I’ve got a question for those of you who know about homeschooling.

I know four homeschooling families. One lives in a small garage out in the country. I think the husband is a manager of some sort.

The other three families are supported by a pilot, a doctor, and a rocket scientist. The smallest salary of these three men is around $50,000. Also, the cost of living in this region of KY is very low.

This concerns me. As one who plans on going into the ministry, I know that most ministers make significantly less that 50k/ yr.

Could a minister afford to homeschool? I’ve been pondering this. If a minister lives in the city his salary will be better but everything is expensive. If he lives in the country he will be paid less which defeats the purpose of moving.

Can a homeschool family survive on a minister’s salary?

__________________
Jonathan
College Student
Grace Family Fellowship {SBC}
Kentucky

... yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

1 Corinthians 8:6

Well, its about 1/10 the price of private Christian school for new curriculum around here, if not even less.

I know a lot of homeschool familes, rich and poor.

If your kids are bright and creative you'll do fine. Used textbooks keep costs down, workbooks are not too pricey.

If the kids need tutoring, unless the school district provides it for free you will probably not be able to afford weekly or biweekly tutoring. If you have an autistic, severely dyslexic, handicapped, etc kid, you may end up going the public route. ( yeah, I know, but tutoring is so expensive)

Specials cost a lot- art lessons, music lessons, drama workshops, etc. I have a coop nearby where the Moms all split the specials up and do gym, a choir, art, etc, one day a week. Non teachers have to babysit and do lunch/playground duty.

Sometimes there are annual homeschool sales at churches where you can get grade level texts for next to nothing. I got more books than I can ever use at a few sales....a dollar each for astronomy, biology, writing, english, history.

I would start collecting books now when you hear about sales. Ask around...get standard kid classics now and save them.

The Lord will provide- seriously. He will make a way. And I'd go for the country life....plant a big garden, raise chickens.

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Lynnie

PCA

Central NJ

A few things to keep in mind:

The pastor's compensation package can be structured in a tax-favorable manner. On the other hand, many small churches aren't going to be able to provide a full benefits package. So just looking at the dollars may not give an accurate picture.

Second, a church which cannot pay enough to support a pastor and his family probably needs to consider the position as a part-time/tentmaker/bivocational (or shared) call. The presbytery shouldn't approve a call that is not going to support the pastor.

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Edward
Deacon
PCA
Texas

My pastor's family has homeschooled all three of their children the whole way through (their eldest is done, the other two are 15 and 7). Given that we live in California (higher cost of living), their mother doesn't work outside of the home, and our church's minimal monthly budget, I'd say it's definitely do-able...

(Our pastor is not bi-vocational and our church has fewer than 100 members.)

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Jennifer Petrik
Member, Grace Reformation Church
Associate Member, Escondido Reformed Baptist Church
Student, Westminster Seminary California (M.A.H.T.)
Woodland/Escondido, CA
per caliginem

Just to clarify, I don't have a family yet. I'm just trying to figure things out .

I guess my question is more related to a family being able to survive (food, shelter, medical etc.) on the single income of a minister.

My parents homeschooled I and my three siblings. My father has a high paying job and my mother worked part-time for a while (not for the paycheck, but because she loved her field.) Many of my friends, however, had fathers who made much less and there families didn't live luxuriously, but neither did they want for anything. I think the answer is yes, but it can be very difficult and requires frugal living and planning ahead.

Despite my father's salary, my parents are very frugal people. We had a garden growing up, my mother shopped supermarket sales, and we had small cars that got good gas mileage. My siblings and I got our clothing from thrift stores, none of us were given cars when we turned 16, and most of us have attended/are attending large state schools (in-state tuition!) for college rather than small private schools. We also started working during the summers when we were 16, so we could make our own spending money. I think that if you take some of these ideas and expand on them, you could make it homeschooling on one smaller salary. I am SURE that there are people on the PB who can give more and better advice on how to do this. I think its definitely possible.

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Kathleen M
nondenominational
Montana

My children are not old enough to homeschool yet, but I've been preparing to homeschool even before I got married. As I built my library, one of the things I kept in mind was buying books that I would one day use for homeschooling. Most of the books I purchased were used. I found quite a bit from library sales, garage sales, online, wherever. What I've done is look through homeschooling catalogs and take note which books they sell and try to find them cheaper elsewhere. I've been very successful. This is one way I've saved money, but there are probably a hundred other ways to save, you just gotta be resourceful. I think you'll do fine.

__________________
Steven J. Carr (Sven)
http://beholdingthebeauty.blogspot.com/
Eagan, MN
PCA
"Weak is the effort of my heart / And cold my warmest thought / But when I see thee as thou art / I'll praise thee as I ought."--John Newton
Trophy Wife/Arm Candy: Crystal Ann Children: Steven Jr. and Hannah Grace

I don't know what a minister's salary would be, but with a family of 11 people and an income well below national average, I think I can say that we've managed. It's certainly possible, though it may require some scrimping and saving, and in the long run will be well worth it both educationally and spiritually.

__________________
Jonathan
Audio Engineer
Reformed Anabaptist
Ohio

Moroni's magical glasses of proper interpretation:

If a family can survive on a minister's salary, then it really doesn't matter if they homeschool or not... and MOST of the time families claim they cannot live on a minister's salary alone, it is because the family needs to change priorities.

What you should do is pursue that to which God is calling you, and if that's the ministry, then let Him take care of the details. If you are convicted that you should homeschool (as we are) then you will make sure your ducks are in a row when the time comes. There are MANY, MANY expenses that we Americans THINK are necessary (like cable TV, high speed internet, cell phones for everyone, etc., going out to eat every lunch) but which are completely unnecessary. You will find a way to make ends meet - just follow the Lord in all things.

__________________
Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://inprincipiodeus.solideogloria.com
http://puritanwisdom.blogspot.com

"As God did not at first choose you because you were high, He will not now forsake you because you are low."
John Flavel in Keeping the Heart



Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Also, to add, as someone who grew up in the country and who still lives way out in the sticks, country living is not always so cheap. Remember that you'll have to spend a great deal more on gas - and since you're homeschooling, you'll be doing a lot of driving so that your kids can interact with other kids. They won't be taking the school bus! Utilities can also run more, and you won't be near as many sales for things like school supplies, clothing, and food. There are not thrift shops close to me which means that I spend a great deal more on clothing than I did when I was in college and living in a larger town.

Also, raising animals is probably not going to save you that much money. I was in 4-H and we raised animals for the educational experience, but unless you actually own a ranch and are running a big operation, the amount you spend on feed, enclosures, etc is going to be more than you would pay for eggs, milk, or meat at the grocery store or from another larger farm. (Raising animals is great for teaching kids responsibility etc, so I'm not discouraging it, just don't think you'll be saving money. In fact, you'll probably lose a lot of money.) Also, from someone who has slaughtered chickens - it is not a pretty thing. Its smelly, messy, time-consuming, and at the end of it, you'll never want to each chicken again. Especially that particular chicken.

Definately do-able.
Almost all of the home schooling families around here are one income, (few really high) have larger than average families, live frugally but reap the benefits. I think it is decided on the priorities, what's necessary, what's luxury. Also, you often don't need the pricey curriculums, and can get good materials cheaply or second hand. It is definately good to be thinking about it well before you get started.

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Ruby
Queensland, Australia


"He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."
Micah 6:8

We've continued homeschooling straight through unemployment and my husband's subsequent employment as a teacher.

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JWithnell
Member Bethel OPC
Virginia
http://learningyesican.blogspot.com/

On a pastor's salary (and never a big one) we raised and home-educated two daughters. Both went to college.

We managed. Homeschooling is a lifestyle. The lifestyle can be shaped to fit the needs and desires.

__________________
Curt Lovelace
Pastor, Covenant Baptist Church (CBA)
Acton, Maine
Director, Lifework Forum
Sermons at SermonAudio.com/CBCActon
Blogging at Coffee with Curt

Yes.

My wife and her three brothers were all homeschooled and then sent to private high schools before college. I wouldn't be surprised if some sweatshop workers made better salary than my father in law (pastor) at times.

__________________
Andrew DeShazo
Husband of Kathryn
Father of Phillip-Giles B. DeShazo
Deacon
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Memphis, TN
"From out of the depth of unbroken Infinfity arose the Question, "Who am I?" And to that Question there is the answer, "I am God!" -Meher Baba, died 1969.

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Christ, died 33 AD, ressurected three days later.

We did 7 on one income.

__________________
Tim Vaughan
Member, Redeemer Presbyterian, OPC,
Santa Maria
California

This is encouraging news! I appreciate all the input .

Just to be sure though, homeschooling is possible on a single family income of $20,000-$30,000?

We were a homeschooling family of seven on one income of about $25,000. Now we're a homeschooling family of twelve on one income of about ten thousand more (but there are extenuating circumstances that help).

Long story short: It can be done, no doubt about it. If you need details in exactly how when the rubber hits the road, just PM me.

__________________
Kevin, husband of a truly angelic woman, and father to ten.
Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield
Ontario, Canada

We only had one income (still do). It was always in that range - and less.

If you're worried about money then don't go into ministry. I don't mean to sound crass, but it's a backwards way of thinking. You can live on just about any amount of money. At different times in our lives I've made anywhere from 6k to over 50k, a year. We've always gotten by, even if it was difficult. And my wife hasn't had a job in about 15 years - if you can call running a home, raising and homeschooling two sons and taking care of me something other than a job. Simply put, she's much more valuable at home than in the marketplace.

The most important education your children can learn from you is about godliness. If you want to home school them, then you'll have more control of that. And the lessons they can learn by working around the house will far outweigh what they'd pick up in public school. Teach them to read, make them work hard around the house and force them to learn how to learn. Don't just tell them facts, teach them how to think and how to learn how to do anything they care to set their minds to.

Listen to Todd.

Steven - but you are homeschooling right now. It's not a matter of grade levels. It is a matter of education and begins on day one.

Something to consider about in regard to children - why are they a blessing? There are two basic reasons - because they promote the profitability of the home, raising the workload and freeing the father to pursue more - to raise a godly heritage. Today's children think they're a blessing simply because they were born. Such children are an abomination and a curse. That sounds cold, but read the OT and tell me I'm wrong. Our entitlement culture thinks we have something coming - when all we really deserve is eternal wrath. Respectful and obedient children are a blessing.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21
18“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, 19then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. 20And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

Proverbs 10:1
1The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes a glad father, But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
Proverbs 10:1

Adds a great deal of meaning to the Shema.

Also, read through Romans eight as it lists the abominations that God gives men over to. Toward the end of the list, as the passage reaches its climax, we find "disobedient to parents."

Romans 1:30-32
30backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Consider these things very carefully when you consider your priorities and what your priorities teach your children.

Blessings,

__________________
For the Glory of our King,
Joe Johnson
Slave of Christ, husband, father, Preacherboy at Cornerstone Community Church, Escanaba, MI. and TMS graduate. Personal website - SoundLife.org

I do not know, and I do not say, that a person cannot believe in Revelation and in evolution, too, for a man may believe that which is infinitely wise and also that which is only asinine. ~ CHS

Jonathan,
We definitely could (and will, Lord willing,) and you know our standard of living. The minimum salary requirements in the ARP make it possible.

__________________
Anna
Wife of Tim/Marrow Man
Louisville, KY
Member of Midlane Park Presbyterian (Associate Reformed Presbyterian)

While it may not be true of all churches, a minister ought to be compensated so that salary and benefits are the same as the median of those in his congregation. They should not be the richest in the church, nor should they be the poorest. Either extreme is just not practical, and if the families of the church tithe, then ten tithing families ought to support the pastor, and then his tithe is what supports the rest of the bills (until they get more families).

Homeschooling isn't necessarily expensive, but it is time consuming. I presume you are married (hard for a guy to have children without a wife ) and that she would do the schooling. While curriculum is not free (for the most part, sometimes you can get free classes) it is a lot cheaper than private schools in general.

While I don't believe a person sins if they have no choice but to send their children to public schools, I would not do so (and I am a public school teacher). The public schools do not have any attempt to take every thought captive to Christ. If you home school, I would presume you would assure that every thought is taken captive to Christ.

__________________
Brian Withnell
Deacon, OPC
Leesburg, Virginia

You cannot train for war in the midst of a battle. Prepare before the battle starts; if the battle is long and hard, you will wish you had.

Jonathan,

I know SEVERAL families that live on one small income and homeschool quite a few children! It is certainly doable! One of the wonderful things about being part of the family of God, is that the Lord often uses the Body to bless His people! Many of the families I know, help eachother out..... they share materials and pass along used books and other supplies, and they share ways to do things more efficiently! If the Lord is calling you to ministry and to have a family as well, then He will provide just enough to make ends meet! It may be difficult at times, but nothing that is beyond His provision!

__________________
Yvonne
Reformed Presbyterian
Currently seeking a Church

"A man's most glorious actions will at last be found to be but glorious sins, if he hath made himself, and not the glory of God, the end of those actions." -T. Brooks

Sending your kids to public school (while I personally could not do that if I ever have kids) is not a sin. Reformed and evangelical persons need to STOP looking down on other parents who do go the christian, public or hybrid route.

__________________
J. P. Grigoletti II * Lay-man * Église Réformée du Québec
Québec, Québec Canada * Member: Église Reformée St. Marc
http://Grigoletti.blogspot.com - blog
<<There are three things necessary for thee to know, that thou, enjoying this comfort, mayest live and die happily: the first, how great your sins and miseries are; the second, how thou may be delivered from all thy sins and miseries; the third, how thou shall express thy gratitude to God for such deliverance.>>

I don't think the decision to home-school versus the public school is based upon economics.

When my family and I moved from Chicago to Phoenix, we enrolled our son in the local elementary school. It was not long before we were getting calls that he was being held after school for reasons like forgetting to bring pencils to school, or forgetting his class notebook. The little guy would meet us after detention teary eyed.

My wife and I were both university teachers at the time, so we pulled my son out of public school and started teaching him at home when we were not working during the day.

Initially, it was tough separating Mom and Dad's roles when teaching our son. Sometimes we would become very frustrated with him. Losing our patience was a problem we finally overcame. We taught him three hours each day and he spent another two or three hours working on his own. We home-schooled our son from grades four through twelve.

For elementary school material we reviewed traditional school materials and selected what we thought were useful texts. It was an ad-hoc approach and we focused each day's instructions on a single subject. I spent time teaching my son some of the great messages and stories from the bible. I had him complete some biblical text studies and write papers on the materials.

For high school we used the materials and curriculum from The American School. We selected this school because of its reputation (used by State Dept. employees, movies star kids, etc.), for the school's ability to generate official transcripts, graded tests, actual science labs, 100 year history, and its regional accreditation. Lastly, I walked my son through the

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Patrick
Member, PCA
Chandler, AZ
ReformedTheologyInstitute.com

I fear explanations explanatory of things explained.

Brother, I'm struggling to find a downside in this sentence...

This sounds more like a litany of triumphs than anything.

It absolutely can be done. We have homeschooled from the get go one one income and only for a brief time has that income been more than 30,000 per year. Lifestyle choices will play a much greater role in eating up income than any sort of homeschool costs.

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We shall not adjust our Bible to the age; but before we have done with it, by God's grace, we shall adjust the age to the Bible. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Lawrence Underwood, Jr.
Pastor - Providence Family Fellowship / Mobile, Alabama
1644/46 LBC
My Blog - Imprimis

We do much more than merely survive, and we do our thriving quite nicely, on my one income... though it is substantially more than 50k... and I am an honest to goodness orthodox, Reformed minister in the Army.

__________________
Ben
Chaplain, US Army
Ft. Riley, KS
TE Ohio Valley Presbytery, PCA

Out here you can't survive alone with an income of 25,000. Lots of factors, but the biggest on is faith. You can PM or email me just as Kevin offered if you want.

Our oldest (homeschooled) married her first "serious" fella (also homeschooled). They are doing wonderfully! The dating culture pushed in the U.S. popular culture does not properly prepare young folks for marriage and family life.

I should add that our next-oldest, who grabbed hold of the dating scene at her first opportunity to get out on her own, has faced one heart ache after another.

The most important thing you need to know is that God will provide for all your needs.

Just to clarify, no I’m not married. I am trying to determine the type of lifestyle I could have in the ministry. I think homeschooling is the best way to go. Like I said, I am very encouraged by what I’ve read. I don’t mind driving a used car or not having cable TV if it means having a godly family.

By properly counting the cost and determining what I should work towards I hope to stay on track over the next X years until I start a family and enter the ministry (D.V.).

I sincerely appreciate everyone who has participated in this thread. It's not only been beneficial for me, but for any future PBer who might want to go into the ministry.

Thanks!!!

I am sure dozens of guys on this board would be delighted with such a track record for themselves or future son-in-laws.

__________________
Zack Flummerfelt
Evangel Presbyterian (PCA), layman
Wichita, KS


As of September 12, 2009 I am married to dear Jlynn!!

I hear you and continue to tell the same to my son, who seems perfectly content (at present) with his situation. It is my own failure, relying on my own wayward ways as a youth, to see the beauty in such a situation.

AMR

Jonathan,

I support my wife and I on about $24,000. We could easily homeschool if we had kids...and would. I am totaly against public (liberal indoctrination) education. There is an excellent Christian School that I would love to send kids to, but it cost too much. Homeschooling is wonderfull and challenging. I went to the public schools. I wish I could have been homeschooled. (Of course we're way to old to have kids now, but I wanted to let you know that taking care of a family is possible on a cooks income.)

And that's the most important part of the homeschooling question. Being willing to have a stay at home wife. And being happy with what you have. We don't have alot of $$, but like in a nice mobile home on a lake that we are buying, and we eat very well. (My wife is a great cook!) Once you get that, homeschooling will be very possible.

__________________
Timothy Johnson
First United Presbyterian of Moline
PCUSA (Yea, I know)
Theology/Philosophy Sunday School Teacher
Davenport, IA

I would think that a minister's income could handle this. My church is very small but my pastor makes just as much as I do if not more.

__________________
sarah
WI
OPC
My Pastor's Sermons: Mark Jenkins...he's awesome!!!

Just to give a ballpark figure, many families I've asked lately have told me they spend about $800-$1000 on homeschooling. All of these families had at least 3 kids and as many as 7. Most people advised that you could spend less than that if you put more work into getting supplies or made liberal use of free resources (using the library primarily, buying books and such used, reusing materials for subsequent kids). That's about $83 a month. We found it in our budget by cutting our cable and trash service. However, after about a year of doing kindergarten at home, we haven't come anywhere near spending that much. I bought a $25 book for teaching her to read, and then spent $20 on two K - level math books. We go to the library 2-3 times a week to get new books for read-alouds and reading practice for her. I also have an amazon wish list with all the books I'm planning on using next year so my family can give her those for birthdays if they wish. It doesn't seem necessary at this point to buy entire curriculums with so much available for free - I'm sure this will change as we continue and all of our kids are using materials. So unless you go whole hog right off, you probably wouldn't spend anywhere near that much until you had several kids doing school. As an aside, my pastor's family has 5 and I think uses the Veritas Press curriculum, which I know is quite expensive. I think you just have to budget for it and cut other things, depending on what you want to use.

__________________
Catherine
PCA
Waldorf, MD

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
Proverbs 16:20 ESV

Yo,

Homeschooling is cheap. Public schooling is deadly and free to send your child to hell. So I guess I'm a cheapo...LOL...

But a ministers Salary is more than enough, I mean the Presbytery's I know be paying that bread so you should be more than able to provide for a family to take many vacations and the whole nine yards...LOL...

Grace and Peace,
seal

__________________
seal
Laymen/Christian Producer/Rapper
RCA, Tampa FL

I haven't been here in a couple weeks and come back to find a thread about one of my favorite subjects!

I agree with everyone who said that money isn't the issue when it comes to homeschooling. Homeschooling is a lifestyle, not just another educational choice IMO. If you believe what you are doing is right then it doesn't matter how much or little money you have in doing it.

We have been homeschooling from the beginning and at one point were making less than $20,000 a year and we have looked back and not known how we even payed bills and ate. But, the Lord provided.

Homeschooling does not have to be expensive. One year we bought a full curriculum package (1st grade Rod and Staff) and paid about $200-300. We didn't even use all of the books. I feel that full packages are usually a waste. We are what you call "eclectic, relaxed" HSers. To find out more about what those terms mean in the HS world you can go HERE. A friend of mine runs this site and has some very helpful info there.

Some sources of free curriculum or resources are:


The Puritan's Homeschool Curriculum

Old Fashioned Education

Ambleside Online

Tanglewood Education

1,000 Good Books

Directory of Unit Studies

Homeschool Helper Online


Now, I am not endorsing everything on these sites. We all have to use discernment for ourselves. There are lots more resources online but it would take me forever to post them all (not that I even know them all). I commend you for thinking this through before you get married.

__________________
Tiffany
Wife to David, Mom to 3 sweet girls
Reformed Baptist
TEXAS
Glorious Womanhood

Dear Jonathan,

It's not about a dollar amount. The basic issue is being willing to follow the Lord wherever He leads - into the ministry, a particular call, marriage, children, homeschooling, etc.

We discipled our children full-time through many years on one salary below the national poverty level, step by step, as the Lord enabled us. As Corrie ten Boom said, "When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."

__________________
Sandra, Lady of the Lake
CBA, Acton ME
http://www.viewsfromthedeck.blogspot.com

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

We've been at four different churches (due to moving to new cities) in the past five years. In all of them, at least one of the elders has homeschooled, some with large families.

My husband is a software engineer, but was laid off during the dotcom bust and we had no income for 13 months straight. We still homeschooled that year. The Lord just provided. I did some tailoring for some ladies at church and painted a mural in exchange for books. We used the library. For the smaller kids who are learning to read, you don't really need a curriculum, just patience and a little creativity (or a willingness to search for ideas online and maybe join a homeschool forum where you can meet other people who are creative and just mine their ideas).

There are cheap ways to homeschool, it's really a matter of committing to it.

And for a philosophical perspective: for the vast majority of home schoolers I know of all income levels, the hard part isn't financing the books! It's being joyful and meek and gracious on a daily basis with little sinners underfoot, bigger sinners with their books at the kitchen table and the remaining sin in our own hearts.

__________________
jenney
Reformed Baptist
CA