FCS At A Glance   -   School Overview

Thank you for your interest in Friendship Christian School , a ministry of Friendship Baptist Church. FCS is a traditional school that has been in existence since 1970. Since the first graduating class in 1980, we have graduated over 500 hundred students.

The school maintains its viability as an institution because its mission and purposes are clearly understood and supported by its constituency. The admissions policies are designed to admit families who desire and support the philosophy, purposes and standards of the school. Friendship Christian School does not discriminate on the basis of race, national, or ethnic origin in its admission policies, or in the administration of its programs.

Our Philosophy: Our mission and purpose is “ Working together with the home in training God's child.” The primary goals of FCS are to provide a spiritual and academic complement to the work of the Christian home, to assist the fundamental local church in the lives of saved young people, to encourage young people toward fruitful service for the Lord Jesus Christ, and to reach our youth with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are accomplishing this by viewing the parents and the church as an integral part of that education; employing a godly, separated, dedicated, and qualified staff; using a Christ-centered curriculum, and utilizing all possible resources that will advance and enhance the educational experience.

The Home: The Christian Home is one in which the knowledge of the scriptures and application of biblical principles are a priority. A commitment to Christ and to spiritual growth is evidenced by personal Bible study and prayer and by faithful participation in a local church. Parents endeavor to apply biblical principles in the rearing of their children. All children belong to God and are put under the authority of their parents. It is then the parents' responsibility to educate that child (Deut. 11:18-19; Eph. 6:4, Ps. 78:1-8, Ps. 127:3-5, Prov. 19:27). The parent will be the one judged for the child's education not the school, government, or church. Because of this fact, it is vital that the home be where the education begins. The home needs to be Christian in its manner of attitude, conduct, and worship. It is the parents' decisions to have the church or school take over some of the teaching process and to work hand in hand in developing the child. The school also should be in line with the Christian home.

The Church: Friendship Baptist Church is an independent, fundamental church that has the mission of “Declaring the Whole Counsel of God.” We recognize the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the only infallible and inerrant Word of God. We believe there are other local, evangelical churches in our area that produce Godly families. These churches demonstrate this commitment by placing a priority on the preaching and teaching of the Bible. The education should also be consistent with the church. The church will aid in the teaching process through Sunday schools and other ministries (Acts 2:41-42). We desire to come along beside families to educate the students in a Christian manner. Since a biblical commitment to Christ is always accompanied by a commitment to His church, it is expected that every FCS family will faithfully attend a church that will meet its spiritual needs. Students are expected to participate in children's and youth activities.

The School: Christian education begins with the premise that all truth is God's truth. God has revealed the truth about Himself in the scriptures. We discover truth about His creation as we diligently study the natural world and the intangible truths within creation. A high quality, rigorous curriculum is provided with a sense of high expectations, in order to encourage the students to develop their God-given gifts to the fullest. The curriculum is supplemented with many extra-curricular activities such as fine arts, choir, band, drama, computer, athletics, etc. All three of these institutions (home, church and school) should be consistent in their philosophy and what they teach. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 makes it clear that the truths of God should not only be taught at home but also wherever the child goes.

The Faculty: It is only through the teaching of born-again Christians that spiritual morals can be taught. If the greatest need of man is redemption, then redeemed people need to be teaching it. An unredeemed person obviously does not see the need of a Savior. According to Matthew 28, it is the Christian teacher who is given all authority to teach the Truths of the Word. It is key that this teaching be consistent with the Word of God. In order for this to occur, the work of the Holy Spirit must be acknowledged. A teacher must be in communion with Christ in order to relay the Truths to the students. It is a fact that is inescapable; the world view of the teacher, in so far as he is effective, gradually conditions the world view of the pupil. It is vital that a teacher have a Christian worldview. The gift of teaching requires the teacher to tell others about the Bible and then to live the contents of the Bible in his/her life for others to see. Because of these facts, we only employ born again teachers with the same philosophy as Friendship Baptist Church .

The Curriculum: The goals of curriculum will be put into four categories: Word-centered, Bible-integrated, pupil-related and socially-applied.

Word-centered –The foundation of curriculum must be the Word of God. The Written Word (Bible) and the Living Word (Jesus Christ) must be brought together in order to lead students to develop Christian maturity. By knowing that all truth is God's truth, we have the authority to speak the truth in all classes.

Bible-integrated – We must apply Biblical principles to every area of the curriculum. In order to develop the whole student, we must make the Bible relate to every area of one's life.

Pupil-related – The goal has to be that a student will develop to one's fullest potential in one's walk with Christ. This goal is based on the following facts. 1) Each student is a specially, created individual uniquely made in God's image and needs to be taught as such. 2) We must provide nurturing for each child to become all that God intended for that child. 3) Each student develops at a different level and we need to reach each one's needs at his/her level. 4) Our methods need to reflect these unique learning processes and have a variety that will reach each student.

Socially-applied – Our curriculum needs to look at world, national, and community needs and problems and be able to make them relevant to the students.

The Savior: We must see that creation served the purpose of glorifying God (I Cor. 10:31, Col. 3:17). It is to be recognized that God not only created, but also continues to sustain His creation (Col. 1:17). Man, who was created in the image of God (each one as an unique individual), was His special creation (Gen. 1:27). His creation though has been marred by man choosing to sin (Rom. 3:23). It is this sin that now makes us an enemy of God (Ps. 51:4, Ro. 8:7). This sin nature is passed on to all men and each man is born with it (Ps. 51:5, Ro. 5:12).

It is only through this Savior that a right relationship with God can be restored (Ro. 8:1, Ro. 5:1-11). It must then be concluded that the need of redemption is the greatest need of man (Jer. 17:9, Prov. 14:12). This redemption only comes through the acceptance of Christ's sacrifice on the cross (Jn. 14:6). It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that this conviction is expressed (Jn. 16:8-11). Man must realize that without a Savior, eternity will be spent in hell (Eph. 2:1-3, Rev. 20:11-15).

When our students place their faith in Christ as their personal Savior, it conveys their understanding that a relationship with God is established by God's grace through personal faith in the work of Christ on the cross. The gospel shapes our relationship with God and with our fellow man. It is at this point that each one can build and live a successful Christian life.