LUTHERAN SCHOOLS: Websites and First Impressions

These days, when people start checking schools out the first place they visit is your website. When I was teaching at a Lutheran school the first thing I noticed was that it was obvious their website wasn't a priority. Pages were incomplete, information that people look for wasn't easy to find or was out of date, and while there was lots of stuff on it, there were too many words. I volunteered to take it over and tweaked it a bit and soon people who visited were making positive comments about the website.

As I have said MANY times before, we are in a place in our country where Lutheran schools need to be out there promoting their strengths. It's important to make your website a priority, keep it simple, and well organized. Here are a few tips.

• Make sure your header/tag line tells the visitor what/who you are as a school. 
• Have a useful homepage. People don't want to scroll around and search through a lot of words to find what they want. 
• All your information does NOT need to be on the home page. Bullet points, NOT paragraphs. Nobody has time to search through a bunch of paragraphs for the main point. 
• Make sure your information is well organized so people don't have to search through tabs wondering where the information they're looking for is found. QUICK LINKS, my friends, quick links. 
• Have a PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS or NEW STUDENTS tab/page that has all the info and links to the forms necessary to make sign up easy. 
• Photos are good. They make the site feel warm, but too many photos are not so good. Put them in a slideshow.
• Have a CURRICULUM page that shows what you teach and highlights how your school is different from the local public schools.
• If your school has a great choir or band, put a video of them singing/playing on the site.
• If you're going to have teacher websites, make sure they're kept up to date.
• Have an up-to-date calendar that's easy to update. Make sure all forms are downloadable.
• Don't forget a donation page.
• Visit your website as if you are a perspective parent. Ask what you would want to know if you were looking for a school for your child and check the links.

To get you started, here are some top reasons a child should attend a Lutheran school.

1. Christ-centered education and environment.
2. Committed and qualified teachers.
3. Strong curriculum with proven results.
4. Small class sizes.
5. Diverse population.
6. All season sports.
7. Strong,but loving discipline.
8. Before and after school program.
9. Active parent, teacher, and friends association (PT&FA).
10. Supportive association church(es).
11. Strong family values and environment

REMEMBER! 

Parents who aren't Lutheran don't choose schools because they're Lutheran. Many don't choose them because they are Christian. They choose them because they're good schools. They know their children will get an excellent education and will be safe and nurtured. What a mission!! 

PRESCHOOL: Lutheran Trained Employees

At a district committee meeting we started talking about Lutheran Early Childhood Education (ECE) centers and how only about 20% of the administrators in most Lutheran ECE centers are synodically trained (a 4-year degree is not required) and that many more employees aren't Lutheran at all. They have no idea what Lutherans believe. Some employees are from the associated church or may attend another Lutheran church, but most or many centers have to hire from the general public and there is currently no training available for them.

One suggestion being discussed by the leadership in my district is a certification program for early childhood leaders called C-LECT (Certification, Lutheran Early Childhood Teacher), which is a certification program by Concordia University, Wisconsin. The program looks fantastic, but it costs $300 per person. Students may earn college credit, but it requires an addition cost of $125. Some of the employees in ECE centers are in high school and the college credit is only available at CU-W. Other than having trained employees, there is no real incentive for congregations to invest this much money in employees that may or may not be easily retained long-term.

Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe it is important that any person working with young children in a Lutheran preschool needs to know what Lutherans believe before they start having Bible time and teaching kids about Jesus. I don't, however, think it needs to be so expensive or formal, though certificates could certainly be provided. After all, learning time when you're 3-4 years old is about playing and learning Christian values, not doctrine. Given that, I propose the following:

Many congregations in each district and even each circuit have Early Childhood Centers. These employees could all get together to have training that would be similar to any new member training or confirmation training.

1. A standardized training program could be put together and shared among congregations in the district and training could take place in different circuits 2-4 times a year.
2. Training would include: 
• The basic foundation of Lutheran teaching (Law/Gospel, Baptism, Communion, Faith, Grace, etc.) This may be a product of the Small Catechism. 
• Basic information on faith formation and some child development information. 

There are things I left out of the training that I'm sure others would add such as, in depth information on the structure and leadership of the LCMS, the ECE as a mission opportunity, Christian curriculum and family ministry information. I leave this out intentionally because I do not think it's necessary to meet what my goal would be if I were an ECE director/administrator. I would simply want my employees to know what my church teaches and be able to share Jesus with the children. We're preparing people to work with 3-4 year old kids. More and more research regarding children this age says they should have very limited structure in their daily routine. Their learning time is about playing and learning Christian values, not doctrine. 

 

In addition, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a similar, but perhaps shorter, meeting with new parents once a month or quarter to help them understand what the ECE will be teaching their children as well. There's your mission opportunity.

EDUCATION: The Art of Teaching Confirmation

If you teach confirmation and haven't seen this book, you're missing out!



The Art of Teaching Confirmation from Laura Langhoff on Vimeo.

LUTHERAN SCHOOLS: Dispel the Myths About Christianity in Schools!

I keep seeing untruths spread across social media by Christians who don't understand the laws regarding religious freedom and separation of church and state in schools. Please, please, please share this information with your youth, their parents, and the whole congregation. Don't let Christians be the ones who make matters worse and scare kids into believing they have to hide their Christianity at school. They don't! I got this list from the Alliance Defending Freedom (The 12 Myths of Christmas) and the Center for Public Education (Religion and Public Schools).

Remember that the point of the law is to protect your child from being proselytized by teachers or other school leaders or adults who follow beliefs with which you do not agree. It is based on non-descrimination, student leadership, and local control. Young children may not know, but it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that your older child know when to speak up if a teacher is religion pushing or religion bashing, especially in high school. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that parents speak to administration when this happens. 

Based on the law, here is the truth. 

• Since Christmas is a national holiday, the word "Christmas" has not been banned from schools or the general public. Schools may refer to their winter break as Christmas Break. They may also have Christmas trees, wish others a Merry Christmas, and have a Christmas party just as they do a Halloween or Valentine's Day party, if they so desire.
• Public schools do not have to recognize every holiday because it recognizes Christmas. Christmas is a national holiday. 
• Students may wear religious clothing or jewelry as long as it is not offensive and does not cause disruption.
• Students are allowed to talk about their faith, going to church, etc. to other students and teachers at school.
• Students are allowed to pray at school. They cannot do so over the PA system or lead a class in prayer. Teachers also may pray in school but may not encourage or discourage prayer in word or deed. 
• Students are allowed to bring Bibles to school and read them during their free reading period or during free time. 
• Students are allowed to sing and play religious songs, including Christmas carols in public schools. 
• Students are allowed to reference their beliefs in projects, papers, and homework assignments. They are allowed to read Christian books or stories. 
• Teachers are NOT allowed to call a student's religion stupid, make him/her feel uncomfortable in front of the class, or to raise or lower a student's grades if s/he references their beliefs in class discussion or written work. 
• The Bible (and other religious texts) can be used in classes to provide an historical context or as a form of literature. It must be presented objectively and must be educational and not devotional.

RELIGIOUS CLUBS

Non-discrimination

If a public secondary school has non-curriculum based clubs, students are allowed to have Christian clubs. This may also be true for a middle school, but the law is unclear about that age level. At this time it is being left up to the local administration. Check the policies. Schools do not have to maintain an open forum regarding extracurricular clubs and organizations, but once they do, they may not discriminate. 

If the school allows the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts to hand out literature on school grounds during non-school hours, or use the building during non-school hours, they may not discriminate against a religious institution. 

A church may hold religious instruction classes in a school building during non-school hours if...

• other community groups meet in the school (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.)
• students are not required to attend.
• all students are welcome to attend.
• participation does not affect academic standing or grades in any way.

Student Leadership

Religious clubs must be student organized and student led. Teachers or school personnel are not allowed to organize or lead them, but if asked by students, they may chaperone them. Schools must give those clubs the same rights and privileges as any other club or organization that meets in the school. 

Religious leaders or other outside adults may attend and speak at religious clubs if they are invited by students and if the school does not have a policy banning all guest speakers from extracurricular club meetings. Non-school personnel may not direct, conduct, control, or regularly attend activities of student groups. 

Local Control

The administration of any school has the authority to limit or ban any group that disrupts the order and discipline of the school or the well-being of students and faculty.

SERVICE: It's the season of SOCKS!!

Imagine how hard it would be to go through the winter with feet that were constantly cold or wet because you had no socks.

Most of the U.S. is now in the season of cold and wet. Homeless shelters around the country are in dire need of socks. They don't have to be new or even match, but they do need to be clean and in good shape. Holes don't cover soles! At the same time, if you haven't yet, make a connection and build a servant relationship with the shelter in your area.

Every city in the country has a homeless shelter where socks or all sizes are needed. One of my youth director friends told me a young lady visited her church and she couldn't find any socks for her. The best she could provide were plastic bags. Think of how you would feel if your children had to go through the winter with plastic bags for socks. If you work in a church, bring some socks in and leave a couple pair in every office just in case somebody comes in who needs them.

If you're in the Minneapolis area there's an organization called SoleCare for Souls. Their mission is to promote health and hope by providing free medical foot care for people experiencing homelessness or living in under-resourced conditions. If your congregation is in the Minneapolis area and you're looking for a service project for your children or youth, try supporting them. If you're not in the Minneapolis area, see if there's a similar organization near you.

Help warm souls by warming soles!

FUNDRAISER: Ever go to a great swap?

Lots of people have yard sales or garage sales as fundraisers, but why not try something a little different. Try a SWAP!

Clothes Swap or Exchange
The most common swap is for clothes because kids grow out of their clothes and women get bored of theirs. A clothes swap works very much like a yard sale. People donate any clothes they want to get rid of, but of course, they need to be in good shape. If you have a lot of donations visitors pay $10 or $20 for a paper shopping bag at the door and can fill the shopping bag with whatever they like. That's it! People get gently used clothes for their kids or whatever else they need for a great price! Make sure everybody knows they can give an unspecified donation as well. It's a great idea for uptrading school uniforms too.

Another option is that for every item you bring, you receive a ticket and for every ticket you get to take one item home. If you bring 5 items you get 5 "free" or non-bagged items and then your bag. That way those who bring items get a bonus.

Don't accept any underwear or bathing suits. Ick! Nobody wants those used. Be sure to donate all the leftover clothing to a women's shelter before you give it to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. They're often overlooked.

Shopping Options
You can have people shop as they come or have everybody come at the same time. You can let people browse first before shopping begins, or, if there's a large crowd, hand out playing cards or numbers and have somebody randomly pick a card to see who gets to shop first. If a Queen is picked, all the people who are holding a Queen get to shop first, randomly pick again for the next round, etc.

If you have a fun crowd you could also do it as a timed game where the Queens get to shop for 5 or 10 minutes and then another group gets to go in for the next 5 or 10. Each group gets their time until the Queens get to go again. You could have a bake sale at the same time or just provide a little coffee and a few baked goods for people in between rounds.

Accessory Swap
An Accessory Swap works the same way except that for this one you have shoes (always clean and in good shape), belts, purses, tote bags, hats, scarves, jewelry, gloves, ties, etc. All hair accessories need to be clean. You might choose smaller bags for these items too.

Book Swap
You can do the same thing for a book swap, but instead of a whole bag of books, perhaps people get 5-7 books for $10 or whatever you think is appropriate. It's a great way to transfer children's books from one family to another!

Christmas Deco Swap
I would love to have a Christmas decoration swap. I have tons of Christmas decorations that are perfectly beautiful, but I'm tired of them. I bet other people feel the same way about some of theirs! At this one you could also sell or swap Christmas cookies and candy or other treats.

There are SO many options. You could even have a MEGA SWAP and do it all at the same time!

REACH OUT: The Preschool Connection

Some congregations have very successful preschools but they seem separate from the congregation. I've had people ask me how to build a bridge to their preschool families and my answer is always the same... "Show them Jesus!" What a great blessing that God has brought the mission field INTO YOUR CHURCH!

How do you serve your preschool families?

• Find out about them.  How many are divorced?  How many have single parents?  How many have other kids in the family and what are their ages?
• Offer single parents support through free babysitting once or twice a month to give them a break.
• Have a group of people who like to cook prepare some one-dish meals for some of the families in need or single parents.
• Involve members in Bible story time. Have them share their favorite Bible stories. (They can show, tell, or read from a children's Bible.)
• Include a service component in your confirmation classes where the kids are required to volunteer so many hours a month in the preschool.  Have the director or teachers make lists of service opportunities.
• Have members volunteer to watch the kids on the playground so the teachers can have some meeting or work time.
• Involve the kids in worship services on a regular basis to get families to mingle with the congregation.
• Provide preschool activity bags to help keep the kids busy during worship and include small bags of appropriate treats (that won't cause a mess in the sanctuary).
• Have a clothing and/or toy swap.
• Write a focus article on a preschool family in your newletter so people can get to know them.  Give them a special gift for participating.
• During church events have prizes such as a meal a week for a month, 3 months, a semester, or longer.

A preschool can be a great addition to a church community and many people think they will bring families into the church and they will. If the community is a reflection of Jesus, they won't help but be drawn in.  Show them Jesus!