Faith Baptist Christian School

Faith Baptist Christian School Mission Statement

The mission of Faith Baptist Christian School is to reveal God’s truth in all academic areas and to bring the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ to all students and families, making fully devoted disciples of all believers.

Philosophy of Faith Baptist Christian School

Faith Baptist Christian School (FBCS) is a ministry of Faith Baptist Church. Faith Baptist Church recognizes that all people are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and that God modeled his perfect plan of human development (to increase in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man) in His Son, Jesus (Luke 2:52). Therefore, FBCS was established as an outreach to our community, to provide an environment in which all children, regardless or race, creed or color, could develop mentally (in wisdom), physically (in stature), emotionally, socially, and spiritually (and in favor with God and man).

God tells us that students will be like their teachers (Luke 6:40). Therefore, all FBCS teachers are equipped academically (preschool teachers hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree, preferably in education and/or demonstrated exceptional ability teaching your children; kindergarten through middle school teachers hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree preferably in, but not limited to, education). Besides being academically equipped, all FBCS teachers are active members of like-minded evangelical Protestant churches and are spiritually mature with leadership abilities that allow them to motivate children to grow in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man.

God's word, The Holy Bible, is life's reference book, the ultimate authority for truth and the standard by which all people and all things are measured. Because all truth is God's truth, our curriculum is Biblically based and/or taught from a Biblical perspective.

Faith Baptist Christian School will give every student the following opportunities:

to know the unconditional love of God
to have a salvation experience
to understand that God has a special purpose for his life
to understand, identify, and develop a Christian worldview (as opposed to a secular worldview)
to achieve educational excellence
to view and treat all mankind and all creation as Jesus would view and treat them

The motto of Faith Baptist Christian School is "Growing God's Way". Our school scripture verse is "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6 NIV) The vision of our church leadership and school board is that our school ministry would continue to grow God's way, looking to see where God is at work and joining Him there. We envision regular curriculum review and expansion to provide and maintain a program of both spiritual and academic excellence for all students and their families. We believe that this will result in educating our students to become excellent, productive, Christ-centered citizens of God's world, as we continue to witness and minister to the spiritual and physical needs of our community.

As part of Faith Baptist Church, the Faith Baptist Christian School operates independently of state regulation and control but will adhere to state and county health, safety and fire standards.

Faith Baptist Christian School Statement of Educational Beliefs

We believe that God would have His children develop mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. Our Christian school was established to provide an environment in which children could increase in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52).

God's Word teaches us that students will be like their teachers. All teachers and staff must be of spiritual maturity and growing spiritually through regular church attendance and personal Bible study. All teachers must have academic and leadership abilities tha will allow them to motivate children to grow in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God.

We believe that relationships between students and teachers are critical to supporting the learning process. We strive to develop a loving atmosphere where each child can feel safe and secure, thus enabling him to flourish in every way. Students are assured optimum learning experiences because of our small pupil-teacher ratio.

All truth comes from God; therefore our curriculum is Biblically based and presented as God's truth, providing a foundation of strong academic excellence in the basics. Academic knowledge is not meant to be compartmentalized, therefore students exercise and extend their knowledge of academics through participation in a variety of special subjects, such as: music, physical education, computer, foreign language experience, art, and home economics.

Finally, education in and of itself is useless. We believe that all knowledge and abilities come from God and are meant to be developed in order to further His kingdom and bring glory to Him.

Faith Baptist Christian School Statement of Doctrinal Beliefs

Faith Baptist Christian School operates as a ministry of Faith Baptist Church and is under the authority of the church. Our doctrinal beliefs are those of Faith Baptist Church as expressed in Our Statement of Faith.

Our Statement of Faith

The Scriptures - We believe that both the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God and are inerrant in the original writings. Through the providence of God, the Scriptures have been preserved and are the supreme and final and adequate authority in faith and life (Psalms 19:7; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
God - We believe there is one and only one true and living God existing in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each a distinct Person, but all of one essence and all having the same nature, perfections, and attributes, and each is worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience (Genesis 1:26; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 3:16-17;28:19).
Jesus Christ - We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, shed His blood on Calvary as a vicarious substitute, was buried, rose again bodily, and ascended to the Father according to the Scriptures (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Hebrews 4:15).
The Holy Spirit - We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, very God coexistent with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the chief agen in regeneration, the chief convictor of sin, and the chief comforter of the believer. Simultaneous with regeneration, the Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into the body of Christ (Matthew 28:19; John 16:7-11; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14).
Man - We believe that man is the direct creation of God - body, soul, and spirit - and is not in any sense the result of evolution, but is made in the image of God. Adam, the first man, sinned by disobedience. This act resulted in the fall of mankind and incurred both physical and spiritual death for all (Genesis 1:26; Romans 3:10, 23; 5:12).
Salvation - We believe that all who, in faith, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are born again by the Holy Spirit and thus become the children of God. Salvation involves redemption, regeneration, sanctification, and glorification (John 1:12; 3:3, 17:17; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 2:8-9, 4:30; Titus 3:5).
Second Coming - We believe in the literal, visible, personal, pre-millenial, pre-tribulational return of Jesus Christ for His Church. At this event the dead in Christ and living believers will be translated to meet Him in the air. At the end of a seven year tribulation, Christ will visibly descend with the saints to establish His earthly millenial Kingdom (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:1-6).
Providence - We believe in the providence of God, but that His is not the author or approver of sin nor the destroyer of the free will and responsibility of man (John 3:16; Romans 8:28-30).
The Priesthood of the Believer - We believe in the priesthood of all believers so that every Christian has direct access to God in prayer through Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, and that there is no mediator between God and man other than Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Timothy 2:5; Revelation 1:6).
Satan - We believe that Satan was originally created a perfect being. He rebelled against God. As a result, he became depraved, the Devil and adversary of God and His people, and leader of a host of angels who fell with him. Satan has been judged and defeated at the cross and awaits his ultimate doom at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 14:13-14; Ezekiel 28:13-17; John 16:11; 1 Timothy 3:7; Revelation 20:10).
The Security of the Believer - We believe that salvation is not only a gift from God, but also is sustained by the Lord. The Holy Spirit permanently indwells the believer and seals him in salvation for all eternity. Therefore, since salvation is wholly of the Lord, apart from the works of man, we hold that the believer shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal salvation (John 10:28, 14:16-17, 26; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14; Ephesians 1:13, 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24-25).
The Lord's Day - We believe that Sunday is the Lord's Day and is a Christian institution for regular observance of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private (1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10).
Creation - We believe the triune God created the universe apart from pre-existing materials and without any evolutionary process. We believe in the historicity of the first eleven chapters of Genesis (Genesis 1:1; Matthew 19:4; John 1:1-3; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3).
The Local Church - We believe that the New Testament church is the local body of baptized believers with Christ as its head and the Holy Spirit as its guide. New Testament churches promote God's work by cooperating together for missions and many other joint efforts. The local church is to be governed independent of outside persons, bodies, groups, or authorities (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:6-8, 6:3; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:3-6, 22-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
Ordinances - We believe that the local church observes two ordinances - baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that all who have received Christ as Savior and Lord should be baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; that baptism is by immersion in the likeness of the death, burial, and the resurrection of Christ; and that the Lord's Supper should be observed in remembrance of Him to show forth His death for our sins until He comes again (Matthew 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Romans 6:3-6; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Practical Application of School Philosophy
We strive to develop a loving atmosphere where each child can feel safe and secure, thus enabling him to flourish in every way:

Mentally - The A-Beka curriculum provides a foundation of strong academic excellence in the basics. Because of our small pupil-teacher ratio, students are assured the individualized attention necessary to optimum learning experiences.
Physically - We strive to teach good health and safety habits. We encourage development of gross and fine motor skills.
Emotionally and Socially - We teach each child that Jesus loves them and that they are to be loving to their friends at all times. We want our school to be a joyful place where every day is full of rewarding experiences and happy relationships.
Spiritually - We present God's Word to every child with innovative Biblical instruction. We teach them to understand and live out God's Word.

Association of Christian Schools International

Faith Baptist Christian School is a member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). ACSI is a Christian schools association dedicated to supporting Christian educators and schools in the mission to provide a Christian education that will effectively prepare students for life. We fully support and uphold the ACSI statements on nondiscrimination and affiliation:

Statement of Nondiscrimination
Faith Baptist Christian School and the ACSI make no distinction concerning an individual's race or ethnic background because we acknowledge that there can be no preferential treatment with God. (Romans 2:11-“For God does not show favoritism.”) We are bound to extend our ministry to all we can reach if we are to carry out our Lord's Great Commission. (Matthew 28:19 “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…”)

Statement of Affiliation
We are dedicated to the establishment, philosophy, and promotion of fundamental Christian education in the Laurel area, and we neither support nor endorse the World or National Council of Churches, or any world, national, regional, or local organizations which give Christian recognition to non-believers or advocate a multi-faith union.

What is the ACSI Statement of Faith?

We believe the Bible is the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative, inerrant Word of God.
We believe in one God, eternally existent in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His personal return in power and glory.
We believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature; and that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ and that only by God's grace and through faith alone are we saved.
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; that the saved will be resurrected unto life in heaven, and that the lost will be resurrected unto damnation in hell.
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

How does our membership in ACSI and our shared beliefs affect our hiring of teachers?

We apply the following to our teachers:ACSI requires that all of our teachers trust Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
ACSI also requires that all of our teachers believe the ACSI doctrine statement.
The School Board selects each teacher on an individual basis, looking at his or her spiritual life, education, and teaching ability.
We do not require our teachers to be Baptists. We believe that qualified teachers can be found in all kinds of Christian churches.
Since we are a ministry of Faith Baptist Church, we require that each teacher understand Faith Baptist Church's doctrine statement, and agree to explain Faith Baptist Church's doctrine statement when questions arise outside of the ACSI Bible curriculum. Our church's doctrine statement is in full agreement with the ACSI statement.
We encourage every teacher to be an active member in a church that believes and teaches the ACSI doctrine statement.