I haven't always felt this way but through time...

Resources for Christian families deciding between homeschool or public school.

“When you send that child off to school today, you’re sending them into a pagan society.” Charles Stanley

Photo Credit: © Isaiah Shook | Dreamstime.com

An institutionalized educational setting is no place for any child to spend 12-years of their lives. Beyond that we’re accountable to God for our children. This is why I don’t agree with the “public school is a child’s ministry” argument.

How can a 6-year old Christian child “minister” to the classmate who is filling them in on the details of sex during school lunch? They can’t.

But the parent prays a prayer over the little one, slips the big back pack over small shoulders, and repeats a Bible verse with precious child as they wait for the big yellow bus. By the time that child steps off the school bus in the afternoon, after their day of “ministry,” they will need several hours to decompress once they get in the door. Then, there’s dinner, homework, and heaven forbid if the child is also involved in outside activities. It’s back in the car for more running, more immersion, and more time away from the family.

“Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT

You can see that my heart is set on homeschooling being the ultimate goal for every Christian family. I believe that homeschooling is getting back to the way that God intended family life. I encourage anyone interested in the well being of their children to homeschool. Do whatever you have to do; mothers come home. You’ll never regret the gift of time that you receive as a family.

Dr. James Dobson has said and written on several occasions “If Shirley and I were raising our children again, we would homeschool them…” {Read his full article here, “Okay to Homeschool?”}

More important than the system that we don’t want to hand our children into, is the fact that by homeschooling our children we have a unique opportunity to capture their hearts. From research by Dr. Brian D. Ray P.h.D, he found that 94% of homeschooled children keep their faith and continue to attend church as adults. While of their counterparts, only 15% keep their faith after graduating public school. Sadly, 85% of children from Christian homes will not carry a Christian worldview or attend church after their institutional graduation. ¹

It saddens me at the end of every summer when Pastors across America line children up in the altar to pray over them; then send the children out as sheep among the wolves. We wouldn’t drop our children off at a bar and tell them to go minister. It’s the same thing with America’s public school system. It’s a government run socialist bar serving up mixed drinks of secular humanism to our God given babies.

I hear the comments already. O.k. Holy Spirit-led Homeschooling lady, what would the public schools look like if we took all the Christian kids out? The public schools tossed God out a long time ago. If you watch the Indoctrination Movie you’ll see that Christian kids & teachers are being thrown out left and right. Praise God for the Christian teachers who are sticking it out. But, public school is not a child’s ministry.

How do you teach your children to reach out and minister if you keep them home? I’m glad you asked.

Minister as a family. You know all those unsaved family members, neighbors and strangers the Lord puts before you? There, that’s a ministry, right there. Find a nursing home, bake cookies for police officers, go on missions trips, and look for creative ways to reach the world for Jesus as a family unit.

Talk to your children about hard things. Just because children are home does not mean they’re under a rock. Abortion, political elections and even homosexuality are common conversations in our home. Driving down interstate 81-south to Florida we’ve been bombarded by bill boards that have been surprising conversation starters.

Pray and read your Bible as a family. Time in God’s Word is essential for dynamic family life. It will also establish your children with a solid heart for ministry–the ministry of daily life. Remember Jesus. As a young boy, Jesus stepped out into ministry at the temple. When his parents found him, he was sent home to “grow in wisdom and stature.” We don’t hear from Jesus again until he was a man, after years with his family, ready to step out into public ministry. {Luke 2:39-52}

In the homeschooling lifestyle you are able to focus on your Christ-centered living daily, as a family. Engage in long conversations while working through the joys and hiccups of the day. In other words, discipleship, which takes time. I love the quote from Disciple Like Jesus, “Jesus didn’t send his disciples away for training, he did the job himself.” Further, the ministry of Disciple Like Jesus makes the powerful point that the disciples were grown men whom were sent out two-by-two, not little children sent out under a prayer covering by themselves. We need to disciple like Jesus.

Taken from Holy Spirit-Led Homeschool's e-newsletter.

And let me preface this - my son is 21 and went to public school...I am NOT anti public school...I just feel that you shouldn't send your kids to public school with the mindset for them to be the minister/missionary there. Even Jesus didn't start his ministering until he was 30 years old. Yes at 12 he was found in the church but that was in His Father's House. I would just ask you to pray and then NOT live in fear if the Holy Spirit is telling you to homeschool...step out and do it.