Many times I am asked what the mission of our school really is. As an educator, I have always set high standards towards academic excellence, pushing against the limits of knowledge in order to know God’s creation even more. As a Christian minister, I also am convinced that our primary mission is to enable our students to experience the redemptive power of Christ in every circumstance in their lives.
A recent article by Pastor and Christian educator Brandon Cooper encapsulates these ideas succinctly: He writes:
Just before Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father, He gave His followers a simple commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” As Christ prepared to leave the nascent church, He gave them one task: To make disciples.
…When it comes to Christ’s call on our lives, we can either make disciples or we can disobey.
…As teachers and administrators, we also have goals for our students and schools. But if our students do not have a passionate relationship with Christ when they leave our care, the rest will hardly matter.
He continues: Already I hear the objection mounting: “We are not the church. Our priority is education, not discipleship. Although it is important to maintain the distinction between the church and the school, this argument fails. To reduce Christ’s commission just to the local church misunderstands the nature of the body of Christ. We have all been called to make disciples, whether we are pastors serving in a local congregation, those navigating the secular marketplace, or educators entrusted with young minds and souls.
This is our mission at Bethel Life School.
As we launch Bethel Life Academy, our new 9-12 high school in Fall 2011, our prayer is that it will continue to uphold our shared values of Rigorous Academics & Relevant Discipleship.
Thank you for supporting Bethel Life Schools!
excerpts taken from "The Principled School: On Educational Idolatry and the Ministry that Cannot Change, by Brandon Cooper in Christian School Education Vol 14:3 2011.
