Foundation and Beliefs

AACS Statement of Faith
Our Statement of Faith is the "who" and the "what" we believe. The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind. The Bible is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of our school's faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the AACS Board of Directors is the final interpretive authority on the Bible's meaning and application.

WE BELIEVE
We believe that God’s revelation of Himself is our cornerstone. The school’s foundation is God's revelation of Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in the Bible.

We believe the Bible is our guiding authority. The Bible is the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative revelation of God. It sets the course for developing an integral curriculum that can deal meaningfully and realistically with everything in the creation. The Bible calls us to take all of God's creation seriously, to learn to discern good from evil as we live in God's world and to work for the renewal of every area of sin-darkened life by the power of His redeeming love. We hold the Scriptures, contained in the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, to which nothing may be added or subtracted (2 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 22:18-19).

We believe we are stewards of His world. The Bible makes clear that God created the Heavens and the Earth, and every living thing, by the power of His Word. He made human beings in His own image and called them to be the stewards of His world (Genesis 1:26-29, 2:15; Psalm 8:6-8).

We believe we are fallen. The Bible explains how His marvelously fashioned creatures, male and female, have nonetheless rebelled against God and fallen under His judgment of death against sin (Genesis 3, Romans 6:23). In this fallen condition, mankind lacks both the ability and the inclination to be reconciled to God (Ephesians 2:1-10).

We believe Christ is the Redeemer and Lord of Creation. But the Bible also unfolds the wonderful story of salvation: God sent His own Son to die on the cross to redeem sinners, raising Him from death to become the Lord of all creation (Matthew 28:18, 1 Corinthians 15). Jesus is the eternal Son of God—fully God and fully man, and He lived in our place—satisfying the requirements of God’s Law where we have failed to do so, and then died in our place—satisfying God’s just condemnation of our sin. Not only has Jesus paid our just debt; He has also granted us grace to live in the blessing and abundance of fellowship with Him as Savior, Lord, and King (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

We believe in the work of the Holy Spirit. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God now calls sinners to Himself through repentance and faith to become the body of Christ, the Church. The Spirit regenerates our dead hearts, enabling us to respond in faith (John 3:5-8), testifies with our hearts that we are children of God (Romans 8:15-16), and produces fruit that leads to changed lives (Galatians 5:16-23). The Spirit also comforts and leads us into all truth (John 16:5-15) and gives every believer gifts that we may use to build up the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). We do not believe that any particular spiritual gifts prove our salvation.

We believe we are agents of His reconciliation in the world. The redeemed people of God are empowered to serve as agents of His reconciliation in all the world; called to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, calling people to be reconciled to God (John 16:5-15, 2 Corinthians 5:17-29, Matthew 28:18-20), and commanded to adorn the Gospel message with lives of love and compassion (1 Peter 2).

We believe we are joint-heirs with Christ. As the redeemed of God, believers in Christ persevere in faith. They are preserved by the Holy Spirit such that they are eternally secure in their relationship with God as joint-heirs with Christ and accept the responsibilities and privileges inherent in that relationship (John 10:17-29).

We believe in eternal life and condemnation. When Jesus Christ returns in glory to fulfill His Father's plan, He will complete the judgment and redemption of the world and bring His people into perfect fellowship with God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—forever. The Bible teaches that every human being will be resurrected. Those who are in Christ will be raised to eternal life in the presence of God and His love in the context of a New Heaven and New Earth. Those who are not in Christ will be raised to eternal condemnation poured out for their sin and separated from God’s favor in the context of what the Scripture calls Hell. We believe the Holy Spirit is the One who brings us into a right relationship with God while we were sinners. There is then nothing that will separate us from the love of God so that we need not fear that true salvation may be lost (John 6:35-40; John 10: 1-18).

We believe that the term marriage has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 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 Corinthians 6:18, Hebrews 13:4).

We believe that God wonderfully foreordained and immutably created each person as either male or female in conformity with their biological sex. These two distinct yet complementary genders together reflect the image and the nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity.  Harassing and hateful behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture or the doctrines of Annapolis Area Christian School (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31).

• Community of Partnerships - As a diverse community of Christians, our purpose is to further biblical understanding of life through Christian education, in partnership with families and the church.
• Biblical Worldview - We approach learning through the biblical perspective (creation, fall, redemption, and final restoration), striving to connect what we believe to what we do.
• Educational Excellence - Continually seeking to improve our understanding in all things, we view excellence as a journey, not a destination (Colossians 3:23).
• Creativity and Imagination - We encourage students to be innovative and adaptable serving Christ with an eye to the changing world.
• Developing the Whole Child - God created each child in his own image with diverse gifts and talents. We work to help students achieve their potential in mind, body, and spirit. We seek to develop students of integrity, wisdom, and love.

Visible Faith 
We are redeemed through the saving work of Jesus Christ. Now we are called to imitate Him as His disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our faith is not just what we say we believe; it is evident in our actions, attitudes, and relationships. 

Courageous Humility
We are but dust, and yet we bear God’s image. Though we are sinners, we are redeemed by Jesus Christ and adopted as the sons and daughters of God. A right understanding of ourselves empowers us to act with both humility and courage.  

Healthy Discontent
We recognize that creation is not as it ought to be. Rather than embracing cynicism or complacency, we live in hope and participate in Christ’s work of restoration in ourselves, our community, and the world. 

Steadfast Joy
We rejoice in the eternal, finished work of Jesus Christ. We remind ourselves daily of the gospel of grace and delight in God’s unchanging character amidst ever-changing circumstances.

Annapolis Area Christian School occupies a unique place within the larger Christian community. While both Christian churches and AACS share in the educational and nurturing function, AACS focuses solely on integrating the Christian worldview into the modern educational experience, from Kindergarten through grade 12, restoring the link between spiritual and intellectual knowledge for a more complete understanding of our world.

Our Teachers

Teachers at the Annapolis Area Christian School are hired because they are masters in their field and also because their lives exemplify biblical wisdom and the love of Christ. They are professionals with special instructional gifts who work constantly to strengthen the art of teaching.

Our StudentsWe believe that God created children in his own image each with their own diverse gifts and talents. We seek to help students develop their full potential in mind, body, and spirit.

Our ParentsAACS students come from homes where at least one parent has a personal faith in Jesus Christ and is active in a local Bible-based church. Our parents desire an excellent Christian education for their children within a safe and caring Christian community.

Our ChurchesAACS families attend over 150 local Christian churches in our area.

Our Educational ProgramAACS offers a challenging and comprehensive academic curriculum that serves the entire family, a competitive athletic program, as well as outstanding fine arts in theater, choral, band, and visual arts. Biblical principles and values are integrated into academics, arts, athletics, activities, and attitudes.

Review our Educational Goals document.

Our Educational Philosophy
The education of Annapolis Area Christian School is grounded in Biblical truth, Christ’s redeeming grace, and the historical Christian faith. Students prepare for and learn through opportunities to live out their faith, in worship, love, and obedience in light of the Bible and a creation-fall-redemption-restoration framework. Our mission is to engage students in an education of excellence, enabling them to impact the world through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We prepare and equip our students for college, career, and service pursuits so that they may both participate in Christ’s redemptive work and grow in their relationship with Him.

AACS is an accredited comprehensive Christian K – 12 school: an educational, spiritual, and social partnership between parents, students, and faculty/staff. This partnership is best lived out with relationship between the parents, the school, and the church. Partners are rooted in a God-centered, committed relationship with Jesus Christ. The AACS community invites students toward responsibility and expertise as growing believers, active and lifelong learners, effective communicators, responsible stewards, and compassionate neighbors.

Therefore, we provide, evaluate, and continually strengthen a comprehensive and relevant curriculum of academic, spiritual, athletic, artistic, and technical content and skills in order to meet our educational goals and prepare our students for college and career. Both content and skills progress and scaffold as the years advance.

Instruction at AACS incorporates methods and materials that support and promote engaged and collaborative learning, thinking, and problem-solving. These draw from and develop students’ gifts and abilities to help them reflect God’s image.

Our students’ faith, academic growth, service, and stewardship while on our campuses will attest to the success of our programs. The accreditation process continually affirms and refines our programs. Our graduates’ skills and talents, ability to engage the world with discernment, passion for Christ, thirst for knowledge, and compassion for all God’s creatures will bear God-honoring fruit.

Today AACS has over 2,000 graduates. Approximately 99% of graduating seniors go on to higher education. They have been accepted at many of the nation's leading colleges and universities—Calvin, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Geneva, Gordon, Johns Hopkins, Messiah, MIT, Swarthmore, University of Maryland, University of Virginia, United States Naval Academy, Wheaton, William and Mary, and more. Many are leaders in every walk of life—men and women who use their Christian education to make a positive contribution in their communities and professions.