Mission Statement
The mission of Zeeland Christian School is to provide a high-quality Christian education based on the Reformed understanding of the Christian faith. We do so as an extension of the Christian family, assisting parents in carrying out their responsibility to instruct their children in the Christian faith.
Our goal is to enable students to function to their fullest potential in contemporary society as Christian citizens who personally respond in loving obedience to God’s revealed will, who recognize the significance of serving others with their lives, and who accept their responsibility toward the world in which they live.
Motto
Love God, Love Kids, Love Learning
Core Values
Christ-centered, Inclusivity, Integrity, Sustainable Innovation
Belief Statement
Zeeland Christian School is committed to Jesus Christ and seeks to teach and live out our historic Christian faith through a Reformed lens as found in the Three Forms of Unity. We recognize and respect that outside of issues pertaining to salvation there are varying interpretations within a Reformed perspective and within our school. We also honor the home-church-school relationship which places the primary source of influence and guidance upon the parents in the home. We recognize that the ZCS belief statement may not completely align with the beliefs of each ZCS family, and our instruction will always encourage students to view their parents as the best resource when discussing topics with various interpretations. Fulfilling the mission by being fully functioning in contemporary society means that as a school and Society we will aim to demonstrate that as a body of believers we can peacefully live with, love, and graciously serve alongside others with whom we may not have complete agreement.
- Authority of Scripture: We believe that the Bible, including both the Old and New Testaments, is the only infallible and divinely inspired word of God. (Article 5 Belgic Confession) (2 Tim. 3:16)
- Trinity: We believe in one sovereign God who exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are equal in attributes, nature, and deity and thus worthy of equal honor. (Article 1 & 8: Belgic Confession; Nicene Creed, 2 Cor. 13:14)
- God the Father: As the first person of the Trinity, God is revealed to us as our Father through Jesus Christ. God is not a distant, unknowable spiritual entity, but rather our loving, powerful, and wise heavenly Father. His nature is love. This divine love compelled him to send Christ to the world so that all people who believe may have eternal life. (I Cor 8:6)
- Jesus Christ: We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We believe in Christ’s sinless life, His atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension into heaven, and His imminent return. His love for all people is an extension of God’s love. (John 3:16)
- Holy Spirit: We believe the Holy Spirit is the presence and power of God with us here and now, leading the church, uniting God’s people, applying God’s forgiveness to our broken lives, speaking to us, and spurring us individually and communally towards holiness. The Holy Spirit is the giver of new life, abides in the hearts of those who are saved, enables believers to love, and holds the promise of eternal salvation. (Romans 8:9)
- Salvation: We believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ (Eph 2:8-9). It is completely a work of God.
- Love: We believe that the perfect life and sacrificial death of Christ are the demonstration of God’s divine love for all people. Believers are instructed to love God above all else and love their neighbors as themselves. All things done by a believer, without exception, should be done in love. This love flows from a deep adoration for God’s mercy, fulness, sufficiency and the grace we have received. It is reflected in outward behaviors and inward attitudes. All people, as image bearers of God, are worthy of love. (I Cor 16:14, Mark 12:31)
- Sin: We believe that sin is any thought, attitude, or action that is not consistent with God's will or his perfect character. Through the disobedience of Adam and his first sin, we all struggle with sin due to a corrupt nature. These sins lead to death and eternal separation from God, apart from the pardon that can be received through Jesus' death on the cross. (Romans 5:12-13)
- Forgiveness: We believe that God offers redemption and healing to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. This act of grace, offered to all who repent and believe in the saving power of Christ's death, covers all sin and is credited as righteousness to anyone who confesses that Jesus is Lord. (I John 1:9)
- Creation of All Things: We believe God, “created all things, including heaven and earth and all other creatures from nothing...He has given all creatures their being, form, and appearance, and their various functions for serving the Creator.” This belief affirms the goodness of creation and endows it with meaning and purpose. (Article 12: Belgic Confession)
- Creation and Science: We believe all of life, including scientific endeavor, must be lived in obedience to God and in subjection to his Word. Therefore we encourage Christian scholarship that integrates faith and learning. Humanity is created in the image of God; all theorizing that minimizes this fact and all theories of evolution that deny the creative activity of God are rejected. (Christian Reformed Church-Position Statement on Creation and Science).
- Unity: We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit. This unity demonstrates the truth of Christ in John 17 and brings glory to God the Father. Unifying love in the body of Christ includes a commitment to do good for the family of God. (Eph 2:14)
- Value of Human Life: We believe that God created all human life with immeasurable worth, not to exclude those with varied physical and/or cognitive abilities, the marginalized, the oppressed, pre-born babies, and the aged. As such, we are called to value, protect, and defend all human life as determined by the scriptures. (Psalm 139: 13-16, I Cor 12:12-31)
- Marriage: We believe that the term “marriage” is the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25)
- Sexuality/Gender: We believe that God's original, perfect design wonderfully and immutably created humans as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27)
- Purity: We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4) All other sexual intimacy or sexual activity (including adultery, pre-marital sex, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
The ZCS Belief Statement is not designed to say all that can be said about our Christian faith. The Bible, as the inspired and infallible Word of God, speaks with absolute authority regarding the proper conduct of humankind and is the unchanging foundation for all belief and behavior. It is the gift and responsibility of the ZCS Board of Trustees to guide our life, faith, doctrine, policy, practice and discipline in accordance with God's word and our shared mission, vision and values.
Values Statement
We believe that ZCS shares the responsibility for instruction in faith and academics with parents. Recognizing that parents are the primary source of guidance for their families, our instruction will always encourage students to view their parents as the best resource when facing tough questions, or when seeking help to process topics that may not completely match with their family's belief statements. In support of this structure of parent-led faith formation, it is our intent that:
- Our students will be presented with the message of Scripture and the redemption that is offered through Jesus Christ. Understanding the significance of this redemption leads to deep joy which moves students toward Kingdom service as they seek to bring shalom to a broken world.
- Our students will be instructed in Scriptural principles that will guide them into mature living, which, when integrated with personal faith, will prepare them for meaningful service in the Kingdom of God.
- Our students will be encouraged to recognize the greatness and the mercy of our Lord in every area of life, and to understand that they are called to honest worship, moral discipline, and personal holiness.
- Our students will be guided into a true knowledge of God's world, of its history, and its culture. They will be equipped to engage local and global society for the glory of God.
- Our students are unique and beautiful, individual creations, each with an intentional plan ordained by a holy God. Each child is of infinite value and should feel the manifestation of this truth. Each gift, skill, and ability is necessary to complete the body of Christ.
- Our students will know that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, grace, and dignity. Hateful behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the Life Together Covenant that governs life at ZCS.
- Our students will learn in a community centered on Christ’s teachings.
- Our students will be taught in an environment where all students are able to grow as His children and flourish in relationship with each other. An important aspect of human relationships is conflict resolution and effective communication, and we strive to incorporate these elements into our school culture.
- Our students, families, and staff should be actively involved in a local Christian church, leaning on their faith community as their primary source of Bible teaching, worship, and discipleship. This supports the development of the whole student through the partnership of home, school, and church.
- Our students will learn in an environment that aligns with our school's belief statement. While striving to maintain the academic state standards that are consistent with our philosophy, we will seek new and creative ways to educate each student in alignment with his or her uniqueness, as God has created them.