History and Mission
Vienna Christian School(VCS) was founded in 1986 specifically to minister to missionaries in Soviet Block countries like Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Romania. Vienna, located in eastern Austria, acted as a jumping off point for many missionaries into these countries. However, when the Iron Curtain fell, many of these missionaries moved into the countries they ministred to causing VCS to rethink its mission. The school decided to reach out to the diverse international community in Vienna, and now non-Americans make up 60-70% of the school population. The school still contributes to the missionary community by providing a low-cost, high-quality education to MKs ministering in Austria. However, the school also reaches children of diplomats, ambassadors, and refugees. There are about 30 countries represented in our 225 member student body, and many of them come from families that would never darken the door of a church. Many of them are muslims, buddhists, or athiests. These children hear the gospel of Jesus Christ ever day at VCS. That is the two-fold mission of VCS: Supporting the missions community and reaching the lost.
Brief Description
VCS provides an American-based curiculum to students from K-12. Though our students come from all over the world, many of them attend universtiy in the US after graduation. VCS also offers a variety of extracurricular activies including sports, drama, and short-term missions trips. In addition to attending a weekly Chapel service, students are also required to take a Bible class each year. The school is accredited by ACSI and the Austrian government. It is also a member school of RCE, Intl.
Staff
The faculty at VCS is entirely American aside from a handful of Austrians who teach German. Each staff member must commit to serving at least two years at the school and raise their entire salary. I am often asked why the school does not pay its teachers a salary. The main reason for this is the high tax rate here. To pay a teacher a $10,000 salary would cost the school $24,000. If the school did this, it would have be forced to raise tuition rates which would undercut the mission and philosophy of the school.
More Information
More information about VCS, including their mission statement and statement of fatith can be found on their webiste: www.viennachristianschool.org
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