A Message from Head of School, Tom Argersinger

Dear Parents and Friends of CCS,

I hope this issue of Parent News finds you walking closely with our Lord Jesus Christ!

Welcome to the first of a new series of articles entitled:

Becoming More of Who We Are: A Celebration of the Foundations of CCS.

Together, we will be taking a closer look at a number of the core ideas, convictions, and principles that make CCS special.

As modern people move farther away from a Biblical set of norms, beliefs, and principles, it is crucial that we who love CCS understand what we believe, what we are striving to accomplish, and what forms the criteria for our decision-making.

One thing that sets CCS apart from many learning institutions is our penchant for thinking things through and striving to base everything we believe, say, and do on a firm basis of unchanging truth.

This does not mean that we never err – just that we begin with the word of God and “true truth” that we find elsewhere in our professional research and practice and base our conclusions, policies, and actions as much as possible on that firm foundation.

Hopefully as we examine different foundational ideas, it will become clearer how a  “mission-fit family” (and faculty and staff as well) would align with our beliefs and way of doing things, and how that will in turn make for an even more effective impact partnership between the school and the family, as we journey together over the 14 years of schooling, from Preschool entry through 12th grade graduation.

We will begin this week with the first phrase of our Mission Statement.

CCS has been called by God to serve Him through providing a PK-12 gospel centered education in this particular civilizational moment, for His great glory and the good of all those we serve, by…

“…training up young visionary leaders who are thoroughly equipped to answer the call of God whenever it comes, wherever it leads and whatever it costs, by developing renewed and skillful minds, strong hands to serve and burning hearts for Jesus.”

As our point of departure, we believe that everyone leads someone, even if it's only themselves. 

It is quite fashionable these days to say that not everyone is called to be a leader. We would disagree, in this sense: not everyone is called to lead an organization, a small business, a governmental agency, a military unit, or a school, for that matter. 

But these public platforms of leadership represent only one sort of leadership, in some ways the least common sort. The vast majority of people lead a family, a Bible study, a church group, or just take leadership in deciding where to go for dinner.

And even if there is someone out there who never exercises any external leadership (a hermit, maybe?), we would maintain that every single living person exerts leadership on themselves every single day. 

Perhaps it would be helpful to look at our definition of leadership:

“Leaders take the initiative to influence and inspire people toward true success.”

No sane person gets up every day and desires failure. We don’t want our families, our kids, or our grandkids to fail — we want true success for them. 

That is, we want them to be successful in a manner that fits the values and ethos of the Kingdom of God.

Though the circumstances of leadership vary widely, the basic skills and character of a good leader are nearly universal, even across cultures. If we contact people, we exert influence, whether we know it or not.

CCS desires to cooperate with Christian families to raise up these young people in our care to have a clear vision for what it means to influence and inspire people in the midst of the incredible complexity of 21st century culture, in their chosen profession, and, holistically, in the totality and unity of their lives.

Our hope is that the vision our students develop aligns with God’s word and His sovereign plan for His Kingdom, and that our graduates will live gospel centered lives as they contribute to the betterment of the circumstances to which God calls them.

In light of this perspective, I am hopeful you will agree that intentionally training young emerging leaders should form the nucleus of our mission.

The world desperately needs good, godly leaders, and there are far too few available. It’s our privilege to pursue the lofty, complicated yet crucially important goal of cooperating with mission fit families in producing people who are well on their way to becoming part of God’s answer to this challenge.

In closing, let’s be reminded that what is at stake in this endeavor is just too important to take for granted: the flourishing of our children as beloved and productive citizens of the Kingdom of God, living in-not-of the world.

Next week, we’ll dive into the next phrase in the Mission statement by unpacking what it means to equip someone to answer God’s call.

I believe this exploration will help both new and current families understand and appreciate CCS for who God has called us to be as a Christian educational enterprise in the 21st century, for His glory.

I suggest you spend a few moments this week reading and rereading our mission statement.

You may be surprised by what you discover!

For CCS and the Kingdom,

Tom