Our Philosophy of Education

Learning in school should promote growth in all areas of development through a well planned program.

Learning in school should be shared with parents and encourage their direct involvement whenever possible.

Learning in school should be a partnership between home, school and community in order to build the foundations for lifelong learning.

Learning in school should be continuously supported by sensitive interaction with caring adults who:

  • are knowledgeable about how young children learn and develop
  • are effective classroom managers
  • know when intervention is appropriate to support children's learning
  • know how to talk with children to stimulate their language and thought
Learning in school should acknowledge children's current levels of competence along a continuum of development.

Learning in school should be based on a developmental framework that links to learning outcomes.

Learning in school should enhance children's self esteem and social competence.

Learning in school should promote a sense of community and responsibility towards others.

Learning in school should promote interaction with the natural environment and stimulating learning materials and activities.

Learning in school should encourage children to ask questions, share observations, ideas, feelings and experiences through conversation and creative expression.

Learning in school should encourage ongoing exploration, experimentation and inquiry.

Learning in school should be assessed by a variety of ways; systematic observation, portfolio, pencil and paper tasks, etc.)


At Christ Our King Lutheran School, learning should recognize that God is integral to everything that we do and touches every part of the day.

At Christ Our King Lutheran School, learning should be enhanced by teachers integrating faith development throughout the curriculum in meaningful ways. As well, the interacting, caring adults take advantage of natural "teachable" moments to share their Christian faith and reflect God's love.

At Christ Our King Lutheran School, learning should reflect that by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is expected that the children have opportunities to develop in their relationship with God, relationship with others and relationship with God's word.

As our Interim School Board continues its work to prepare for the beginning of a Lutheran School at Christ Our King, it would be good for us to do some review and ask a basic question: Why a Lutheran School at Christ Our King?

· To Nurture Faith in Children and Families
· To Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Christ
· To Reach Out to the Community
· To Offer a Quality Education
· To Communicate Christian Values
· To Equip Others for Christian Service
· To Enrich a Community of Believers


Jesus says:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20

In response to this command of Jesus, the members of Christ Our King Lutheran Church have been led to establish Christ Our King Lutheran School as one of the ways to make disciples. We believe that the ministry of the school is a part of our church's total mission and that it is a critical element in the Christian training of our children. Our aim and vision is not simply to have a school for Lutheran children. While some Christian schools enroll only Christian children of Christian parents, that is not what we envision. We see our school as an outreach opportunity where we can not only teach our own children, but also minister to unchurched families by providing a quality education, and especially by sharing the good news of Jesus with them.

As we have worked through the nuts and bolts of preparing for this ministry we have put together the following Philosophy of Education from a Lutheran and Christian perspective. It's the "why we do what we do."

Please note that this is in draft form and is subject to revision. Any questions or insights you have to offer would be welcomed.

Our Philosophy of Education

To have a right understanding of Education from a Lutheran and Christian perspective, we need to have the correct frame of reference. To that end, we humbly subscribe to the following:

1. The Goal of Education:

The one great purpose of Lutheran education is to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. As we are reconciled to God by our Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to live in community with one another, to be nourished through Word and Sacrament, to be strengthened that we might praise, glorify and please God. The goal of education is to bring our children into God's eternal kingdom, and to prepare them for service in His kingdom here on earth. We desire that they know God, that they trust in their Saviour, that they see life this side of heaven as a life lived for God, for His kingdom, and in service to others. In whatever vocation they enter, they should understand it as a service to God and to others, and as a calling in which they may be salt and light.

2. Growing in the Knowledge of God:

While God does reveal himself to us through natural means, (physical world & conscience), he reveals himself to us most fully through his acts as recorded and interpreted under inspiration in the Scriptures. It is through the Word that we come to know God through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible must be a basic tool in education, one that takes its place both as a subject and as a directive influence for all other subjects.

3. Quality Education and its Foundation:

As citizens of heaven in the midst of a fallen world, we are called to be stewards of creation, and to witness and take part in the activity of God in the world. God has an earthly role mapped out for us, and so Lutheran education extends to all areas of life. Our curriculum must take into account the need to prepare students for life in this world.

4. The Value of Each Child:

Every child born into the world is first of all God's child, endowed with an immortal soul and destined for eternity. Each individual has worth, not according to self-image, nor according to their value to society, but according to how God sees them. He who would search diligently for one lost soul out of one hundred, sees each individual as special and irreplaceable. Each one is a special creation, and in the eyes of the Saviour, each one is worth dying for.

5. The Responsibility for Education:

The responsibility for the education of children has been given by God to parents, not to the government. The vocation of parents is to teach their children and to bring them up in the fear and love of God. The first place of education is the home. Then, as God calls us together into the body of Christ, he calls us to be servants of one another and to use our varied spiritual gifts for the good of all. The church, which is the community of believers, is thereby called to assist parents in their God-given responsibility for educating their children. The role and function of the Lutheran School flows from this as we seek to help parents in their task. It is often said that it takes a community to raise a child. Education goes beyond the imparting of facts and information. It touches the heart, the values and the lives of our children. Education is the imparting of the values of the community. As the world's values and our Christian values continue to diverge, our children, especially at a young age, need to be immersed in the community of faith, in home, church, and school.

6. The Understanding of our Human Condition:

True education must flow from a right understanding of our human condition, especially the fallenness of our human nature. Humankind by nature is spiritually blind and dead. We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to him. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to call, enlighten and sanctify, to plant faith and make it grow. This happens only by the power of God in and through the Gospel and the Sacraments. Because of our estrangement from God, our fall into sin and our loss of God's image, it is imperative that education include the story of God's redemption and restoration. We must also recognize that our students are less than what God intended them to be, that they have limitations that prevent them from realizing their potential.

7. Values and World View:

The lives our children will lead and the values they will hold will come forth from one of two places. Either they will emerge from the self centredness and relativism of our sinful nature and our society, or they will grow from the power of the Gospel. The basis and foundation of what is true will also emerge either from society's relativism or from the revealed Word of God.

8. The Grace of God in Christ:

The heart of Lutheran education must always be the revelation that God is gracious and merciful. In Christ, God has accomplished our redemption once and for all. This redemption becomes ours when we are reborn through the working of Law and Gospel.

9. Proper Use of Law and Gospel:

It is important to understand the proper distinction between Law and Gospel and their application to learning and growing. The law convicts and condemns. It shatters pride and puts to death the old Adam. The law has no power to bring forth what it demands. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It alone brings forgiveness and life. It alone can change hearts. It alone has the power to shape values in a God-pleasing way. It alone brings the power to live a God-pleasing life. It alone gives birth to the new Adam.

10. The Role of the Teacher:

The role of teacher is a calling from God and whether the teacher is issued a divine call through the congregation or hired under contract by the school board, he or she is serving the Lord in this vocation. The teacher serves under the authority God has given to parents to teach and train their students, to bring them up in the fear and love of God, to prepare them for a life of service to God and to prepare them for eternity. Such a teacher not only imparts knowledge and skills, but also exemplifies Christ-likeness to the students and sets an example of godly living. A teacher in a Lutheran school understands the distinction between Law and Gospel and seeks to apply them in the classroom. She or he also understands the Christian faith and is able to teach that faith effectively.

11. The Nature and Importance of Community:

Through faith we become a kingdom of priests and members of the body of Christ, the church. Next to family, the circle of those closest to us should be the family of faith as we nurture one another and encourage one another in faith and in witnessing. It is in the family and in the church that the priests of God become ever better equipped to carry out their ministry.

12. Life with God:

A child can best learn to live his or her faith when it is a part of daily life and is woven into every day and hour of school life. It is unrealistic to expect a child to regard religion as important to his daily life if it is excluded from his or her school life. By excluding it, society is implicitly teaching that it has no connection to daily life. A child is not prepared for life in this world until he or she knows God's plan of salvation and sees himself or herself as a part of that plan. Only then will the student have the proper motive and incentive to prepare for an active and useful life of service to God and others.

This is a draft version of our Philosophy of Education from a Lutheran and Christian perspective, and is subject to revision, but we thought you should see it. If something is unclear, or missing, or you think shouldn't be included, please let us know. If you have comments or questions about this or about the progress of our plans, please contact me or one of our interim school board members.

Peace and Joy in Jesus

Pastor Larry Flohr