Religion & Spirituality

Oak Hill Academy was founded in 1878 as a Baptist boarding school, and spiritual growth is a foundational tenet of our school’s mission. Our students attend Sunday service at Young’s Chapel Baptist Church every Sunday, where students of all faiths and backgrounds have been warmly welcomed by the community ever since we opened our doors in Mouth of Wilson all those years ago. 

While our student body has changed since those early days, our mission hasn’t. And this consistency and steadfastness is a beautiful thing to see in practice in an ever-changing world.

Spirituality and Growth

Most students stepping foot onto The Hill for the first time don’t list “spiritual growth” as one of their top three goals. But we’ve found that for many of our students, spiritual growth is a palpable and appreciable benefit of joining our community.

We understand that adolescence is a vulnerable time for most. Every Sunday at the end of worship, our students are reminded that they are children of God and that they are loved by God. We find this a comforting and reassuring message for our students to hear each week as they face their own paths to personal, academic, and spiritual growth.

Student Life

Inclusive Community

We all attend church together—Muslim students, Jewish students, and students from various other faith groups gather side by side with those raised in Catholic and Protestant Christian churches, and those students who have never regularly attended services of any kind. The message is clear: We are all children of God, created by God and loved by God. With that consistent message of hope and responsibility, we are planting seeds and building community.

student in church

Globally Diverse

Our domestic student body hails from coast to coast (more than 25 states), while our international student body hails from around the world (more than 20 nations). With such an incredibly diverse group of students, we are proud of our economic, racial, political, and, yes, religious diversity. And so our approach to spiritual growth is inclusive in nature—not exclusive, or with a doctrine-specific lead-in.
students walking into church

Religion Courses

While our Baptist affiliation informs and guides our approach to nurturing the whole student, it does not impact our curriculum, which is fully in line with all standard, fully accredited academic institutions. Students are required to take one religion course: Survey of the Bible, Christian Ethics: The Bible in Pop Culture, or Honors Comparative World Religions.

students in class