On September 4, 1996, twenty-nine families of like-minded faith pioneered a new spiritual and educational quest--the opening of The Community School, Rockford. We were drawn together, first out of a desire for Biblical and moral excellence in our homes, and second out of a desire for our educational opportunity to be an extension of that moral and Biblical standard.
As the school completes its fifteenth year, we are grateful for the work our God has done. God has led us all the way. Many ideas have shaped, and continue to shape the direction of our school. We have revised and reworked and revised again. Our school has been a success beyond most of our dreams. Yet we are not finished; we are still a work in process. We are pioneers--discovering our way in a territory that is only now becoming familiar. Although it is difficult at times, we press on. We do it because we are on a mission to raise ambassadors for Christ and we want to prepare them to the best of our abilities.
That is what our school represents--the best of our abilities. Collectively, we started our school and collectively we will carry this school into the future. We will count on all of you, whom God has called, to join us in making The Community School all that He intends it to be and all that we desire for our children.
OUR VISION
To see a community of Christian families and educators providing an excellent spiritual, moral and academic context for educating their students and preparing them to become leaders and defenders of the faith by equipping them with a Biblical worldview with which to meet the challenges of our times.
OUR MISSION
To provide an educational opportunity for Christian home-educated families who are committed to biblical and moral excellence. Continuing parent education in community is essential to accomplishing our mission.
OUR PHILOSOPHY OF COMMUNITY
We are drawn together as a community by how we define church, home, and school; and in which order of priority we place these institutions. The decisions we make as a community are based on the spiritual and philosophical congruity represented in our faith, our families and our educational choices.
First, we are a community of Christian believers. We represent many different churches and denominations, but we agree on the essentials of the historic Christian faith, and we hold in common a personal declaration of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Second, we are a community of people who have made a commitment to the building of strong family identity. We believe that parents are responsible for the spiritual and moral training of their children, and we are actively involved in the pursuit and practice of Biblical principles of parenting in our homes.
Third, we are a community of home educators committed to a high level of involvement in our children’s education. We value the input of Christian teachers and are committed to a relationship with them as co-instructors for the benefit of our children’s academic excellence.
The dictionary definition of a mentor is "a wise and trusted teacher,” and we seek to have teachers as mentors to our children. Our desire is to place teachers with exemplary moral character in a position that would influence the minds of our children for Christ. Our teachers will maintain strict moral standards in the classroom and hold each child accountable for their actions. We expect to keep the teacher/student ratio at 1:15 to enhance this opportunity.
OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH
1. The Scriptures: We believe the Bible to be the infallible Word of God, the supreme and final authority for all faith and life.
2. God: We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Tim 2:5)
3. Jesus Christ: We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection, His ascension and His imminent bodily return in power and glory.
4. Man: We believe that man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost, and only those who put their faith in Jesus Christ alone can be saved.
5. Salvation: We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose substitutionary death on the cross paid the penalty for man's sin.
6. The Holy Spirit: We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict men, indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service.
7. Unity: We believe in the spiritual unity of believers through our common faith in Jesus Christ and that individual doctrinal differences which may exist should not hinder our unity.
We ask that members of our administration, faculty, and staff teach and proclaim only those doctrines not in disagreement with our Statement of Faith. We desire to glorify God by being zealous about the things that truly build up the body of Christ and clearly communicate the gospel of Christ to a lost world, speaking the truth in love.
2011/12 Handbook