Valley Christian Schools exist as a flourishing faith-based education system to transform lives by loving more, expecting more, and being more. In order to achieve this mission, we prioritize the process by which students grow in their faith and mature into the call to Christ. This process is defined as discipleship and spiritual formation and it is accomplished through our Spiritual Values.
Forming and shaping future Christian leaders is much more than placing children into Christian schools and scheduling a sufficient amount of Scripture memory, Bible classes, and chapel services.
The Spiritual Values of Valley Christian Schools emphasizes a Biblical roadmap that moves from salvation and personal growth to the inward work of the Holy Spirit and showing love and service to others. Areas of focus include the knowledge of who God is and His plan for our lives [Truth], understanding who we are in Him [Identity], and producing outward growth in conduct and sharing God’s heart with the world [Character & Honor].
Clearly, the school alone cannot accomplish its mission without the backing and assistance of families, regular church attendance, daily prayer, devotions, and much more. The patterns we establish both in our families/home life in partnership with Valley Christian Schools will make a statement for or against the productive spiritual formation of all students.
The Spiritual Values of Valley Christian Schools serve as pillars of our Christian community and, through God’s grace, help define the culture in which we love, grow, teach, and learn.
Truth Leads
Our roadmap to abundant life is found in God’s Word.
Biblical truth explains the past and present and guides future decisions.
By learning and applying God’s Word to their lives, students develop a Christian worldview that helps them confidently share their faith and guide future decisions
To instill and model TRUTH, VCS focuses on these truths:
• The Bible is the living Word of God. [Hebrews 4:12]
• A true life of faith is based on the foundation of the Bible. [Matthew 4:4]
• The Bible is our basis for teaching. [2 Timothy 3:16]
• The Bible trains us for good works. [2 Timothy 3:17]
• Humanity was created by God to reflect His image yet because of our sin, we are separated from God and in need of a Savior. [Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23]
• The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ restores what was broken by sin and allows us to walk in relationship with God. [Romans 5:17-19]
We celebrate growth in TRUTH when:
• Students look to the Bible for answers and direction.
• Students display value for the Bible through memorization.
• Students learn Bible-based teaching as God’s word for their lives.
• Students display an understanding of the Gospel.
• Students’ beliefs are rooted in biblical understanding.
Identity in Christ
Through the grace of God we are blessed, chosen, forgiven, and loved by Him.
Christ-Centered Identity is based on how God sees us and not external circumstances.
By finding their value and worth in Jesus Christ, students develop a relationship with God that leads to a Biblically based, purpose-filled life.
To instill and model IDENTITY, VCS focuses on these truths:
• By God’s grace, salvation is received and not achieved. [Ephesians 2:8-9]
• Our relationship with God is rooted in love. [Ephesians 3:17]
• Our relationship with Christ causes us to live for Him and not ourselves. [Romans 12:2]
• Our worth in Christ gives us no need to judge or compare to others. [Matthew 10:31]
We celebrate growth in IDENTITY when:
• Students make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
• Student action after repentance demonstrates a change in heart.
• Students display personal security and confidence rooted in God’s love.
• Students express desire to follow God over the pressure or example of others.
• Students exhibit giving their best in all areas of life as worship to God.
Character Matters
God’s grace changes our motives, attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions to reveal His heart.
Godly Character displays Jesus Christ in our lives.
By displaying Jesus Christ in their actions, students exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit in the discipleship process.
To instill and model CHARACTER, VCS focuses on these truths:
• Christians should learn right from wrong and develop Godly behavior. [Hebrews 9:14]
• Believers in Jesus Christ are called to be a Light in a dark world. [Matthew 5:14-16]
• Christian conduct begins in the heart. [Proverbs 4:23]
• Integrity is what we do when no one is watching. [Proverbs 10:9]
We celebrate growth in CHARACTER when:
• Students live cheerful, holy, and blameless lives, fleeing from sin and rejoicing in the truth.
• The fruits of the Spirit are manifested in student motives, attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions.
• Students demonstrate an attitude of gratitude for the Grace of God in their lives.
• Students know that obedience is a reflection of our love and respect for God and each other.
Honor Lifts
Our relationship with others is connected to God’s grace for others, not our feelings.
Honoring others reflects God’s value of people.
By learning to value and respect others through God’s grace, students demonstrate the love of Christ for all people in all areas.
To instill and model HONOR, VCS focuses on these truths:
• God loves all people to the extent that Jesus died for them. [John 3:16]
• God calls us to love people. [John 13:34-35]
• God calls us to show grace and forgive others. [Ephesians 4:32]
• God and those placed in authority give us rules that we should obey. [Romans 13:1]
We celebrate growth in HONOR when:
• Students extend mercy and grace to one another.
• Students submit to authority and follow rules put in place by leadership.
• Students maintain kindness towards one another even when it’s not easy
• Students demonstrate a heart to serve others
Statement of Faith
- We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative, inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21).
- We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30).
- We believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33), His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:35), His sinless life (Hebrews 4: 15, 7:26), His miracles (John 2:11), His vicarious and atoning death (1 Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9), His Resurrection (John 11:25, 1 Corinthians 15:4), His Ascension to the right hand of God (Mark 16:19), His personal return in power and glory (Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11).
- 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 (John 3:16–19, 5:24; Romans 3:23, 5:8–9; Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 3:5).
- We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28–29).
- We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12:12–13, Galatians 3:26–28).
- We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (Romans 8:13–14; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19–20; Ephesians 4:30, 5:18).
- We believe that the term marriage has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18–25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Corinthians 6:18, 7:2–5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God’s command is that there be no sexual intimacy outside of or apart from marriage between a man and a woman.
- We believe that God wonderfully foreordained and immutably created each person as either male or female in conformity with their biological sex. These two distinct yet complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26–27).
Bible courses are at the center of the curriculum. As a Christ-centered school the Bible influences every course through Christian worldview integration. The foundational conviction of the academic program is that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and is the rule of absolute truth. The special revelation of the Old and New Testaments teaches a unified story of the ultimate truth about God, Creation, man, moral order, and purpose of human life and history. The God of the Bible is triune: one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 3:16-17). God created everything from nothing (Gen. 1; John 1). God made humanity in His image with intrinsic value and worth (Gen. 1:26-28, 9:6; Ps. 139:13-16). God is the source of justice and sets the moral standard (Ex. 20:1-17). Humanity was created good, sinned, fell under a curse, has a sin nature, and is in need of a Savior (Rom. 5:12). In Jesus Christ, God became man and died as a substitute on a cross to save man (Eph. 2:8-9). History is directed toward salvation’s consummation with the return of Christ (Rom. 5; II Pet. 3:9).
The Scriptures are the final authoritative rule for faith and practice and therefore studying the Scriptures in order to understand and obey them is the most important discipline our students can develop (2 Timothy 2:15). The first goal of studying the Bible is for students to experience salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (John 3:16). Then Christian growth through the disciplining effect of Bible Study is encouraged. God’s Word is studied to provide a foundation for a Christian worldview for students so that they can learn to integrate their faith with all other learning. Students are taught to value the Scriptures above all other sources of knowledge and live by its teaching to become change agents for Christ in the church, community, and work.
Chapel services are held for students in grades K-12 and all students are expected to participate in these services. Student lead praise and worship along with special speakers, missionaries, class participation, films, and more are included during our chapel services.
The purpose of chapel includes:
• To lift up Jesus Christ and Christ alone.
• The worship of our Creator and Savior.
• To allow an opportunity for our students to fellowship together in corporate worship (Hebrews 10:25).
• To provide an opportunity for the expression and use of God-given talents and abilities in ministering capacities.
• To introduce our students to various ministries and servants of God.
• To learn God’s truth about themselves and the world.
Each fall and spring VCS takes a day off from the classroom to participate in a workshop designed to grow students spiritually. Special speakers, films, and music are utilized to address life topics in a way that meets students where they are.
VCS uses daily devotions to instill core values by assigning each student to a small group with an adult facilitator. Devotions give staff and students alike the opportunity to positively impact our culture through positive interactions and relationship building within our school community.