Respect Everyone. Love your brethren. Fear God.

-Modeled after 1 Peter 2:17

We have the deepest admiration for the all Native Americans people groups within The United States of America and indigenous people groups in lands worldwide. Whilst we acknowledge specific words such as "tribe" or "chief" may be sensitive words to some individuals, we chose much of our language based on scripture in the Bible. The founding families of Rooted are all practicing and deeply devoted followers of Christ, and therefore, we have looked to scripture during every part of the process whilst establishing Rooted.

What is a Tribe

Our choice of language for "tribe" came from a Hebrew Biblical background. The Bible describes a "tribe" as a collection of families descending from one ancestor - both the spiritual and physical family of God. This is most notably known as the twelve tribes of Hebrew which sprang up from Jacob, however, a "tribe" or "tribes" is mentioned in the Bible over 350 times. The Bible places a large emphasis on both building and continuing to live together in a tribe as our ancestors did. This community of like-minded believers is purposed to encourage each other to keep our faith, values and religious practices preserved despite whatever generation or society in which we live . We would welcome the opportunity to explore specific scripture regarding biblical tribes with anyone who may be interested!

What is a Chief

Similarly, our choice to use the word "chief" came from the Bible as well. The Bible teaches us that the tribes of believers were led by a chief, typically chosen by God; this is referenced over 230 times in the Bible. Chiefs were often chosen based on their devotion to God and godly example they displayed to others. Our goal at Rooted is just that: to be devoted Christ followers, striving to continually display a godly example to those in our school and surrounding community, teaching lost core values/morals and character traits, and continually recognizing the wonders of the Earth God created for us. However, the word chief also means "first" in the original Greek, therefore, we chose to use this term for those within our tribe of believers who have been chosen to be the "first" to serve in specific leadership roles at Rooted. Additionally, the word "chief" is often used in business settings as specific labels, such as Chief Financial Officer. However, "Chief Financial Officer", is not a very relational term in our opinion, and since building and maintaining relationships is a core value in our community we chose not to use the traditional and expected business terminology for our school.

What is a Guide

The concept of a "guide" and "guiding" from God, whether it be the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, is a huge and massively important concept within the Bible and our community. Firstly, we believe God guided the children of Israel to the promised land. This was not done physically by God, but through a Guide (first Moses, then Joshua). Secondly, we believe God sent Jesus to guide us to a new and deeper understanding of God the Father, and we use His life as a guide for our own. One of our core values at Rooted is to model the love and hope of Christ to our surrounding community of Augusta, GA and throughout the world. Lastly, we believe God sent the Holy Spirit to His believers on Pentecost to continue to guide us until He one day returns to this Earth He created. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, taught in a very unique and loving way; he used parables, stories, thought provoking questions, and discussion to inspire his followers. He didn't preach at people, quite unlike the religious leaders at that time; He guided them. We at Rooted, believe children learn better through this type of teaching which is also supported through numerous research.

We acknowledge and respect all cultures, religions, and people groups throughout the world, and simply ask for the same respect in return.