Starting a Bible Club in your Local Elementary Schools

By Shari Hawkins and Kim Yetterberg

The following are some tips to help you start and develop a great Bible Club at your local elementary school. God has many blessings in store for your journey. We have always been amazed at how God worked. Hopefully the following ideas will give you some guidelines to create your own Bible Club. 

[Editor’s Note: The steps and tips below will be easier with the help of your local Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) chapter director. They have over 6,000 after-school clubs around the USA and are experienced in many details. CEF can even train people on how best to run a club. To see if there's a chapter near you, go to https://chapters.cefonline.com. Even if there isn't a local chapter, the state director can give you helpful guidance.]

Approaching the School Administration

1. Pray before you approach the school principal. Take another parent if it makes you feel more comfortable. 

2. Explain that you would like to start a nondenominational Bible Club during non-school hours. 

3. Have a copy of legal documentation to give to the principal. Explain that you want to make sure your club operates within the law and that you have made a copy for him or her to keep. 

4. Ask what school space would be appropriate so that the club does not interfere with other school activities. (The principal and I brainstormed and came up with the PTA portable building. It was used to store PTA items and was empty most of the time. We did try to use a teacher's classroom, but it was hard to get the desks rearranged in time for the incoming students. The library or gym might be another possibility.) 

5. Tell the principal that part of the purpose of the club is to teach children good character and that one of the character traits you want to instill is serving others. The first service project could be providing flavored coffees and donuts or bagels at a school-sponsored teachers' workshop. Ask if there is an activity coming up where you could provide the refreshments. A principal will probably be happy for the offer, giving him or her one less thing to organize. Our teachers were very appreciative of the snacks provided by the club. This is a great way to build positive relationships with the school staff. 

6. The principal will probably want a teacher or two to be sponsors for the club. They monitor the meetings. Schools like the accountability, so have a teacher or parent fulfill this role. 

Tips for the Bible Club

1. Keep the club nondenominational (i.e., methods of baptism and speaking in tongues are not discussed). Stick to the basics of the Christian faith. 

2. We found meeting 20-30 minutes before school starts is the best time. After-school times don't work because so many students have to leave for day care and school buses. Tuesday proved to be the best day for us. We meet once a week. 

3. We usually have a 15-minute devotion or message. We have encouraged children to volunteer to prepare pre-approved lessons or help with object lessons. This encourages leadership qualities. The last five minutes are devoted to prayer requests. We gather in a circle and take prayer requests. A parent sponsor prays with the children. (Be careful...once we allowed a child to lead prayer and we didn't know she was a Buddhist. She started praying to Buddha.) 

4. You must provide permission slips for children to attend the club. (We include the day and time of the meetings, the names of the teacher sponsors, and the names and phone numbers of the parent sponsors, with a place for the child's name, address, phone number and parents' signature.) Usually the principal of the school will require the slip. If children want to invite a friend, give them a permission slip for their friend. We announce this at the end of every Bible Club time and pass out permission slips as children are leaving. 

5. Make it fun! We do lots of hands-on object lessons. Once a month we show a Christian video and serve donuts. 

6. We purchased club T-shirts. The children can wear them on Mondays to advertise for Tuesday's club meeting on campus. You don't have to do this. However, it is a great way to advertise on campus. 

7. Our club does a monthly service project to show appreciation for the school staff. Here are some examples:

• Provide donuts for safety patrol kids.

• Provide a carnation for each teacher. Each child may draw his or her hand and cut it out and attach a preprinted card that says, "Jesus loves you and so does the Bible Club." Then attach these to each carnation.

• Make a large card and have all the Bible Club students sign it. Give the card to the administration office staff along with some baked goods in gift baskets provided by the Bible Club students' moms.

• Cafeteria workers and janitors are other groups to show appreciation to.

Thanks to Shari and Kim for sharing these tips that worked for them as they started their Bible Club in San Antonio, Texas.

Integrating Faith and the Public Schools (Without Mixing Church and State)

Photo by Ben McLeod (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

INTEGRATING FAITH AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

(without mixing church and state)

For years, a secular mindset among educators and school officials has pushed legitimate education about Christianity out of the lives of public school students. The bias against appropriately teaching about the contributions of Christianity to society comes largely from educators who either think it is not legally allowed or that, even if allowed, it is not proper or culturally sensitive to do so.

Parents, educators, school officials, and students can calm their fears about the presence of Christianity in classrooms just by remembering the acronym C.A.L.M., because teaching about religion is Culturally accurate, Academically expected, Legally supported, and Morally imperative.

Culturally Accurate
Christianity continues to have a significant influence on American society. Christianity is the religion with the largest number of adherents in America. 67 percent of Americans claim Christianity as their religious affiliation, compared to 2 percent who identify themselves as Jewish. 7 percent consider themselves atheists or agnostics and 1 percent fall into the category of other religions.1 Among those that do not identify with any religion, 36 percent still believe God exists. Bible engagement has also gone up from 15 to 19 percent, with disengagement decreasing to 45 percent in just one year.

During a typical week, 22 percent of Americans, over 70 million people, attend church.2  This is high when compared to other major Western countries. For instance, Germany’s church attendance is 12.5 percent of the population; Sweden’s is 9 percent. Even England ranks far behind the United States. Figures for weekly church attendance there range from 27 to only 8 percent.3

In light of our heritage and current demographic figures, it is little wonder that Christian holidays dominate the American calendar; that there are nearly 1,400 radio stations in America airing Christian programs or music; that our hospitals have names like St. Joseph’s and Baptist General; that our language regularly uses Biblical expressions such as “good Samaritan,” and “go the extra mile;” or that our national motto, “In God We Trust,” was adopted in 1956, not 1856.4

It is reasonable to assume that American schools should teach American students about American culture, and that includes teaching them about the significant role of Christianity, both historically and currently.

Academically Expected
A quick look at state academic standards from around the country reveals a number of ways that state officials not only encourage educators to teach about the Bible and Christian thought, they expect it. Here are a few examples: In California, sixth-grade students are to “Note origins of Christianity in the Jewish Messianic prophecies, the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament, and the contribution of St. Paul the Apostle to the definition and spread of Christian beliefs (e.g., belief in the Trinity, resurrection, salvation).”

The Colorado Department of Education states that, "Because religion plays a significant role in history and society, study about religion is essential to understanding both the nation and the world. Omission of facts about religion can give students the false impression that the religious life of humankind is insignificant or unimportant."

In Massachusetts, junior high school students are encouraged to "Describe the features of Christianity (e.g., the belief in a messiah who could redeem humans from sin, the concept of salvation, the belief in an Old and a New Testament in the Bible, the life, and teachings of Jesus.)."

Even the National Education Association agrees. The union’s 2000-2001 resolution E-7 states:

“The National Education Association believes that educational materials should accurately portray the influence of religion in our nation and throughout the world.”5
 
Legally Supported
In the Supreme Court case of Abington School District v. Schempp, Justice Clark, writing the majority opinion stated: “…It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment.”6

It is common for public schools to forbid or discourage the singing of religious Christmas carols. However, this may come as a surprise to the Supreme Court. In the case of Lynch v. Donnelly, involving the public display of a nativity scene, the Justices commented that during Christmas, “people are taking note of the season with Christmas hymns and carols in public schools.”7  

The Court assumed school children were singing religious Christmas carols!  

In the Federal court case of Florey v. Sioux Falls School District, the ACLU was twice defeated in its attempt to have the school district’s policy on recognizing holidays declared unconstitutional.  

Morally Imperative
Today’s young people are hurting. Many of today’s youth are emotionally, morally, and spiritually lost. Harvard University’s Samuel Huntington asserts that a new Dark Ages of barbarism is descending on the world.8 Social critic Morris Berman in his book, The Twilight of American Culture, quotes Alexis de Tocqueville, “When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.”9

Former Attorney General William Barr spoke on the challenges within our schools: “Ground Zero for attacks on religion are the schools,” he said, “and, to me, this is the most serious challenge to religious liberty today.” He went on to say, “The problem is not that religion is being forced on others. The problem is that irreligion is being forced; secular values are being forced on people of faith.”

In today’s schools, we must raise a generation of young Americans who truly value religious liberty and are willing to stand up for it. We hear calls to teach the whole child, promote anti-drug messages, and promote students’ social and emotional wellbeing. But at the same time, many in our culture laugh at those who recommend a return to our moral roots. The point of education is about righteousness and refinement, not just churning out more workers for the marketplace.

There are millions of Christians within the public schools. They can confidently exercise their constitutional freedoms to affirm students’ religious expression in class and teach students the important contribution the Bible and Christianity make to the world and to their academic subjects. They simply need to know how. Gateways to Better Education is committed to helping Christian educators and school leaders in public schools. You are the gateway to better education for students.

© Eric Buehrer

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The Bible & Your State’s Academic Standards-
How to Use Your State’s Academic Standards Regarding the Bible and Christianity.

At Gateway to Better Education we have reviewed every states academic standards to find where the Bible and Christianity can, and in some cases is expected to be, taught. To receive a copy of our research about your state, visit www.GoGateways.org/articles/standards.

Ideas for Teachers
1. Become thoroughly familiar with the standards for your grade and subject. Don’t assume your textbook incorporates the standards regarding the Bible and Christianity.

2. Personally invest time to study church history that you could include in lessons related to the development of Western civilization and American history.

3. Develop your confidence by reflecting on the difference between teaching about religion and the teaching of religion. You could even explain this distinction to students and parents. The California Department of Education offers this distinction: “To teach about religion is not to instruct in religion. Teaching about religion embraces the study of various religions; appreciation of the nature and variety of religious experience historically and currently; information on past and present sources, views, and behavior of religious persons or groups; and the influence of religion on cultures and civilizations. Instruction in religion, by contrast, is to seek acceptance of and commitment to a particular religion, including a non-religion, such as secularism.” 10

4. To help students understand that ideas have consequences, objectively teach the biblical principles and thinking behind the actions of historical figures who sought to implement their faith (e.g., Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., America's Founding Fathers, Dr. Livingston).

5. Develop a discussion group of like-minded colleagues to formulate lesson ideas and exchange research on how to teach various aspects of your state’s standards. If your state's standards are broad and give little guidance on specifics to teach, refer to California's handbook on its Social Studies standards for ideas. You can download a PDF of the handbook by visiting www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/index.asp .

Ideas for Parents
1. Distribute copies of the standards and this article to parents, teachers, youth workers, and pastors. It is important to help people understand what is possible (and even expected).

2. In a friendly manner, let your children’s teachers know that you are encouraged by your state’s standards concerning the Bible and Christianity, and ask them how they will be teaching to the standards in their classrooms.

3. Use the standards as a starting point for discussions with your children at home regarding church history and the Bible’s influence on the world.

© Eric Buehrer

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Recommended Resources

Alvin J. Schmidt; Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization; Grand Rapids, MI; Zondervan; 2001.

Warren A. Nord; Religion & American Education; Chapel Hill, NC; The University of North Carolina Press; 1995.

Samuel Huntington; The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order; New York, NY; Touchstone; 1996.

Lawrence E. Harrison & Samuel P. Huntington, Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress, New York, NY; Basic Books; 2000.

Footnotes:

1. George Barna, “State of the Bible 2019: Trends in Engagement,” Barna Research Online, www.barna.org, (4/18/2019).

2. Church attendance statistics https://www.statista.com/statistics/245491/church-attendance-of-americans/

3. https://www.pewforum.org/2018/10/29/eastern-and-western-europeans-differ-on-importance-of-religion-views-of-minorities-and-key-social-issues/

4. Inside Radio’s monthly chart of Format Counts; June, 2021 (www.insideradio.com)

5. NEA resolution I-22 Freedom of Religion

6. Abington School District v. Schempp , 374 U.S. at 225 (1963).

7. Lynch v. Donnelly , 465 U.S. 686 (1984).

8. Samuel Huntington; The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order ; New York , NY ; Touchstone; 1996., p. 321.

9. Morris Berman, The Twilight of American Culture , (New York , NY : W.W. Norton & Co., 2000) p. 52.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Christian Pledge

As part of your lessons on Martin Luther King, Jr., help students understand the depth of how Dr. King's Christian faith impacted his leadership in the civil rights movement.

Below is an excerpt from a U.S. State Department website that reminds us of a largely-forgotten part of the non-violent protests for civil rights. For the complete article, click on the link at the end of this article.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: You are not proselytizing for merely teaching your students about Dr. King's passionate insistence that his fellow protesters base their actions on Christian principles.

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Excerpted from "The Martin Luther King We Remember" by Adam Wolfson and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan 

The Christian springs of King's statesmanship are abundantly evident. With the successful end of the Montgomery bus boycott, King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in order to take the civil rights struggle and his nonviolent message throughout the South. One of his most trusted aides urged him to drop the word Christian from the new organization. It was argued that such an explicit religious reference would alienate white Northern liberals, whose support would be crucial in the years ahead. King was adamant, however, and the word Christian remained. He also insisted that civil rights participants be guided by Christian principles. For example, volunteers in the Birmingham campaign were required to sign a "Commitment Card" that read in part:

I HEREBY PLEDGE MYSELF--MY PERSON AND MY BODY--TO THE NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT. THEREFORE I WILL KEEP THE FOLLOWING TEN COMMANDMENTS:

1. MEDITATE daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.

2. REMEMBER always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation-not victory.

3. WALK and TALK in the manner of love, for God is love.

4. PRAY daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.

5. SACRIFICE personal wishes in order that all men might be free.

6. OBSERVE with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.

7. SEEK to perform regular service for others and for the world.

8. REFRAIN from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.

9. STRIVE to be in good spiritual and bodily health.

10. FOLLOW the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration.

To read the full article CLICK HERE.

The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (Paraphrase)

An easier-to-understand paraphrase of the Virginia Statute

God created us to be free in our thinking. He is all-powerful but He chose not to force us to obey Him. Throughout history there have been people who have tried to force others to believe a certain way about God. Often times this has led to people being forced to believe what the ruler believed even if it wasn't really true. We don’t want that.

It also isn’t right to force people to give money to religions that they don’t believe. It is best to let people support the religion they believe is the best one. The government shouldn’t even force people to support the religion they do believe is right. Each person should be free to support his religion in the way he thinks is best.

The rights we have, as citizens, shouldn’t depend on which religion we follow. The government shouldn’t tell people that they cannot hold a public office like mayor, or governor, or President just because of their religious beliefs. If the government did that, it would only cause people to lie about their beliefs. They might say they believe this or that religion just to run for political office. Of course, it would be wrong for people to lie about their religious beliefs, but it would also be wrong for the government to tempt people to lie by saying that only people who believe a certain way can be in politics. The government’s job is to help keep a peaceful society, not to tell people what religion to follow.

Truth is a wonderful thing. Truth can defend itself if you just let it be told. People need to be free to talk about what they believe is the truth about God.

Because of all this, we, the leaders of the state of Virginia, have decided the government should not force anybody to follow a religion, nor should the government force anybody to pay money to support a religion. People should decide this for themselves. Also, the government shouldn’t hassle people because of the religion they follow. Instead, everybody should be free to follow, and talk about, their religion.

We know that we are elected by the people to make decisions for right now. We know that in the future some group of Virginia’s leaders may decide to change this law. But, if they did that, we want to say right now that would be wrong, because God created us to be free.

© 2014, Gateways to Better Education.  Permission is granted to use in classrooms.

The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

In Virginia, the American Revolution led to the disestablishment of the Anglican Church, which had been tied closely to the royal government. Then the question arose as to whether the new state should continue to impose taxes to be used for the support of all recognized churches. The proposal had a number of supporters who, even if they no longer accepted an established church, still believed that religion should be supported by the public purse.

For some Virginians, however, imposing religion on people smacked of tyranny. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, both of whom would later be president of the United States, argued that religious beliefs should be solely matters of individual conscience and completely immune from any interference by the state. Moreover, religious activity of any sort should be wholly voluntary. Not only did they oppose taxing people to support an established church, but they also objected to forcing people to pay taxes even for their own church. To Jefferson, a high wall of separation should always keep church and state apart.

Jefferson drafted the following measure, but it was Madison who skillfully secured its adoption by the Virginia legislature in 1786. It is still part of modern Virginia's constitution, and it has not only been copied by other states but was also the basis for the Religion Clauses in the Constitution's Bill of Rights. Both men considered this bill one of the great achievements of their lives, and Jefferson directed that on his tombstone he should not be remembered as president of the United States or for any of the other high offices he held, but as the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and as the founder of the University of Virginia.

For further reading: William Lee Miller, The First Liberty: Religion and the American Republic (1985); Leonard W. Levy, The Establishment Clause and the First Amendment (1986); Merrill D. Peterson and Robert C. Vaughn, eds., The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: Its Evolution and Consequences in American History (1988).

VIRGINIA STATUTE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy author of our religion, who being Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as it was in his Almighty power to do; that the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavouring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world, and through all time; that to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical; that even the forcing him to support this or that teacher of his own religious persuasion, is depriving him of the comfortable liberty of giving his contributions to the particular pastor, whose morals he would make his pattern, and whose powers he feels most persuasive to righteousness, and is withdrawing from the ministry those temporary rewards, which proceeding from an approbation of their personal conduct, are an additional incitement to earnest and unremitting labours for the instruction of mankind; that our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry; that therefore the proscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of trust and emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages to which in common with his fellow-citizens he has a natural right; that it tends only to corrupt the principles of that religion it is meant to encourage, by bribing with a monopoly of worldly honours and emoluments, those who will externally profess and conform to it; that though indeed these are criminal who do not withstand such temptation, yet neither are those innocent who lay the bait in their way; that to suffer the civil magistrate to intrude his powers into the field of opinion, and to restrain the profession or propagation of principles on supposition of their ill tendency, is a dangerous fallacy, which at once destroys all religious liberty, because he being of course judge of that tendency will make his opinions the rule of judgment, and approve or condemn the sentiments of others only as they shall square with or differ from his own; that it is time enough for the rightful purposes of civil government, for its officers to interfere when principles break out into overt acts against peace and good order; and finally, that truth is great and will prevail if left to herself, that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate, errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them:

Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.

And though we well know that this assembly elected by the people for the ordinary purposes of legislation only, have no power to restrain the acts of succeeding assemblies, constituted with powers equal to our own, and that therefore to declare this act to be irrevocable would be of no effect in law; yet we are free to declare, and do declare, that the rights hereby asserted are of the natural rights of mankind, and that if any act shall be hereafter passed to repeal the present, or to narrow its operation, such act shall be an infringement of natural right.

Source: W.W. Hening, ed., Statutes at Large of Virginia, vol. 12 (1823): 84-86.

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USEFUL LINKS

ReligiousFreedomDay.com