Bible Courses Back in Public Schools: Discipling and Training Students With the Gospel for Elective Credits

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Abstract: I have observed a struggle among churches regarding how to educate students in knowledge and application of biblical instruction in their lives. We live in a time when school and extracurriculars are top priorities, parents lack discipleship themselves (thus failing to disciple their kids), and churches struggle to cram everything in on Sundays and Wednesdays with no real way to hold students accountable for their progress in learning. As a student pastor, I found myself realizing that students do not have to go to church, nor can I make them read/study their Bibles. If parents were not involved in a student’s growth in Christ, my efforts seemed to fall on complacent and “busy” ears. This is where God showed me that there is a way to address these concerns in a single concerted effort that can produce results far beyond what the typical church education ministry can accomplish in American student ministries.

Gady Youmans, D.Ed.Min., is the founder and executive director of the Sweet Onion Christian Learning Center and the lead pastor of Word of Life Baptist Church in Vidalia, Georgia. He holds a D.Ed.Min., M.A. in Christian Education, and M.A. in Biblical Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.