At Guardian Christian Academy we believe in Christian education. In striving to honor this philosophy of education, we offer a unique academic setting to students in Chesterfield County and the surrounding area. The following lists the key components that define Christian education at GCA:

1. The partnership between the school and the family is critical to the education process.
2. Education occurs both in and out of the formal classroom and must focus on the whole child: intellectual, physical, spiritual, emotional, and social.
3. True character-building and education parallel the teaching of Biblical principles, as expressed in the Statements of Faith.
4. Academic instruction must support and promote Biblical truth and a Biblical worldview where Christ is preeminent and the view of the future is an eternal one.
5. Academic instruction must be student-centered and engaging, teaching critical thinking skills and recognizing individual learning styles.
6. The student/teacher relationship is critical to all aspects of education and is enhanced by smaller class size and Biblically-based mentoring.
7. The worldview of a child is greatly influenced by the belief system of his teachers, thus the selection of teachers must be done with great care.

Coupled with salvation and discipleship, the ultimate aim of education is to provide quality education which enhances the ability to pursue God’s calling on individual lives.

The core values of Guardian Christian Academy are an extension of those of our sponsoring church, Southside Church of the Nazarene. They are as follows:

1. Everyone’s life matters.
(Ephesians 2:1-7; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 15; John 17:1-3)

God deeply wants people to know Him, so we intensely focus on reaching out to everyone possible, meeting them where they are and guiding them into the Kingdom of God.

GCA is an evangelistic school which strives to reach out to all people and provide an avenue for coming to know God. We recognize that all people are uniquely created and, as such, have unique needs, gifts, and callings. Because of this, it is critical that students be met “where they are” and guided along in all areas of their growth: spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, and social.

2. We are created to connect with God.
(Psalm 139:17-18; Luke 5:16; John 15:1-10; Psalm 95:5-7)

Intimacy with God is available to all believers and is the source of strength, security, and power for our journey of faith.

To have an intimate relationship, one must know God, which comes from knowing His Word. At Guardian Christian Academy, the Bible is held in reverence, with the memorization, understanding, and application of scripture central to instruction. A culture of prayer is created and understood as imperative to having the intimate relationship God desires with us. Worship is a part of this intimacy as well and is promoted at GCA as a key component of our relationship with Him. It is seen as crucial for faculty, staff, and administration to model evidence of a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and a lifestyle of prayer and worship.

3. No one climbs alone.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; John 13:34-35; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 2:22; Ephesians 4:15, 32)

God’s way of openness and love towards us establishes our pattern for our relationships with each other. Believers thrive in authentic Christian relationships.

At GCA, we are committed to community through promoting a sense of unity and striving to partner with parents in the education of their children, while still recognizing and appreciating individual and cultural diversity. Our shared love for God and for one another unites us as we strive to meet the mission and vision of our school. Students are guided in their relationships with peers, as well as with faculty, recognizing that the relationships we live out on a daily basis should reflect our understanding and appreciation of God’s love for us.

4. We are to be like Christ.
(Mark 1:17, 2:14, 8:34; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 3:10-17; Galatians 5:22-23)

We have encountered the deal of a lifetime in apprenticing ourselves to Jesus. We are learning from Him how to live our daily lives.

Because of this, Guardian Christian Academy strives for academic excellence coupled with emphasis on continuous spiritual growth. Bible is taught throughout the grades as a core course and Biblical principles are tied to all areas of learning, both in and out of the classroom. This shaping of a child’s life, and of his worldview, is seen as an integral part in helping him to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in his life, molding and shaping him to be more like Christ.

5. We are designed to serve.
(Exodus 35:20-35; Matthew 20:25-28; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:3-13) Coordinated, strategic service is an expression of our spiritual gifts and is a joyful and grateful response to God’s love and purpose for us.

GCA is committed to providing opportunities for mission and service and to modeling a servant attitude as we work and minister both inside and outside our walls. Students are taught to be good stewards of their gifts, talents, time, and resources and to utilize each to display God’s love and to impact the culture for Christ. They are prayerfully guided in recognizing and utilizing their spiritual gifts and in preparing to follow God’s calling on their lives.

6. The next generation depends on us.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Hebrews 11; 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:12; Genesis 27:1-38)

At Guardian Christian, we recognize the critical importance of preparing the next generation through example and lifestyle. We are preparing the next generation to lead the way. Because of this, we are committed to proclaiming the Gospel and to modeling a Godly lifestyle to our students and families.

We are focused on promoting a Biblical worldview through our commitment to God’s Word and through the purposeful use of Biblical integration in all areas of instruction. We believe in the power of mentoring, of passing on deep passion for Christ and His Kingdom through the relationships between older and younger Christians. We believe this is how disciples are best multiplied. We consider it both a challenge and a blessing to have the chance to leave a legacy by investing in the lives of students.

As Guardian Christian Academy ministers to each student, it strives to help to mold and shape individuals who grow as Christ did in both wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. As this occurs, a number of goals aimed towards a number of desired outcomes serve as the ultimate objectives of the faculty and staff of GCA:

1. Spiritually
• To teach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that His death and resurrection provide forgiveness of sins and new life through Him in faith
• To foster an understanding of the nature of God and the development of a Biblical worldview
• To teach that the Bible is the Word of God and to help students appreciate and accept its practical use and importance and make decisions based on its principles
• To promote the availability of a victorious Christian life and its dependence upon fellowship with Jesus Christ through the reading of the Bible, prayer, service, worship, and meeting with other Christians
• To develop the proper attitudes, ideals, habits, knowledge, and skills necessary for a life of Christ-like character and personal success in Christ
• To promote an understanding of the Great Commission

2. Intellectually
• To promote academic excellence and the desire to achieve one’s potential through instruction in all subject areas including but not limited to English, Social Studies, Math, Science, Bible, Fine Arts, Technology, Physical Education, and Health
• To help in the identification of gifts, talents, and interests and in the preparation of students for future education/vocation
• To develop an understanding of the fundamentals of creation, God, mankind, moral order, and purpose in connection with all areas of study through the purposeful use of Biblical integration
• To teach that learning is a lifetime habit and process
• To promote critical thinking skills and the ability to apply knowledge
• To create individuals who are able to work both independently and cooperatively

3. Physically
• To stimulate the desire for wholesome recreation
• To promote a lifelong respect for the human body as a Temple of God
• To foster the desire to care for our physical body through healthy habits and exercise
• To foster an understanding of the human body as God’s creation

4. Socially
• To develop students to grow to be able to live out their Christian life and become a credit to Christ within their homes, community, nation, and world
• To encourage students to view others as made in God’s image and to treat them with love and respect
• To aid in the development of strong communication skills which are Christ-honoring
• To promote lifelong habits of good stewardship and service through the gifts of time, resources, and talents
• To develop the desire in students to both lead and serve according to God’s direction
• To promote the application of Biblical understanding to changing world events and cultures

5. Emotionally
• To teach students to exercise responsibility and accountability
• To love and nurture students so they are able to recognize and accept their own value and the value of others
• To provide experiences that will lead students to be able to face life with courage and perseverance
• To help students to understand and accept themselves as uniquely and wonderfully made
• To teach students to recognize and appropriately express feelings with the understanding that those feelings are not to be the primary factor in determining actions

It is the desire of Guardian Christian Academy to provide a safe and caring environment in which children can learn both academic content and Biblical truths. Biblical values and moral ethics are integrated into the academic curriculum to help children adopt a Biblical worldview and develop into well-rounded individuals. Christian values are taught with individualized love and attention from teachers who are passionate about teaching, the Lord, and children. This education is based on the Statements of Faith listed below. The term “Bible” at GCA always refers to the Holy Bible, the compiled 66 books forming the Old and New Testaments, and is to be the Bible used and referenced at GCA.

1. We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. (I Timothy 3:15, II Peter 1:21)

2. We believe that there is only one God, eternally existent in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, Matthew 28: 19, John 10: 30)

3. We believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33), His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:35), His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, 7:26), His miracles (John 2:11), His atoning death (I Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9), His resurrection (John 11:25, I Corinthians 15:4), His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19), His personal return in power and glory (Acts 1:11 and Revelation 19:11).

4. We believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration (spiritual rebirth) by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature and that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ and that only by God’s grace and through faith alone are we saved (John 3:16-19, 5:24, Romans 3:23, 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:9-10, Titus 3:5).

5. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost: those who are saved unto the resurrection of life, and those who are lost unto the resurrection where they stand before the judgment seat of Christ (John 5:28-29).

6. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9, I Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-28).

7. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (Romans 8:13-14, I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20, Ephesians 4:30, 5:18).

8. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25)

9. 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) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

10. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual, transgender, and bisexual behavior/conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt. 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10)

11. We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps 139)

12. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11)

13. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the policies of Guardian Christian Academy.

This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Guardian Christian Academy’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the GCA School Board is the final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.