Here are some of the values which shape our community:
Authority of Scripture
The clear teachings of the Scriptures are our final authority in decisions affecting The Greenhouse. To the best of our collective ability we will consciously heed the commands of God that have bearing on the operation of The Greenhouse. We also recognize that God has given His children tremendous scope in which to exercise godly wisdom in the absence of explicit Scriptural direction.
Broad Christian Fellowship
Right from the start, God brought families to The Greenhouse from a large number of churches. (The first year, our twenty families came from thirteen churches.) The breadth of the Christian traditions represented provides a richness to our community. While we all agree on the fundamentals of the faith – as stated in the Apostles’ Creed and the NAE Statement of Faith – we choose not to focus on those issues which have separated believers from one another.
Faith in God’s Provision
There has always been a gap between tuition revenue and what it costs to operate the program. We have always been dependent on God to provide what The Greenhouse needs: families & students, faculty & staff, facilities & funding. The Lord has consistently provided in a number of ways over the years. We have tried to invite the families and students into the process of expectant prayer, and have celebrated God’s provision year after year. We value the humility, faith and flexibility which this requires of the whole community – it is a gift to a future generation of servant leaders.
Centrality of Prayer
From the very first meetings of our leadership team, The Greenhouse has been committed to collective and individual prayer. We know our propensities to misstep, lag behind, or run ahead – we know our need for God’s protection, provision and direction. As students, families, teachers, and Board members pray together, the Lord hears our prayers and – as we listen – refines the desires of our hearts. Through seasons of prayer, the Lord has shown us when to wait, when to proceed, and what to prioritize. Many times it has differed from what we had anticipated.
Being True to Our Calling
We desire to have God’s – rather than any one person’s – imprint on The Greenhouse. When God so leads us, we value being stretched beyond the ways of doing or conceiving of things that we have come to regard as normal. We want to faithfully follow His lead with wisdom and prudence without striving to be “like” another ministry, school, business or enterprise. This does NOT mean that The Greenhouse will innovate in everything we do; it does mean that in whatever we do (academic programs, employment practices, etc.) we seek to know God’s mind first.
Parents as Primary Educators
The Greenhouse exists to serve parents as they disciple and educate their children. We will respect the parents’ role as the primary educators of their children, and will not take on that role. While we seek to provide substantial academic services, we will not take responsibility for piloting the educational ship of our students. The Greenhouse is a hybrid between a home-school and traditional school with no aspirations to become a free-standing school. We are cautious about activities that move us in that direction.
Relational by Design
Our goal is to faithfully and effectively raise up leaders who will serve others and bring glory to God. Students, parents and faculty should feel that the programs are small enough to know and be known comfortably. We strive to ensure that the student:teacher ratio remains small, but also that no teacher has too many students (in aggregate) with whom to relate effectively.
Selectivity
The Greenhouse is not a good fit for every person. We desire to find those employees and families with whom our mission deeply resonates. It is an act of love to defer on a given candidate when the fit is not good. We prefer a long engagement, which might be broken, over a hasty marriage which breeds strife.
Growth by Relationships
Because we are not trying to grow our programs aggressively, we value referrals from current families as the primary way of introducing new families to The Greenhouse. While we are not opposed to marketing campaigns per se, we have no need or desire to be “high profile.” We try to avoid undue preoccupation with image or reputation; instead we focus on being (and becoming) what God calls us to. We strongly believe in “letting another’s lips praise you and not your own.”
Minimal Rules
We seek to establish only those rules and guidelines as will be conducive to the smooth operation of The Greenhouse. We recognize that, in the extreme, bureaucracies encumber effective ministry; whereas, absence of necessary guidelines provides little protection or guidance. The middle ground – which is harder to find the older an institution gets – is where freedom to explore is given appropriate boundaries.
Valuing Persons
We try not to treat people, especially staff, primarily in terms of their function, i.e., mechanically as part of a machine. We try to accept each person – student, parent, staff, Board – as the unique creation of God that they are, with skills, gifts and passions, as well as foibles, quirks and brokenness. On a staff level, to a degree we adjust responsibilities to fit the person.
Magnanimity
We are broad-hearted in our support of comparable endeavors. We freely refer people to other places that might be of service; we do not cling protectively to “our” families.
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