A Partnership of Church and School

When the Session of First Presbyterian Church of Augusta and founding families of Westminster Schools of Augusta discerned God’s leading in establishing a K-12 Christian school in Augusta in 1972, the vision was compelling and far reaching. Fifty years later we can see the evidence of their faith in the lives of individuals and families and in the expressions of Christcentered service that have reached all around the world. Graduates of Westminster have served our Lord as missionaries, pastors, Christian educators and leaders in local churches. The disciplines of medicine, law, education, science, business, counseling, armed forces, and the humanities have all been served by Christ-centered graduates of the school. It is likely that the most profound impact of the school has been the shaping of Christ-centered perspectives of marriage and family, which is blessing the next generation.

Hearing the stories of the faith and commitment of the leadership in establishing the school can only

be explained as a divine mandate. These pioneers recognized the call of the church of Jesus Christ to continue to align every square inch of our dreams, thoughts, and lifestyle around the lordship of Jesus Christ and his call to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28: 18-20). Discipleship teaches followers of Christ how to discern God’s design for our lives as revealed in Holy Scripture, and to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to seek the advance of his kingdom in a world in a needy world. At its foundational level, this is the purpose of education. These founders were drawing on the heritage of the Judeo-Christian practice of passing the faith to the next generation. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 envisions a biblical model of education where home, church, and school function as a three-legged stool to serve children, families and future servants of Christ in the next generation. Education as we know it in the world exists in large measure because of the Christian vision and commitment through the centuries to view education as a mandate for the discovery of meaning in life that explains our origins and guides our destinies. An education founded on God’s principles provides light for all of life’s disciplines and callings and anchors human living in God, leading to a life of flourishing. This

powerful and beautiful embodiment of Christcentered thinking, Christ-centered community, Christ-centered ambitions, and Christ-centered service is what the school had in mind from the very beginning.

Formation

Being anchored on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture provides an educational community with the clarity needed to grow healthy Christ-centered community. This formation and transformation of individual lives and families takes place in the context of relationships. Westminster seeks to cultivate healthy partnerships in order to foster spiritual formation. From the beginning the partnership between church and school has provided the necessary spiritual anchoring to offer this Christ-centered educational experience in our city into the future. The Session of First Presbyterian Church continues to be strongly supportive of the mission of the school and its leadership. Pastors and members serve on the Board of Trustees, many First Pres members serve on the faculty and staff at the school, and First Pres members make up the largest percentage of students at the school. Yet more than 80 churches

are represented at the school, which provides an opportunity for partnership among churches.

The partnership between parents and the school leadership is vital for promoting a healthy and growing community. The relationships that are formed among peers, in the classroom with faculty and students, and among families that share life experiences are essential in fostering biblical formation. Christian Education is not simply the dissemination of information learned through books or listening to lectures, but is learned in the context of relationships, applying God’s truth to every area of life. This kind of spiritual formation marks Westminster as a unique expression of Christcentered partnership in our city to form hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.

Future

My oldest child began kindergarten at Westminster 28 years ago. Subsequently, all four of my children attended K-12 at Westminster. As a parent and pastor, I have served on the board, taught classes, coached sports, and attended thousands of school functions through the years. I see the shared vision of the future among the families of our school, and I am seeing my children and many graduates of

Westminster now married, establishing their own families and careers and serving Christ and his church. I am so thrilled that God gave our family Westminster as the third leg of the stool for homechurch-school, and I pray that as leaders we can give the generations to come the same and even better gift that we have received. Each of my children would say that Westminster was foundational and formational in providing the guidance needed for their future. The important lessons of purpose and meaning in life, leadership, discipline, friendship, and service are all discovered in community. Westminster is a community continually seeking to shape the hearts and minds of students to fulfill this divine mandate to make disciples of all nations.

Dr. Michael K. Hearon Lead Pastor, First Presbyterian Church