Characteristics
of a Vibrant
Christian School
By Jeff Keaton - Founder & CEO of Renewanation
PART FIVE IN A SERIES
In Part One of Characteristics of a Vibrant Christian School, I de-
tailed four characteristics. Vibrant Christian schools: know why they
exist, have strong leadership, are serious about biblical integration, and
have a passion for evangelism and discipleship. In Part Two, I talked about
the importance of high spiritual morale in Christian schools. In Part Three, we
discussed looking at parents and students from a customer perspective, being
student-centered, and inspiring our students to be great. In Part Four, we talked about
addressing problem areas and the importance of having a clear and correct vision of whom
students should be when they graduate. In this part, we’ll learn the most effective way to
recruit new students, the value of having a vision for the future, and the need for a
strategic plan to make that vision a reality.
T
HROUGHOUT MY LIFETIME, I’ve had the
privilege of being around and benefiting from
many Christian schools. As a child going into the
third grade, I attended my first Christian school in New
Albany, Indiana. My father started Clearfork Christian
Academy as a response to his conviction that his nine
children should receive a Christian worldview educa-
tion. I am deeply grateful for my father’s insight at a time
when very few children were receiving weekday Christian
education. I went on to attend several other Christian
schools as my dad moved from one ministry assignment
to another. In 2002, I was privileged to lead the charge to
start Parkway Christian Academy in Roanoke, Virginia.
Watching PCA grow to nearly 400 students in seven years
was both exhilarating and exhausting as we tried to meet
the ever increasing demands of a growing student body.
In 2007, God gave me the vision of Renewanation. Over
the last few years, I have become much better acquainted
with the Christian school movement in the United States.
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I have met with numbers of school boards and adminis-
trative teams and have spoken to many groups of parents.
As I have traveled the country connecting with schools,
I’ve formed some opinions concerning what a healthy
or vibrant Christian school looks like. All of the schools
I have visited are passionate about giving children a
Christian worldview and have great people sacrificing
immensely in order to accomplish their noble mission.
However, from my perspective, the Christian school
movement is facing serious challenges in part because
there are not enough vibrant Christian schools. Too many
Christian schools are just barely existing, and too many
are closing their doors every year.
At Renewanation, we believe God has called us to be
a part of creating a new Christian education movement.
This movement includes Christian schools, homeschools,
and ministries reaching students in non-Christian
schools. We plan to help start many new schools as well
as see many existing schools revitalized.