by Tim Isbell, 2011
New Life Nazarene Church (Cupertino) has two weekday ministries. Little People Christian Preschool/Daycare is a non-profit Christian ministry of the church; it is included under the church’s incorporation. The Far East Education Institute is a for-profit corporation that leases space from the church. Since I served as senior pastor of New Life from 1993-2010, churches thinking about adding a school to their campus occasionally contact me for advice. So I decided to pull together some my laundry list of things I've learned about preschools, daycares, and after-school programs. Also, you are welcome to contact me to communicate further.
Many churches consider launching their own preschool, daycare, or after-school program. Or they consider leasing space to a separately run school. Churches do this for a combination of reasons:
- Stewardship. Sometimes a church has space that sits empty much of the week and the leadership senses that God might want them to use it for some sort of a school.
- Income. Many churches need income beyond parishioners’ tithes and offerings.
- Vision. God gives a church member a vision for a school ministry, and he also gives this person the gifts and graces lead the enterprise.
- Congregation growth. The church desires to share the Good News of Christ with its community and senses that adding a school will help with this and help grow the size of the church.
- Christian school option for parishioners. The church feels a need to offer parishioner families a Christian option to the many secular options for preschool and after-school programming.
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