• The first and foremost element a Christian school must
understand is the critical reliance of being aligned with
God’s vision. This means the Christian school must
have a pervasive and fervent passion around prayer.
• Spiritual development and biblical integration must
be intentional and permeate all facets of the student’s
education.
• The board needs to clearly define a mission-fit student
and align admission practices accordingly.
• Formative and summative assessments need to be regu-
larly employed to strengthen academic rigor.
• Boards need to spend their time on strategy, not oper-
ational matters.
• Leadership, faculty, and staff need to be developed,
supported, and, when necessary, replaced.
• Budgets need to be realistic and balanced.
• Facilities don’t need to be expensive but do need to be
clean, functional, and attractive.
• Communications with parents, grandparents, and the
local community need to be effective.
• Donor relationships need to be continually developed
and cultivated.
Like auto manufacturers setting out to improve the qual-
ity of their cars, transitioning an ordinary Christian school
into an excellent one requires passionate persistence. Results
are not immediate. As an example, if middle school math
scores are struggling, it will likely take five to seven years
until higher SAT and ACT math scores reflect the changes
implemented. Similarly, leadership, donor relations, board
member selection and engagement, and needed personnel
changes can’t be accomplished in a few months.
Renewanation founder, Jeff Keaton, highlighted the core
elements of a spiritually thriving Christian school in previ-
ous issues of The Renewanation Review. In subsequent issues,
we will be detailing the key success factors to drive growth
and ensure long-term sustainability. Planting and cultivat-
ing these elements are hard work; however, the harvest is
both bountiful and eternal. In the next issue, we will begin
with a focus on effective board governance. ■
Ron Gordon is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Renewanation and
brings strong education and executive experience to the cause. Ron holds a Bachelor of
Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and an MBA from Virginia Tech. Ron’s
wife, Tonya, is a trained and passionate educator. They have twin boys, Caleb and Jacob,
and a daughter, Gracie.
Ron Klein is an Executive Consultant with Renewanation and has extensive experience
consulting for domestic and international organizations. He has been an infantryman in
Vietnam, an aviation acquisition officer, the founder of an aerospace/defense services
company, a head of school at Westminster Christian Academy in Huntsville, AL, and holds
an FAA commercial pilot’s license. He is an adjunct professor of economics, the history of
technology development, and geopolitics and is the author of Journey to Excellence; What
Boards and Heads of Christian Schools Need to Know to Get There.
Launch a Christian School
“Whoever wants the next generation of
children the most will get them!”
Apart from the influence of godly parents, where a child
attends school has the greatest influence on whether or
not a child embraces Christ and His truth. A child spends
between 35-45 hours each week in a school setting. The
church only has access to their hearts and minds for about
2-4 hours per week. Many churches that are passionate
about discipling children are launching Christian schools.
It just makes sense.
At Renewanation, we have discovered a way to launch a
Christian school even if your budget is limited. It’s not sim-
ple or easy, but it can be done by those who have a calling
from God and a passion to see more children develop a
biblical worldview.
Set up an exploratory call with our school startup team
to learn more about five key components necessary to
launch a new Christian school.
Wendy Horton · [email protected]
540-890-8900 · 1-855-TO-RENEW