1 Pew Research Center. (2019, October 3). Religion in the Public Schools. Retrieved Oct. 17, 2023.
2 Pierce, E. (2021, September 15). Private school vs. public school. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
Approved by the dean of the College of Education on Sept. 25, 2023.
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Rigorous discipleship includes spending time with God through prayer, song, nature and reading the Bible. It requires you to take efforts to follow the ways of God and ask for forgiveness when we stray.
We must not give up in our efforts, because we believe we can be strengthened as we walk in faith. Anyone who feels called to discipleship and teaching as a Christian educator should do so prayerfully. They must fully equip themselves for the challenges of being an educator by studying God’s Word on a regular basis.
Although good teaching is good teaching, whether in a public, charter or Christian school, Christian educators can fulfill a special role as they teach to their academic subjects, while also guiding classroom students in their faith journeys.
Grand Canyon University’s College of Education teaches education professionals to empower the generations to come with the academic tools they need for success. We offer a range of education degree programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with an Emphasis in Christian Education program. Complete the form on this page to discover whether this or other education degree programs may be the right choice for your career path.
Not only can you teach students about Christianity, the Bible and Jesus during Christian-related courses, you can also implement Christian values into other subjects as well. This teaches students how to expand their beliefs, live a godly life and develop Christian principles in all areas of life — not just in church or school.
There are many Christians who feel called to serve the Lord in public and charter schools who are making a great impact on the lives of their students and colleagues alike. Many other teachers are called to serve in Christian schools. If you feel drawn to share your faith to students in the classroom setting, you may wish to further explore the benefits of Christian education, both for students and educators.
Getting the opportunity to teach children today is so meaningful because you are not only giving them the tools they need to become successful in life, but also to become the next generation to make an impact on the world. Christian education benefits include being able to live out your Christian faith, as well as teach young students in a Christian environment. Here are some reasons why working in a Christian school can be a great fit.
Teaching in a Christian school can make it easy to be open with your beliefs because you are surrounded by other people with similar beliefs. Depending on your school’s policies, you may have the opportunity to share your thoughts and opinions through your Christian worldview, implement it into the school system, and enjoy the support of everyone around you with similar beliefs.
You may also benefit from intellectually stimulating conversations with your peers, as they may have differing views and biblical interpretations than you do.
By law, public schools must obey the constitutional separation of church and state. Public schools welcome a diverse range of students from all walks of life who deserve a high-quality education in a school where they feel welcomed and included. For these reasons, according to Pew Research Center, public school teachers may be prohibited from promoting prayer and most other religious activities to their students.1
Although a public school teacher may teach about religion, they cannot provide religious instruction. If you decided to work in a public school, you would not be prohibited from practicing your faith on school grounds. You would be free to pray as you see fit. However, you would not be legally allowed to lead your students in prayer or to encourage them to pray, as this would violate their constitutional rights.1
If you feel called to teach in a school where you may be able to embrace your faith more fully and incorporate God and Christianity into your lessons, then becoming a teacher or other education professional at a Christian school may be the right move for you. As with any workplace, teaching at a Christian school can require you to abide by the school’s mission and policies. You are encouraged to do your research on the schools you are interested in to see if your goals and their expectations are aligned.
Teaching in a Christian school not only allows you to teach your students about Jesus and the Christian faith, you may also have the opportunity to help them discover who they are and what kind of person they want to be. Many religious schools incorporate character education into their curriculum to teach students how to use manners and create good habits.
As a Christian educator, you could help awaken students’ eyes and hearts to the beauty around them in a world plentiful with God’s blessings and promoting living in his service.
Both students and educators may find a smaller class size appealing. As a teacher, a small class size can enable you to connect better with your students, and to devote individual attention to each student. Although these data are not specific to Christian schools, private schools in general have an average student-to-teacher ratio of 11.9, compared to the average public school ratio of 16.2 students per teacher.2
Smaller class sizes may not apply to all private, Christian schools, so if this is an important benefit for you, be sure to research school websites as many share this information.
The aim of Christian education is for teachers to model and encourage abundant, healthy relationships with God and others. You can be a role model who has an impact on students’ lives every day. You can teach them about Christianity and demonstrate the integration of faith into daily life through your words and actions.
You can help students to know God by growing in faith together. If you are living out a godly lifestyle, your students can see that, and they can choose to follow. As a class, together you can explore ways to participate in God’s kingdom through academic instruction. Christian educators have the opportunity to point their students toward an understanding that God is at the center of every area of study and is the creator of all knowledge and truth.
