Lindsay Lane Baptist ministers through Christian academy

Lindsay Lane Baptist ministers through Christian academy

When Dusty McLemore was called as pastor of Lindsay Lane Baptist Church, Athens, 20 years ago, he had a vision to start a Christian school. That vision lay dormant until the doors of Lindsay Lane Christian Academy opened in 2009.

Two years earlier the church had built a two-story, state-of-the-art children’s building complete with an auditorium, and during the week the first floor was occupied by a day care but the top floor went unused. The church’s leadership knew it was time to revisit that initial vision.

But where would they start? Eric Pugh, minister to families at Lindsay Lane Baptist, headed up a team and contacted Ed Gamble, executive director of the Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools (SBACS).

“We had a great conversation and he offered advice and help in every way possible,” Pugh said. 

Gamble recommended the Kingdom School Institute, led in part by Glen Schultz, author of “Kingdom Education” and headmaster of Sherwood Baptist Academy in Albany, Ga. Pugh attended the institute’s training session in 2008.

“It was everything and more than I imagined,” he said. “It was so effective in explaining how to start a school, how to improve a school and how to grow it.”

Leaders from Christian schools at the conference recognized that Lindsay Lane was just learning the terrain and reached out to help.

“They gave us advice and prayed for us and kept in touch with us,” Pugh said. “So we got a lot of support out of that first institute.”

The first year of its existence, Lindsay Lane Christian Academy offered kindergarten through sixth grade, but parents wanted more. Meanwhile, the only other Christian school in the community — offering K–12 and full facilities — had become interested in merging with Lindsay Lane.

In less than 40 days that summer, the two schools consolidated into Lindsay Lane Christian Academy, which now offers accredited schooling for preschool through 12th grade. 

Enrollment for the coming school year is 330 students, Pugh said. 

“It serves as an outreach to the community. We don’t refuse anyone into the school,” he said. “We’ve had a Hindu family and other faiths. Many students have been saved since [the school was opened] four years ago.”

Fifteen schools in Alabama are affiliated with SBACS. Thirteen are associated with Alabama Baptist churches, one is associated with a Methodist church and one is associated with Big Oak Ranch. For more information, visit sbacs.org.  

(BP, TAB)