ACSI Research Fellow Program
The Research Fellowship program at ACSI offers a unique opportunity for talented researchers to contribute to advancing the field of Christian education while addressing critical global challenges. By fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovative research, the program aims to make a significant impact on the world stage.
Program Aims:
- Create a vibrant and inclusive international research community.
- Foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovative solutions to address both US and global challenges through research projects in Christian education.
Program Oversight:
- The fellows will collaboratively work with ACSI’s research department and Thought Leadership and the Research Director will oversee the program.
ACSI Fellows Collaborate on Research to Advance Faith-Based Education
ACSI Fellows collaborate with the Thought Leadership team (Research Department) to develop research and Working Papers on important topics in education, spirituality, and culture, focusing on their impact within the realm of Christian education. Their work addresses current trends and challenges, offering valuable insights for advancing faith-based learning.
RiB is a biannual publication by ACSI, aimed at sharing the latest research findings and insights on the Christian school sector. It is available exclusively to ACSI member school and is managed by ACSI Director of Research.
Lynn Swaner Ed.D.
President of Cardus USA – ACSI Senior Research Fellow
Matthew Lee, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University - ACSI Senior Research Fellow
Francis Ben, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Head of Postgraduate Coursework and Research at Tabor College Adelaide Australia – ACSI Global Research Fellow
Alison Heape Johnson
PhD candidate at the University of Arkansas – ACSI Junior Research Fellow
Eligibility:
- Understanding of Christian education.
- Strong academic credentials (e.g., relevant degrees, publications, minimum a Ph.D. candidate in education programs for Junior Fellow and a Ph.D. or Ed.D. for Senior Fellow).
- Demonstrated research excellence.
- Experience in international research collaboration.
- Excellent English communication skills.
- Minimum five years experience of doing research.
Nomination and selection process:
- The selection of the fellows is done through ACSI’s internal nomination.
Helping Students Build Lasting Scripture Habits in Christian Schools
Christian schools care deeply about the Word of God. Bible classes are scheduled. Chapel services are planned. Devotions are encouraged. Yet many educators see the same pattern year after year: students engage with the Bible for a season, then slowly drift away.
This isn’t usually rebellion. It isn’t hostility. And it isn’t disbelief. More often, it’s a lack of habit.
Many students genuinely value Scripture but struggle to stay consistent with it once the structure around them changes. Understanding why this happens, and what actually helps, can shape how Christian schools approach long-term spiritual formation.
What I’ve come to understand is that consistency is a learned skill. Students live in a world built around interruption. Notifications arrive constantly. Content is consumed in short bursts. Their attention is divided before their school day even begins. In that environment, consistent habits do not form naturally. Even meaningful habits require intentional structure and reinforcement.
When students struggle to read Scripture consistently, it is not usually because they doubt its importance. More often than not, they have never experienced a rhythm that made Bible reading feel repeatable day after day.
Christian schools are uniquely positioned to help students. At this point in their lives, they already live within schedules, routines, and shared expectations. The key is to ensure daily Bible reading feels attainable and sustainable, not overwhelming.
Educators care deeply about spiritual growth, which can sometimes lead to unintended pressure. Students quickly sense when Bible reading becomes something they are evaluated on rather than invited into. When Scripture engagement feels like a performance, missed days often lead to guilt. Guilt frequently leads to avoidance. Over time, Bible reading becomes associated with failure rather than formation.
This shows up in subtle ways:
Students stop opening their Bibles outside of class
Engagement with the Word becomes surface-level
Curiosity fades, even when belief remains
Pressure may produce short-term compliance, but it rarely produces endurance. Over time, it can actually undermine the very habits schools hope to encourage.
What actually helps students stay engaged across classrooms, chapels, and school communities are a few patterns that consistently make a difference.
We need to shift our thinking to:
Consistency matters more than intensity. Regular, small Scripture engagement shapes students more deeply than occasional deep dives followed by periods of no engagement. Helping students understand that returning matters more than “keeping up” removes one of the biggest barriers to consistency.
Tone matters. Students are highly attuned to tone. A calm, steady approach that communicates “this is part of daily life” is far more effective than urgency or guilt. When Scripture is modeled as something lived with, not managed, students respond differently.
Habit outlasts inspiration. Students often wait to feel motivated before reading the Bible. Helping them understand that faithfulness doesn't depend on emotional readiness can be freeing. “Ordinary days” are often the best days to take in the Word.
Habits form quietly and, over time, they shape desire.
Christian schools cannot control what students do outside the classroom, but they can strongly influence how students experience Scripture while they are present.
Schools that support sustainable Scripture habits often:
Use predictable formats that reduce decision fatigue
Emphasize returning over perfection
Encourage steady daily exposure rather than volume
Model Scripture as part of daily life, not only formal instruction
Even brief, consistent engagement (when approached with the right tone) can have long-term impact. Students don’t need to feel “caught up.” They need to feel welcome to return.
One of the most powerful influences on students is not curriculum, but observation. That is why modeling matters more than messaging. When students see teachers and leaders engaging Scripture calmly and consistently, it communicates something important: this is a way of life, not an assignment.
Modeling Scripture as a steady presence rather than a task to be tracked helps students internalize what faithfulness looks like beyond the classroom.
Adopting a long-view approach to formation is essential. This development is rarely dramatic. Instead, it is cumulative. Transformation often happens through presence, not pressure. When students experience the Bible as something they can live with, and not something they constantly fall behind on, they are far more likely to carry that habit forward.
Christian education has always been about more than information transfer. It is about shaping lives over time. When schools prioritize consistency, tone, and habit, they help students build something far more durable than short-term compliance. They help students develop a quiet, lasting relationship with God’s Word.
One strategy that works well is making Bible engagement standard rather than occasional. Teachers can begin the day by reading the proverb that corresponds with the calendar date. In just 10–15 minutes, students can identify one verse that stands out, briefly talk about what it means, and think of one practical way to live it out before the day is over. The goal isn't to cover a lot of material; it's to develop the habit of spending time in Scripture every day.
That kind of formation often goes unnoticed in the moment. But it remains long after their school years end.
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