Christian Schools are Too Expensive
(Or So They Say)
Over the years I have spoken with many people who would love to have their children in a Christian school if it wasn’t so expensive. They often sigh wistfully and say, "We just can’t afford it." The lack of funds seems to them to indicate that the Lord is leading them to enroll their children in the public school. I have never accepted the idea that Christian schools are too expensive, and here is why.
1. Too expensive? Compared to what? A mortgage will easily run $900 a month. Car payments are often $500 a month. The cost of baby-sitting a pre-schooler can run up to $400 a month. One month’s tuition in a Christian school is often less than the cost of daycare. That is a pretty good deal!
2. A Christian education is not an expense; it is an investment. You are investing in your children and their future. You and they will reap the benefits both now and in eternity. Yes, it is a lot of money, but is the return worth it? Your children are the only treasure you have on earth which you can take with you to heaven. Everything else will either rot away or rust away. It makes more sense to invest in your children than in a house or car.
3. You get what you pay for. While public schools are "free," we shouldn’t assume that they are providing the same kind of education. They are not. First, they cannot provide a foundation in the Word of God for every subject they teach. They cannot provide godly counsel and encouragement based upon the Scriptures. They cannot teach about the real world as created and upheld by the power of God. They cannot support the values taught in your home; in fact, they continually undermine them. Second, their humanistic educational philosophy and their denial of the sinful nature of man lead them to use methods of teaching and discipline which are too often ineffectual. Christian schools provide a very different and clearly superior education both spiritually and academically.
4. Believe it or not, you really can afford it. First, most Christian schools have a financial aid program so that no child will be denied a Christian education due to lack of funds. Somehow, through the combined giving of the Body of Christ, every child gets cared for. Second, God seldom provides the money in advance. (If you had it, you’d spend it!) Money is really not a problem for the Creator of the Universe! Look at it this way: If it isn’t God’s will to enroll your children in a Christian school, then money isn’t a problem because you won’t need it. And if it is God’s will for you to enroll your children, then money is not a problem because He will supply it! Either way, money is not a problem. God has supplied for thousands of others; He will do it for you!
5. You can’t afford not to! Too many parents enroll their children in a Christian school after their children begin to experience difficulties in the public school. Suddenly, they find the money they need because it has become a necessity. I believe a Christian education is a necessity not just for children with difficulties but for all kids because it is academically sound and morally right. Can you really afford to do otherwise?
I encourage you, then, to make your decision on the basis of God’s Word and the quality of education you want for your children. Pay what you can, and trust God for the rest.
Brian Hazeltine, B.Ed., M.A., Ed.D.
Over the years I have spoken with many people who would love to have their children in a Christian school if it wasn’t so expensive. They often sigh wistfully and say, "We just can’t afford it." The lack of funds seems to them to indicate that the Lord is leading them to enroll their children in the public school. I have never accepted the idea that Christian schools are too expensive, and here is why.
1. Too expensive? Compared to what? A mortgage will easily run $900 a month. Car payments are often $500 a month. The cost of baby-sitting a pre-schooler can run up to $400 a month. One month’s tuition in a Christian school is often less than the cost of daycare. That is a pretty good deal!
2. A Christian education is not an expense; it is an investment. You are investing in your children and their future. You and they will reap the benefits both now and in eternity. Yes, it is a lot of money, but is the return worth it? Your children are the only treasure you have on earth which you can take with you to heaven. Everything else will either rot away or rust away. It makes more sense to invest in your children than in a house or car.
3. You get what you pay for. While public schools are "free," we shouldn’t assume that they are providing the same kind of education. They are not. First, they cannot provide a foundation in the Word of God for every subject they teach. They cannot provide godly counsel and encouragement based upon the Scriptures. They cannot teach about the real world as created and upheld by the power of God. They cannot support the values taught in your home; in fact, they continually undermine them. Second, their humanistic educational philosophy and their denial of the sinful nature of man lead them to use methods of teaching and discipline which are too often ineffectual. Christian schools provide a very different and clearly superior education both spiritually and academically.
4. Believe it or not, you really can afford it. First, most Christian schools have a financial aid program so that no child will be denied a Christian education due to lack of funds. Somehow, through the combined giving of the Body of Christ, every child gets cared for. Second, God seldom provides the money in advance. (If you had it, you’d spend it!) Money is really not a problem for the Creator of the Universe! Look at it this way: If it isn’t God’s will to enroll your children in a Christian school, then money isn’t a problem because you won’t need it. And if it is God’s will for you to enroll your children, then money is not a problem because He will supply it! Either way, money is not a problem. God has supplied for thousands of others; He will do it for you!
5. You can’t afford not to! Too many parents enroll their children in a Christian school after their children begin to experience difficulties in the public school. Suddenly, they find the money they need because it has become a necessity. I believe a Christian education is a necessity not just for children with difficulties but for all kids because it is academically sound and morally right. Can you really afford to do otherwise?
I encourage you, then, to make your decision on the basis of God’s Word and the quality of education you want for your children. Pay what you can, and trust God for the rest.
Brian Hazeltine, B.Ed., M.A., Ed.D.