Senior Leadership
I am inspired by the faith, courage, and reverence for God by Christian educators around the world! It reminds me of the story recounted in I Samuel 17 about David defeating Goliath. In verse 29, David’s response to the inaction of his
elder brothers and the Israelites especially encourages me. He boldly and nobly answers the call to action by asking, "Is there not a cause?”
I can think of no greater cause than to partner with you as you advance Kingdom education. We fully believe that authentic devotion to the Christian faith and academic excellence are mutually reinforcing. There are not two or three forms of excellence, but rather an ethos that is cultivated throughout every facet of our schools. Faith is not separated from learning but rather integrated intentionally, resulting in a distinctive Christian worldview.
Scholarship and learning become an integral component to the maturation process known as discipleship. Thus, becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, the ultimate objective of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20), is the prize for which we strive; it is the highest form of excellence! It is certainly conceivable that we could produce students with the spiritual depth needed to enter our pluralistic society and not fall prey to empty philosophies. Rather, they would be equipped to saturate the marketplace to which God has called them with confidence, purpose, and an eternal perspective.
ACSI’s ongoing mission is to strengthen Christian schools and equip Christian educators worldwide as they prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ. We want to serve you as you continue to cultivate and sustain a flourishing school. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you—thank you for your obedience to God’s call on your life—you are indeed making a difference.
Dr. Larry Taylor, President & CEO, ACSI
larry_taylor@acsi.org
719-867-0200
ACSI Senior Leadership
Dr. David Balik
Vice President of USA
Dr. Gavin Brettenny
Chief Strategy Officer
Kevin Buelke
Chief Finance Officer
Cindy Dodds
Chief of Flourishing Initiatives
Michael Epp
Senior Vice President of Global
Brett Henry, J.D.
Chief Executive Officer, Sevenstar
Vice President, Educational Resources
John Klingstedt
Chief Operating Officer
Christi Lynn
Vice President, Communications & Engagement
Chris Loncar
Vice President, Human Resources
Jerry Nelson
Chief Ministry Officer
Philip Scott, J.D.
Vice President for Legal Affairs
P. George Tryfiates
Vice President for Public Policy and Legal Affairs
Susan Verheul
Vice President, Executive Initiatives
Dr. Cecil Swetland
Vice President for Development
News and Press Releases
ACSI and Colson Center Partner on New Worldview Training for Christian Educators
Contact information: Larry Lincoln (Larry_Lincoln@acsi.org)
(719) 424-6461
Colorado Springs, CO – ACSI and the Colson Center are pleased to announce a new partnership designed to provide guidance for teaching worldviews, culture, and cultural engagement. The two organizations will collaborate on a 10-hour digital Professional Development program for Christian schools.
The video series will feature internationally acclaimed speakers and practitioners who will equip Christian School leaders and educators to confidently address these topics during the upcoming school year and beyond.
“The Colson Center emphasis on worldview training and spiritual formation dovetails with our own vision and purpose—in particular, our Flourishing Schools Institute. We feel this partnership has the potential to provide the best possible training for our school leaders and teachers,” said ACSI President Dr, Larry Taylor.
Participating school leaders and teachers will receive materials and resources to accompany the digital presentations that will provide updated year-long input and awareness. Additionally, there will be a live webinar question & answer session available for all participating schools with both ACSI and The Colson Center. Participants will also be able to earn CEUs towards their continuing education needs.
According to Colson Center President John Stonestreet, “The program is designed so that school leaders will be equipped to teach and disciple students to love God and their neighbors more in their individual lives, their relationships, and in their public lives.”
The Christian worldview and fluency teacher development videos will be available in August and feature speakers such as Dr. Os Guinness, Dr. Christopher Yuan, Dr. John Lennox, Dr. Bill Brown, and Stonestreet.
According to Stonestreet, the five-module training program is for teachers from elementary school through high school. “The videos and resources are fashioned to provide faculty and staff participants with ideas for discussing how they can apply the truths presented in them in their own schools,” he added.
Other partners and leaders throughout the field of Christian Education anticipate the ACSI-Colson Center alliance and accompanying resources will provide much-needed resources and support to educators.
“The International Alliance of Christian Educators (IACE) is extremely excited about the opportunity to provide encouragement and support for the wonderful partnership with the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and the Association for Christian Schools International,” said Dr. David S. Dockery, President IACE. “We are incredibly grateful to Larry Taylor, John Stonestreet, and Bill Brown for their superb leadership for this important worldview development initiative,” he added.
IACE is a new Christian education network with nearly 60 charter members and encompasses a wide variety of evangelical educational institutions and organizations. Both ACSI and the Colson Center are charter members.
For more information about the program click here: colsoncenter.org/acsi.
About ACSI:
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., 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 advances excellence in Christian schools by enhancing the professional and personal development of Christian educators and providing vital support functions for Christian schools by offering multiple services including teacher and administrator certification, school accreditation, legal/legislative assistance, and curriculum publishing. Serving more than 25,000 schools in 108 countries, ACSI helps more than 5.5 million students worldwide connect to Christian education.
For more information on the ministry, visit www.ACSI.org or follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ACSIUSA or on Twitter at @ACSIUSA
About The Colson Center:
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., The Colson Center equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. We provide audio and blog commentaries to help bring clarity to current events. We offer webinars and training to help Christians gain confidence in answering the call to cultural stewardship, and we give them courage as part of a movement to be God's agents in the work of restoration.
For more information on the ministry, visit https://www.colsoncenter.org or follow on Facebook at https://www.facebookcom/colsoncenter or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BreakPointCC
About IACE
IACE is an education network designed to provide support for faithful Christ-centered and confessionally focused educational institutions and organizations in the evangelical tradition. The mission of IACE is to unify, synergize, and strengthen collective conviction around biblical orthodoxy and orthopraxy, cultural witness, scholarship, professional excellence, and resourcing of Christian education at all levels. For more information on IACE, visit https://iace.education/.