Spiritual Formation & Discipleship

Introduction to Spiritual Formation & Discipleship

“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.”
Colossians 2:7

Our heart for our students’ spiritual formation is to see them come to a greater knowledge of their Creator as they discover the majesty and glory of God and identify the ways that He has uniquely gifted each one of them. As our students recognize their gifts and passions, we hope to introduce them to ways they can impact others for Christ.

At NRCA, students will encounter Scriptural truths not only through their weekly Chapel but also in their academics, athletics, fine arts, and events. We foster intentional discussions with our students in kindergarten through 12th grade that help them engage the topics of their culture with the truth of the Scriptures.

Throughout all aspects of spiritual formation, we work to help establish discipleship rhythms in our students’ lives that allow their roots to grow deep so that they will reflect Christ to their community. We want to cultivate hearts dedicated to the love of God and the love of neighbor on campus, in the community, and throughout the world.

NRCA partners with our local churches in our desire to make evident the value of being engaged in a local community of believers while also providing opportunities for our students to serve alongside them. To that end, we actively encourage our students to participate in student ministry, mission trips, community service, and other activities with their local church as their first-choice options for growing and serving.

In addition to our school-based discipleship strategy, NRCA partners with families, particularly parents, as they are the primary disciplers of their children, by creating resources to help them navigate the ups and downs of life in this cultural moment.

Our hope in all that we do is for our students to recognize the identity and calling that God has placed on their lives and to continue to seek to know Him and make Him known well beyond their time at NRCA.

Rooted Resources

Our heart at NRCA is for our students and families to constantly be engaged with the truth of God’s Word. To that end, we provide a library of resources for parents and students on topics dominating discussion in our world. The foundation of these resources pushes against the current cultural moment of the infinite number of voices we are inundated with, not only students, but adults as well.

Discipleship

Chapel Overview

One of our weekly rhythms features a time when students come together to worship alongside each other through singing and time in the Word.

In middle and high school, Chapel worship is student-led by a Chapel praise band of their peers. Our time worshipping in song creates a space for our students not only to worship their Creator but to do so in community with one another.

Chapel speakers are primarily student ministry staff or senior pastors from local churches. While we do occasionally have guest speakers from outside our community, we recognize that gifted teachers from our area are uniquely familiar with the specific culture our students navigate.

We recognize that our students are surrounded by cultural voices taking aim at their hearts and seeking to impact their worldview, so our time in Chapel together aims to speak the truth of the Scriptures into those conversations. Our hope is that the truths shared in Chapel will foster in our students a heart for loving God and loving their neighbor.

Additional information about our Chapel themes and speakers is available on our Chapel webpage.

NRCA Chapel

Missions Overview

Our desire is to foster a love of neighbor in the hearts of our students. NRCA's mission trip requirement provides our students an opportunity to expand their worldview while living out the calling that God has given to each of us through the Great Commission.

While we recognize that students are able to share the hope of the gospel within the context of their local community, we also want them to have the opportunity to experience different cultures and environments where they are able to share the truth about Jesus with others. To accomplish this goal, we require all NRCA high school students to participate in a mission trip that lasts at least three days with eight hours of service per day in partnership with a missions organization at least 100 miles from NRCA’s campus.

Our first preference is for students to serve alongside the local church, but we understand that sometimes extenuating circumstances prevent this ideal option. We also understand that some students want to serve on more than one mission trip during their time in high school. As a result, NRCA offers both school-led and independent options that meet the mission trip requirement for graduation and allow mission-minded students additional opportunities to serve.

Please visit our Missions webpage for a full explanation of high school missions opportunities and requirements.

Missions

Community Service Overview

Carrying the gospel message outside the local area is at the heart of missions, and serving the needs of people and organizations in the Triangle area for the sake of the gospel is the goal of community service.

We require 25 hours of service for every year of high school that a student attends NRCA. Students must complete community service hours in the local community (within 100 miles of NRCA’s campus) and earn at least half of their required hours off-campus.

We are blessed to partner with several community ministries that significantly impact our local area. A detailed list of community service partners and information about NRCA-based community service opportunities appears on our Community Service webpage.

Community Service

Student Leadership Academy Overview

NRCA is blessed with many students gifted with incredible leadership abilities. In keeping with our goal of helping students discover their strengths in serving and find opportunities to nurture their talents, we established the Student Leadership Academy (SLA) as our student leadership development program.

High school students apply for the program each year, selecting to serve on one to five teams based on their gifting and interests. These teams serve NRCA and the local community throughout the year. At monthly SLA meetings, students hear from a variety of leadership speakers. SLA members also attend a leadership conference during the school year.

Middle school students are asked to serve on our Middle School Student Leadership Academy after being recommended by NRCA teachers and staff members. Similarly to High School SLA, our middle school students serve at various events throughout the year and meet monthly for training in student leadership.

For a deep dive into NRCA’s leadership development projects and teams, visit the Student Leadership Academy webpage.

Student Leadership Academy

Discipleship is the relational component of spiritual formation. Gathering in community fosters an environment of connection between people. Our discipleship rhythms enable students, staff, and families to connect to encourage one another in the journey to know Jesus and make Him known.

Campus Life Events & Activities

NRCA Community Events

We want our students and families to have time and space to cultivate relationships with each other. To that end, we offer numerous opportunities during the school year for gathering students, staff, and families together for moments of fun and celebration.

Below are a few highlights of our annual traditions. You can find dates and times and other information on the school calendar and in the weekly News Blast.

Meet NRCA's Dean of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship

Mr. Josh Leonard

DEAN OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION AND DISCIPLESHIP

(919) 573-7900, x7956

jleonard@nrcaknights.com