Leading the Way in the Education Reformation

Across the country, a growing number of parents, pastors, and educators are realizing that something is deeply broken in our education system. In The Education Reformation: Why Your Church Should Start a Christian School, authors Jimmy Scroggins and Trevin Wax are clear and to the point: 

“American families and churches are facing a crisis.” 

They go on to explain:

Postmodernism, expressive individualism, the sexual revolution, intersectionality, and theological liberalism have acted as acids, dissolving once-common assumptions about God, the Bible, morality, marriage, and family. The educational system in our country, especially at the elite levels of policy and influence, has been captured by people hostile to Christian teaching and morality. Consequently, American families and churches are meeting active opposition, from the preschool to the university.

The Christian values that once shaped our schools have been replaced by a secular worldview that stands in direct opposition to biblical truth. This opposition is about more than policy shifts or curriculum changes. It’s a shaping of how our culture defines what is good, beautiful, and true.

Vishal Mangalwadi and David Marshall, in The Third Education Revolution: From Home School to Church College, call this moment “a new dark age.” They explain, “In the absence of divine revelation, universities no longer know what is logic or language, the difference between right or wrong, male or female, marriage or family, nation or justice, self and God: an intellectual revolution is required to restore the soul of education. Learning must earn public respect as a pursuit of truth and virtue.” They note how universities “can teach students how to make a great robot, but not how to be a good spouse, parent, neighbor or citizen.” 

What are Christian families and churches to do? “In light of these realities, our job as Christian parents and members of Christian churches is to build a culture within a culture,” Scroggins and Wax write. “If we are to pass on ‘the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all’ (Jude 1:3) to new generations, we must cultivate and sustain a distinctively Christian culture.”

A Compelling Vision

This culture within a culture is not about retreating from the world. It’s about rebuilding from within. Scroggins and Wax offer a compelling vision for families and churches to reclaim their God-given role in education:

We need trustworthy, biblically grounded, family-friendly, and evangelistically minded institutions to sustain, defend, and advance the gospel. We need tools and allies to do the deep work of spiritual formation in our families and churches. We must rebuild a distinctively Christian culture that loves the people in the world yet resists the world’s influence at the same time.

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There is also a growing desire to explore a new paradigm in education outside of the traditional Western model. One way to spark educational reform within the public schools themselves is by offering the competition of a healthy alternative. Starting new Christian schools could become a pathway to renewal for our entire culture.

“We bless our communities not only as individual Christians, but through institutional expressions of what we value. Our redemptive presence is not just personal, but corporate,” they write. “What better way to bless our communities than to build new and better institutions that accomplish the educational and moral formation of our children?”

The Golden Triangle

In response to this crisis, parents and churches are promoting the idea of the Golden Triangle—an educational model built on families, churches, and schools working together. When these three institutions are aligned in supporting one another, children are surrounded by God’s truth, strengthened by loving relationships, and equipped with a clear moral framework.

Scroggins and Wax affirm this approach, writing, “We believe that a new commitment to a partnership between home, church, and school represents a better way forward in a hostile world.” They add, “Theologically robust, financially accessible, academically excellent church-based schools give us a fighting chance to hold onto our kids, pass on our values, and do effective evangelism.”

Without the Golden Triangle, children receive mixed messages about truth, identity, and purpose—and that confusion often leads them away from God and His truth. But when families, churches, and schools work together, children learn to see the world through a biblical worldview and develop the godly character necessary to navigate life with faith and purpose.

Education Is Discipleship

Education is not neutral. It is always shaping the mind and conforming the heart to whatever worldview a teacher values most. That’s why, for Christians, education must be rooted in discipleship that takes place in the family, church, and school.

In Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society, Amy Sherman outlines six biblical truths that show why education is central to God’s design for the world:

1. “God designed human beings to be learners.”  
2. “The goal of pursuing knowledge and wisdom is to know God and to embrace his mission of shalom in the world.”  
3. “Scripture affirms the place of parents as the principal agents of transferring wisdom. Human learning takes place first and foremost in the family.”  
4. “The story of Jesus affirms the educational process. In the incarnation God did not come to earth as a man but as a child.”  
5. “In his word, God teaches us about many things beyond religious matters.”  
6. “God’s gifts of common grace and general revelation show he desires that nonbelievers, as well as believers, gain broad-ranging knowledge and insight.”

In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, God tells parents:

Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Scroggins and Wax put it plainly: “Education is a central feature of Christian discipleship.” But they warn, “In a hostile world, secular schools create a huge obstacle for Christian faith formation in kids from Christian families.” 

They go on to list six obstacles parents face in our current crisis:

1. Time. Kids spend 8–10 hours a day—and sometimes even more!—at school and participating in school-affiliated activities. Family time and church time can’t compete with those odds.
2. Oppositional Values. Today’s secular schools are committed to many values that are directly opposed to biblical beliefs. How are we to instill these ideals in our children?
3. Conflicting Influences. Students are continually bombarded with messages that undermine what Christian parents and churches are trying to teach their kids.
4. Quality. Many secular schools are practicing indoctrination rather than critical thinking. Many students in these schools are receiving a sub-standard education.
5. Pressure to Conform. Affirming biblical views can get teachers, administrators, and kids ‘canceled’ in our society today. How are we to counter this divisive culture?
6. Physical Danger. Some public schools are becoming violent, and many school systems have lost the will to discipline unruly kids. How will we prioritize safety for our children in all respects?

“When a society gets to the point of their people finding nothing in common, its culture falls apart. This is exactly what is happening in America today,” they write. “Anti-Christian waves of neo-paganism, self-worship, and moral degeneracy are beating against the homes of every family. No wonder we have a crisis of belief, a crisis of confidence, and a crisis of clarity.”

5 Things Churches Can Do

What can we do in response to the crisis? Here are five practical ways your church can get involved today:

1. Pray.
2. Launch or strengthen church/school partnerships. For more information on church/school partnerships, go here.
3. House an alternative school in your church (e.g., home school co-op, micro school).
4. Equip parents to be active in their child’s education and explore available school options.
5. Start a church-based school.

One exciting new option is Courage Schools—a church-based education initiative launching in Central Arkansas that offers families a Christ-centered, truth-filled, mastery-based, and mentor-guided learning experience. Designed around the Golden Triangle of home, church, and school, this model creates a unique partnership where discipleship and academic formation happen together under one roof—your church. Students are guided not only in subjects like reading, math, and science but also in character, calling, and biblical worldview. 

With the LEARNS Act making this kind of education more accessible for families starting in 2025, Courage Schools represent a timely and transformative opportunity for churches to re-engage in education and help shape the next generation.

The Flourishing Dinner

On April 29th, CityChurch Network will host the 3rd annual Flourishing Dinner at 317 Coffee and Cafe in Little Rock. This year’s theme is on “The True” in education and how the Golden Triangle of families, churches, and schools working together can transform young lives and impact entire communities in Arkansas. 

Dr. Gary Arnold, a nationally recognized education leader and member of the Arkansas State Board of Education, will be the keynote speaker. The evening will also be a celebration of what God is doing in CityChurch’s relational network of churches.

The Education Reformation is Here

Ephesians 4:12 tells us that the role of the Church is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” That includes preparing the next generation to live faithfully in an increasingly hostile world.

As Jimmy Scroggins and Trevin Wax remind us in The Education Reformation, “The stakes are high. The future of our children and grandchildren depends on whether we rise to the challenge.”

We understand that not every church will start a school right away. Some already have one. Others may never plant one. But every church can play a part in this modern education reformation. In the New Testament, stronger churches didn’t just grow—they helped plant and strengthen others. That same pattern should apply to Christian schools. 

Start a school. Strengthen a school. Support a school. But above all—do something. Step in. Show up. Fight for the future of the children and families in your community.

Scroggins and Wax

If we want to pass on our faith, we can’t outsource education and spiritual formation. As the Church, we must take the lead in education. It’s our God-given calling. 

Together, we can see a generation that seeks God’s wisdom, stands on His truth, and is shaped by His love and grace—in the home, the church, and the school.