Here’s Why More Churches Should Start Schools

The U.S. Supreme Court in Carson v. Makin (2022) struck down a law in Maine that barred public funding for students to attend schools that provide religious instruction.

Parents can use taxpayer dollars to send their children to religious schools. The decision should encourage more churches to start their own schools. CBN reported on this phenomenon (emphasis added):

Some battle-weary parents have had enough and are turning to their local churches, who now find it easier to gain the funding to educate students through a Biblical worldview.

“We’re making disciples and we’re doing it not just on Sundays, but we’re doing it all week long,” said Pastor Melvin Adams of Faith Family Community Church. “I feel like we do have a leg up here in Florida.”

The church’s Winter Garden Christian Academy just launched this school year. It is one of several Florida churches taking advantage of the state’s expansion of the school voucher program due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022.

Governor Ron DeSantis has given private schools more location options, such as facilities owned or leased by libraries, museums, and movie theaters.

CBN reported that Jimmy Scroggins, pastor of Family Church in Florida, is serious about church schools. In addition to launching four classical Christian schools over the next year, Scroggins wrote an ebook, The Education Reformation: Why Your Church Should Start a Christian School, to help other pastors make the decision to start a school.

Naturally, unbelievers don’t like it.

“The problem isn’t churches starting schools,” said Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “The problem is taxpayer funding for these schools or any private schools.”

The U.S. Constitution doesn’t bar the government from funding religious activities. The old Lemon test is effectively dead, and the Constitution neither implies nor states a “separation of church and state” doctrine.

And as stated above, the Supreme Court in Carson ruled that barring school vouchers for religious schools is unconstitutional.

The Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) released a report in 2021 called Education Choice for All Students: A Moral & National Imperative, written by Star Parker, CURE founder and president, and Marty Dannenfelser, CURE director of Governmental Relations. They discussed the role COVID-19 played in school choice.

Teachers unions wanted to keep schools closed to in-person learning during the pandemic, but parents sought alternatives. Black children in distressed zip codes fared worse.

“Pastors should start private schools and homeschool networks,” the authors wrote. “As key leaders in many communities, especially low-income communities, pastors can play an enormous role in guiding their congregations. They can stress the importance of instilling Biblical values and urge parents to remove their children from the toxic culture that is pervasive in many public schools.”

Imagine a government school alternative that focuses on reading, writing, arithmetic, and biblical values instead of anti-Americanism and “transgender” indoctrination.

“Pastors of small churches should pool resources with other like-minded pastors to start a private school,” the authors added. “If it’s not possible to start a private school in the near term, or if a private school is not for everyone, homeschool networks are another effective means for parents to pool financial resources and instructional capabilities.”

Photo credit: Alliance for Excellent Education (Creative Commons) – Some rights reserved

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