Mission

Emmanuel Hall exists to assist parents in the cultural and academic tasks of educating their children. The education of children is the obligation of parents (Eph. 6:4, Deut. 6:7-9), and while many parents seek help in this calling, which we cheerfully offer, we do not believe that a child’s school should overshadow parental role and responsibility. 

Therefore, we partner with parents, offering a minimal schedule homeschool-based collaborative school where parents can confidently rely on competent classical Christian instructors. 

We seek to support the building of the family by offering this education from a distinctly confessionally Reformed perspective. We seek to help parents inculcate in their children a love of Christ’s church, love the family, and who mature into faithful, devoted Christian adults in ways unique to their masculinity or femininity for the glory of Christ.

Vision

In order to maintain the primacy of parental instruction in a child’s life, we strive to maintain a minimal schedule–holding class a maximum of 1 day per week, and protecting the time parents ought to spend with their children. This also allows parents the time and flexibility to seek supplemental and/or specialized educational opportunities in addition to the core offering of Emmanuel Hall. Additional classes may be scheduled through Emmanuel Hall outside of this one day of instruction.

We believe education is both rigorous and recreational. This means we do fewer things–read fewer books, hold fewer classes and events, but we strive to do those things well. This does not mean we are relaxed about expectations or deadlines. But, rather than filling a student’s schedule with a high volume of work and programs, we train a student to work more thoroughly with the lesson at hand, squeezing every drop out. When the student thinks he is done, the instructor will help him see that there is more to be done. At Emmanuel Hall, students will be challenged according to their frame and their gifting. 

Parents ought to be taking advantage of this schedule to disciple their children, apprenticing under mom or dad. For example, boys should learn to fix, serve, work, and provide in ways that point them to being the heads of their homes someday, and girls should learn to prepare, support, feed, nourish, and manage their households. The community at Emmanuel Hall is fostered in such a way as to train children with these goals in mind. 

The vision of Emmanuel Hall is not merely academic. This is because the Paideia of the Lord includes productive Christian households, well-read and disciplined minds, cheerfully obedient hearts, lovers of beautiful music and art, and the virtues that bring to bear the ethics and work of Christ’s Kingdom. We aim to heartily support parents in these endeavors for the growth of the whole person and strong Christian communities.

Ideal Graduate

The classical Christian education at Emmanuel Hall will assist parents to equip Christian students with the weapons of our warfare which are not carnal, but are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4). These strongholds are the ways of sin, the devil, the world, and the flesh which include any perversion of God’s intended creation and order. Both men and women who graduate will express the highest Christian faith and character developed by a fear of the Lord, a love of wisdom, and thus a love of learning. Students will be well-read, trained in a proper aesthetic, taught to love their heritage, and leave an inheritance for their children’s children.

A male graduate will embody the fruits of the Spirit and the classical virtues in a way discernible to his parents and instructors in a distinctly masculine way:

• A disposition toward headship and exercising Christ-like dominion

• A priority to be married and faithfully raise a family

• A responsible pursuit of self-sacrifice pointed at the destruction of evil and saving of his own

• Leaving an impression of gravitas

• Constancy, fortitude, and readiness

• Husbandry

• Being dangerous, but good

A female graduate will likewise embody the fruits of the Spirit and the classical virtues in a way discernible to her parents and instructors in a distinctly feminine way:

• A benevolent disposition toward the home

• Charity in nurturing and nourishing her people and those in need

• A priority to be married and faithfully bear and nurture children

• A joyful submission and responsiveness to worthy headship

• Discretion and prudence which exceed her beauty

• Leaving an impression of warmth and hospitality

• Strength, grace, and industry