The process involved the church board engaging a task
force from Renewanation to assess the school’s strength and
weaknesses and provide recommendations for this relation-
ship. This gave us experts in the field of education, outside
both organizations, to assess from top to bottom the best
path forward. After four months, the church presented this
at it’s annual church conference where the motion passed
with a 94% approval. Shortly after, the school board voted
unanimously to accept the tenets of the merger.
On the recommendation of the Renewanation Task Force,
the existing school board was disbanded and a new “transi-
tion board” was put in place. The transition board included
the three-member Renewanation Task Force, two members
from ELCC, and two former board members of SMLCA. The
existing principal of SMLCA and I, as the pastor of ELCC,
also sat on the transition board as non-voting members.
The transition board worked diligently through the late
winter and spring of 2015 to ensure the school was ready to
launch with a fresh vision in the fall.
2. The RISK: What challenges did we face, and what
risk were we taking in the process of partnering
with SMLCA?
To say this was an easy process would be a dereliction of our
duty to obey the ninth commandment; you know the one
that deals with speaking the truth.
Forming this type of partnership involved the risk of:
The church failing to see this relationship as a part of their
mission and rejecting it. This demanded a process of commu-
nication, open meetings, and discussion in order to cultivate
acceptance from the church.
Assuming financial responsibility for a struggling non-
profit school. The school had never been able to stabilize
from a financial perspective, and we knew that with author-
ity comes responsibility. During the transition period, the
church did provide supplemental funds.
Making necessary changes that would be unpopular with
the current stakeholders. This is where the most difficulty
was encountered. When the task force from Renewanation
assessed the culture and philosophy of the school, they
discerned the cause of a stifled growth pattern, lack of finan-
cial resources, and poor culture. There was great disparity
found between the day to day practice of the school’s faculty
and their written statements and the church’s view on these
matters. Unfortunately, many within had adapted to the
dysfunction, embraced it as normal, and were therefore very
resistant to change. This risk proved real as we had significant
turnover in faculty following the completion of the school
year. However, ensuring alignment with vision, culture, and
philosophy were paramount to us from the beginning and
was worth the risk and frustration of the process.
3. The REWARD: What benefits are there to the
church and school through this partnership?
Although we are early in this relationship, the rewards of
the diligent, thoughtful, vision-driven process are already
coming to light.
We are reaping the rewards of:
Energy and momentum. The focused planning and vision
has created excitement and has moved the school from a
small school in the shadows to a viable and exciting educa-
tional alternative at Smith Mountain Lake.
Growth. In our church of several hundred, this process
has raised awareness of the importance of teaching and
training our children with a biblical worldview. Families are,
for the first time, enrolling their kids in a Christian school.
We are poised to set an attendance record at SMLCA for the
2015-2016 school year.
Purpose and vision. Clear vision attracts quality people.
This clarity and excitement have brought to us some of the
most fantastic Christian teachers, quality students, and
excited donors.
Confidence. In light of our collapsing society, we are sure
that in the future there will be a place in our community
where God’s truths are clearly taught through high-quality
education with a biblical worldview.
I am aware that time will ultimately speak to the wisdom
of this relationship. However, we believe that the future
of our children, our churches, and our nation are worth
embarking on this journey. At ELCC, we have decided
that weekday education is not separated from our calling
to “train up a child in the way they should go.” It is worth
our effort to ensure our children know the truth about the
beautiful, complex, created world in which they live. We’ll
keep you posted about this vital endeavor!
Pastor Troy Keaton has pastored for more than 20 years. In
2006, Troy planted EastLake Community Church in Moneta, Vir-
ginia and now leads a growing multi-site congregation of several
hundred that has also planted several other churches. Troy and
his wife, Janel, have two daughters, a son-in-law, two sons, and
a brand new grandson, Carson. They reside in Hardy, VA.
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