At Faith Lutheran, we believe that all people - regardless of race, gender, age, degree of physical ability, or socioeconomic class - are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and therefore have perfectly equal dignity, value, and worth. Each one of us is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) so each one of us is a unique child of God. Therefore, we strive to ensure that every person on our campus is equally loved, valued, seen, and heard. We are all beautiful members of the human race.
We strive to model the Gospel’s vast inclusiveness found in John 3:16 when Jesus said “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in me will have eternal life.” Jesus offers salvation equally to all believers making no distinctions based on race, gender, degree of physical ability, socioeconomic class or ability.
Among the many strengths of Faith Lutheran is the diversity of our students. We are blessed with an increasingly diverse student body in every way. We serve students from nearly every zip code in the Las Vegas Valley and multiple foreign countries. Our students are 1.3% Native American or Alaska Native, 9.5% Asian, 13.5% Bi- or Multi-Racial, 5.9% Black or African American, 7.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.9% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 1.7% Middle Eastern/Northern African, and 58.4% White. Our students’ religious identity includes Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, LDS, Muslim, Orthodox, and Unchurched. They excel differently in academics, clubs, service, arts, and athletics. It is no accident that our very own mission statement (“Everyone Prepared! Everyone Saved!”) twice mentions “everyone” which intentionally includes every single member of the Faith Family. Our students and our staff are our primary focus.
Biblical love is one of the truly defining marks of Christians. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves, love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, help those in need, and treat others as we would like to be treated. This is the expectation of all who attend or work here. God wants us to live in harmony, but we know that as humans, we sin and make mistakes. Racism is a sin as it fails to honor others as gifts from God. When we learn of someone being marginalized, dismissed, or disrespected, we help the wrongdoer to acknowledge past and present offenses without excuse. We foster an environment where constructive feedback is welcomed, valued, and addressed.
We create a culture that pursues conflict resolution, where each member is willing to listen, quick to repent, and quick to forgive when necessary. The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit noted in Philippians 2:3-4 that we should “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others.” This is best seen as we love all brothers and sisters in Christ in a way that the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control: Galatians 5:22-23) are evident to all.
May God grant us a loving, respectful, and caring campus where all of God’s children are equally valued, loved, seen, and heard.
Dr. Steve Buuck, CEO - Chief Executive Officer