Discipleship

discipleship, Christian education, prayer

Why ECS is a discipleship school

Did you know that ECS is the only covenant model school in the Memphis metropolitan area, requiring at least one parent be a professing Christian as a part of every student’s admissions process?

We think it is foundational that parents of our students are believers because it creates a necessary partnership between our teachers, administration and parents so that together, we can effectively embark on true Christian discipleship education. Without that partnership, we would be merely adding on Bible verses here and there as if tacking on roofing shingles to a house already built instead of making the Christian discipleship model the foundational cornerstone of the home itself. This very partnership between the school and the home lays the foundation upon which we accomplish our purpose, which is “to provide the Christian family a Christ-centered, biblically directed education.”

How we accomplish discipleship in a school setting

Discipleship is the means by which Jesus trained his followers and remains a critical function of Christianity today. At ECS, we have an incredible opportunity to impart God’s Word within our students throughout the course of the school day, and we take advantage of creative means to accomplish this.

First Five

Christian education, prayer, discipleship, school prayer

The First Five - the first five minutes of every school day - is an extra layer in ECS’s multilayered discipleship approach. For the past few years, all high and middle school students have been in a discipleship group led by a teacher or staff member and about 8-10 students who are the same grade and gender. In addition to learning together during chapel at the beginning of the week, they meet on Fridays for further discussion. Leaders trained in discipleship ask questions from biblical texts highlighted in chapel which then lead to discussions about how to live out the Christian faith in today’s culture.

With the advent of First Five, groups now meet every school day which amounts to 14 additional hours in a school year dedicated to intentional discipleship.

Discipleship Groups

Discipleship groups have been proven to be a successful way in which our teachers cultivate authentic relationships with our students that allow for transparent conversations about applying God’s Word to struggles teens face today. Every student in 7th – 12th grades meets twice weekly in a group of six to 10 students, led by teachers or older, senior students for the purpose of examining God’s Word and applying it to our lives.

Lower School and Upper Elementary School accomplish discipleship through daily Bible lessons, weekly Scripture memory verses with application, and the use of the New City Catechism in the classroom for First Five. 

Chapel

Weekly chapel offers time for students to worship our Creator in music, and learn about God’s Word in relevant and applicable ways.

Bible Classes

Teachers of our Bible classes understand the Bible to be not just a typical textbook. Rather, they allow the living, active Word to engage their students with its relevance to their lives today through study, open dialogue and application.

Every ECS teacher is a discipler of students.

We not only seek out the best teachers in their specialty, but integral in our teacher job description is the desire and ability to connect with their students on a personal level so that they can share the good news of Jesus naturally woven into their math lessons, literature discussions, drama productions and athletic competitions.