Christian Leading – The Bethesda Difference
Every responsible parent has dreams of their young man being successful.
Here at Bethesda, we aim beyond equipping our students to be merely successful. We challenge them to understand the need to be significant, and we feel the absolute most significant thing we can do is to lead others to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Toward that end, our new Leader Development Initiative is unlike anything else, anywhere. Simply put, its ultimate goal is to shepherd young disciples of Christ who will leave Bethesda Academy equipped to be not only successful in the secular world, but more importantly to be able stand firm in their faith, and no matter what course they choose, to be in a position to lead others to Christ through their example – how they live their lives.
These are not just empty words. Answering the call from St. Paul in Ephesians 6:4 to bring up our children in the “Paideia of the Lord,” we are committed to beyond solely informing our young men about Christianity in only words that might stop at the cognitive, thinking domain – the mind. We understand that true education means forming our young men by also engaging their affective domain – their hearts, through physical rituals of worship, practicing prayer, and acts of compassion that are committed on a daily basis through actually living our Christian faith.
Biblical literacy is an essential element of the Christian faith, and of our program here, but we believe that Christian leading is impossible without being grounded in faith beyond simply being biblically literate. We have therefore designed a one-of-a-kind, faith-based curriculum found nowhere else that focuses on the very deliberate enhancement of character, the maturation of critical thinking, the acceleration of emotional and social intelligence, and the development of the servant-leader mindset, all within a holistic Christian worldview.
In just under two years since its conceptualization, we now have young upperclassmen who are actually teaching our bible-based seminar sessions on Christian character, facilitating our case studies in Christian leading, others who are leading ministries like daily prayer in our chapel or Alpha, and others who will soon be leading clubs and ministries both on and off campus. In fact, we now have our very own ministry to help to feed local homeless. Our vision includes our young men being a blessing not only to each other, but to our community, and eventually, beyond. Our program has even made nationally syndicated news. Please look at the links!
At Bethesda Academy, given our rich history as a Christian institution founded by the legendary Reverend George Whitefield, we do not wish to be just another day-school. We see ourselves as an extension of The Church that ministers to and forms our students here, and that has a mission outside our campus to promote the Kingdom of God. With this thought having primacy in our minds, we are nurturing a culture here that will continue to call upon the power of the Holy Spirit to use us as His instrument.
Being a member of the Leader Development Initiative is not always easy, because we have very strict standards, and just being a member requires sacrifice. The benefits, however, far outweigh the costs. In the end, our members not only become better young men, but much more importantly, they become better Christians, and better able to lead others to Christ.
Christian leading…that’s the Bethesda difference!
God bless you.