MCA was started as part of the Youth for Christ movement, founded by the pastor of Midwest Bible Church at the time, Torrey Johnson. The church had established Phantom Ranch Bible Camp in Wisconsin as a ministry to children and youth two years earlier and establishing a Christian school in Chicago on the church campus was the second part of that ministry's growth. Billy Graham's ministry also started as he worked with Youth for Christ, and he preached his first sermon on the radio from what is now our Pre-K building.
The Ministry of a Christian School
From the scripture, we can discern five clear functions of a Christian church, a local body of Christ, made up of believers in him who have confessed their sin and their acknowledgement of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, and have been transformed by the renewing of their mind, and sanctified by the cleansing of their souls with the blood of Christ into the Kingdom of God, his church. Churches worship God, they make disciples of Jesus by educating their members in scriptural principle and practice, they reach out to the world with the message of the Christian gospel as a mission of evangelism, they provide ministry to their members and to others based on their spiritual needs, and they come together in fellowship.
The primary ministry of a Christian school is Christian education, which meets the discipleship function of a church. We also introduce students to the Christian gospel, which means that evangelism is also one of our functions.
Over the 235 years since the Constitution was ratified, and the almost 200 years of existence of public schools, a series of court rulings based on the first amendment's establishment clause has created a public school system that does not provide any religious instruction. Since the public schools are supported by public funds, the courts have determined that the establishment clause of the first amendment prohibits those schools from providing religious instruction. The sectarian nature of American Christianity would make it impossible for a public school to properly and accurately teach all aspects of every religion practiced by all students. So it takes a position known as "religious neutrality," by not providing any religious instruction to students.
Christian schools were founded to come along side parents and help them provide the kind of Christian discipleship and education for their children that would help them grow and develop into mature believers in Christ. It is difficult to counter the influence of the secular humanism that dominates public school curriculum in just a few hours of activities in the local church during the week. So Christian schools have been providing instruction which not only includes Biblical studies and worship each week, but which integrates Biblical principles into all aspects of education where it is relevant.
Generally, Christian schools also provide a solid, quality academic experience for students. We don't have a lot of "bells and whistles," but our curriculum objectives focus on skills, leaving the social issues and social philosophy to parents. We spend seven solid hours a day in mastering academic objectives and our students excel in the measurements used to determine the level of their progress. Our most recent measurement of average yearly progress shows that 89% of our students are proficient in reading and English-language arts skills, and 87% are proficient in mathematics, which is considerably higher than the public education system achieves.
There Are No Guarantees
Evangelical Christian churches have been struggling for the past four decades as membership and attendance have been in a steep decline. Since the later years of the 20th century, more than 70% of the children and youth who have been raised in our churches, involved in our youth groups and attending our children's ministries will leave the church entirely by the time they graduate from college. It has become very difficult for churches to provide the kind of discipleship ministry necessary to compete in the "marketplace of ideas," and keep the interest of those who may not be solidly committed before they graduate from high school.
But among the children and youth who have attended a Christian school for at least five years of their grade school educational experience, that figure turns almost completely around. More than 70% of those children will remain engaged in a church, and become active in its ministry, into adulthood. Part of that is the time invested in studying the Bible, and engaging in fellowship with other Christians in the same school definitely has a strong impact on their faith. At MCA, every student is involved in a study of the scripture every single day. And they are taught critical thinking skills which help them find a way to apply what they read and are taught.
When the time comes and a child or young adult experiences the conviction from the Holy Spirit of their own sinfulness, we hope that the time they have spent in Christian school will have a big influence over the decision they make at that point in their lives. We also hope, through this study, that they realize God does have a purpose for their life, and that he will provide a way for them to fulfill that purpose. Whether that is serving as a missionary in a foreign country where people may have never heard about Jesus, or as the pastor or a leader in a local church, or if it is to be the Christian who sets an example by their life in the office where they work, we want them to be ready for that experience as a result of having been taught here.
There are few Christian schools located in the urban areas of the United States. So even though we are a small school, we have an opportunity to have a big impact. Pray for our students, as they come each day, that they will become aware of God's calling on their life and respond. That is our mission and purpose, and what we hope to achieve each school year.
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