Statement of Spiritual Culture
Central Arkansas Christian’s (CAC) “Community of Christ” culture expressed through the personal faith and trust in God of our leadership, faculty, staff and students is paramount for fulfilling our call to be “distinctively Christian.” The Community of Christ is built on the cornerstones of Glorifying God, Biblically Instructing, and Discipling. A detailed description of these elements is incorporated into CAC’s Strategic Plan.
At the center of our distinctively Christian practices is daily chapel. The Board of Directors at CAC defines chapel as “a daily gathering on all CAC campuses that honors, celebrates and affirms God as the center of life. This common gathering time also serves the purpose of conveying pertinent information about our community and school. The priority for participants in chapel is to share what will benefit our students in developing the character of Christ, encourage them in spiritual discovery, and emphasize the goodness, truth, and beauty of God’s Kingdom here on Earth. Participants will present messages that are uplifting and unifying, consistent with our culture as a Community of Christ.”
The CAC Board of Directors provides all CAC families with the following aspirations for maintaining and growing the distinctive Community of Christ culture at CAC through the practices of chapel and other worshipful activities on CAC campuses. The examples are not intended to be exclusive or limiting but to provide a general guideline.
Aspiration #1:
To maintain the daily practice of chapel gatherings, which takes place on all campuses, presents a variety of expressions of praise to God, and provides the opportunity to transform Biblical study into action.
Aspiration #2:
To make chapel and worshipful activities on campus more personal and relevant to all students.
At all Campuses —
- All students and CAC employees, who are willing, may read scripture, pray, and share stories of trusting God’s faithfulness.
- Ministers from students’ churches may speak in chapel.
Aspiration #3:
To build personal faith and trust in God through worshipful activities in chapel, the classes at CAC, and various campus settings.
At all Campuses —
- In mixed-gender classes, all students and CAC employees, who are willing, may read scripture, pray, share personal stories of trusting God’s faithfulness, and the presentation of spiritual messages.
- Praise teams, developed through educational settings and off-campus settings, may share their talents, teach by example, and minister through artistic expression.
Is the Board taking a position on women’s roles in the church with the Statement of Spiritual Culture?
No. Individual Board member views on this issue reflect the diversity of opinion that is found in churches in Central Arkansas and among our staff and school families. The Board takes the position that CAC, institutionally as a school, is not the same as a local church body, nor does it bear the identical mission and hallmarks of your own church bodies. CAC is not a substitution for the church body. Chapel is not the equivalent of the Sunday morning assembly of our church bodies. Some may not agree with this distinction. Yet, even in our local church congregations we have different practices for different settings (e.g. worship assemblies, Bible classes, youth activities, life groups). At CAC our hope is that worship of God is a lifestyle, not an event limited to a particular day or activities in a particular location.
No student will be required to pray, read scripture, sing, or speak in a context if doing so is inconsistent with wishes of their parent or guardian.
The CAC Board is not a church congregation eldership or governing body. It is responsible for setting policy for CAC, a Christian educational institution. As an educational institution, our goal is to help each of our students develop their God-given abilities. We seek to take advantage of every possible opportunity to help each of our students have a transforming faith that empowers them, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to live a courageous life of faith in an increasingly secular world.
What is the school’s relationship to Churches of Christ?
Since its beginning in 1971, Central Arkansas Christian School has been governed by an independent Board of Directors who have the ultimate responsibility for setting policy and goals. Consistent with governing by-laws, directors “Must be an active member of a congregation of the Church of Christ in central Arkansas.” Since Church of Christ congregations operate independently without the involvement of a denominational hierarchy, the theological perspectives and practices of the school are determined by the Board’s unified commitment to “Biblical doctrine from revelation of God in the Bible,” and a desire to be Christians only.
As a matter of expediency, the school originally relied on a policy of only hiring members of a Church of Christ to promote theological instruction that was consistent with Board perspectives. In 2018, to provide a more meaningful and relevant employment standard and to bring clarity to “the beliefs, principles, perspective, and world view” we believe we must hold in common, the Board developed a Statement of Faith that all staff members must affirm as an expression of their own beliefs in order to be employed at CAC. This Statement of Faith and accompanying Community Covenant replaced the designation of church membership. As a result, the school now relies upon a commitment to our Statement of Faith and “active participation in weekly worship and activities of the Churches of Christ and churches committed to New Testament Christianity, which submit to the Lordship of Christ and view the Bible as the sole revealed and authoritative Word of God.”