Ministry and Education – Part 3
BY MAX FERNANDEZ
We believe that we should be a ministry committed to the highest level of Christian education possible.
Since Middletown Christian Schools is a ministry, spirituality is the most fundamental value and really the only value that matters. This means that we can let academic excellence and physical development take a back seat to this primary pursuit. This is lie number one. Yep! This is a lie! While the spiritual nature of our warfare must be maintained, it is absolutely foolish to think that in some way all other matters are NOT spiritual, though they are termed differently. There is nothing in the lives of believers that is not spiritual in one sense or another. Even our bodies belong to the Lord (I Corinthians 6).
Since Middletown Christian Schools is a ministry, this fact allows us the right to not expect the absolute best academic training. This is lie number two. Actually, what typically happens here is that we tend to put this as secondary to the spiritual because of a wrong “ladder” mentality that we use for most things! Again, for the believer all things are spiritual, including work in the academic field. This means that academic pursuits inside of the classroom need to be the absolute best. Testing scores by grade should be taken seriously. Teachers whose students are not meeting minimum requirements should take this matter of utmost importance. Disruptions to the learning environment are not casual. “Ahh,” you say, “Pastor, now you have really gone crazy.” Nope. The fact is that excellence in academics is not the final purpose; but rather, achieving God’s glory through the grace-motivated pursuit of excellence in academics is the primary purpose. Don’t slouch in the classroom, because your work in the classroom is your spiritual worship to the Lord. Do give all you have to ensure the classroom environment is prepared and ready for learning. This is your spiritual worship to the Lord. Work to minimize mistakes. This is your spiritual worship to the Lord!
Since Middletown Christian Schools is a ministry, this allows us the ease of not expecting higher levels of physical activity. This is lie number three. We tend to force a dichotomy between athletics and academics. Worse still, we tend to see a greater gulf between spiritual activity and physical activity. Granted, we see the idolatry of athletics in our society, but we also see the idolatry of material possessions and money. The point that needs to be restated here is that the physical maturity of the students is for a primary purpose. Can you guess what that is? Yep! The physical maturing of students is for the glory of God, their Creator! What this means is that MCS should strive to be the best in every area that seeks the development of the student physically.
It is time we stop forcing dichotomies that cover up wrong understandings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When everything is said and done, the students we accept, the teachers we hire, the curriculum we select, the accreditation we pursue, the ministry we offer, the hours we give, the decisions we make, the grading we do, the discipline we dispense are all for the glory of God! So, pursue God’s glorification by your undivided commitment to the spiritual, academic, and physical development of each child!
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