Why do we have a Christian School at Covenant Harvest Church? There are some very clear, important mandates that come from the word of God regarding the education of our children.

1.	The first issue we see in God’s word is that the responsibility for the education of our children lies not with public or private schools but with parents.

• Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NASB - "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
• Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
• Ephesians 6:4 NASB - Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

2.	A second clear mandate regarding education from the Bible is that all true education begins with the acknowledgement of God as the source and goal of all things.

• Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• Proverbs 9:10 NASB - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Any education that doesn’t acknowledge God is incomplete at best. It is very short sighted to leave Jesus Christ outside of the educational process. In the secular education process man is glorified and exalted but in Christ centered education the fear of the Lord is the foundation. Not only in Biblical history but also in the history of Western man, studying theology was mandatory for every student. Most of the early universities in Europe and America required students to study theology before other subjects to give them a proper foundation for the learning process.

3.	The main purpose of education is centered around the upcoming generation knowing God’s word and putting confidence in God.

• Psalms 78:5-7 NASB - For He established a testimony in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their children, That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,

What about subjects like math and science? Unless we are founded in the purpose of education, then the subjects are only fragmented pieces of knowledge - like jigsaw pieces in an incomplete puzzle. Biblically speaking education is about making disciples of the Lord Jesus, which involves a personal transmission from the teacher to the new generation. This is hard to accomplish in a secular setting.

With the fall of man, "eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" a lie has been perpetuated through the generations that tries to obtain knowledge apart from God, or to know without God. This results in a humanistsic form of education based on pride.

State run education has become increasingly secular (void of religion, primarily Christianity) under the idea of the "separation of church and state." This has proved very costly to Christian parents and children. Research is showing the Public Education today is tending to indoctrinate Christian youth with humanistic or neo-pagan worldviews. One important study found that 83% of children from committed Christian families in public schools adopt a secular humanist or Marxist socialist worldview. Barna Research reports that only 9% of born-again teens believe in moral absolutes, and more than half believe that Jesus sinned while on the earth. It is hard for Christian parents to combat the ideas and false foundations that can come in through 40-50 hours a week of public school classes, activities, and homework with just a few hours of youth group or children’s church activities.

Some of the early educators in this country warned of the dangers of non-religious secular education. Theologian and educator Dr. A.A. Hodge, Princeton Theological Seminary, said, "I am as sure as I am of Christ's reign that a comprehensive and centralized system of national education, separated from religion, as is now commonly proposed, will prove the most appalling enginery for the propagation of anti-Christian and atheistic unbelief, and of anti-social nihilistic ethics, individual, social and political, which this sin-rent world has ever seen."

Martin Luther warned centuries ago of the danger of promoting a secular education void of religion for our youth. "I'm afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of youth."


At Covenant Harvest Church we see our school as part of the educational process of making disciples (Matthew 28). Our goal is to work together with Jesus and parents in educating our children in an environment that has God and His Word as the focus. As a church family we work together in providing a God centered educational opportunity that is affordable and accessible for parents who desire to follow God’s mandate for educating their children.

Doug Kreighbaum
Principal Covenant Harvest School

For questions about the school, you can contact Doug Kreighbaum at: principal@covenant-harvest.org