The country's most controversial church is making yet another bid to run a charter school.

Destiny Church is applying for public funds for its private Christian school in Manukau.

The Ministry of Education has previously rejected applications from the church, over concerns students might be pressured to join up.

But the church says a lot of non-Destiny children already attend the school, and don't have to go to the church.

A spokeswoman says it meets the criteria for a charter school because it targets Pacific and Maori students in an area where state schools are overcrowded.