Gateway Christian Academy
Our Mission, History, Objectives, and more.
Mission
As a fully accredited private school, we are dedicated to ensuring that all our students receive advanced study diplomas, preparing them for success in their future endeavors. It is the mission of Gateway Christian Academy to train students spiritually, academically, socially, and physically to be a positive impact in the world for Christ.
History
GCA began in 1966 as American Christian School under the direction of Pastor Dale Burden. The founding church was Fairmount Park Free Will Baptist Church at that time. The church and school both relocated to property in Virginia Beach in the late 1970’s, and the new ministry name “Gateway” was born. The 1960’s were full of unrest, politically and spiritually, in America. Virginia public schools actually closed their doors for a time due to racial struggles over the newly adopted civil rights laws. Many private schools sprang up at that time for the wrong reasons (mainly to flee forced racial integration). This was not the case with Gateway, as it was founded for a much purer cause! Pastor Burden simply wanted a place where his kids (and many others) could still learn God’s Word and pray. He wanted a place where Jesus was still the focal point at school Christmas and Easter programs. He wanted a place that would proudly proclaim Jesus Christ as God’s Son, teaching boys and girls to do the same.
Gateway Christian Academy is still proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thousands of students have walked these halls who are now pastors, missionaries, Christian school teachers, professional businessmen and women, and Christian people in nearly every walk of life scattered around the world who have graduated from GCA!
Statement of Faith
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Scriptures are verbally inspired by God and serve as our only infallible rule of faith and practice. We affirm the complete and verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, ensuring their accuracy and recognizing them as the sole authoritative source and guide for our lives and faith. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and sacrificially died, shedding His blood for our sins. He was raised bodily from the dead for our justification and will return visibly and in glory for His Bride, the Church.
We believe in the necessity of the new birth for all mankind, a work of grace accomplished by the Holy Spirit and conditioned upon personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. All who are born into God’s family through faith in Christ receive eternal life, while those who do not place their faith in Christ remain in spiritual death and face eternal separation from God. The Holy Spirit resides in every believer, filling us with divine power and enabling us to walk in holiness and obedience to God’s will as revealed in the Gospel. Through His presence, we are transformed, empowered to live vibrant lives that reflect Christ’s love and grace in all we do.
We teach from a biblical worldview, emphasizing the redemptive work of Christ and applying God’s truth to every aspect of life. We believe in the local church, a community of born-again believers who come together to preach the Gospel, administer the ordinances, and hold one another accountable in their walk with Christ. We also affirm the universal church, made up of all born-again believers from all ages and areas. All believers are united in the body of Christ, called to live a life of faith and obedience to God’s Word.
Foundations
In addition to a quality education, it is our goal for each student to adapt these 5 Foundations:
INTEGRITY: Do what is right simply because it is right
Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil (Proverbs 4:26-27). We should each strive to live an honest life of the highest character regardless of consequences. We should take special care to ensure that we are doing what is right in all circumstances no matter how important or trivial they may seem.
RESPECT: Genuinely value others and their property
Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them (Matthew 7:12). We can live out the golden rule by building others up, giving them the benefit of the doubt, and seeking to resolve conflict privately and efficiently.
SAFETY: Look out for the well-being of yourself and those around you
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4). One of the primary purposes of the body of Christ is to meet the physical needs of others. Our own comfort or convenience should never be more important to us that the well-being of others. Everyone has a responsibility to promote a safe environment while actively avoiding actions that could cause harm.
RESPONSIBILITY: Be accountable to yourself and others for what you can control
But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load (Galatians 6:4-5). Maturity is marked by the ability to make wise decisions regarding use of time and resources to accomplish specific goals. Only through self-sufficiency and hard work can one take pride in individual effort and the results of labor.
HUMILITY: Follow Christ’s example of self-denial by being a servant to others
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:5-7). Jesus valued the salvation of man more than His own identity as God, His position in heaven, and His own physical life. Gratitude for His sacrifice should drive every Christian to think of others before self and live out this attitude through service of God and man.