Sharing Your Faith on a Public High School Campus

Students are legally allowed to express and share their faith on a public school campus

Did you know that students are legally allowed to express and share their faith on a public school campus as long as their activities do not interfere with or interrupt the regular school day activities?

Students all over the country lead their fellow students in Bible studies, worship, and prayer on their school campuses every day. There are also the annual events of “See You at the Pole”, National Day of Prayer, and “Bring Your Bible to School” day, where Christian students all around the country come together in solidarity to express and share their faith among their fellow students on the same day. Many, including Christians themselves, are of the erroneous belief that these activities are illegal due to the separation of church and state and the removal of prayer from schools. The truth is that not only are such student-led (that’s the key) activities legal, but Christian clubs are alive and exist across the nation.

For the past ten years, I sponsored a Christian Club- Legacy- on the campus of the public high school where I worked (You can read more about that experience here). Every year, I was always in awe that so many students signed up to come to a club where the only thing we could offer them was Jesus and donuts! And, yes, some came solely for the donuts we served, others came to hang out with their friends, and some came just to get out of class. Some went to church with their families, others didn’t. They were all of different denominations and even different faiths- Muslims, Jews, and even some atheists showed up at times! As long as they had a signed parent permission slip, we did not turn them away. But regardless of why they came, over those ten years, hundreds of students heard the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ presented to them by their classmates or guest youth pastors. They got to experience corporate worship and prayer with their fellow youth, and many even gave their lives to Jesus there and then.

On episode 6 of the Education Today podcast, I spoke with Abrianne Joseph about her experiences sharing her faith on the campus of her public high school. Abrianne joined the club her freshman year and became a leader, eventually rising to the rank of club president during her senior year. With her outgoing personality and self-confidence, she shared her faith boldly among her fellow classmates. But she is also very candid in discussing how she wrestled with her faith as she left the confines of her small town in Florida and went off to Howard University in Washington DC., a common experience among many young people who are raised in the Christian faith. You can listen to the full podcast episode here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/6v7WRN3Cfyb