In 1998, Faith Fellowship Church (formally Lucas Christian Church) formed a team to research what it would take to start a school. During this planning phase, a small group of teachers and students were drawn together and began "Classes at Lucas" in August, 1999. These classes served the middle school and high school home school families of the church and community by providing qualified teachers to teach subject content on one or two days per week while the students studied at home for the remainder of the week. The classes were tremendously successful and confirmed to the church body that a school of this nature was what God desired
Through prayer and research, the leadership team discovered an educational model called University-Model Schooling (UMS) in use at Grace Preparatory Academy, in Arlington, TX. The UMS takes the best aspects of public, private, and home schools and molds them into one model. UMS uses a university-style schedule adapted to elementary, junior, and senior high levels. Professional teachers conduct central classroom instruction. Students attend classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and/or Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students spend alternate days at home where parents continue their instruction or monitor their student's progress. Teachers provide parents with detailed instructions for days spent at home in the satellite classroom (1 to 1.5 hours of study per course).
The model caters to a wide variety of student needs by allowing a range of enrollment opportunities. A student may choose to take only one or two classes, or may opt to take a full academic load. Whether it is one course or a full load the student must have a strong work ethic in order to be academically successful at LCA.
LCA was certified by the National Association of University Model Schools (NAUMS) during the 2003-2004 school year. Considered a flagship school for NAUMS, LCA regularly provides speakers for their annual leadership and teacher conferences. In February of 2007, LCA became autonomous from FFC and began to prayerfully seek God's plan for the future regarding a permanent home. In July 2009, LCA purchased the 16 acres adjoining the church property.
