Statement of Faith
The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) was founded in 1978 when several regional U.S. school associations joined, becoming a united voice to advance excellence in Christian education. The leaders’ vision was to inspire, challenge, and resource educators and schools. First headquartered in La Habra, California, ACSI moved to an expanded facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1994. Today, ACSI serves 25,000 schools in 108 countries.
As an association we are committed to:
Biblical Fidelity and Prayer
Immerse ourselves in the Holy Scriptures and prayer, both individually and corporately; consistently measure all association actions, programs, and resources against the teachings of the Word of God; and recognize our total dependence on Him.
Biblical Foundation and Focus on Jesus Christ
Serve schools and educators that represent a range of evangelical, Protestant backgrounds; all our schools and educators will hold to the ACSI Statement of Faith.
Members We Serve
Allocate our resources, including time and finances, in such a way as to bring maximum benefit to our members, and respond promptly to constituent needs.
Stewardship
Act with faithfulness and integrity and exercise diligence in program administration, with thoroughness and research-based expertise in the production of resources, and with fiscal accountability, realizing that ACSI ultimately belongs to God and we ultimately answer to Him for all we do with that which He has entrusted to our care.
Diverse Worldwide Constituency
Be authentically international in structure and practice, promoting international, national, and regional organizational leadership for the mutual benefit of all member schools; develop programs, resources, and services with all constituents in mind, utilizing insights learned from colleagues from around the world and evidencing the high value we place on gender, ethnic, age, and cultural differences.
Staff and Their Growth
Establish personnel resource and organizational policies and practices that encourage equitable and competitive wages, support for continuing professional growth, and commitment to collaborative goal setting, accountability, and consistent implementation of evaluation systems.
Public Engagement
Influence public policy and public perception that have an impact on Christian schools and the rights of Christian educators everywhere, seek appropriate representation to protect the rights of parents to be free to choose the educational program that in their view best meets the educational and spiritual needs of their children, and work in collaboration with families, churches, governments, and other leaders and organizations to promote school compliance with all applicable laws and to promote the ability of private individuals or groups to establish and support Christian schools without restriction or reservation.
ACSI Statement of Faith
- We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative, inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21).
- We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30).
- We believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33), His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:35), His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:26), His miracles (John 2:11), His vicarious and atoning death (1 Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9), His resurrection (John 11:25, 1 Corinthians 15:4), His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19), and His personal return in power and glory (Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11).
- We believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature; and that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ and that only by God’s grace and through faith alone we are saved (John 3:16-19, John 5:24; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8–9; Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 3:5).
- We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto resurrection of life, and the lost unto the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28–29).
- We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12:12–13, Galatians 3:26–28).
- We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19–20, Romans 8:13–14, Ephesians 4:30, Ephesians 5:18).
- We believe that the term marriage has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18–25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Corinthians 6:18, 7:2–5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God’s command is that there be no sexual intimacy outside of or apart from marriage between a man and a woman.
- We believe that God wonderfully foreordained and immutably created each person as either male or female in conformity with their biological sex. These two distinct yet complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26–27).
Our Statement of Faith is not exhaustive of all of our beliefs. The Bible, as the inspired and infallible Word of God, speaks with absolute authority regarding the proper conduct of mankind and is the unchanging foundation for all belief and behavior. The ACSI Board of Directors holds final interpretive authority on biblical meaning and application with regard to faith, doctrine, policy, practice, and discipline.
ACSI and Cardus Report Finds Positive Mental Health Ratings in Christian Schools
A new report from Cardus, in partnership with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the School Counseling Mental Health Initiative at Denver Seminary, titled “Mental Health and Well-Being in Christian Schools,” surveyed more than 1,400 Christian educators across the U.S., rating student mental health in Christian schools. Findings indicate a higher rating for student wellbeing, despite growing national concern over youth mental health.
The report is based on a late-2024 survey of Christian school educators that explored perceptions of student overall wellness, educator wellbeing, and school practices related to mental health. 80 percent of respondents rated the overall mental health of students at their schools as “good” or “excellent.”
Dr. Lynn E. Swaner, Cardus President, US, shared why this report is fundamental.
“It’s very encouraging to know that the vast majority of respondents rated student mental health at their schools ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’ But that’s just the beginning of the conversation, not the end. It would be well worth investigating the mechanisms by which Christian schools are addressing mental health, including integrating their faith-based missions, which educators in our survey perceive as making a difference."
The findings contrast with broader concerns about student mental health in the United States. For example, in 2023, the CDC found that 40 percent of students had persistent sadness or hopelessness. Furthermore, according to a January 2026 survey by eLuma (which provides mental health services at schools), 57 percent of school and district leaders, teachers, special ed teachers, and mental health workers at schools report that student mental health is worsening in the United States.
Educators tended to rate student mental health higher at schools with cell phone control policies in place (vs. schools with no cellphone policies), at schools that integrate faith with their well-being approaches, and at schools that prioritized attention to and openly acknowledged the importance of mental health.
Possible forms of attention included prioritizing mental health along with academic and spiritual development, showing compassion and understanding to those struggling with mental health challenges, openly acknowledging and advocating for the importance of mental health, providing information about mental health and support options, and being equipped as a school to address students’ mental health concerns.
The report also found a strong relationship between educator wellbeing and perceptions of student mental health, highlighting the connection between staff wellness and student wellbeing in Christian school communities.
ACSI Director of Research Dr. Rian Djita reflected on the importance of the report and its potential impact in Christian schools.
“I am grateful for our ongoing partnership with Cardus, particularly on this mental health initiative in Christian schools. I hope this report’s findings will encourage meaningful discussions among educators that may lead to more effective and intentional policies and practices that support the mental health of our students.”
Read this report now: https://www.cardus.ca/research/education/reports/mental-health-and-well-being-in-christian-schools/
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