Lutheran schools and early childhood services, as part of the mission of the Lutheran church, are communities of worship and service, sharing and living the good news of Jesus Christ (Growing Deep: Our Foundation).
Lutheran schools and early childhood services have regular worship services and other faith practices as a central part of our mission. These are the ways people can meet Jesus, and form a relationship with God built up and shaped in the Christian faith.
Lutheran schools and early childhood services set aside times to worship through:
- Staff devotions, retreats, and worship.
- Classroom worship – class devotions, grace prior to lunch, blessing at the end of the day.
- School worship services.
- School and congregational worship – some schools have special worship services where school families are invited to attend the congregation(s) connected to the school.
The faith backgrounds of students and staff can be diverse. Therefore, some aspects of worship are different from those of local church communities. Worship in the Lutheran education context is conducted in ways that are accessible to all students.
The school pastor, staff or students may lead whole school worship; classroom teachers or students lead devotions for their class.
To assist staff and students to prepare and lead worship in Lutheran schools and early childhood services, resources and support materials have been developed for staff and students, available in a dedicated website: worship and devotions