Forming Hearts, Minds, and Souls for Christ
Photos by Tom Price
Calvary Christian Academy at Calvary Chapel Reno-Sparks, NV, seeks to raise young ambassadors for Jesus who can stand firm in truth and grace.
Pastor Phil McKay encourages his 5-year-old son, Joel, on the first day of Calvary Christian Academy at Calvary Chapel Reno-Sparks, NV. The new K–6 school was launched in response to parents seeking a biblical alternative to public education and a foundation in God’s Word.
This past Tuesday in Reno-Sparks, NV, a group of parents drove their offspring to Calvary Chapel with a simple conviction: If the public square won’t teach their children from a biblical worldview, the church must. In response, Calvary Chapel launched Calvary Christian Academy (CCA), a K–6 ministry designed to partner with families to form hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. The school’s own description captures the heartbeat: a “Christ-centered, classical” education that develops the whole child—spiritually, academically, and socially—by instilling biblical values and character alongside rigorous learning.
That partnering language isn’t a throwaway line; it reflects a pastoral philosophy Senior Pastor Phil McKay has emphasized across the church’s ministries—discipleship rooted in Scripture and lived out in community. On the academy’s staff page, Pastor Phil frames the aim succinctly: By working with families, the school seeks to disciple students to love God and His Word and to apply biblical wisdom in every area of life. In other words, education is not neutral; it’s formation. The question is, Which formation?
A young student covers his ears as Director of Education Josh Ballew’s whistle signals it’s time to line up.
Junior High leader Noah Templeton (right) prays for a student and his family.
Mothers stand back as their children head for class for the first time. Most parents had previously homeschooled their kids.
CCA’s Director of Education, Josh Ballew, brings that conviction into the classroom plan. With a classical model, teachers train students to recognize truth, goodness, and beauty, not merely to absorb information. Josh commented, “The goal isn’t to shelter children from the world but to prepare them to stand in it—able to read, reason, and respond through the lens of Scripture.” That approach mirrors Calvary Chapel’s broader discipleship efforts—youth, homeschool co-op, and School of Ministry—each built around Bible teaching and mentoring.
For many local families, the timing matters. Recent debates in the Washoe County School District—especially around sexual-health curriculum and identity language—have convinced many parents that the district’s direction conflicts with the moral formation they want for their kids. Even local reporting has noted the tension, highlighting critics’ concerns about terminology and worldview framing in the new lessons. Whatever one calls this broader cultural trend—“woke,” “progressive,” or simply contested—the effect on Christian families has been to push the question of authority to the forefront: Who gets to define what a child learns about the body, identity, truth, and virtue?
Teacher Jillian Olson lines up her class before school began.
Teacher Cindy Griffin stands with the older class as they wait patiently for their turn to enter class.
The church’s answer shouldn’t be reactionary, Pastor Phil would argue, but proactive. Phil explained, “The task of education belongs first to parents (Deuteronomy 6), and the church comes alongside—teaching sound doctrine, forming character, and equipping the next generation to follow Jesus with courage and compassion.” Director of Education Josh added, “A school like CCA becomes a practical expression of that calling: a place where Bible, math, phonics, and history cohere; where virtue is taught as intentionally as vocabulary; and where students are invited to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind.”
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Creative Arts Ministry Director Mike Burns give the older children a high fives as they leave to have their photo taken.
Launching a school is costly—time, money, and faith. But the leadership at Calvary Chapel is confident that the cost of not forming children intentionally is higher. As families and teachers lock arms, classrooms turn into communities of discipleship. Morning prayers shape imaginations; memory work trains attention; stories of faithful men and women across history call students to live likewise. And when these children step back into the neighborhood, they do so as young ambassadors—grounded, gracious, and ready to give a reason for the hope they have in Jesus.
That’s what a stance looks like in practice. Not outrage, but formation. Not retreat, but mission. A small academy on a church campus—launched by pastors, parents, mentors, volunteers, and a schoolmaster named Josh—and a pastor named Phil—signals something bigger: a local church taking responsibility to “train up a child in the way he should go,” confident that truth, taught in the love of Jesus Christ, will set young people free.
Teacher Melody Cote leads her kindergarten class into the school.
High School ministry leader Brian Vaka comforts a mom, Suzy Price, as she watches her daughter go off to class.
Teacher Jillian Olson guides her students into class.
A mom of a new student shares a sweet moment with teacher Kathy Kyte, before the start of the school day.
Nicole and husband Josh Ballew, (left) CCA’s Director of Education, pray for their son Jackson with Pastor Dustin Homen (center) and Noah Templeton (right).
Thank you for reading! If this story inspired you, we invite you to partner with us in continuing the ministry God started over 26 years ago. We appreciate your prayerful consideration in joining us to reach more souls for Jesus.
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