Christianity in Secondary
Explore the truth and beauty of the Christian faith as you form your own beliefs.
The word Christian is an important word in the name of our school. All our staff are practicing Christians. We see our job as not only to teach and to care for our students, but to also encourage them to consider a personal faith in Jesus. We believe the Christian faith has much to offer in our search for meaning and recognise and respect that faith is an individual’s choice.
By the time a student leaves NBCS, our aim is that they understand the Christian message of dignity, truth, grace, forgiveness, and hope. We believe Jesus’ life, death and resurrection underpin these ideas, and we celebrate that we can be reconciled to Him.
NBCS strives to honour the students and families as they question and form their own beliefs. We want students to leave with open hearts as their faith journey continues. Our staff seek to live and share the beauty of faith in Jesus. We do this to serve and contribute to God’s good world.
Christian Studies
All students attend Christian Studies classes to develop an understanding of what Christians believe. Our stage-appropriate programs teach biblical literacy, ethics, worldviews, and critical thinking, using the lens of ‘understand, critique, communicate and reflect’.
Year 7-10 students undertake one hour a week in classes, Year 11 spends one hour per fortnight in seminars and classes and Year 12 has 20 minutes per fortnight in seminars. Learning programs relating to Christian Studies are based on the NBCS Christian Studies Framework.
Chapel
Secondary students attend fortnightly Chapel. This is an opportunity to pause in a noisy world, come together, and go deeper. We believe the Christian faith has much to offer when it comes to meaning. Whilst the chaplains lead the service and present biblical messages that are relevant to teenagers, we regularly hear from other students and staff through interviews and our Chapel Band.
Watch some Chapel messages and read more from Damien Whitington in the Senior Chaplain’s Blog
Chapel Reflection
Mentor groups offer an opportunity to turn Chapel into a conversation. Students can embed, critique and question the concepts spoken about in Chapel. Our Mentors are trained to ask curious questions, so that students are heard and understood. Chapel Reflection plays a large role in students having an open heart towards faith.
CRU
A voluntary lunch-time group for students who want to go deeper in their faith journey with like-minded others. Our Friday gatherings celebrate and experience faith, while our smaller groups provide intimacy.
Service
A variety of service opportunities throughout Secondary are an outworking of faith in Jesus, where we put his teachings into practice and demonstrate ‘Christianity in Action. By the time a student finishes Year 12, they would have partnered with, or experienced, a range of programs. Across the whole school, we have three long term focus areas that we continue to return to: poverty, homelessness, and the environment. Term 3 sees each grade own their initiative, which is driven by students and the Year Adviser.
Meet our Senior Chaplain
Our Senior Chaplain, Mr Damien Whitington has an important role in providing spiritual guidance, prayer and a hopeful Christian perspective for all students. Working alongside our staff, he creates various opportunities to encourage and engage students in discussions about faith, life, identity and purpose. Students explore who Jesus is, what the Bible has to say about humanity and the world, and key aspects of the Christian faith.
Mr Whitington is responsible for the oversight of Chapel, Christian Studies, and voluntary groups where students can go deeper in the Christian faith. He often says we will teach students ‘how’ to think, not ‘what’ to think, in helping students find meaning, articulate their beliefs, and become the best version of themselves under God.
Read more from Damien Whitington in the Senior Chaplain’s Blog