Welcome to Stories
Beth Afanador grew up attending public schools in Illinois, so she didn't foresee a career in Christian education, let alone overseas. But in seventh grade, her family moved to Mexico for a year due to her father’s grad school program and she experienced Christian education for the first time. That year opened her eyes to the value of teaching overseas, even if her long-term goal was to minister to students in inner-city Los Angeles. When she graduated from Wheaton College and heard about an opportunity to teach in Bogotá, Colombia, she was intrigued.
Dr. Michael Mosley was at a crossroads in March 2020. “I was getting ready to lay off half my staff after sending home all the kids for Covid,” he said. Before he made that decision officially, Mosley attended one of ACSI’s Public Policy & Legal Advocacy Zoom meetings. "They said, ‘If you’re at a Christian school and you’re getting ready to lay off all your people, don’t. There’s something being discussed in the Senate that may keep you from having to do that.’ That was the Paycheck Protection Program,” Mosley said.
Faith Academy was established in 1957 by missionaries who aimed to create a dedicated educational environment for their children. The school began with 47 students and six teachers in a rented house on V. Mapa Street, Manila, and relocated to a permanent campus in Rizal by 1962. For over 66 years, God has been faithful to our campus and community, consistently caring for Faith Academy and remaining committed to its mission. We serve an average of 520 students each school year, primarily from missionary and ministry families.
ACSI popped up on Dr. Angela Patterson’s radar several times before she was hired as ACSI’s Incoming Senior Director for International Schools, beginning in August. Patterson will overlap in her new role from August through December with current Senior Director Tim Shuman, who is retiring after 15 years of service with ACSI. Patterson’s history with ACSI dates to 2002, when she participated in the Third Culture Kid Pre-Field Orientation, now known as PFO2Go.
The Protea Hotel in Stellenbosch played host to a gathering of 146 educational leaders at the 2025 ACSI South Africa National Principals Conference. Nestled among vineyards adorned in autumn hues and framed by the majestic Stellenbosch mountains, the venue provided a picturesque and peaceful setting for three days marked by worship, insightful teaching, rich fellowship, and professional growth.
Featured Event
Public Policy and Advocacy Summit 2025
September 15–17, 2025 | Washington D.C.
Join us in Washington, D.C.! Our annual Public Policy and Advocacy Summit will be held in Washington, D.C., September 15-17. This year's special professional development summit will include panel discussions on important legislative issues, special guest speakers, and so much more.
Blog
Many Christian schools have taken on the profound calling to minister to international students. These residents of other countries attend school in the United States on a special visa, often seeking a better education than they would receive in their home country. As Christian educators, our goal should be to minister to these students in a manner that goes beyond academics. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs teaches us that addressing basic needs is foundational to nurturing students who can excel academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
Walk into any Christian school, and you’ll likely find its mission statement proudly displayed—pledging commitments such as Christ-centered education, biblical truth, and academic excellence rooted in faith. These words are inspiring, but they also raise a profound question: how does this mission translate into everyday classroom practice? In Christian education circles, the phrase teaching Christianly is often used. But what does it mean to “teach Christianly”? This is the big question that lies at the heart of a recent qualitative study exploring how Christian school teachers in Australia and the United States interpret the idea of “teaching Christianly” and enact their faith in educational settings.
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Educators today are facing some big questions about artificial intelligence—how to use it, when to avoid it, and whether we even have the capacity to understand it all. But as Christian educators, we’re invited to approach these questions with a different kind of imagination—one that’s not just shaped by pop culture, cautionary tales, or Silicon Valley sales pitches. We’re called to imagine AI through the lens of the Big Story of Scripture.
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I get a lot of questions from teachers and school leaders that sound something like: “Dr. Dave, what should we do with AI? Is this the end of education as we know it?” I absolutely understand why people are asking that question, and I think we need to answer it. But do to so, I believe there is a better question we first need to ask: To address the possibilities and pitfalls of AI, what kind of imagination do we need?
Podcast
Hear from ACSI's Divisional Directors in East Asia, Africa, and Asia Pacific, plus learn how to utilize ACSI's Career Center.
Building on Dr. Glen Schultz's Kingdom Education Principles, Jerry Nelson covers Principle #1 in this episode: The education of children and youth is the primary responsibility of parents.
Do you have a mistaken perception of leadership? Emily Pigott encourages educators to model authenticity, selflessness, and Christ-like love for their students.
Dr. Edward Bunn sits down with Rex Miller, Author and Speaker, to discuss the leadership soft skill of self-awareness.
President's Office
“I can think of no greater cause than to partner with you to advance Christ-centered education.” Dr. Larry Taylor, ACSI President & CEO
Dr. Taylor has been serving in education for over 30 years. He is passionate about training up this generation of disciples for Jesus Christ through Christian education.
Prior to accepting the President position at ACSI, Dr. Larry Taylor served twenty years as the Head of School at Prestonwood Christian Academy (PCA) in Plano, Texas. Prestonwood Christian Academy serves more than 1,600 students enrolled at four campuses as part of its school system.
Click the link below to read more.
ACSI's Mission
ACSI exists to strengthen Christian schools and equip Christian educators worldwide as they prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
ACSI's Foundational 3 Pillars
Advancing
Leading Christ-centered education toward excellence and flourishing
We want all schools to aspire to, achieve, and remain committed to a biblically-based philosophy of education, standards that are measurable, and flourishing-related criteria. ACSI strives to lead, support, and serve Christian schools, and educators, by placing them on a path of growth and flourishing using the research-based Flourishing Schools Initiative. This model should link leadership and faculty professional development accreditation, and every culture-driving component of a school. A common philosophy, and a flourishing-based metric, would unify our efforts of advancing Christian schools and educators.
Access
Making Christ-centered education available and obtainable
ACSI is committed to making Kingdom education available to as many children and families as desire it, believing that such an education offers students an opportunity to grow in a loving relationship with their Creator, come to know His saving work through Jesus, and flourish in His Ephesians 2:10 calling for their lives. This commitment requires removing barriers to access for those who traditionally have not benefited from Christian school, as well as seeking out new ways to create access points to Kingdom education and the ability to thrive and be successful in that education—for all those who desire it.
Advocacy
Promoting and protecting Christ-centered education for today and tomorrow
As the largest evangelical Christian school association in the world, ACSI is by default viewed as the spokesperson for Christian schooling in the public square. In order to discharge this responsibility with excellence and seasoned speech (Colossians 4:6), and to equip our member schools to do the same, ACSI must invest in developing public-facing resources and forming strategic relationships with those working in the area of advocacy for Christian Education and for religious liberty.
Stay Connected to ACSI
The ACSI Community online forum exists to provide connection, collaboration, and networking with Christ-centered education advocates, educators, and influencers in a protected online environment.
ACSI Community offers Christian educators opportunities to Connect, Collaborate, Compel, Captivate, and Comprehend. Join thousands of like-minded education professionals around to globe to grow in knowledge, sharpen skills, and deepen your faith, in a safe, authentic virtual environment.
ACSI provide helpful tools for you to find the next position God has for you through a resume review search and career planning portal. You can also discover ACSI positions.
Thinking about serving internationally? PFO2Go will provide the confidence to enter a new culture in which to both work and live outside the United States.
ACSI Begins Key Missional Partnerships with American Association of Christian Counselors and Focus on the Family
Colorado Springs, CO- The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) is pleased to announce two key missional partnerships with the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) and Focus on the Family. The partnerships are designed to elevate student, faculty, and family well-being and spiritual development within Christian schools globally.
In collaboration with the American Association of Christian Counselors, the world’s premier and largest faith-based mental health organization, ACSI will provide added resources, conferences, and credentialing opportunities. These comprehensive mental health resources and training modules will be hosted on ACSI PD, ACSI’s Learning Management System (LMS). The enhanced credentialing initiatives will include a new credential for school counselors, integrating expertise from both organizations to elevate professional standards.
ACSI’s partnership with Focus on the Family initially centers around the launch of ACSI’s Flourishing Families Program. This program will help Christian schools, homeschool co-ops, and churches establish parent and guardian training initiatives in their God-given role to disciple their children. This strategic alliance will provide ACSI members with exclusive access to Focus on the Family’s comprehensive content through a newly developed landing page.
ACSI President & CEO Larry Taylor emphasized the significance of these collaborations as they align with ACSI Vision 2030 new growth initiatives.
“These partnerships elevate two of the most influential factors impacting the spiritual and cognitive development of children—the home and school environment. The strength of a school begins with the strength of its families. We believe that strong families are the foundation of thriving communities, and the well-being of the school’s teachers and staff is a vital link to the family, he said. “These partnerships will provide the support and resources needed to nurture those relationships.”
Focus on the Family is committed to helping families thrive in Christ and is providing time-tested marriage and parenting resources and research-based assessments along with practical tools to understand and disciple spiritual formation at any age.
These strategic alliances exemplify ACSI’s ongoing commitment to fostering a supportive community for students, educators, and families. By leveraging the expertise of AACC and Focus on the Family, ACSI will equip and support the healthy development of its member school communities.
Strategic Partners
ACSI proudly presents the Strategic Partnership Program, which includes companies, organizations, and ministries who have been carefully chosen to benefit you—our member schools—and to assist you in accomplishing your life-changing mission.
