SCL Movement Leadership Distinctives Part I: Kingdom Work

Part I: Kingdom Work

Over the next few months, I plan to release a series of articles articulating the distinctives of SCL and how we approach our role in the classical Christian education movement. For the first distinctive, I will focus on SCL’s approach as Kingdom Work. 

God’s Calling

We are engaged in kingdom work. We believe this is fundamentally God’s calling and mission. We are seeking to serve where and when we see Him working and then align ourselves accordingly. We are stewarding the resources and opportunities afforded to us on the premise that God owns it all. The work of CCE is for Him and through Him. This is why we shy away from aggrandized language that claims we are “saving Western civilization.” As excited as I am about this movement, I am conscious of our limitations. I realize the outcomes we seek to achieve and the vision we aspire to are in God’s sovereign hands.

One of Many

SCL is not trying to become the centralized institution of the movement. We don’t feel compelled to compete with other groups. We have seen many great leaders and resources emerge over the last few years. SCL welcomes them and recognizes the movement needs them! The demand for support in this season of growth is varied and endless. SCL has much to offer any classical Christian school, but God is not dependent on our organization to do His work. We are learning alongside many gifted, thoughtful leaders who are making excellent contributions. 

A Loose Grip

Because we approach our work as kingdom focused, we do not see it as our role to police every school or group who does not agree with us. SCL has spent much time over the last two years defining what classical Christian education is and what a thriving classical Christian school should look like. We have strong convictions about the philosophy and model we have articulated. We nuanced our wording and labored diligently over our standards. However, there are faithful expressions of CCE even outside our understanding. No doubt, there will be groups who want to piggyback on the popularity and reach of classical education, some perhaps with the wrong motives. We will be discerning and thoughtful about where to draw distinctions, but we don’t feel threatened or resentful. It is our calling to be faithful and trust God for the ways in which this movement matures. 

Ideas Lead

Finally, kingdom work, such as the classical Christian movement, does not grow or flourish in some sort of linear way. We are not franchisers. The ideas are what make a movement move. Prescription and policing may ensure compliance and conformity, but it will also virtually guarantee a brief shelf life. We are not interested in that. To be consistent with our own principles as classical Christian educators, we realize we are participants in a tradition that has existed for millennia before us and will continue a long time after us. We would do well to be as faithful as we can, advocate for the vision as we understand it, lock arms with those who share our convictions, and trust God for the results.

Stay tuned for more on this and other SCL distinctives in the coming weeks.