Christian Formation

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VCA is just like any other school. Curriculum issues arise that have to be thoughtfully addressed, scheduling conflicts come up due to miscommunication, and lesson plans don’t always go according to plan. Character and sin issues (yes, sin still occurs at a Christian school) are an ever present reality that everyone at the school must be aware of.

 At the same time, VCA is different in this way: we offer dedicated and intentional Christian formation. From the outset, VCA has been decidedly Christian and has sought to be a place where parents can send their children, knowing they are being shaped and formed as followers of Christ. We practice this commitment to Christian formation in at least two ways, in our doctrine and our culture. 

Doctrinally, we have a public statement of faith that is the foundation of everything we do. While we do not require every family to be believers, or to hold exactly to this statement of faith, we do make it plain that these points of doctrine color everything that goes on in the classroom. So much so, that all staff and volunteers must agree with, embrace, and love this statement of faith. We know that a passionate and invested teacher is one of the keys to success in a student’s education, so the teacher’s  fundamental beliefs are very important and considered very heavily in the application process. 

The other way this commitment to Christian formation is expressed is in our culture. A statement of faith is good and necessary for the operation of a school so that everyone knows what we are all agreeing to and committing to. It’s a powerful tool used to attract those to your mission and deter those not in line with your mission. But what is even more powerful is when the truths of that statement of faith become internalized and expressed in the day-to-day life of the school. The point where those doctrines begin to touch lives on a individual and corporate level is where the real elements of Christian formation come in and it’s where culture begins to manifest itself. 

What are the various elements, practices, and rhythms that we have in place to promote a Christian culture? Our practices and rhythms, though not limited to these, broadly fall into four categories: worship, instruction, interactions, and time. VCA is a worshiping community as we start our week in a chapel service, pray before meals, learn the hymns of the faith in music class, and pray for people and situations throughout the day. We also intentionally instruct our students in the ways of the faith through tying all lessons back to the Christian worldview and we have set aside a dedicated time for a Bible and catechism class. In our student/student interactions, we are constantly reminding each other how the Bible calls us to behave (‘love your neighbor as yourself’, ‘do nothing out of selfish ambition’, etc.) and in our student/teacher interactions, we teach the students to speak and act in a honorable manner toward those above them (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). Our teachers in turn treat their students as sheep who need to be intentionally and tenderly lead. VCA also points to a sense of time that is different, though parallel, to the wider culture. We intentionally mark and observe Christian holidays like Advent and Easter, but also Thanksgiving, Epiphany, Ascension Day, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement, and the like. We also remember and tell the true stories of people like Saint Patrick and Saint Valentine, cultural figures and holidays celebrated in America, but wildly divorced from the historical person. 

Through these intentional practices, and more, we seek to form the whole person. We connect with God through many expressions of worship; we work hard to instruct students to master foundational concepts, tying those concepts back to the Christian faith; we emphasize the importance of treating others with honor and respect aligning our interactions with the Scriptures; we connect with the outside world through a Christian concept of time. With these practices and rhythms in place, what you can expect from VCA is dedicated, intentional, Christian formation.