Mission

Mission Statement

Oak Ridge Christian Academy exists to train students to “seek wisdom and pursue godliness” (Romans 16:19), making it our goal to develop students who know the truth, are passionate about the truth, and can communicate the truth in a winsome way. 

Oak Ridge Reformed Baptist desires to “Equip the Saints for Service, and Edify the Body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).  Our church understands that the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) extends to all ages, and it is this desire to equip students and partner with their parents in training up their children (Prov. 22:6) that drives this ministry.  We do not exist to replace parents, but to aid them in the task that the Lord has given them in teaching their children (Deut. 6:4-9).  The mandate for Christian education comes from God's command that children are to be taught to love God and to give Him preeminence in their lives, and from biblical teaching that parents are responsible for the total education of their children.

Distinctives

Oak Ridge Christian Academy...

• provides an affordable, quality Christian education for students in Pre-kindergarten through High School.

• partners with Christian parents and their churches in “training up their children in the way they should go.”  (Proverbs 22:6)

• prepares students for their future by providing an excellent and balanced education.

• provides for the development of young leaders.

• proclaims that all knowledge and wisdom come from God, and that the universe around them is in harmony and agreement with its Creator.

Oak Ridge Christian Academy accomplishes this through the following:

• Proven Christian curricula

• Qualified teachers committed to the ministry of Christian education

• Individual attention through small student/teacher ratio
  

• Parental Involvement
• Annual Standardized Testing

History

Oak Ridge Christian Academy is a ministry of Oak Ridge Reformed Baptist and was established in 1992. ORCA has been a member of Association of Christian Schools International, ACSI since 1992 and is the oldest Christian School in the area. The Academy is also a member of Texas Association of Baptist Schools, TABS, and is accredited with the Accreditation Commission of Texas Association of Baptist Schools, ACTABS.

Statement of Faith

The basis of faith shall be the Word of God as understood below:

• We believe the Bible to be the inspired and the only infallible authoritative Word of God.
  (John 5:39, John 17:17, Rom. 2:12)

• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  (Deut. 6:4, John 4:24)

• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His Ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return to power and glory.
  (John 5:23, Matt. 1:23-25)

• We believe that man is sinful by nature and that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential for his salvation.
  (Gen. 2:16-17, Rom. 3:23, 1 John 1:8, John 3:3-8)

• We believe in the continuing ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life.
  (John 16:13, Matt. 28:19, Rom. 8:29)

• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost: they who are saved to the resurrection of eternal life, and they who are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation.
  (John 5:29, Rom. 8:10-11, 19-23)

• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
  (John 13:34-35, I Thes. 4:9, Eph. 5:22-6:1)

• We believe in the creation of man by the direct act of God.
  (Gen. 1-2, Ex. 20:11, 31:17)

• We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.
  (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)

Educational Philosophy

Christian education is a Bible-based, Christ-centered process leading the student to Christ and equipping him/her with knowledge, skills, and attitudes for effective Christian service.  Being a Christian school, all of our subjects are taught from a thoroughly biblical worldview.  We endeavor to produce students who know what they believe and why, and are able to defend their faith in a world that is increasingly antagonistic toward Christianity.
The beginning of wisdom is found in “the fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 9:10); therefore, all intellectual pursuits ought to be completed out of a desire to glorify God.  Students are taught that all knowledge and wisdom come from God, and that all truth is God's truth, including history, geography, science, language and the arts; and that Jesus Christ is to be central in all learning and living.  Our school partners with parents to provide quality Christian education which will assist in the child’s academic, social, physical, and spiritual development.
            In the future, our vision includes the Classical approach to education.  We believe Classical Christian education is the most effective way of training and equipping students with the truth.  The methodology goes “with the grain” of their academic development in mature thinking.  Here is a brief explanation:

• Grammar (Kindergarten – 6th grade) focuses on the absorption of large quantities of material through memorization, recitation, and study, providing the student with the building blocks for all of their formal education.

• Logic (7th – 8th grades) teaches students how to construct rational arguments from the information they have come to know. 

• Rhetoric (9th -12th) focuses on the articulation of truth and the presentation of logical arguments in a beautiful manner.

As we move toward the implementation of this vision at ORCA, parents will be offered opportunities to be involved in the process. If you are interested in understanding the roots and components of Classical Christian education, we would love to speak with you further regarding this and provide you resources for your own study.