead, and communities to thrive.
Schools have a big job to do. We ask teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators to do a lot to raise up the next generation. But faith communities have a vitally important mission in our communities as well: In the field of public health, researchers have demonstrated the connection between strong faith communities and overall health. Political scientists have noted the link between the inculcation of democratic values and Christianity, and most of the great social reform movements of the last 200 years were sparked by Christians who were driven to live out the tenets of their faith.
Some Christians think of their faith as simply their ticket to heaven or their private conversation with God. But Jesus established the church to be His hands and feet here on Earth. He promised he’d always be with us and that the Holy Spirit would empower us to live out the values of God’s kingdom cooperatively. Working together we push back the darkness of the age.
Some people say that they like Jesus but have a problem with the church—it’s full of sinners. And they’re right! The church is full of sinners who know that they need a savior, and that their savior has called them to change the world for the better.
When Dave Adney pointed out the connection between faith and decision making, it reminded me again of something that I’ve said over and over again—being a part of a church isn’t really about how much you get out of it, it’s about how much you connect with those around you. Perhaps it’s a single mom in the pew next to you who needs a word of encouragement and a hug. Perhaps it’s that community service project that a few retired guys are organizing. Perhaps it’s the young people with the dyed hair who are longing to see faith in action with others.
Christians who live out their faith together in positive ways make communities better, grow minds and hearts for love, and ensure a future with hope.
Let’s make the 2016- 17 school year a great one, community. If you’re not connected with a church, I encourage you to get connected. If you haven’t been introduced to Jesus Christ, I’d love to have that conversation!
“Hold on to instruction,
do not let it go; guard it well,
for it is your life.”
Proverbs 4:13 (NIV)
This week our contributor is Daren Blanck, pastor of Zoar Church in Tofte, a former Wilderness Canoe Base guide/ counselor, and a student of Beyond the River Academy, a ministry program of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ.
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