The “Three R’s” of
a Church & School
Partnership
By Pastor Troy Keaton
F
OR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, our community has
been blessed to have a Christian school. Founded in
2008 by a group of eager parents and leaders, Smith Moun-
tain Lake Christian Academy (SMLCA) has been a small but
positive presence in our rural lake community in Virginia.
Just prior, in February 2006, EastLake Community Church
(ELCC) began with a vision to multiply believers, leaders,
and churches.
These two Christian organizations were unrelated and
only distantly connected until February 2015. At that time,
the church’s relationship with the school became much
deeper when the respective boards of SMLCA and ELCC
voted unanimously to bring the school under the ministry
umbrella of the church. This would mean that the church
would now provide leadership, vision, and future facilities
for the school. We were literally taking full responsibility for
the school.
The question I often get is, “Why would you want your
growing church to be connected with a Christian school?”
That question is often followed with a vivid reminder of the
risk involved in leading a school, and occasionally there’s
even a scary anecdote thrown in for emphasis.
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We are all acquainted with the “Three R’s” of education:
reading, writing, and arithmetic. In this article, I will show
you the “Three R’s” of why our church took leadership of a
local existing Christian school: the ROUTE, the RISK, and
the REWARD.
1. The ROUTE: How did we get here, and what pro-
cess did we use to form this relationship?
From the church side, it began with an awareness that we
have the responsibility to ensure our children are properly
discipled and trained. Although this commitment has been
part of the church from our inception, we realized that our
efforts were inadequate during a strategic planning and
prayer session in early 2014. From the school’s perspective,
it was obvious that the lack of a clear, overarching vision
and strong leadership were a great hindrance to the school
moving forward.
Both organizations realized that the other had something
that they needed. The school had a structure, student body,
and existing framework for educating children with a
Christian worldview. The church had vision, passion, and
resources to help the school succeed.