Vibrant
Christian Schools
love their students.
They are student-
centered!
Vibrant Christian schools start
from a very different perspective
than a secular school. They believe
every child has been divinely created in the image
of God Almighty, and each child is created with a unique
and special purpose in God’s economy on earth. Because of
these beliefs they constantly seek to help each student find
their God given purpose.
Vibrant schools are student-centric in the sense that they
realize the children placed in their care are moldable, tender
clay. I am more convinced every day that the impressions
made upon the mind of a young child are much more
impactful and lasting than impressions made at a later age.
Just think about the things you remember from your child-
hood. I still vividly remember the teachers who loved me
and the ones who didn’t seem to love me. Some made me
feel safe while others made me feel fearful. When teachers in
a Christian school, or any school for that matter, leave posi-
tive impressions on the hearts and minds of their students,
those kids are forever inclined to follow the lead and even
the lifestyle of the teacher.
Christian school teachers must work to leave a positive,
spiritual impression on the lives of those they are privileged
to teach. This does not mean that they never strongly disci-
pline a child. They must! However, if everything is done
in love and in a spirit of kindness, even discipline makes a
child feel safe.
I remember my high school principal taking me into his
office when I had done something wrong. I have no idea
what my grievance was on any of the occasions I landed
in Mr. Wellbaum’s office. The only things I now remember
about those meetings are a few of his words and his spirit.
He said to me on seemingly several occasions, “Jeff, please
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stop doing these things that are getting you in trouble. I hate
to have to punish you.” He would then lovingly mete out
the punishment. Even as a feisty teenager I never disliked
Mr. Wellbaum or thought he was being unkind to me. His
love and personal concern for me gave him the authority to
discipline me like I needed to be disciplined.
At the end of the day, our only mission in Christian
schools is to teach our students truth and prepare them to
represent their Heavenly Father well in this world.
The mission of the Christian school is not to build an
organization. It is not to have the best academic or athletic
program. It is not to be the best prep school in town. Our
mission is to mold children and young people into the image
of Jesus Christ and prepare them to go out and change the
world. Yes, we use athletics and academics as tools to help
in this process, but we must never lose sight of the fact that
children are what this mission is all about.
Vibrant
Christian Schools
inspire their students
to be great!
I used to speak to all of our middle and high school
students at the beginning of each school year. I would tell
them that we started their school because we wanted to raise
up a new generation of dynamic, Christian leaders. I would
tell them every year that I expected one of them to become
the president of the United States some day. I challenged
them to believe God for the impossible and to go out and
change the world they lived in. On more occasions than I
can possibly remember, I felt led to pull a student aside and
tell them that I believed God had something special for their
life if they would surrender their all to Him.
Not long ago I was preaching at a church, and the young
pastor’s wife came up to me and asked if I remembered what
I had told her over and over again when she was a teenager. I
confessed that I couldn’t remember. She said, “You told me I
was going to be a pastor’s wife, and here I am.” Her husband