“Many churches are measuring the wrong things. We measure things like attendance and giving, but we should be looking at more fundamental things like anger, contempt, honesty, and the degree to which people are under the thumb of their lusts. Those things can be counted, but not as easily as offerings.” —Dallas Willard
This Dallas Willard quote makes me uncomfortable. It does so because it exposes the fact that we are often icebergs – with 10% of ourselves as public-facing and polished and with 90% hidden below the surface. Dealing with that 90% is not only hard for ourselves to work on; it’s also incredibly hard for the church to work on, measure, and instruct. I’m not envious of the task of a pastor.
In regard to kids, this is one of the incredible ways that the Christian school can come alongside the family and the church.
Schools work with students, ages three to eighteen, for eight of the best hours of every day. That’s 40 hours every week, and twelve hundred hours every year, and nearly twenty thousand hours from preschool to graduation. We are present for a lot of that 90%.
Every day, our faculty and staff, all followers of Jesus, work with students on things like anger, contempt, joy, honesty, lust, integrity, kindness, worry, sorrow, sacrifice, gossip, and teamwork.
At CHA, we are all about the spiritual formation of students. Consider this list, also just the tip of a different iceberg:
- Dr. Mirous praying with a group of students struggling to work together on a project
- Mrs. Ledbetter hosting a weekly lunchtime Bible study with middle schoolers
- Mrs. Acres taking our Student Council on a leadership retreat and then guiding them through the process of running a student-led Upper School worship night
- Middle schoolers praying together every day for their friend about to go into surgery
- Miss Okamoto and Mrs. Chu lovingly but firmly counseling students through a playground conflict
- Mrs. Crivellone talking with a student driver about the important of setting an example after driving a bit too recklessly in the parking lot
- Ten of our faculty members spending a whole week away from their families to guide and mentor our Upper School students on GO! Week trips in other states and other countries
- Mrs. Meyers talking to her three-year-olds about the importance of respectfully listening to others because they are made in the image of God
- Mr. Escobar and Dr. Noell praying and fasting with our Upper School boys at lunch
- Mrs. Puleo praying with a student struggling with anxiety before a musical performance
This is not an imaginary list. Every day, we work with our students about what it means to Walk in God’s Ways. In fact, it’s one of the six pillars for our students (our Expected Student Outcomes). And beyond the day-to-day, our programs kindle the same development. GO! Week. Daily Bible class. Mentoring. Conferences. Chapels. Prayer. Retreats.
I love CHA because our school cares about student formation. If you’re reading this and realizing that your children's current school, public or private, is leading them away from Jesus and not toward him, consider CHA. Schedule a visit. It’s worth it.
If your kids are beneficiaries of what CHA is doing in the spiritual formation of kids, would you also consider supporting our school this year for Coinucopia? Our goal is 100% participation. Whether a big gift or small, join in and click here to give!
—J.T.
