From Randy Pope: Why Perimeter School Is Even More Vital Today Than When It Began

It is a breeding ground for future kingdom influencers.

By: Randy Pope, perimeter church founding pastor

Perimeter School is a ministry of Perimeter Church, and we are so thankful for the church’s partnership and leadership. A few years ago, Perimeter Church Founding Pastor Randy Pope shared his heart for Perimeter School, which he and his wife Carol (along with other Perimeter Church families) started forty years ago. We are excited and encouraged as we revisit his words and see that the heart of our school has remained the same.

Why Perimeter School Is Even More Vital Today Than When It Began

When Carol and I began to think of how we wanted to educate our children years ago, we kept returning to one central question, “What is the purpose of education?” To answer that question, we explored many philosophies, methodologies, and ultimately the Bible as our guide.

We arrived at the following foundational tenets:

• Children need to be taught to fulfill the creation mandate.

• The redemptive command undergirds all instruction of children.

• All of life (and education) should be done for the glory of God.

• The primary responsibility of education is from parents, with aid from the church.
  

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We want the school to give our covenant children the foundation of who they are created to be so they can launch into the world, fully understanding their role and purpose for kingdom impact.

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The Outward-Facing Impact of a Covenant School

The foundational tenets and purpose of Perimeter School are the same today as they were years ago - to be an offering for our own people at Perimeter Church. We want the school to give our covenant children the foundation of who they are created to be so they can launch into the world, fully understanding their role and purpose for kingdom impact.

Perimeter School exists to spread the gospel, to follow the creation mandate, and to support parents as their children’s primary educators.

Even after forty years, the heart of the school has remained unchanged. Its impact, however, has increased.

Perimeter Church believes that children need the strongest of foundations … one rooted in family. Our church desires for each covenant child to discover his/her biblical identity, realizing the influence and significance each one has as an image-bearer of the Almighty God. We want each of these children to become all they were created to be, giving them as much opportunity as possible to carry the aroma of Christ to a lost and hurting world.

Perimeter School provides an education where children encounter the beauty of lifelong learning. They learn the value of being the individual who God created them to be. Each of them has incredible potential for kingdom impact. They establish a foundation where their identity in Christ is shored up, so they can fully launch into the world to be salt and light.

Outward-facing impact is possible because the school provides a learning environment built on life-on-life discipleship: teachers with parents, parents with parents, teachers with students, students with parents, and students with students.

Children who attend Perimeter School continue to be well-prepared for high school and college, but of even greater significance, they go on to be difference-makers in all arenas in life. Perimeter School graduates continue to make waves in today’s culture, fulfilling the creation mandate in the seven spheres of influence (religion, family, media, government, education, business, and the arts).

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Protection is not the goal. Preparation is the goal. We are priming them to be salt and light in a needy and broken world.

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Growing Generations of Kingdom Influencers

As a ministry of Perimeter Church, the goal of Perimeter School is to prepare children to be transformational, earthly examples of Jesus. Protection is not the goal. Preparation is the goal. We are priming them to be salt and light in a needy and broken world. It is a breeding ground for future kingdom influencers.

When Carol and I chose to send our kids to Perimeter School at its inception, it was because we wanted the best for them. Now it is a joy to see three of our grandkids engulfed in the same philosophies that help children create a strong sense of self as it relates to God. They are learning how to become life-long learners and being equipped to share the gospel throughout their lifetime.

Every parent shoulders the responsibility of choosing the learning environment that is best for his/her child. There are many choices, and none are exclusively right or wrong. At Perimeter Church, we respect that choice. Yet we also encourage families to consider an investment in the covenant community and the excellent education of Perimeter School. This choice has the potential to position children for a lifetime of significant impact.

These formative years can too often be evaluated by so many good but not eternal measurements. Move towards authentic life-on-life. The goal of the mature, mobilized Christian disciple is to spread the gospel, and we believe the foundation of Perimeter School prepares children to pursue a life living in His likeness and enjoying His glory.