Kingdom Unity Initiative

In Matthew 22:37, 38 (ESV), Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”

Whereas this command seems simple enough, it is one of the most difficult to put into effect. We readily admit that we won’t live in this reality until we become like him, in heaven. But what comes next is equally difficult — “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:39, 40).

These verses are foundational to our personal and corporate Christian witness to the world, and they spur us forward as a Christian school: Our mission and vision statements are wrapped in them; they are part of the very DNA of who we are and why we do what we do. These commandments also give us a lens for why we have a Kingdom Unity Initiative.

What is the Kingdom Unity Initiative?

The Kingdom Unity Initiative is a schoolwide focus on promoting LCA as a community that welcomes and honors Christian families from all backgrounds. It is an action plan that addresses Key Initiative 1.1 in the school’s strategic plan, which was adopted in 2017. (see pg. 11)

Why does Kingdom Unity matter to my child(ren)?

One of LCA’s core values is imago Dei, which is a Latin term meaning “image of God.” Legacy believes and teaches that all humans bear the image of God, reflect his glory, and are worthy of respect and dignity. We hope that all Legacy students will discover that their primary identity is found

in Christ. All other identities are secondary to their status as adopted sons and daughters of the God of the universe. By preparing our students with this foundation of security through their primary identity in Jesus Christ, they will be equipped to allow the light of Christ to shine wherever their path leads them. Through this initiative, we also hope that our students will be better prepared to share God’s truth and the hope of the gospel with people from every nation, tribe, and language (Revelation 7:9).

Why was this initiative established? Is it a reaction to the strife and division we see all across the country?

This initiative was established four years ago as we engaged in strategic thinking about how our school community could better reflect the diversity within God’s Kingdom. Genesis 1:27 tells us that we are all made in God’s image and as such we felt a need to better understand and serve our already diverse community. Furthermore, everything we do is inspired by the spirit of God and empowered by living out the word of God, so we are never influenced by the world. We are in the world but not of the world; thus, this initiative was established for, inspired by, and built on honoring God.

Is this initiative intended as a political statement?

No. Legacy will never become a political organization, nor will we teach ideas and philosophies that are contrary to scripture and our biblical worldview. LCA’s mission and core values will always guide our work and provide a framework for developing curricula and programs. As we continue to prepare “Daniels” to be “in the world but not of the world,” it is even more important that we train students in foundational truth so that they will be effective disciple-makers in whatever realm God calls them into after they leave LCA. Politics, secular organizations, and the society at large will not determine our work. Our goal is for all students to “grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52), just as Jesus did. We strive to equip students to engage the world and identify “vain and hollow philosophies,” “taking their thoughts captive for Christ.” Our answer lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ and not in worldly ways. This is what the word of God mandates.

Originally, this initiative was called “Kingdom Diversity” and was led by a Director of Diversity. Now it’s called “Kingdom Unity” and is led by the Senior Director of Community Engagement. Why the change?

While we recognize that the differences God has created in each person are important to a better understanding of Him (in whose image we are made), differences are not the ultimate goal. Unity that recognizes and affirms our God-ordained differences is the goal. Diversity is one aspect of God’s creation, but what God desires from us is unity. Our purpose, therefore, is to value our God-given differences and maximize them for God’s glory. The term “Kingdom Unity” better describes the result we seek.

Paul often describes this unity in his letters to the churches. I Corinthians 12:12–14 reminds us, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

Time and again throughout the Bible, we are called as brothers and sisters in Christ to live in unity with all humility, as Paul says in Ephesians 4:1–6: “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

These verses provide the framework for how we are to conduct ourselves as believers living together in community with a common unity in Christ.

KINGDOM UNITY INITIATIVE

How is Jenny Brady, our Senior Director of Community Engagement, qualified for this role?

Jenny is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in this work and has helped many other schools develop and implement similar initiatives. With 17 years of experience as a director of diversity in Christian schools, she is not new to this work and has, in fact, had a direct hand in shaping how schools like LCA can best achieve Kingdom Unity. Jenny teaches with and serves on the advisory board of the Baylor Center for School Leadership, and is a valued contributor to CESA (Council on Educational Standards and Accountability). It was evident that Mrs. Brady possesses the experience and passion needed by our school to achieve our unity goals. By God’s providence, Jenny was ready to take on a new challenge and joyfully accepted our offer to become a Legacy Eagle. Jenny brings not only a personal understanding of the unique differences among people made in God’s image from growing up in Honduras, but also many years of professional experience in helping lead Christian schools in this area.

What does the school want to accomplish through this initiative and how will success be measured?

Ultimately, the Kingdom Unity Initiative will help us accomplish LCA’s mission, which is to “develop strong leaders with biblical convictions who are equipped to succeed in college and beyond.” Strong leaders must be prepared to address complex issues and tackle life’s hardest questions. Strong leaders with biblical convictions will be “salt and light” in their spheres of influence. Strong leaders will be prepared to navigate an increasingly multiethnic and multicultural world that is connected by a global economy. Strong leaders will be witnesses to a lost world that is desperate for the hope only the gospel can provide. When Christian families of all backgrounds seek a Legacy education, when all students and their families feel welcomed and affirmed in our community, and when our graduates are making a difference on their college campuses and in the workplace, we will know we have succeeded.