WHAT IS THE RCS CORPORATION?
The RCS corporation owns the school, and through election of a board and other agenda items of its meetings, ultimately governs the operation of the school.  It is a corporation consisting of Christian individuals and is not associated with a particular church or other institution.  

WHAT ARE THE PRIVILEGES AND OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERSHIP?
These are given in detail in our by-laws, a copy of which is available from our school office. In summary, the most tangible privileges are the following: 1) a vote in the election of board members and the adoption of budgets, capital projects, etc., 2) eligibility for service on the board, 3) right of floor privilege at meetings.
The primary obligation involves attendance at corporation meetings. However, in general, the Corporation greatly needs the active interest and support of its members.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP?
You must be eighteen years old and subscribe to the constitution and by-laws of the Corporation.  Before your application is approved by the Corporation, you will be asked to give assent to the following purpose basis and principles of the Corporation.  

PURPOSE
The purposes of the Corporation are to provide and give to the youth of the community that weekday instruction in the field of elementary education which is necessary if they are to occupy their places worthy in society, church, and state.

BASIS
Section 1:  The basis of the Corporation is the infallible word of God.
Section 2:  Interpretation of the word of god is in accordance with Reformed Doctrinal Standards, namely the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dordt, the Belgic Confession, and the Westminster Confession of Faith with its Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

PRINCIPLES
The Corporation is committed to the following principles:
Section 1:  The instruction and education of the children in the school as well as in the home, must be in accordance with the will of God.  
Section 2:  The school is not an institution dependent on or belonging to the church or state, but depends on and proceeds from the home.
Section 3:   Throughout the course of the child’s education, the fundamental unity of the school and home must be maintained.  
Section 4:  The school provides instruction to children from homes which evidence:
a. The common basis of Christian belief and practice.
b. Parental acceptance of the policies, practices, and approach of the school to Christian instruction.
c. A desire by the parents to further the cause of instruction by a continuing support of the school.

WHAT IS MEANT BY THE “REFORMED DOCTRINAL STANDARDS”?
These standards, principally the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dordt, and Belgic Confession, and the Westminster Confession of Faith, with its Longer and Shorter Catechisms, are available in complete form in our school office for your study of you so desire.  A summary of this basis as it relates to education might be stated as follows.

RCS believes that God makes Himself known in the world which He created and now sustains by His almighty power and unchanging law.  However, because of sin, we now cannot know God clearly even as Creator, much less as Savior from that sin.  To know God this way, we must know Him as He has revealed Himself through the Bible.

RCS believes that the Bible reveals god as Triune: one God in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The bible also teaches that all people have broken their relationship with God through sin and have earned death and eternal separation from God through their rebellion.  God, however, in His great love sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live among us as a man, to bear for us the penalty of death and the torment of separation from God for our sin, and to rise again in a renewed life with God the father, where he reigns as King through His word and Spirit and intercedes for those who believe in Him.  All power and authority belong to Christ and He is directing all things in keeping with the end which He has planned for the world when He will return in glory as judge of all people.

God has, therefore, promised His free salvation to all those who confess their sins and accept through faith in Jesus Christ, His gracious forgiveness and restoration of the God-man relationship intended at creation.  Because of our enslavement to sin, we cannot repent and believe unless God, by His grace, frees us to do so through the work of His Holy Spirit.

This grace is rooted in God’s choice of those whom He has destined to become His renewed sons and daughters.
 
God’s promise or covenant of grace, signified by baptism, is valid not only for adults and parents, but also for their children.  Christian parents, therefore, are responsible for instructing their children in God’s truth; truth which will lead the student , under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to commit himself to a life of faith and gratitude as a response to God’s promise; truth that touches every realm, sphere, and activity of life.  Rochester Christian School, serving as an extension of the Christian home, is dedicated to educating children of Christian parents from this perspective.  

RCS teaches that students bear the image of their creator, an image deeply marred by sin, but restored in Christ, and that they have the responsibility to develop and use for His glory their God-given abilities and potential in every sphere of life.  Rochester Christian School strives to develop in students a keen awareness of how they are to live as morally responsible individuals in contemporary society, with an ultimate accountability to God.
RCS seeks to uphold the discipline and values of the Christian home.  Students are required to obey rules which we believe are in harmony with rules found in well-ordered Christian homes.

In Summary, education at RCS must be religious to its very core, challenging students to grow into a mature and responsible person, understanding of their relationship to God, to their fellow man, and to the world in which they live.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP TOWARD MEMBERSHIP?
If you are interested in membership, please complete and submit this form.  Applicants, upon recommendation of the board, may be elected as a regular member by a majority vote of the regular members present at the next annual corporation meeting.  

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW?
As in all relationships within the RCS family, the continuing commitment of people to the idea of Christian education and the work it involves is vital to the success of the school.  Therefore, we hope and pray that all our members will join the corporation with a continuing zeal for quality education pledged to the honor and praise of our God.