Overture 04-7. On Supporting the Association of Presbyterian Schools (APS)—From the Presbytery of Mississippi.

The Presbytery of Mississippi respectfully overtures the 216th General Assembly (2004) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to do the following:

1. Commend the Association of Presbyterian Schools (APS) for its efforts to coordinate the work of all the secondary schools related to the Presbyterian church.

2. Celebrate the work of the member institutions of the APS as they seek “to strengthen the lives of children” by providing quality, Christian education to today’s youth.

3. Encourage its member synods and presbyteries to enter into covenants of mutual understanding and support with the member institutions of APS within their bounds.

4. Encourage each of its member presbyteries to honor the Decade of the Child by

a. supporting financially at least one of the current members of APS, even if no APS school currently resides within its bounds;

b. exploring the needs for new Presbyterian secondary schools within its bounds;

c. partnering with APS to establish new Presbyterian secondary schools in areas of need;

d. helping the recruitment efforts of APS schools by promoting and publicizing their ministries to all of its member congregations.

Rationale

The 213th General Assembly (2001) extended “its emphasis on children by declaring this first decade of the 21st century, July 2001–July 2011, as the ‘Decade of the Child’ and calls upon all its agencies, churches, and members to continue the ministry efforts begun on behalf of children during this past year and diligently explore during the ‘Decade’ new ways to strengthen the lives of children and the families in which they live, thus ensuring the future of the church and our world through this new millennium” (Minutes, 2001, Part I, p. 458).

In addition, the 215th General Assembly (2003) approved “Reclaiming the Vision: A Mission Strategy to Strengthen the Partnership Between the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Its Related Schools, Colleges, and Universities” (Minutes, 2003, Part I, pp. 24, 521). This included calls for the governing bodies and educational institutions of the church to clarify and strengthen their partnership, focusing on the Reformed heritage of learning and service to promote the mission of the church.

This overture seeks, at least in part, to fulfill these desires of the church. The member institutions of the Associate of Presbyterian Schools (APS) deserve the full support of the church as they faithfully engage in their ministries to children, developing today those who will lead the church tomorrow.

But while the General Assembly has repeatedly called for Presbyterians to engage in ministries to children, the sad fact is that the APS schools receive very little funding from governing bodies above the session level. At the same time, most of the APS schools serve boarding students, which means that their student bodies are not drawn from the area of service of one congregation, or even from one presbytery. The service of these schools is truly national, and so there is a great need for their support to be equally as broad.

There are many reasons why Presbyterians should support and expand their network of secondary schools across the country:

1. Presbyterians have historically engaged in education at all levels. When the Presbyterian missionaries first began out across the United States, they started schools almost everywhere they started churches. The Presbyterian church has always been a teaching church, and it is imperative for the PC(USA) to reclaim this part of its heritage below the college level.

2. Numerous studies have shown that many people respond to evangelism at young ages. The Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship recently reported that “nearly 85% of Christians decide to follow Jesus between the ages of 4 and 14.” Quite simply, Presbyterian schools can combine evangelism with high-quality education at an age when evangelism is most effective, while public schools are not allowed to present the claims of Christ to their students at all.

3. Presbyterians have long lamented the slow but steady decline in our membership across the country. We have also noticed that many of our youth leave the church during their college years. The APS schools have an opportunity to ensure that our young people are properly trained in the faith, which should fortify them in their challenging college years.

4. The colleges and universities that make up the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities (APCU) provide challenging courses of study for all their students. They thus need students who are properly prepared, and Presbyterian secondary schools have long been known for their pursuit of academic excellence.

5. Many APS schools are located in areas where Presbyterians are not a majority, or even a significant minority of the population. These schools thus form an effective beachhead for the church in “frontier” areas.

6. All APS schools are intentionally diverse. Several are among the church’s racial ethnic schools. All seek to provide quality, Christ-centered educational opportunities for youth, regardless of their color or creed.

7. Secondary schools are much less expensive to establish and operate than are colleges. It would thus be relatively easy for the PC(USA) to expand its educational role, raising its profile while providing a greatly needed service.

8. The current members of APS provide a broad spectrum of models for presbyteries wanting to establish new secondary schools within their bounds. APS includes:

a. college preparatory schools;

b. schools featuring student work programs;

c. schools featuring outdoor activities and environmental awareness;

d. schools that provide an intentionally cross-cultural experience;

e. schools that target students having learning or behavioral problems;

f. schools providing a home-like environment for their students;

g. a school using military discipline to impart structure to its students.

Finally, it should be noted that supporting the current members of APS and expanding their number should not be considered an attack on the public schools of the United States. Rather, the APS complements the public schools by offering specialized educational opportunities for children with special wants and needs.