John Tilinger | Head of Department (Biblical Life and Worldview)

What makes a school truly Christian? How can we help young people grow in faith? It’s tempting to look for new programs or intricate initiatives when asking these questions. New ideas can be exciting but tried-and-true Christian practices often have the greatest impact.

For centuries, reading Scripture, praying, and committing core truths (doctrine) to memory have been at the heart of faith formation. Because these practices are so familiar, it’s easy to dismiss or undervalue them. Recently, at a Christian Education National summit, I was reminded that they are vital ways God, by his Spirit, shapes us to be more like Jesus. They are gifts from God and are meant to be woven into our lives because they help us grow.

At the College, we already encourage reading and discussing the Bible. After the summit, I started to think about how we might also weave prayer and the knowledge of doctrine more intentionally into our daily rhythms. This term, we’ve begun trialling strategies to promote these practices. We hope to keep experimenting in Term 4 so that these experiences can guide a more strategic, lasting approach in the years ahead.

Prayer

We have successfully used strategies from Prayer Spaces in Schools to engage students in prayer. In one encouraging moment, almost all students in a class were willing to pray out loud during an activity! All these activities could also be tried at home.

• 7 and 8 students used a simple template to reflect on how life can feel like a rollercoaster. This helped them thank God for the good moments and ask for help with the challenging and confusing parts.
• Year 10 students got to use the paper shredder. They brainstormed the things in life that caused them the most anxiety and then symbolically gave them over to God by shredding the paper. Using the shredded paper, they created simple artworks that expressed Jesus’ promise to carry our burdens for us.
• Year 11 students explored current news stories and asked what God’s will might be in each situation, praying: “Your will be done, on earth as in heaven.”
• Year 12 students are about to face many big changes in their lives. In class, they read Bible verses showing that while life changes like the seasons, God remains the same. Students then wrote down upcoming changes on paper autumn leaves and, in prayer, committed them to God as they hung them on a makeshift tree.

Doctrine

Year 11 have been learning about our identity in Christ. In response, they created a catechism on Christian identity based on the book Who Am I? by Jerry Bridges. A catechism is a simple way of learning and remembering key truths about the Christian faith, often in a question-and-answer format. Many parents use catechisms at home, for example, by discussing one question and answer as a family around the dinner table each night. You are welcome to use Year 11’s Short Catechism on Christian Identity at home and can download it here.

By intentionally weaving Scripture, prayer, and the knowledge of core truths into everyday routines we hope to equip our students with habits that nurture a life of faith.