Reigniting the City on the Hill
It’s no secret that COVID-19 is disruptive. Businesses have transitioned to work-from-home models, churches have moved to online streaming, and schools are preparing for another semester of remote or hybrid learning.
These recent transitions have many organizations reconsidering their use of physical space in their operations. Overhead costs for building operations can be staggering regardless of industry. As some businesses are slowly returning to work—and for those essential workers who have been unable to work from home—working parents are faced with a decision about childcare. Communities across the board are facing ramifications of economic downturn and more families are experiencing dual parent employment, resulting in a childcare need beyond that of an occasional babysitter.
On top of the general stress of finding appropriate childcare, COVID-19 has added several layers of tension for families and communities. Anxieties of parents returning to work in the midst of the uncertainty and inconsistency of responses to COVID-19 center on the health and well-being of their children. Few parents can afford an in-home nanny, and options of sending their children to another’s home seems equally as risky. With schools, daycares, and after-school programs still unsure of their plans, working parents are saddled with a difficult decision about their childcare.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of churches have sat unoccupied since late March.
Buildings that are staples for many communities have been closed down, vacated, and unlit—these cities on a hill have become (at least physically) more difficult to see—and an unfortunate representation of community morale in recent months. For churches, even before COVID-19, attendance and giving were on a steep decline, increasing the difficulty for churches to maintain their facilities and also reach their communities with the gospel. Now, their struggle has magnified, alongside parent anxieties about childcare and surmounting societal tensions and division.
This is the time when the church can and should lead the change. And one organization in particular is capitalizing on the opportunity to serve both the church and the community, all while keeping the message of Christ at the forefront.
Stan Dobbs is CEO of Lionheart Academy, and according to him, may of the needs faced by a world in crisis can be met through the church taking a leadership role in the childcare industry. But Dobbs was clear: the true mission is the gospel.
Dobbs pointed out that there are two formative periods in life where people are most receptive to the gospel: early childhood, and early parenthood. Currently, 75% of the childcare industry is in the hands of secular organizations. While many churches participate in week-long camps or VBS programs, these don’t often build lasting relationships or lend to an effective discipleship model; nor do they solve working parents’ problems of sustainable, Christ-centered childcare. A high-quality, Christ-centered childcare program speaks to both. A quality childcare program is “a front porch to get families introduced to the church.”
Each academy has a Community Director—both on Lionheart’s payroll as well as deeply embedded in the local church and community—whose responsibility is outreach to the community and maintenance of the mission of the gospel as the primary driver of the academy. This person connects with parents, keeps the pulse of the community, and is an active participant in the church. By bringing childcare options to families through the local church, children and parents are supported with a consistent, biblical model of discipleship. Simultaneously, programs like Lionheart engage the church in ways that provide an economic boost for their budgets, draw in new families, and help restore them to shining beacons for entire communities—a much-needed symbol of hope in the uncertainty of our world.
Lionheart provides an excellent educational atmosphere and gospel-centered environment for childcare for children ages 6-months to 12 years through preschool, after-school, and summer programs. The Lionheart model is rooted in the proven success of Apartment Life, and has seven active academies, with two more set to launch in the next year. Dobbs and his team have also launched a program called Skylark (currently in its proof-of-concept), an 8-10 week summer camp for students in 3rd-7th grades meant to alleviate similar problems addressed by Lionheart, for older students. Apartment Life already has an international reach, and Dobbs hopes that Lionheart and Skylark will also branch out into the global community, reaching families for the gospel and enabling churches to sustain their ministries even in the wake of an uncertain economy.
The efforts of Lionheart and Skylark make one thing clear: in a society that has found itself continually on the defensive—reeling after every news headline—it’s time for churches to step up and take charge. Doing so will not only solve tangible problems facing families but will enable churches themselves to continue to shine the hope of the gospel on communities everywhere.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON COVID-19, PLEASE SEE OUR PAGE HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE BEST RESOURCES OUT THERE FOR FAITH DRIVEN INVESTORS & ENTREPRENEURS IN THIS SEASON.