Do’s and Dont’s of schools work
DO
Be reliable; do what you say you will when you say you will do it.
Be present and consistent; building relationship takes time.
Be flexible: allow the school to shape what you offer on the basis of their need.
Leave your own agenda at the door!
Be sensitive; the whole school is not Christian, so phrases like ‘We believe…’ can immediately make people feel excluded. Opt for “Christians believe...” or a more personal, “Because I’m a Christian, I believe...”
Come with the attitude of a servant, with gentleness, humility, grace and respect.
Value every individual regardless of religion, belief, sexual orientation, gender, age or even how they treat you! If we believe that Christ loves everyone, we need to treat everyone as precious and valuable.
Prepare everything thoroughly and make everything you do in the school of the most excellent quality.
Get up to speed with currently educational policies and practices to understand the world the people you are looking to serve live in daily. Visit the Education Scotland website.
DON’T
Don’t assume that people understand Christian phrases you may take for granted. E.g. rather than say the Bible tells us we’re all sinners, talk about the fact that no-one is perfect, and we all get things wrong sometimes.
Whatever your beliefs about the end of the world, judgement and eternity, a school is not the venue for sharing them. If you are asked directly, “do you believe non-Christians will go to Hell,” answer wisely. “That’s not really a question that I can answer easily just now” is a truthful starter. You could follow with a question such as, “what do you think happens when we die?” or “why do you ask?”.
Take care not to be sidetracked unnecessarily into discussing moral issues, especially those that are controversial.
Don’t use being in school as an opportunity to preach. The point of ‘Serve Your Local School,’ is that we just serve, without agenda or expectation of getting your voice and your point heard in return. We go into schools with open hands and humble hearts, looking to bless and serve, not seeking a platform.
Don’t assume that God is so small that by following the above you will never make God known. It is by God’s grace that we are chosen to be God’s people in certain places and certain times, and God will decide how to best use us.
