Mission

Foothills Christian School is a private K–12 Christian school nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in upstate South Carolina. Located in the small town of Westminster, it is just minutes away from rushing rivers, rolling hills, and towering hardwoods.

The school exists to provide a truly humane education—one that honors the image-bearing nature of its students, the goodness of reality, and Christ at the center of everything.

Philosophical Commitments

Students as image bearers

We honor the image-bearing nature of every student, educating the whole person with dignity and care.

Goodness of reality

We teach that the world God made is good, true, and knowable—worthy of wonder, study, and stewardship.

Christ at the center

Christ stands at the center of everything we do, shaping our life together as a school community.

Portrait of a Graduate

Believe the Gospel and enjoy a growing faith in Jesus Christ

The first three statements in the Portrait of a Graduate are foundational to the Christian life. Of first importance for any person is that he/she is reconciled to Christ and walking in unity with him. Through this, one is restored to Christ and Christ’s image is renewed in the person.

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Participate in the local body of Christ

You cannot Christian alone. As one embraces and practices the Gospel, he/she should seek to be active members of the body of Christ. To be united to the head (Christ), one must become part of His body (Church). We encourage all graduates and families to be fully involved in their local church.

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Eph. 1:22–23

Prayerful and Scripturally literate

At FCS we weave rhythms of prayer into every aspect of our school life. We also provide training and practice in spiritual disciplines. This is done in tandem with deep study of Scripture, theology, and Church history.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances…

1 Thes. 5:16–18

Embody wisdom and virtue

At FCS we seek to provide a training ground for development in virtue. A graduate from FCS should embody the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. Secondly they should be people who clothe themselves with courage, prudence, temperance, and justice. These virtues will lend themselves towards a student who “walks in step with the Spirit” therefore, exemplifying the fruits of the Spirit in thought and conduct.

Having been formally trained in logic and rhetoric, the FCS graduate formulates cogent arguments and defends them winsomely in speech and in writing with fervor and precision. Grounded in the truth of Scriptures, and informed by a broad exposure to literature and academic study, the FCS graduate aims to think deeply, employ wisdom, and speak graciously and persuasively for the sake of Christ to the world.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Phil. 4:8

Engage with Creation

The beauty of God and His creation stirs a sense of wonder, inspiring a desire to engage more deeply with that beauty. As bearers of God’s image, we are also drawn to creativity. The more students grasp the purpose and design of creation, the better prepared they are to work with its materials and mechanisms.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

“God’s Grandeur,” Gerard Manley Hopkins

Love and serve Christ the King, bringing the shalom by sharing the Gospel and acting for the good of others

In conclusion, a graduate of FCS will carry their Christianity into whatever avenue they venture down. When Christ is their highest allegiance, loving and serving Him naturally leads to loving and serving their neighbors. As Jesus said, He came to give life—life in abundance. Therefore, as His followers, we are called to spread this abundance wherever we go by proclaiming the Gospel, meeting the needs of those around us, defending the defenseless, pursuing peace, and expressing joy.

The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you. There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.

Wishful Thinking — Frederick Buechner

Statement of Faith

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Church defines “catholic and apostolic Church” from the Nicene Creed as; catholic meaning universal or worldwide, and apostolic meaning as built on the teachings and practices of Jesus’s original apostles.

Additions

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible word of God, the authority for all faith and life.

We believe marriage is a lifelong covenant set forth by God and constitutes the union between one biological man and one biological woman.

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.

We believe that parents are ultimately responsible to the creator to guide and disciple the children given to their care. Our commitment is to see God use FCS as an instrument to assist parents in carrying out the Biblical mandate to bring up their children in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Families, leaders, teachers, and students will honor the differences in interpretation of Scripture that different families hold, understanding that different views on baptism, predestination, liturgies, etc are not to divide us, but unite us under the banner of Jesus Christ. Discussion and disagreements can help us all to uncover truth and will be done in a spirit of love and humility. (In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.)