Florida pastor Melvin Adams knows a few hours of church programming every week is no match for the more than 30 hours children spend at secular schools, absorbing lessons that he says run counter to their family's Christian beliefs.
Like other theologically conservative pastors in Florida and beyond, he decided his Nazarene church in the Orlando suburbs could do something about it. Now the inaugural semester of Winter Garden Christian Academy is underway at Faith Family Community Church, educating K-4th grade students within the church's biblical worldview.
"We're making disciples and we're doing it not just on Sundays, but we're doing it all week long," said Adams. "I feel like we do have a leg up here in Florida."
The state has an expansive voucher program in which taxpayers help to pay tuition for all families who want to send their kids to private schools. While that's not the primary reason Faith Family Community and other churches are launching Christian schools on their campus, the vouchers have made it easier.
It's not about hurting public schools, said pastor Jimmy Scroggins, whose Family Church in South Florida is launching four classical Christian schools over the next year. Rather, he said it's about giving parents more schooling options that align with their Christian values.
