Decisions about the education of children and youth are among the most important choices that a parent will face. A school makes a life-long impression upon a student for it establishes the basic framework, along with his or her home and church, for the student’s philosophy of life, standard of values, and lifestyle.
Our foundation in terms of mission, vision, core values, and philosophy of Christian education is listed below:
- Mission Statement
- Vision Statement
- Core Values
- Philosophy of Christian Education
Mission Statement
The mission of LCS, in partnership with school families and their churches, is to educate students and encourage parents by examining all of life from a biblical worldview. We are a multi-denominational, Christian school. LCS believes Jesus Christ is the core and completion of all our studies and that He will be glorified through our striving for excellence in all subject areas. We support students as lifelong learners who apply Christian education to future endeavors.
Vision Statement
We see a school where:
- Students will understand and commit to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ;
- Students will be nurtured in their relationship with Christ;
- Parents, churches, and community members will work together and will be accountable for a quality education for all students;
- Students will have the opportunity to communicate, problem solve, and demonstrate higher level thinking skills in a biblical worldview;
- Students will be prepared for higher education, where they will exercise their God-given gifts and talents;
- Students will have the opportunity to develop spiritually, intellectually, morally, socially, and physically in preparation for a life of service that exemplifies biblical precepts;
- Students will be instructed in and will be encouraged to experience God’s revelation of His beauty, creativity, and love for them through the fine art genres;
- Students will be guided in biblically integrated instruction toward Christianly lifestyles;
Staff will model Christian ethics as well as the learning processes and behaviors expected of students.
Core Values
Livingston Christian Schools has established a set of core values that govern all decisions. They are embraced and implemented by LCS, and are to be the principles of controlling guidance by which it seeks to accomplish what God has LCS to undertake.
The following are the core values of Livingston Christian Schools:
- The ministry of LCS believes, and holds to without exception that the Bible is, in the original autographs, the inerrant, and verbally inspired Word of God. The Bible is honored in all matters of faith and practice.
- Livingston Christian Schools is dedicated to honoring the Word of God to the best of its ability in everything that it does.
- All employees, Board members, and support organization leaders must be Christians who accept and support the LCS doctrinal statement.
- All employees, Board members, and support organization leaders must seek to model in attitude, speech, and actions a consistent daily walk with Christ.
- We will attempt to instill Christian morals in each student and equip them to better serve their local church and community through life-long service.
- We will maintain an academic program that promotes scholastic excellence.
- We will seek to use the highest quality publications and materials throughout our curricula while integrating Biblical standards and precepts into the presentation of the curricula.
We believe that parents have the God-given responsibility for the education and training of their children and that our authority as a school is derived from the parents. The Christian school provides the opportunity for the home, school, and church to partner together in the shared task of the Godly training of our youth. LCS seeks to reinforce, not contradict, the values that the home and local church have established in their youth.
Philosophy of Christian Education
It is incumbent on Livingston Christian Schools to train young Christian men and women to apply the truth of Scripture in their homes, their future careers, and in all of life and knowledge. Christian education calls for an educational process that puts the Bible at the center and asks the student to evaluate all he sees in the world through the eyes of God-because God is Truth. All must conform to Him or it is not Truth. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6) In true Christian education, students, parents, and teachers learn to use the Bible to evaluate all of life. The Bible is life; it is the Living Word.
There is an important difference between a Christian and a secular viewpoint on any given subject. Even though knowledge is factually the same for both, no subject can be taught in the totality of its truth if the Creator is ignored or denied. Knowledge is purified by the recognition of God’s place in it. No other approach can be wholly God -honoring for parents and children as this approach through Scripture.
Parents and children in the school consider the Word of God clear in making Christian parents responsible for the education of their children. Education is not limited to the counsels of God revealed in His Word, but does include the counsels of God revealed in His world. These parents want their children to be educated at home and school with the consciousness that all truth is God’s truth, including history and geography, science, music, and the arts. Jesus Christ is to be central in all learning and living.
Educational Values
We believe the following values are foundational to our Christian philosophy of education.
The family, school, and church are to be complementary in educating students for lives of service to man and God. Deuteronomy 11:19-21, “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house; when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.”
The teacher represents the parents during the day. This does not relieve parents of their primary responsibility for the total development of their children. Ephesians 6:4, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
It is the responsibility of the school to provide instructional strategies designed to meet the unique development patterns of students. Psalm 139:13-18, “For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.”
Prayer is a significant factor in shaping the lives of students. Luke 11:9-10, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given unto you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened.”
Moral values and standards, based upon the Bible are the best preparations students can have for fulfilling their responsibilities as members of our society. 1 Peter 2:13-17, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men – as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
Goals and Objectives
Academic
Our chief academic goal is to teach all subjects with excellence from the viewpoint of God’s revealed truth and to develop in students a love for learning that fully challenges their God-given abilities. Our academic goals are:
- To integrate all academics with Scripture.
- To instill a desire for excellence in the academic disciplines and the skills required for higher education.
- To teach students to think for themselves and to assert their convictions when based upon Scripture.
- To provide appropriate instruction to meet the special needs of students who are either gifted or learning disabled, as resources permit
Spiritual
Our main spiritual goal is to teach the Bible as the authoritative and infallible foundation for all aspects of life. Students are encouraged throughout their school years to embrace this truth and to live the new life in Christ under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. Our spiritual goals are:
- To teach that the Bible is the only Word of God and is authoritative, practical, and important.
- To teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who came to earth to die for our sin.
- To teach the necessity of being born again by receiving Jesus personally.
- To teach that growth in the Christian life depends upon fellowship with God through prayer, studying the Bible, and service to God.
- To teach that God is the creator and sustainer of all.
Personal
Our major personal goal is to teach students to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and to develop good study habits with solid character traits, encouraging them to handle responsibilities wisely. Our personal goals are:
- To encourage students to grow spiritually through personal Bible study and prayer.
- To assist students in developing solid character traits consistent with the Word of God.
- To teach students to work independently and with others.
- To teach students to apply themselves to their studies, activities, and responsibilities.
Emotional
Our school’s primary goal in addressing student emotions is to teach them that God has created emotions to enhance the richness of life and to confirm the reality of faith in Christ. The school seeks to guide students in the proper use and control of their emotions so that God may be glorified in their lives. Our goals regarding emotions are:
- To encourage the expression of prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and joy in daily life and worship.
- To understand the function and expression of all emotions.
- To provide opportunities for students to express and evaluate their emotional responses.
Social
Our primary social goal is to teach that God has created man for fellowship with Him and with others. LCS seeks to help students develop a right relationship with God that results in respectful and loving concern for family members, teachers, and all other people in society. Our social goals are:
- To teach students how to relate to people who hold similar and differing views.
- To teach students the importance of roles in the family and local church.
- To instruct students regarding their obligations to be responsible and contributing citizens.
- To teach students effective communication skills.
Ministry
Our primary student outreach goal is to teach students that Christianity involves active participation in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. LCS provides opportunities to develop the joy of serving others in practical ways. Our ministry goals are:
- To provide opportunities for community service and involvement.
- To provide opportunities for outreach.
Physical
Our primary physical goal is to teach students that their bodies are the temples of God and that they have a responsibility to treat their bodies with great respect. LCS teaches the sanctity of human life. Our goals regarding physical development are:
- To promote physical fitness and the appreciation of the body as the temple of God.
- To provide extra-curricular athletic activities for the highest development of physical skills.
- To develop in students Godly attributes toward serious social and health problems.
Partnerships
Since parents are the real teachers of their children, the school provides assistance in the instruction of students. LCS, then, desires a strong partnership with the home and enlists its support in the school’s ministry. Our goals are to encourage families to:
- Be Godly role models, living exemplary Christian lives.
- Nurture the spiritual development of their children in the home.
- Be actively involved in a sound, Bible-centered church.
- Provide prayer support for teachers and support staff.
- Be involved in the life of the school as parent volunteers.
- Serve in extra-curricular activities.
- Help with fund-raising projects.
Aesthetic
Our primary aesthetic goal is to teach students that God is the author of creative expression and how this creativity has resulted in a world filled with beauty to be enjoyed through our senses. Our goals in aesthetic instruction are:
- To develop the creative skills of students through opportunities to participate in the arts.
- To teach students how to appreciate the fine arts.
