We believe that the Church is the God-ordained institution for educating its members. Though educational institutions tend to replace this function of the Church for some time now, we seek to adhere to the biblical principle of Church-centred education. Because of this, Open Christian Ministries does not view itself as a separate institution from the local church, but rather as a resource for the local church to use in equipping the saints for the work in ministry (Eph 4:11-12). We do not desire to supplant, but to work alongside local church leadership by providing curriculum and educational support for equipping their people. Our design is to keep local church leadership involved in the training process of themselves and their children. While our affiliated schools might be able to provide a high-level education, they cannot provide the avenues for servanthood that come from being involved in the local church covenant community. Working closely with local church also acts to keep the responsibility of confirming an individual’s call to ministry squarely on the shoulders of the church, where it belongs.