About Us

Our Philosophy

Maranatha Christian Academy approaches education from within the framework of Christian faith, which provides a coherent perspective on life and the world. Our foundation is anchored firmly in Jesus Christ, and our Christian worldview will not be compromised at Maranatha Christian Academy.

Spiritual Formation Goals

We have five key Spiritual Formation Goals, which are permeated throughout the educational experience and curriculum:

  1. The student approaches life and decision-making from the perspective of a biblical worldview. 
  2. The student can defend their faith. 
  3. The student has a well-rounded knowledge of Scripture. 
  4. The student volunteers their time to benefit others. 
  5. The student can engage in personal evangelism.

We believe God, as manifested in Jesus Christ, has revealed to His people principals of education, and we commit ourselves to the following education principals. 

 

Welcome to Maranatha from the Head of School!

One incredibly special thing about Maranatha, is that when you enroll at MCA, you join a family that cares about you, your children, and their future. Like a plant's roots that hold it steady, our spiritual roots give us a solid foundation, knowing that our identity is grounded in biblical truth. The strength, stability, and fruit that comes from leaning on God as our firm foundation will be a catapult for your kids now and in their future successes.

Maranatha students are some of the brightest, most intelligent, articulate, and gifted students who have a strong moral compass—God has big plans for them. We are thrilled that you have chosen Maranatha to assist you in developing and preparing your child. A major part of this responsibility is helping your children to know who they are in Christ and to find their identities not in the things of this world, but in Him.

I look forward to working together as we develop co-creators of tomorrow.

Serving Him together,

Debra Larson-Jarpe
Head of School

 

Our Christian Faith

Maranatha Christian Academy is a Christ-centered school integrating faith and learning. We do this by employing staff that have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, teaching all subjects from a Biblical worldview, and acknowledging all truth is God's truth. The following are the biblical standards that our school is based upon, which must be affirmed by all staff and at least one parent of Christian families desiring to enroll their student(s) at Maranatha.

Statement of Faith

Maranatha Christian Academy is a Christ-centered school integrating faith and learning. We do this by employing staff that have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, teaching all subjects from a Biblical worldview, and acknowledging all truth is God's truth. The following are the biblical standards that our school is based upon, which must be affirmed by all staff and at least one parent of Christian families desiring to enroll their student(s) at Maranatha.

  • The Old and New Testaments of the Bible are the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God. The Word is the divine and final authority for Christian life. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)
  • There is one God, the creator of all things, who is infinitely perfect and eternally existent in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Colossians 2:9; Matthew 28:19)
  • Jesus Christ is the union of God and man. He is true God and true man, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life and died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of all men. He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is presently seated at the right hand of the Father as our high priest and advocate. (Philippians 2:6–11; John 1:1, 14, 18, 14:28)
  • Man was created in the image of God but fell into sin, which resulted in his spiritual death and separation from God. Only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained. As a person makes the decision to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and confesses with his mouth the lordship of Jesus in his life, a miracle of regeneration by the Holy Spirit takes place and they are “born again”. (Romans 3:10, 23, 5:12, 10:9–10; 1 John 3:8; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 3:3,5–7)
  • Water baptism and communion are ordinances to be observed by the church during the present age. They are not, however, to be confused with or regarded as a means of salvation. (Matthew 23:19; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12; Acts 8:36–38; Luke 22:19–20; 1 Corinthians 10:16)
  • The Holy Spirit comforts and guides the believer, with the final purpose of glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ in the earth. During this age, He indwells, guides, instructs, and empowers the believer for godly living and service. Every believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit, with speaking in tongues as the initial physical evidence. (Matthew 3:11; John 14:16–17; Acts 1:8, 2:4, 38–39; 19:1–7)
  • Every born again, Spirit-filled believer should maintain a consistent prayer life. (1 Corinthians 14:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18; Ephesians 6:17–18)
  • Without faith, it is impossible to please God. The Word tells us that the just—those who have been justified by the blood of Jesus—shall live by faith. Our lives can be prosperous and healthy in every realm as we walk in the light of this redemption by faith in God’s Word. (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 1:17; James 5:14–15; Mark 16:18; Isaiah 53:4–5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; 3 John 1:2; Deuteronomy 8:18; Galatians 3:13–14)
  • There will be a bodily resurrection of the dead—the believer to everlasting joy with the Lord and the unbeliever to judgment and eternal punishment. (Hebrews 9:27–28; Revelation 19:20)
  • We believe that marriage is a covenant sanctioned by God to join one man (born as and continues to be male) and one woman (born as and continuing to be a female) in a single, exclusive, holy union. (Genesis 2:2–25)
  • We believe that sexual activity is a gift from God to be enjoyed only between a married man and a woman. Same-sex sexual orientation and sex-nonconforming lifestyles are inconsistent with our faith and doctrine. (1 Corinthians 7:2–5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, 18–20; Genesis 1:26–27)
  • We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. God intentionally and purposefully designed each person to be a particular gender, as evidenced at birth (or at the chromosomal level when necessary). Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions. (Genesis 1:26–27; Psalms 139:13–18)
  • The pre-millennial Second Coming of Jesus Christ is two-part in nature: He will come in the air to resurrect the righteous dead and catch away the living saints; He will then come to the earth to establish His physical kingdom and begin His thousand-year reign. (Acts 1; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Revelation 20:6)
  • The universal Church is composed of all those who are born again. (John 3:3; Ephesians 1:22, 4:8; 1 Corinthians 12:12–14)
Foundational Principles of Education

God

All proper knowledge has its source in God, as manifested in Jesus Christ. Scripture is the source of the organizational structure and fundamental principles of each field of knowledge.

Mankind

Man, being created in God’s image and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, is able to gain knowledge of God and God’s creation. Because the God-given spiritual nature of man is inseparable from his emotional, intellectual, and physical nature, the school is committed to the total development of its students.

Faith and Learning

All truth is from God, who has chosen to reveal Himself and His truth to us. Knowledge of God is the proper setting for all understanding. Reason exercised in the framework of a faith commitment to God will nurture our faith and expand our knowledge. For the Christian, faith, and learning are inseparable.

Christian Calling

The Christian purpose in life is to glorify God and His creation, to serve God and others, to bear witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to influence society, culture, and the church by application of Christian thought and service in all dimensions of human endeavor. God has given differing abilities to each person, and He expects a student to perform in proportion to his abilities.

Academic Pursuit

God’s eternal Word is the ultimate source and foundation of all truth. Since we recognize that all truth comes from God, we can confidently encourage sincere intellectual exploration of different views and evaluate them based on God’s word.

Parents and Church

The responsibility for the educational and Christian development of each child belongs to the parents. It is, therefore, the fundamental responsibility of the family to train and educate the child. The Christian school should function as an extension of both the Christian home and the Christian church. It is, therefore, the school’s role to supplement the home church – never to replace it.

The Christian School and Teachers

The authority of the teacher in discipline and character training is derived from the fact that they stand in loco parentis, and the teacher derives authority in subject matter from their faithfulness to the laws of God. The school, being a body of Christian believers, possesses the freedom to function in education in total and voluntary submission to Christ. The day-to-day activities in the Christian school should reflect the body of Christ at work.

Maranatha hires staff that agrees and aligns with the purpose and mission of the school. Maranatha employees, volunteers, and many of its independent contractors have a spiritual role to play at the Academy. Because we believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit who empowers the Christian and enables them to live a life of godliness and effective service (see Maranatha’s Statement of Faith), it is vital that all people who serve at Maranatha are capable of serving and do serve the spiritual and religious purposes of the Academy.

 

Our Vision

We seek to provide Maranatha students a world-class, innovative, and biblically-based education that develops them into influential kingdom citizens.

Maranatha's Mission Statement

We are an influential school of collaborators, innovators, and explorers grounded in Christian faith, empowering co-creators of tomorrow. 

 

Our Culture

Maranatha Christian Academy endeavors to build unity by creating a kingdom culture that challenges and equips students, parents, and staff to respect and value all people according to God’s Word. This is our Kingdom Culture Statement. 

2022–2027 Strategic Plan
Strategic Plan 2022-2027Goals

Priority 1: Learning and Education

Students are challenged to think, question, and solve. 
  • Design student-centered learning programs and experiences
  • Implement innovative teaching and learning practices
  • Integrate faith and learning in systematic ways throughout the school
  • Create a robust virtual, distinctively Christian learning platform
  • Elevate the pre-kindergarten program

Priority 2: Community and Culture

Encourage involvement in activities and events that build community through graciously serving and loving one another.
  • Improve communications regarding MCA events, parent groups, and volunteerism
  • Enhance the student community through relationship-building activities and programs
  • Improve staff culture by providing staff activities, a healthy work environment, and team collegiality
  • Establish an accessible network of community members to strengthen relationships and share expertise

 

2022-2027 Strategic PlanGoals

Priority 3: Resource Capacity

Strategically steward resources to impact the next generation.
  • Design innovative approaches to overall financial advancement for the school
  • Identify needs and priorities to implement improvements to the school’s campus and overall effectiveness
  • Implement a systematic approach to information technology and capital improvements
  • Innovate competitive compensation models and non-monetary benefits that support MCA’s mission
  • Formulate external partnerships that amplify the school’s overall resource capacity
  • Increase and elevate MCA’s reputation as a leader in education and innovation

Priority 4: Mission Leadership and Brand Identity

Develop Christ-like influential leaders.
  • Ground the school’s culture in Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s Word as evidenced in scripture and foundational Christian values
  • Intentionally impart MCA’s mission, Christian values, and purpose amongst all stakeholders
  • Recruit and train highly qualified, missional staff and faculty that reflect God’s creation
  • Expand the influence and impact of the Maranatha brand and identity worldwide

Vision. Transparency.

"Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it." Habakkuk 2:2 (NKJV)

To download a copy of the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan or our 2022 Annual Report, please click on the either of the links below. 

Strategic Plan 2022-2027 | PDF 2.4MB

Annual Report 2022-2023

Culture in Action and Portrait of a Graduate

 

Our Culture in Action and Portrait of a Graduate

Spirit-Driven LeadersLeaders of integrity who take the opportunity to serve others are the leaders we are developing at Maranatha. Here, we look to examples from the Bible of leaders led by the Spirit to impact their generation for Christ. Our students are being equipped to be leaders who are the hands and feet of Jesus. John 14:16–17, 26
Impactful InnovatorsAt Maranatha, we inspire every student to become keen observers of today’s needs in a complex, rapidly changing world. By incorporating design-thinking concepts into classes and conversations, students think outside the box, ask challenging questions, collaborate, and design innovative solutions. Genesis 1:1–31 
Critical ThinkersAt Maranatha, we teach young minds to think critically to solve big problems. When we challenge students to ask why and how, it fosters intellectual curiosity that leads to a sense of wonder and sparks great ideas. Through this persistent inquiry, students strengthen their minds and faith, ultimately preparing them to achieve significant impact and influence with discerning wisdom, understanding, and resilient Christian faith. Proverbs 4:5, 7
Kingdom Community BuildersAt Maranatha, every student is inspired to know Jesus personally and love others based on biblical truths and mutual respect, cultivating a community that reflects the Kingdom of God. It is this Christ-centered culture that sets Maranatha apart. 1 Corinthians 1:10
Courageous Change AgentsCreating change and making a difference takes courage. At Maranatha, teachers and staff challenge students to be strong and courageous change agents by standing on God’s word, speaking the truth in love, and being bold enough to make a difference in their school, community, and world. Deuteronomy 31:6
Compassionate Problem SolversFocusing on others and finding solutions that create win/wins are the kind of problem solvers we launch at Maranatha. Empathy challenges students to see others through the eyes of Christ, bringing more kindness, compassion, and biblical truth to the world. 1 Peter 3:8

 

Accreditation

Maranatha is fully accredited through the International Christian Accrediting Association and Cognia. Accreditation is a voluntary process of rigorous school improvement, which external agencies validate. The accreditation agencies assess the school against high and rigorous standards of education and establish a school’s credibility before various stakeholders. These accrediting bodies are recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education and the United States Department of Education as approved accrediting agencies. Maranatha meets or exceeds the Minnesota Educational Statutes and is recognized as an educational institution of the State of Minnesota.