Four P’s of an Intentional Partnership with High School SRE
Lennon and McCartney, the Wright brothers, Han Solo and Chewbacca – famous partnerships are everywhere! And often when these partnerships are broken, they just don’t have the same impact.
Partnership is an incredibly valuable thing. The author of Ecclesiastes highlights the value of partnerships when he says,
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” (Ecc 4:9-12)
A healthy partnership requires both parties working towards shared, agreed upon goals not for individual glory, but for the greater good. When it comes to SRE, an effective partnership between the school and the local church is vital, but it is also challenging.
Here are four ways that church workers and SRE teachers can show intentionality in partnering with one another as they seek to teach young people about Jesus.
Pursue Relationship
It may seem simple, but in the first step in an effective partnership is for church workers and SRE teachers to know who each other are. From there they can begin getting to know each other and establishing relational trust.
In Primary School SRE this may be easier as often there are teams of volunteer teachers working together from the local churches. In High School SRE, however, sometimes the employed SRE teacher doesn’t attend one of the local churches – so how can such a relationship be built?
Local ministry network meetings are a helpful way of investing in relationships with other youth workers and SRE teachers alike. An intentional, termly catch up for coffee and prayer between ministry workers & SRE teachers is a fantastic way to be on the same page and invest in an effective partnership.
For the youth ministry worker
· Find out who your local high school SRE teacher is and invite them to grab a coffee with you.
· Intentionally participate in local ministry networks
· Partner with, or become a member of the local SRE board to get to know the teacher and support them as needed.
For the SRE teacher
· Research who the local church youth ministry workers are and get in touch with them.
· Intentionally participate in local ministry networks.
Promote Involvement
One thing that both youth ministry programs and SRE classes need are young people willing to attend and be involved— without them there is no ministry!
Church workers and SRE teachers can help by promoting the ministry of the other. SRE teachers can do this by knowing what youth ministry programs exist and actively promoting them to their students. Getting to know which students attend church and encouraging their friends to go along with them is a great way to do this. SRE teachers are also free to advertise church youth ministry programs (so long as any handouts are preapproved by the school principal).
Likewise, church workers can actively promote SRE participation with students and parents involved in their church. It is also beneficial to regularly promote and speak about SRE in youth ministry programs, encouraging the young people to have a positive involvement in SRE classes. They can also identify which students are enrolling in high school each year and actively promote involvement with them and their parents.
For the youth ministry worker
· Encourage parents associated with your church to enrol their children in SRE classes through the school’s participation letter. Support them in reaching out to the school office if such a letter has not yet been sent home.
· Regularly speak about SRE in your youth ministry programs.
· Support youth who attend public high schools to invest in SRE and actively promote SRE through their friendship connections.
For the SRE teacher
· Give students opportunities to talk about their local church and encourage students to get involved in church youth ministries along with their peers.
· Regularly invite students to local church youth ministries in your classes.
· Ask to attend local youth groups where your students attend (once a term/once a year) to build that partnership.
Provide Information
Effective promotion of youth and SRE ministries is dependent on having the information to be able to promote. Church workers and SRE teachers ought to be proactive in supplying this information to the other. At the very least this requires a once-a-year update of program information. It will be most effective, however, to be in regular communication about special events and activities for young people to be involved in. Providing information for prayer is also an effective way to invest in a healthy partnership between churches and SRE.
For the youth ministry worker
· Provide SRE teachers with general information about youth ministry activities annually, and more specific youth activities on a regular basis.
· Regularly share information about SRE in your church / youth ministry program, including prayer as a priority.
For the SRE teacher
· Provide information and prayer points to the local churches about SRE in your school.
Participate Together
Another way to effectively partner together is to participate in each other’s ministries. Both schools and churches are community groups which benefit from the input of others from within the community. Intentionally pursuing ways to participate can take various forms, including regular involvement as a leader / helper in programs and classes, being a speaker at special events, to working together on overlapping ministries such as the lunchtime ISCF group.
For the youth ministry worker
· Be trained as an SRE helper / substitute teacher for classes and seminars.
· Get involved in volunteer student activities such as the lunchtime ISCF, or community groups like the P&C.
· Invite the local high school SRE teachers to speak or contribute to your weekly youth ministry program.
For the SRE teacher
· Ask leaders from local church youth ministries to participate in the SRE program as class/seminar helpers or substitute SRE teachers.
· Invest the lunchtime ISCF group and encourage youth ministry workers to do the same.
· Pursue opportunities for involvement in local youth ministry programs.
Partnership requires intentional effort and planning. Which of these four things will you prioritise to grow an effective partnership between church and SRE in your area?