Helping Our Students Grow To Christian Maturity While They Are With Us And After They Leave

Abstract

In his 1980 address to the Wisconsin State High School Teachers’ Conference, Richard D. Balge confronts the troubling attrition of Lutheran high school students from the faith. He identifies spiritual disengagement, cultural pressures, and personal struggles as contributing factors, while emphasizing the persistent influence of the devil, the world, and the sinful flesh. Balge urges educators to reflect on their own spiritual maturity and teaching practices, advocating for gospel-centered instruction, humility, and compassion. He warns against relying solely on law, apologetics, or academic rigor, and instead calls for daily repentance and trust in God’s grace. Success, he argues, is faithfulness to the gospel mission, not measurable outcomes. Balge concludes with encouragement to trust the power of God’s Word and to rejoice in the miracles of grace evident in students who remain faithful. —Abstract prepared by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4)