Having experienced personally the fruit of the Good News Club I must respectfully disagree with your conclusion.
There is much room for discussion on the broader topic but the numbers of children who have a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ and who have brought their parent into that same relationship with God as a result of their parents allowing them to attend “Good News Club” which requires the parents to at least take a peek at the simple curriculum being taught is extremely powerful and staggering !!
We are not talking about deep theology teaching here. Just a very simple message.
1. God Loves You
2. God has an Amazing plan for your life
3. God Himself (Jesus Christ) paid the penalty of MY SIN (definition of sin. Anything I think, say or do that is not in accordance with God’s Will and plan for my life)
4. Simple Trust and Faith in Jesus Christ is all that is required to enter into that relationship. After that a lifetime of serving HIM in whatever role or capacity HE calls you is a separate sanctification process.
I’ve been on CEF staff several years and taught many lessons (though haven’t been involved lately). I’ve also recruited several others who have done the same. I’ve taught in schools, homes, and outdoors. I’m definitely not against Good News Clubs.
And perhaps a better answer to your question is more of following where God leads you and opens doors. However, my initial response is correct regarding the impact on public schools.
When Paul did outreach into a new area, he ordinarily started at the local synagogue. We also read about Mars Hill. We never see him operating out of an idol’s temple. But he did set up shop in the school of Tyrannus when his ministry was opposed in the synagogue in Ephesus (a town in modern day Turkey).
I don’t see a pattern in scripture of fighting to keep a speaking platform, but neither were opportunities to have a platform declined. Christ said to His disciples to flee to another city, whenever they were persecuted, and continue to preach.
The preaching and teaching of Christ and the apostles were directed primarily at adults. Children were reached in the process and were welcomed and included. They are important.
But you are not going to take back public schools by trying to fight legal battles to get these clubs approved by local school boards. Public schools are primarily governed at the state level. Compulsory school attendance exists in all 50 states and the main impact of federal laws and regulations is budget money.
Courts currently protect religious liberty of students to the extent faith-based clubs must be treated equally with secular ones. But you still have hostile districts that refuse to follow the law. And this is often because they know they will face expensive lawsuits whenever religion is introduced into the equation, even if they ultimately win the cases. That’s not to say such cases should not be fought. But some of these battles take years to resolve.
Public schools are not a place where adults can promote directly to children. In many cases, any faith based club would have to promote to parents in order to get permission, and school districts may or may not cooperate in getting this information to the parents. School districts are typically only going to allow such clubs to operate where there are already similar secular clubs. And this is primarily for legal reasons.
When you promote such clubs in other ways, you have a much better chance of reaching parents and children. But, like I said, go where doors open.