Schools as Communities of Grace

This resource is a "must read" for every Christian school administrator and has valuable information for many others who are interested in the value of Christian Education and the details of quality christian school administration. Read a summary here...

An excerpt from the Introduction:

Educational leadership for the Christian school is an acknowledgement, an attitude, and an ambition:

1. Christian education is an acknowledgment about God's world. He created it, He holds it together, He rules it, and His children have an obligation to learn all they can about it. Students are not simply learning about math, science, and history; they are learning about God's world. Christian education seeks to produce competent graduates who know the world - and the one who created it.

2. Christian education is an attitude toward God's Word. Studying God's world from the perspective of the Word is critical. Life can be understood only as it is viewed through the "spectacles" of Scripture. "For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light" (Psalm 36:9). Seeking to bring all throught and activity under the lordship of Christ, Christian school students must be passionate about their God, their lives, and their call to service.

3. Christian education is an ambition to do God's will. Because it is a lifelong process of transforming minds, Christian education spans "the cradle to the grave." Students must not be satisfied with this world but instead must be instructed to see the sin in themselves and in the world, and to commit their lives to the pursuit of justice, compassion, and integrity.

   "We want to serve our culture," writes Harry Blamires in The Secularist Heresy, "we want our civilization to work - not because it is the only good we can conceive, and not because we are finally and securely at home in it - but because it is a great drama that we have been staged in, and it is good that we should play our parts well" (1956, 155).

   The drama of educational leadership that unfolds in the following pages is at once provocative, frustrating, daunting - yes, even impossible for one to do alone - yet a thrilling and immensely rewarding call from God.


Schools as Communities of Grace is published by Purposeful Design Publications, a division of ACSI, Colorado Springs, CO 80962 (USA). It includes the work of about 20 leading educators in the Christian school movement and was edited by James L. Drexler with copyright in 2007: ISBN 978-1-58331-083-0.

You can order this book directly from ACSI Global here, or contact us to get a copy through our Europe office.

 

March 2026 Highlights

In early March, Christian school leaders from across Europe and beyond gathered in Budapest for the International Educational Leadership Conference (IELC 2026) under the theme “On Mission, On Guard.” Over 3 days of learning, prayer, and deep conversation, participants were encouraged not only to lead well today but to endure faithfully in the long-term calling of Christian education.

Insights from Christian School Leaders - part 3

Moving beyond insight toward implementation, this article highlights how intentional systems and collaborative tools such as CSIP can help leadership teams translate mission vision into consistent practice and long-term school improvement.

Framing Our Teaching with a Biblical Worldview

What is education for?  For educators, there is perhaps no more important question than this one.  Our answer defines what we believe our profession is about and frames the way we teach and how our students learn.  For Christian educators, our understanding of the purpose of education needs to be framed by a Biblical worldview. 

Insights from Christian School Leaders - part 2

Survey insights reveal that while Christian schools across Europe hold strong mission convictions, sustaining alignment in daily practice requires intentional leadership structures. This article explores key needs such as teacher formation, mission-informed decision making, and regular rhythms of strategic reflection.

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