by Dr. Dave Jaspers
Does a pastor's ministry to a young person end when that child graduates from high school? Does the concern of a church cease when their young people turn 18? The assumed answer to these questions is a resounding NO! I cannot believe that any pastor or congregation would feel that their responsibility ends when a young person from their ministry finishes high school.
The sacrifices of churches and individuals to ensure a quality education at the elementary and secondary levels are evident. It has been my privilege over the past 14 years to preach in nearly 400 Christian schools. It was obvious that the conviction of those pastors and people is to provide a Christ-centered, biblically-based education for the young people to whom they ministered. Beyond that, thousands of homes have taken on the daunting task of providing for the education of their children right in their own homes. The investment, though costly, is a wise one.
Surprisingly, when it comes to the education of those children after high school, there is a dangerous assumption that there will always be quality education available at the college and graduate level. Is that a safe one? I say NO! On what basis could we possibly assume that college-level, Christian education is a given? We would never do that in any other area of ministry. The financial support given to these students' elementary and secondary schools needs to be expanded to their colleges.
The explanation given to me by pastors as to why their churches do not support any Bible college or Christian college usually follows one or both of the following lines of reasoning.
"If we take on one of the colleges for support, we would have to take on all of them. Rather than get started down that road, we have determined that we will not support any of them."
I hear this excuse more than any other. But is it really valid? Is it your responsibility to take on every good missionary that shares his or her field with your people? Of course not. You simply support those missionaries that best reflect the ministry of your congregation. Your congregation knows that just because a missionary speaks at your church, it is not a given that they will be taken on for support.
The same pattern ought to be followed in the important matter of investing in a college-level, Christian education. Find the school or schools that best reflect the ethos of your congregation, and invest in them. If that means that you do not send support to Maranatha, fine; but please support some good college! It is dangerous and unthinkable simply to assume that good Bible colleges and Christian colleges will always be available. Invest in their future and the future of your young people. If you decide to send support to another college, let me know, and I will thank you.
When I was pastoring in Marshalltown, Iowa, over 40 young people from our church attended Christian college each year. Today, there are 132 young people out of that church serving the Lord in full-time vocational ministry. Those young people went to several different Bible colleges and Christian colleges. During any given year while I was pastor, there were young people in no less than five different colleges; however, as a church, we only sent support to two Bible colleges. That was the decision of the congregation. We evaluated the need and made the decision to support, just like any other mission opportunity. It really was not a problem. With proper leadership, your people can understand the need in this area.
"What if we take on a college for support and then that college changes? It would be difficult to drop that school from our support once we start."
Every church already faces this problem. What do you do if a missionary goes bad? You drop support! When I was a pastor, we dropped some missionaries that we had supported for years. We did it ethically. We made sure we had the facts. We did it carefully with clear communication to the missionary. We did it when the missionary returned home from the field, so that he could find alternate support. Bottom line . . . there are times when we eliminate missionaries from our missions program. If a college goes bad, you simply drop support. That doesn't have to be a difficult thing. In fact, it can be an excellent teaching opportunity for you in leading your people.
Anyone who understands the history of college-level, Christian education knows that schools can change. How sad that some schools that started out as ministry-training schools are now only secular universities. The day came that they changed. Today, I wouldn't send my dog to those schools! Why did they change? Because they departed from their early convictions that had been based on the Word of God. How could that have happened? There is no doubt that somewhere along the way, there was a breakdown in accountability. When the changes began to show up, no one cared!
There is a trend today in the thinking of fundamentalists that the Christian colleges and universities exist to keep the churches straight. Nothing could be further from the truth. It ought to be the churches keeping the schools straight! Accountability is a very important key. With investment comes ownership in that ministry. Pastors and churches ought to have a vested interest in the direction of today's college-level, Christian educational institutions.
What is your congregation doing to ensure that there will be trustworthy, affordable, reliable, college-level, Christian educational opportunities available to your young people? Please don't assume that those choices will always be there. Invest in a good Bible college or Christian college. If that is not Maranatha, we will rejoice that you are investing in some good school. Whether you choose to join us by investing in the ministry of Maranatha or not, we will certainly thank God for you and will endeavor to remain responsive to your concerns. If you would like to visit with us further about investing at Maranatha, please call us at 1-800-MBBC WIS.
Dr. Dave Jaspers served as president of Maranatha Baptist Bible College from January 1999 to May 2006.