Our mission is to “equip minds and nurture hearts to transform the world for Jesus Christ.” However, these are not separate and distinct endeavors; instead we seek to honor the whole child in an integrated way. The teachers at Holland Christian are uniquely equipped to encourage student growth and maturity in every dimension of their being, including their faith.
Faith Formation
It is an honor and privilege at Holland Christian Schools to partner with parents and churches to encourage the unique faith development of each student.
Real Faith in Real Life
We pray together
What does this look like in our schools on a day to day basis? It means we pray in our classrooms and throughout the day. We have the freedom and desire to openly and intentionally acknowledge God’s presence and working in our lives whenever the need or desire is present throughout the day. At any given moment any number of classes are engaged in prayer and devotions throughout the day. But that is not all…
We worship together
Faith development means we worship together in chapel. We value and treasure the freedom and opportunity we have to worship as a group. Every grade level at every school regularly joins together in communal times of worship, praise, prayer. Elementary and HCMS students gather together as a school at least once a week for large group worship, while HCHS students gather together as a whole school every Monday and Friday. These are opportunities to worship together as well as listen to God’s Word and apply it to our lives as it informs all that we do and say throughout the day.
We study Scripture
Faith development means that we have Bible classes and a comprehensive Bible curriculum. The Bible classes are unique from what a student receives in Sunday School through his or her church. Holland Christian’s Bible curriculum studies each Bible story with a desire to see how the story is centered and focused on God, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Students and faculty deeply and thoughtfully explore the Biblical text: its context, geography, history, and culture. All of these components significantly impact what the Bible meant to its original audience and consequently, how it speaks to us today. All of Holland Christian’s Bible teachers have bachelor’s degrees and many have advanced degrees. All of them seek the Bible to be read and experienced meaningfully, and responded to faithfully.
We share experiences
Faith development means we live and share lives of faithfulness together, in truth and grace. Relationships matter at Holland Christian Schools. Staff members are thoroughly committed to Jesus Christ and His Word and to living lives of faithfulness before God. The importance of relationships is emphasized not only in the classroom but in extracurricular activities, fine arts, sports, retreats, trips, and service opportunities. Through shared experiences, the staff and students openly and honestly share their joys and sorrows, trials and triumphs, confessions and restorations. It is the desire of the Holland Christian staff to develop deep and sincere relationships with students as they share life together.
We serve together
The commitment to faith development drives us to think beyond ourselves both locally and globally in acts of service. It is our desire to be bringers of “shalom” here and now, at every grade level and age.
- Elementary students have service opportunities through grandparent buddies, POD groups, by collecting food and household supplies for local food banks, reading to younger students.
- Older students serve both individually and as a group by volunteering with teams or classes at the Rescue Mission, at Compassionate Heart, Benjamin’s Hope, tutoring at neighboring schools, or helping in local classrooms.
- Students are also encouraged to respond throughout the year as needs arise. This includes things like collecting household items for local families whose houses burned down and collections for needs in other countries including post earthquake Haiti or post tsunami Japan, or helping at an AIDS orphanage for children in Lesotho, Africa.
- In addition to these things, students are challenged to think about how what they are learning in their current classes could be used immediately to make a difference in their world.
We celebrate a Christian worldview
Faith development means that with integrity, through the course of every day, every hour, every class, and every discipline, we intentionally acknowledge that “This is my Father’s World” and that everything belongs to Him. The Bible provides the bedrock foundation and lens through which we see God more clearly. Every subject, every concept, every hypothesis, and every truth is taught through this particular worldview. God is sovereign and created all things good. Yet all things have fallen from that original goodness. Jesus Christ, by His death and resurrection, has redeemed all things and eventually will restore them. And, finally, we join the Holy Spirit’s work of restoration by seeking to make all things new. All things hold together in Christ. This is our lens. This Biblical framework gives focus and shape to our study, our lives, our past, present, and future, and our response to all that we learn.
This is truly education that is Christian. This is education that meets the whole child with integrity and intention. This is education in which students from preschool through their senior year are intentionally and thoughtfully met with opportunities to encounter God and respond to Him in faithfulness and in grace.
High School Chapels
Take a seat, prop up your feet, and catch morning devotions with us! We’re so blessed at HCHS getting to worship together twice a week–a rare joy! Our elementary schools worship together weekly, and do not generally record their chapels, though parent and grandparent visitors are welcome to attend as invited.
Discipleship Practices
The word “religion” has had a tough go in the past few years. Many people like to say that they are followers of Jesus, but not religious. But the word is easier to embrace when we understand the meaning of the word “religion” as something that “binds together” a people of belief. Even Jesus prays for all believers in John 17, that we might “all be one,” bound together as the Body of Christ–that we might be religious.
At the core of great Christian education are the parallel components of belief and learning. Because religious training is important to us, we teach the major tenets of the Christian faith, but there’s more to it than that. As an institution rooted in the Reformed tradition, Holland Christian Schools affirms the words of Abraham Kuyper and says: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’” As such, we don’t offer a secularized education with a Bible class tacked on. Rather, we work to help students understand that faith serves as a lens through which to do all the rest of their learning. Faith affects the way we approach language, science, math, history, art, and every other subject area we dive into. We marvel at the complexity of the cell (Psalm 139:14), we discuss how poverty and community work (James 1:27), and investigate how our relationship with the earth matters (Genesis 1:28). We learn more about our faith—our religion—and, in turn, our religion shapes our learning. Great Christian education must always weave those elements together, not just by accident, but intentionally.
Holland Christian’s Discipleship Practices are not a program or a system, but more of a lens that helps us teach more deliberately that our faith and our learning are inextricably bound together. Discipleship Practices unite us as a school system and give us a way to discuss our faith that doesn’t change from year to year or from teacher to teacher. They give us a common language to discuss the complexities of course content and the world which we are called to transform for Jesus Christ.
As we continue to learn about our faith, these Discipleship Practices give legs to our beliefs, making our learning more faithful. The following Discipleship Practices are embedded in learning preschool through 12th grade, and are woven through the curriculum in every classroom. Although these are life-long endeavors, we believe children are fully capable of not only understanding these discipleship practices, but also whole-heartedly working toward fulfilling each of them!
Have Questions?
We look forward to meeting you and your family and introducing you to the fresh, creative, personalized education at Holland Christian! We are here to help! Get in touch using the contact form linked below or call us at 616.820.2805.
