STATEMENT OF BELIEF/PHILOSOPHY 

 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 

 We believe that the Christian Gospel proclaims the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and guarantees the believer eternal life. Since the Gospel message affects all aspects of life, it is essential to apply it to all areas of the student’s physical, social, mental, and spiritual life.

 With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.

 At St. Paul Lutheran School, we accept and preach the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone. 

 We believe that St. Paul Lutheran School has Christ as the focal point of its educational process (Is. 54:13). We believe that St. Paul Lutheran School is a mission agency in our community (Matt. 28:19-20). We believe that we must hold steadfast to the doctrine of our parent body, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. We believe that both the future of the church and the country lie in the hands of our children. Therefore, we believe our school is one of the best agencies to develop in children the necessary skills and attitudes that will make them responsible citizens of our community, and to teach them their proper relationship with God and each other. We believe that God Himself has commissioned us through His Word (Deut. 6:6-7). 

Statement of Belief on Forgiveness and Conduct 

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 6:9-11). 

 We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, kindness, love, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the philosophy of St. Paul Lutheran School.

Statement of Belief on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. 

We believe the term marriage has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated Scripture (Gen. 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity occur outside of marriage between a man and a woman. 

 We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matt. 15:18-20; 1 Cor. 6:9-10).

 We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of St. Paul Lutheran School as a local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the school’s members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by St. Paul Lutheran School in any capacity, or who serve as volunteer, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:22).