Why Christian Schools Still Need Donors (and Why That’s a Good Thing)

This is the final installment of a 5-part blog series by CHA Head of School Joseph Torgerson entitled Christian Schooling: A Ministry Like No Other.

Growing up as a missionary kid, every other summer my family would head to the U.S. and visit many of my family’s supporting churches. It was a blessing, because it gave us kids the chance to see much of the United States. But it was also a bit of a drag, because every week we were in a new church, hearing our dad preach the same sermon, and then, inevitably, there would be an “ask” for money to support my parents’ ministry. More than once I sat in the pew and thought, “I want to do everything I can to avoid asking people for money. I’m never going to do that.” 

As I began my role at CHA as Head of School four years ago, knowing that part of my role would be philanthropy, I asked a few folks, including my dad, how they did it. Almost universally, the response was: “It’s not easy, but when you truly believe in what you’re asking people to support, and you know it’s necessary, it makes a whole lot of sense.” 

And I’m here today to say, vehemently, that Christian education is worth asking for and giving to. 

But why? Don’t Christian schools charge tuition? Wouldn’t my gift to Christian schooling be a gift to people who are already affluent enough to afford it? Shouldn’t I be giving to “real” ministries (like my dad’s!) that save the lost or provide for the poor?

Let me offer five reasons that not only inspire me and my wife to give to Christian school as part of our giving but also obligate me to ask others to give to the same ministry.

#1: Most Christian schools are not for profit.

The majority of Christian schools are non-profit entities. At CHA, and at most Christian schools, we have to charge tuition to exist. And despite tuition, we are a lean operation, breaking even each year. Our faculty and staff are mission-oriented and work at the school as part of their ministry, not for lucrative pay. In addition to that, our annual budget is supported by about $900,000 each year in giving, allowing us to provide financial aid for families who can’t afford it and to provide truly excellent programs that allow us to fulfill our mission to not just equip but also to inspire kids to dynamically follow Jesus. Giving is the margin of excellence at nearly every Christian school, including CHA.

#2: Christian education forms disciples. 

The spiritual formation of the next generation of believers is an imperative in Scripture. In Deuteronomy 6, God commands the Jews very clearly: “You shall teach [God’s commandments] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deut 6:7). While this starts in the home and continues in the church, Christian schooling, in partnership with home and church, provides the most holistic approach to Proverbs 22:6 of any Christian ministry. CHA is worth giving to. 

#3: We each have different callings when it comes to biblical generosity. 

Paul writes that “each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (I Cor 9:7). My wife and I have prayerfully given in different ways and to different things over the years: from our regular church giving to a fund that we have used for anonymous gifts to individuals in need to the Red Cross to missions. But as we have seen the fruit of Christian education in the lives of our own kids, we have found incredible joy in giving to Christian education. If you’re reading this, odds are that God has used CHA to deeply bless your family, too. It’s a rich ministry of discipleship and family transformation. CHA is  worth giving to.

#4: Support ministries that are good stewards – like CHA. 

A number of years ago my wife and I were very involved in a ministry with an incredibly compelling purpose. It was so easy to commit time, talent, and treasure to its work. But soon the cracks of problematic organizational leadership began to show. And it soon became not just dysfunctional but deeply flawed. Perhaps a ministry like a Christian school feels less compelling in terms of giving because there is tuition. There is strategic staffing. The school is working on building its reserves. CHA is no exception: we are very healthy in terms of stewardship. We have a strategic plan. We are paying off our debt. But being stable today doesn't mean we can coast. We need significant, ongoing support to fund the vital work of keeping the next generation’s eyes on Jesus. Don’t mistake good stewardship for a lack of need. Instead, consider it as a reason to support a ministry that seeks to use gifts well. CHA is worth giving to.  

#5: Christian schooling has a multigenerational impact.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, who had recently sent him a gift in support of his ministry, he writes, “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit” (Phil 4:17). A gift to CHA isn’t just a gift to a Christian school. It’s a gift to the fruit that increases as a result of Christian schooling. An investment in a Christian school is an investment in a generation of Christians: future businessmen, future musicians, future pastors, future athletes, future engineers, and future missionaries who know deeply what it means to follow Jesus with all of who they are. No other ministry can equip the next generation quite like a Christian school can. It’s not just an investment in education. It’s an investment in a generation. CHA is worth giving to. 

My prayer is that you will join me and the many others who believe that Christian schooling is a worthy cause through which God is advancing His Kingdom. 

If you are wondering whether or not it’s worth the cost of tuition to send your kids to a Christian school, talk to some of our parents who have been in your shoes and taken the leap of faith. 

If you have never considered making Christian education a part of your regular giving, I urge you to change your mind. It’s a ministry worth giving to. And now is a greater time than any to give! Join our Train Up Campaign!

—JT

Joe Torgerson (M.Ed., University of Missouri, B.A., Bethel University) serves as Head of School at CHA. Drawing on nine years of high school humanities teaching in addition to nearly a decade of U.S. and international administrative leadership, Joe guides the school with a global perspective rooted in a lifelong commitment to Christian ministry. He is a husband, father of three, and an avid enthusiast of athletics, board games, music, and dim sum.