Raising Christian Children in a Secular School Environment

Raising our kids, it's an exciting journey. We get to see them run around, having so much fun exploring the world around them. The gift in the journey is that we get to see the joy in their hearts and, at the same time, impact their lives in such a great way. We get to teach them the good in life, and we get to teach them that they are valuable. We, also, get to help shape their surroundings. To our kids, their environment is their world. For this reason, I want to talk about a few tips on how to raise kids in a secular school environment.

As I began discussing this topic with my husband, I questioned whether I had any credibility to write on such a topic. My kids are not school-age yet, and they are not old enough to make statements about their faith. They know truth, as they are taught the Word of God, but their faith has yet to be challenged.

The experience that my husband and I have in secular education for 12+ years, has encouraged us to dive in to this subject. We have had to overcome challenges in order to strengthen our faith and understand where truth originates.

In this blog I want to outline a few important points to remember as we raise kids in a secular world. I will have an entire checklist in my next blog, but the most important points I want to discuss at this time. Some of them are basic principles, but I want to emphasize why they are so vital in raising our children.

1. Display Christian values in the home. They will learn that the Bible actually matters. They will see how being obedient to the Word of God is a great blessing to our lives.

2. Attend church regularly. They will be surrounded by people who encourage them and help teach them purpose and morality.

3. Have them attend a good, Bible-based church camp. There are many church camps that do not abide by Biblical values, but my experience is that a good church camp can make an incredible impact on your life. Kids will be blown away that people in the world, outside of their family, actually care about them. They will see that they can act in good character and actually have a lot of fun.

4. Emphasize character more than accomplishments. We praise achievements with grades and sports, but it is most helpful to teach our kids to be kind and caring to others.

5. Encourage them to attend a Christian college, not just a church-affiliated school or secular university. Some schools are church-affiliated more so in name than in the standards they uphold. Christian colleges teach morality and truth. They help kids to makes sense of life and their learning.

I hope these tips are helpful and a blessing to you! To receive the full checklist, and my future blogs, visit www.williamhseng.com. Click on "contact" at the bottom of the page, and send us your email address.

Thanks for reading!

~Melissa Seng