Most- if not all- churches in America have evangelism programs for the purpose of bringing people to God and to their church.These programs cost hundreds, thousands, even tens-of-thousands of dollars every year and I think most would be absolutely ecstatic with a 10% or so success rate (1 out of every10 people giving their hearts to the Lord and committing to a church. The greatest evangelist in the 20th century, Billy Graham, saw a success rate of about 3%, 3% going to church and serving God a year later. That's 3% of those who respond to the alter call, not of those who attended.)
I have a better program for churches to use. One that will have around a 90% success rate.
Oh, its not dramatic and exciting like a crusade or anything. In fact, its down right boring and will take more than a decade to see results.
More like Grandma and Grandpa celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary surrounded by their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren than Romeo and Juliet.
And the name of the program?
Promote homeschooling among your people.
Simple math:
85% of churched children who attend government school will leave the church the minute they become adults.85-90% of churched children who are homeschooled stay in church for their entire lives.
(Private schools saw more children staying in church than government schools, but way, way fewer than homeschools).
So if you want to further the kingdom of God, do everything you can to get the children in your church into a homeschool.
How?
1. Preach about it. Here are some scriptures to get you started: hsscriptures.homeschoolwwh.com.
Here is a study about the difference between churched children depending on where they were schooled. And an article about the study (a bit easier to read)
2. Assign someone in your church to contact HSLDA.org who can direct you to your state's homeschooling organization and help you understand the laws in your state. (It is legal to homeschool in every state, but the laws vary considerably, from "Make sure you teach them certain subjects. Otherwise, don't bother us and we won't bother you." to "Test every year, keep a portfolio, have a teacher evaluate your child each year, teach these subjects and have the school board approve your curriculum.") Make sure your congregation knows to go to that person for help getting legally started (most churches of any size will already have someone in the congregation who knows all this).
3. Set up a library where your families can get some of the resources they need for free. And/or schedule a "Book Exchange" or sale every year where your homeschoolers can get together and swap books (with or without money involved).
4. Start a Homeschool Scholarship. The average homeschool family spends $500 per year per child. Do you know what a difference a mere $100 scholarship could make in a homeschooling family?! $127 buys my large family's entire math curriculum for a year! $60 will buy all our grammar! $130 will pay our electric bill for a month! Does your church send money to Missionaries? Consider giving some of that money to a single mom in your congregation so she can pay her bills and homeschool her kids. You will be amazed at how little will make a tremendous difference!
5. Make deals with local music and art teachers to give a discount to members of your church (maybe your church pay the difference?) Many homeschoolers have to do without these necessary services because of trying to live on one income plus the fact that the average homeschool family has 3.5 kids (the US average is 1.8).
6. Encourage the families in your church to use the church facilities for meetings and co-ops. (A homeschool co-op is where several parents in a group teach a subject of their passion, usually once a week for six weeks or so, to all the children of a certain age in their group. So the history buff teaches a history co-op, the Grammar buff teaches a writing class, the "crafty" mom teaches a craft class, etc. Homeschooling, but with a bit of a "Private School" flare.) Maybe your families would like your Sunday School classes to be a "Bible Co-Op" Then again, maybe not (I have known a lot of homeschoolers that would have been thrilled with such an idea, but I would find it annoying unless I was the one running it. So ask.)
7. Is there a government school coach or some with equivalent interest in your church? I have heard of a couple of homeschool groups that had their own sports teams.
8. Are there mom's in your church with only little children? Find a way to arrange for them to have homeschool-friendly babysitting so they can run to the grocery store alone!
9. Teach classes on finances and budgeting. Especially families with little kids find it very hard to manage financially. Help them. Inviting speakers on Minimalism (Simple Living) will help. It is not only easier for a homeschooling family to manage if they don't feel pressured to "Keep Up With the Joneses," but an anti-materialism lifestyle is more biblical (I don't mean a lifestyle where you don't own anything. I mean a lifestyle where "things" aren't important.)
Over all, have a culture inside your church that encourages and teaches parents to take responsibility for their children the Bible says to.
Talk to them.
Ask them how you can help.
All those precious babies still serving God, raising their own babies for Him, 10, 15, 20 years from now.....Oh the Glory to God!
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