School Safety & Compliance
ACSI Service Provider | Fraudcheck
Protecting Learners Starts with Knowing Who’s in the Building
A child walks into a classroom and trusts, without question, that the adults around them are trusted. That trust is not the child’s to verify – it’s ours. Every school, every governing body, every principal carries the weight of that responsibility. And it is not a responsibility that can be met with good intentions alone.
In South Africa, the regulatory landscape around staff screening in education is clear. Schools are expected to verify the criminal history, identity, and professional standing of every educator, support worker, and contractor before they are appointed. Checks against the National Register for Sex Offenders, the National Child Protection Register, and criminal records databases are not optional extras – they are the minimum standard for any institution that takes child safety seriously.
Yet too often, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Schools – particularly under-resourced ones – struggle with the administrative burden, the cost, and the sheer complexity of running proper background checks. The process can feel slow, fragmented, and expensive. And when safeguarding feels like a hurdle rather than a habit, corners get cut. That is a risk no school can afford to take.
A Solution Built Around the Problem
This is exactly the challenge that Fraudcheck’s EDU Serve solution was designed to address. We recognised that cost and complexity were standing between schools and the screening processes our children deserve. So we built something purpose-fit: a streamlined, affordable verification solution specifically for schools, education providers, and education recruitment agencies.
EDU Serve replaces ad hoc and disjointed manual processes with a structured, compliant screening workflow. The solution centres on the checks that matter most in an education setting – Criminal Record Checks, screening against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO), and screening against the National Child Protection Register (NCPR) – bundled into simple packages that schools can activate without navigating multiple suppliers or bureaucratic dead ends. With on-site project management support available, Fraudcheck handles the complexity so that schools can focus on what they do best.
Click here to view the full Fraudcheck EDU Serve – School Safety & Compliance Brochure
The goal is simple: remove the friction so that doing the right thing becomes the easy thing.
Beyond the Hire
Safeguarding doesn’t end on the first day of employment. Circumstances change, and new records can surface long after someone has been appointed. EDU Serve makes ongoing compliance as painless as possible. Re-screening projects can be scheduled in advance, and because we securely store existing employee data on file, annual rescreens only require the capture of information for new hires – no re-submitting your entire staff base each time. Beyond rescreening, schools can access Fraudcheck’s digital platform to run additional checks as needs arise – credit checks, qualification verifications, identity verifications, and watchlist screenings – all from a single web based environment, without paperwork or delays.
Trusted Infrastructure Behind Every Check
Fraudcheck is a Registered Credit Bureau and Afiswitch (Idemia) Partner, with over 100 million verifications conducted across South Africa. The same secure verification infrastructure trusted by organisations in financial services, HR, government, and other regulated sectors underpins every EDU Serve check. For schools, that means reliable results, regulatory alignment, and the peace of mind that comes from a partner whose core business is establishing trust.
The Responsibility We Share
No child should be placed in the care of an adult who hasn’t been properly vetted. And no school should have to choose between safeguarding its learners and managing its budget. EDU Serve exists to make sure they don’t have to.
To find out more, contact Fraudcheck at sales@fraudcheck.co.za or call +27 11 262 5252.
What I’ve Learned in My 30+ Years In Education
Mark Wickersham, Director of Spiritual Formation, Evansville Christian School
Being a leader can be hard work. Kids, students, athletes, parents, colleagues, and employees don’t always want to follow your lead, and sometimes they don’t. Boo. Here are three ideas I’ve learned in my 30+ years in education that I recommend you put into practice if you want to lead and serve better.
1. Have An Inner Circle. Who are your Peter, James, and John? Before you make the big announcement or send that email (yes, that one), run it by a close group of confidants. See what they think. They can tell you if something is a little off, give you some good pointers, or just tell you if you’ve gone crazy. They will help support you when others don’t like what they hear or read, help you better understand complex people, and help you become a better leader.
2. Hire Humble Team Players Who Are Curious Learners. No one likes arrogant people who don’t listen and always complain. Be sure to ask the right questions in an interview and find out who knows the people you’re interviewing. It’s a pain in the butt when you have the wrong people on your team. There was no one more humble than Jesus, and He told us to be humble (James 4:10). Find humble people who are good listeners and contribute to a Christlike culture.
3. Work Hard, But Laugh With Others. Laziness is a sin, but overworking is also dishonouring to God. We are to work heartily for the Lord, but we need to rest in Christ’s finished work. I have neglected my family, run over people, and failed to champion people like Christ. It’s important that we not only work hard, but also slow down and LAUGH with others. Are people scared of you or not seeing the fun side of you? Fix that. Laughter is an amazing gift from God and can help boost morale.
What have you learned in your years of serving in a school building that you think others should know? Let’s encourage one another by sharing our experiences and giving God the glory.
Innovate: Sparking Wonder and Curiosity in Early Education
Jeannie Forrest, Assistant Director of Early Education, ACSI
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19)
In early education, it can be easy to fall into familiar routines. Educators move from one activity to the next, manage behaviour, and meet daily demands. Yet at the heart of early learning is something deeper. God has placed curiosity within every child. To innovate in early education is about seeing with fresh eyes and creating space for wonder to grow.
Research continues to show that curiosity plays a meaningful role in how children learn. When children are engaged in exploration and inquiry, they are more likely to develop stronger problem-solving skills, deeper understanding, and greater motivation to learn. Inquiry-based and play-based approaches also support social and emotional development, which are essential parts of whole-child growth (Engel, 2021).
For educators, this begins with intentional practice. Creating environments that invite curiosity may look like asking open-ended questions instead of providing quick answers. It may mean allowing time for exploration rather than rushing through activities. It includes observing children closely and following their interests. It also involves designing learning spaces that encourage discovery and creativity.
One practical way to apply this is by choosing one part of your daily routine and slowing it down. During centre time, instead of directing children to complete a task, sit alongside them and ask questions such as, “What do you notice?” or “What do you think will happen next?” Give children time to respond, explore, and even struggle a bit in their thinking. This shift moves the focus from completing an activity to engaging in the learning process. Over time, these small moments build confidence and create a classroom culture where curiosity is welcomed and valued.
As these practices become part of daily teaching, they begin to shape the overall quality of the classroom. Thoughtful planning, responsive interactions, and meaningful engagement support children’s development while also reflecting a commitment to excellence and continued growth in teaching practice.
These approaches align with developmentally appropriate teaching and reflect the way young children are designed to learn through relationship, exploration, and experience.
Curiosity reflects the intentional design within each child. When educators nurture wonder, they create space for children to explore, discover, and make sense of the world around them. This work is rooted in purpose, as educators guide children toward meaningful connections and a growing awareness of God’s truth.
Women in Visionary ECD Leadership Roles
Dr. Althea Penn, Director of Early Education | ACSI and adapted by Debbie-Sue Blanks
Women constitute the majority of the Christian education workforce, yet they remain underrepresented in senior leadership. Through the lens of Visionary Leadership, the contributions of women must be reframed: women are essential bearers of God’s redemptive vision, uniquely equipped to articulate, steward, and advance mission-cantered leadership in schools. From creation, woman is named Ezer, a strong, strategic ally in God’s purposes. Lois and Eunice discipled Timothy in sincere faith, demonstrating how visionary leaders transmit the Great commission across generations.
Scripture presents a rich legacy of visionary women. Deborah offered strategic direction amid a crisis. Lydia leveraged her resources to advance the gospel mission. Priscilla safeguarded doctrinal clarity. Phoebe carried and communicated Paul’s theological vision. Zipporah intervened decisively to preserve covenant purpose. These biblical figures embody leaders who safeguard mission, communicate direction, and ensure alignment between calling and practice. Among these leaders, Esther stands as a preeminent model of visionary leadership. Her sensitivity to timing, her respect for authority, and her call for communal fasting illustrate a leader who discerns God’s direction and mobilizes her community toward courageous, collective action. Her story mirrors the ACSI Christian School Improvement Process (CSIP), which calls school leaders to communal reflection, unified dependence on the Lord, and strategic action planning rooted in mission fidelity and respect for national health and safety standards pertaining to best practices in early care and education.
In an early education program, visionary leadership is demonstrated when women articulate and steward a clear, mission-driven vision that shapes daily practice. These leaders ensure that biblical purpose guides decisions about curriculum, environment, and relationships. They cultivate a spiritually grounded culture by unifying staff through prayer, reflective conversations, and shared commitment to the centre’s mission. Visionary leaders model transformational influence by mentoring teachers, identifying their strengths, and fostering professional growth that aligns with the centre’s stated goals. They build systems (policies, routines, schedules, and assessment practices) that consistently reflect the mission and support whole-child development. They empower teachers to contribute ideas, lead initiatives, and share responsibility for continuous improvement. They also strengthen partnerships with families, communicating a shared vision for spiritual formation and child development and engaging parents as co-labourer’s. Like Esther, these leaders discern timing, seek God’s guidance, and pace change thoughtfully. Ultimately, visionary women in early education settings transform schools into flourishing communities where mission is lived out daily and every child is nurtured with purpose.
Women’s visionary leadership is not a historical footnote but a present, essential force for redemptive change. When women steward God’s vision with courage, clarity, and conviction, schools become places where mission is not merely stated but lived, where every child is seen, loved, and valued, every educator is supported, and God’s purposes are advanced with excellence.
The Hidden Season
Morgan Nel | ACSI Assistant Director South Africa
Before the public calling comes the private forming. God prepares his leaders in the shadows before placing them in the spotlight.
Key Verse
“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
Throughout Scripture, God’s pattern is consistent: those called to lead are first led into hiddenness. The desert, the pit, the wilderness. These are not detours from the calling. They are the classroom for it. Three lives show us this unmistakably.
Moses: forty years in the desert
Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s palace, educated in the most powerful court on earth. By every human measure, he was ready to lead. Yet God did not use him at forty. He used him at eighty. After four decades herding sheep in Midian, far from power, privilege, and prestige.
“When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.” (Acts 7:29–30 (NIV)
The wilderness stripped Moses of self-reliance. The man who tried to deliver Israel through his own strength became the man who said, “Who am I that I should go?” (Exodus 3:11). That humility was forged in obscurity.
Before – Prince of Egypt – power and position
Hidden season – 40 years as a shepherd in Midian
The encounter – The burning bush – called from obscurity
The fruit – Deliverer and lawgiver of a nation
What the desert formed in Moses, no palace could have taught him. Patience. Dependence. The ability to tend to what seems insignificant. God was preparing a shepherd and shepherds are made in the field, not the throne room.
- The season you feel most forgotten may be the season God is most actively forming you.
- Your résumé impresses people; your character impresses God and character is built in quiet places.
- Moses’s burning bush came after decades of faithfulness in the ordinary. Your encounter is on its way.
Joseph: the pit before the palace
Genesis 37-41 / Psalm 105:17-19
Joseph received his God-given dream at seventeen. But between the dream and its fulfilment lay a pit, a slave caravan, Potiphar’s house, a false accusation, and years forgotten in an Egyptian prison. His hidden season was not just isolation. It was suffering and injustice.
“He sent a man before them – Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.” (Psalm 105:17-19 NIV)
Notice the psalmist’s framing: the iron around Joseph’s neck was the instrument through which God was testing and proving the word spoken over his life. The prison was not a punishment. It was preparation. Joseph needed to learn to govern his own soul before God entrusted him with the soul of a nation.
The dream – A God-given vision at age 17
The descent – Pit, slavery, prison – 13 long years
What was formed – Integrity, forgiveness, wisdom
The elevation – Second only to Pharaoh – age 30
- He is stripping away what you cannot carry into your calling like pride, self-sufficiency, the need for human approval.
- He is building the inner life that will sustain the outer work. Roots grow deepest in the dark, before the tree is ever seen above ground.
- He is teaching you to hear his voice without the noise of a crowd, because leaders who lead well are leaders who listen well.
- He is proving the word he spoke over you, just as he proved it over Joseph. The test is not a contradiction of the promise. It is the making of it.
- If the Son of God needed a hidden season, you and I most certainly do too. It is not a sign of failure. It is the pattern of the Father.
- Jesus was not idle in Nazareth. He was growing in wisdom, stature, and favour. Growth in obscurity is still growth.
- The wilderness confirmed what the Father had already spoken at the baptism: “This is my Son, whom I love” (Matthew 3:17). Your identity is settled before your assignment begins.
- A dream delayed is not a dream denied. God’s timing and your timing are rarely the same. Trust him.
- Faithfulness in the small and hidden (Potiphar’s house, the prison) is the proof of fitness for the larger platform.
- Bitterness would have disqualified Joseph. Your response to injustice in the hidden season shapes your character in the public one.
- The same God who gave you the dream is the God who is with you in the pit. He has not forgotten (Genesis 39:21).Solitude was not just Jesus’s preparation, rather it was his discipline throughout ministry. Power sustained in public requires presence cultivated in private.He is showing you that faithfulness in little is the qualification for much. The “little” is never wasted in his economy.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20 (NIV)
Jesus: thirty years of hiddenness
Luke 2:51-52 / Luke 4:1-2 / Mark 1:35
If we needed any confirmation that hiddenness is not a sign of God’s absence, we need only look at the Son of God himself. Jesus, the Saviour of the world, the one for whom all of history was waiting, spent thirty years in Nazareth, a town so obscure the disciples would later ask, “Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46).
“Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:51-52 (NIV)
Thirty years of growing. Obeying. Working with his hands. And then, just before his public ministry began, he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days of fasting and testing. Even after ministry began, he regularly withdrew to lonely places to pray. Hiddenness was not just his preparation. It was his ongoing practice.
Nazareth years – 30 years of quiet obedience and growth
The wilderness – 40 days of fasting and temptation
Ongoing practice – Regular withdrawal to lonely places to pray
The fruit – 3 years that changed all of history
“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.” (Luke 4:14 NIV)
He came out of the wilderness in the power of the Spirit. The testing did not weaken him, but it confirmed him. And the three years that followed changed the entire course of human history. Thirty years hidden. Three years public. The ratio is not a waste. It is a wonder.
What the hidden season is doing in you
Moses, Joseph, and Jesus each experienced obscurity differently, but the same divine purposes were at work in all three. If you are in a hidden season today, take heart. God is not wasting a moment of it.
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NIV)
Personal response
Lord, I confess that I have sometimes resented the hidden places – the waiting, the silence, the seasons that felt invisible and small. But today I choose to trust that you are at work. You were with Moses in Midian. You were with Joseph in the prison. You yourself walked through thirty years of Nazareth. So you are with me here, in this. Teach me to be faithful in the obscure. Form in me what can only be formed in the quiet. I surrender the timeline to you, and I trust the work of your hand. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Reflection questions
- What is God possibly stripping away or building in you during this current season?
- How are you stewarding the hidden place? With bitterness, or with faithfulness?
- Is your private life with God deep enough to sustain the public life he is preparing you for?
Assessment and Use of Learning Data in Preschool Setting
Rebeca Rosa, Early Education Coordinator
The use of assessment has often resembled a pendulum, swinging between extremes. At times, assessment has been overemphasized as formal testing; at other times, it has been minimized or dismissed altogether. These fluctuations frequently stem from misunderstanding assessment as merely a tool for measuring performance rather than as a meaningful process of understanding the child.
In a Christian preschool context, assessment is far deeper; it is the intentional observation and evaluation of how God is developing each child intellectually, socially, physically, and spiritually. It is not about labelling children, but about honouring the unique design God has placed within them.
Christian educators are entrusted with a sacred responsibility: shaping young lives during one of the most formative periods of development.
God, as the Creator, describes it so profoundly in Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT):
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous; how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
As Maria Montessori stated in her book “The Absorbent Mind,” published in 1949, “the most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the range of 0-6 years, the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed.” She, like other educators and founders of Child Development theories, merely repeated, in a different way, what God had already established.
Importance of Assessment in Preschool Education
In early childhood classrooms, assessment primarily occurs through observation, documentation, and reflection rather than formal testing. Teachers observe with intention and purpose when children play, interact, communicate, solve problems, and respond to instruction. Assessment serves several purposes:
Understanding Development
All areas of development are connected; although young children develop rapidly, their development is uneven. Assessment helps teachers to recognise milestones in language development, cognitive skills, social interaction, emotional regulation, motor skills, and early literacy and numeracy. Through observation and recorded data, educators gain a clearer picture of each child’s unique growth pattern.
Guiding Instruction
Assessment informs teaching decisions. As educators, we can identify the strengths and gaps to adjust lessons accordingly. With assessment, teaching becomes intentional and responsive.
Supporting the Whole Child
Edith Ackerman’s theory of the Whole Child Development identifies four natural, interactive forces: Being Me (Identity), the World (Exploration), Us (Relationship), and Human Creations (Expressions) (Koblin & Koblin, 2025).
God again provides a model of holistic growth in Christ’s early in the Gospel of Luke:
“And Jesus grew in wisdom, and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52, BSB)
Practical Ways to Use Assessment & Learning Data in Preschool
- Observe with Purpose: Move beyond general watching and observe with clear intentions.
- Document Learning in Simple Ways: Make documentation manageable and meaningful.
- Look for Patterns, Not Just Moments: One observation doesn’t tell the full story, but patterns do.
- Adjust Instruction Intentionally: Assessment should directly shape what you teach next.
- Use Play as Your Primary Assessment Tool: Young children reveal their understanding best through play.
- Support the Whole Child: Assessment should reflect all areas of development, not just academics.
- Communicate Clearly with Families: Use assessment data to build a partnership with parents.
- Set Simple, Measurable Goals: Turn observations into actions.
- Reflect as a Teacher: Assessment isn’t just about children; it is also about teaching.
- Use Data to Encourage, Not Label: Data should never define a child; it should guide support.
Developing Leaders by Design
Edward Bunn, Ed.D. | ACSI Professional Development Director
Christian schools tend to thrive when leaders are intentionally identified, cultivated, and developed. Leadership doesn’t emerge by accident; it grows through prayerful formation, intentional development, and wise stewardship of gifts. Every organisation tends to rise or fall on the quality of its leaders. If we don’t invest in growing leaders, we’re essentially leaving the future of our organisations to chance. Development provides leaders with the tools to adapt, wisdom to make better decisions, and character to influence in healthy ways. The challenges of tomorrow often require us to build on yesterday’s strengths while also developing new leadership capacities.
Leadership development ensures there’s always a pipeline of people ready to step into responsibility with clarity, resilience, and vision. Without it, we get stagnation and even burnout; with it, we get growth, health, and sustainability. In their new book, “Lead Everyday,” Mark Miller and Randy Gravitt describe this prioritisation: “A leadership culture is a place where leaders are routinely and systematically developed, and you have a surplus.” For Christian schools, the goal is to build and sustain a healthy leadership culture that extends the mission and multiplies overall impact. Here are five strategic ways to develop leaders and deepen a culture of growth:
- Create Stretch Opportunities with Support
Leaders develop best when they are given responsibility that stretches their capacity while still being supported. Whether through leading a project, chairing a committee, or piloting a new initiative, these “stretch roles” provide space to practice decision-making, communication, influence, and problem-solving.
Strategy in practice: Adopt a scaffolded approach by assigning tasks just beyond a leader’s current skill level, then provide coaching and feedback loops. This balance of challenge and support fosters both growth and confidence. *This process requires dedicated time and may “feel” like an infringement upon capacity and time; however, this is NOT timed wasted; it is time invested.
- Build a Culture of Ongoing Learning
Leadership development is not a one-time program but a continuous journey. Schools that embed professional growth into their culture raise leaders at every level. These schools encourage learning through collaborative inquiry groups, reflective practice, or mentoring experiences. Most importantly, school leaders who model humility demonstrate that even seasoned leaders remain learners.
Strategy in practice: Establish regular rhythms such as leadership book studies, peer learning circles, or “lessons learned” debriefs after major initiatives that normalise leadership growth for all staff. This all begins with the hiring process – expect lifelong learning and a growth mindset from day one!
- Speak to Leadership Blind Spots
Every leader has blind spots or areas where they lack perspective, awareness, or skills. Left unaddressed, these blind spots can limit effectiveness and detract from school culture. Healthy leadership development creates structures where blind spots can be revealed in a spirit of trust, grace, and growth. By naming and addressing these areas, leaders grow in humility and maturity while modelling teachability to those they lead.
Strategy in practice: Build intentional feedback loops such as 360 reviews, peer feedback sessions, or mentor check-ins that create safe environments for leaders to hear truth about their strengths and growth areas. Normalise feedback as a gift, not a threat, and teach leaders to welcome constructive conversations as part of their spiritual and professional development.
- Establish and Exemplify Rhythms of Active Listening
Active listening can be an underdeveloped leadership skill. Too often, leaders equate leadership with speaking, directing, or inspiring others. Yet the most impactful leaders are exceptional listeners. They make people feel seen and heard, and that builds trust, which is the foundation of true community and influence. Listening is not passive. It’s an active discipline of curiosity, humility, and empathy. In a world filled with noise and distraction, leaders who exemplify true listening demonstrate a necessary skill that creates organisational clarity and connection, allowing everyone to make wiser decisions and lead people or programs more effectively.
Strategy in practice: Create intentional spaces for listening. Leaders can practise this by scheduling regular “listening sessions” with staff, students, or parents where the goal is to hear perspectives rather than present solutions. During team meetings, designate time for open dialogue where leaders ask clarifying questions before responding. Use tools like a “listening partner” system which pairs leaders to debrief challenges by listening first without interruption or advice. Finally, model active listening behaviours such as paraphrasing what was heard, validating emotions, and capturing feedback in visible ways. These practices show that listening is not just courtesy but a core leadership discipline.
- Model Reflection & Adjustment
One practice that can accelerate personal growth is building intentional reflection time into the calendar. Leadership is fast-paced, and it’s easy to keep running without ever stopping or pausing to ask, “What am I learning? What could I have done differently? What adjustments need to be made? Where do I need to grow?” It is important to set aside time to evaluate key interactions, decisions, and outcomes. This rhythm helps turn experiences into lessons and growth opportunities. Reflective practices and healthy adaptation transform activity into growth. It keeps one from repeating mistakes and allows leadership to grow in greater self-awareness and intentionality.
Strategy in practice: Build reflection into leadership routines. For example, leaders might set aside 15 minutes at the end of each day to journal lessons learned, hold a monthly “leadership reflection” meeting where teams review recent decisions and outcomes, or schedule quarterly retreats focused on evaluating progress toward goals. Encourage leaders to ask feedback questions such as, “What is one thing I could do better?” and model making adjustments based on what they learn. This creates a culture where reflection and adaptation are expected, not optional.
Building and sustaining a culture of personal and professional growth has many organisational benefits. From alleviating burnout, increasing capacity, and creating ownership to enhancing innovation and problem-solving – leadership development is foundational to organisational health. In glory of God and His good work, may we continually be a growing, maturing, becoming people.
The Sacred Calling of a True Christian Teacher
Morgan Nel | ACSI South Africa Assistant Director
True education is not merely the acquisition of knowledge but the formation of the soul according to God’s Word. While teaching can include facts from history, mathematics, or science, these are now delivered faster and more efficiently by artificial intelligence. In 2026, AI tutors provide perfect, on-demand lessons on any subject. Knowledge has become cheap and instantly accessible.
Yet genuine biblical education rises far higher: it transfers godly values, shapes Christ-like character, and cultivates the fear of the Lord. AI can output data, but it cannot impart wisdom, repentance, or holiness. Lacking a soul, conscience, or relationship with the living God, it remains incapable of true discipleship.
AI can output data, but it cannot impart wisdom
Proverbs 22:6 instructs us to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” The Hebrew word chanak means to dedicate and initiate a child into a fixed path – the narrow way of righteousness – rather than vague self-discovery.
The educator’s calling, therefore, remains unchanged in 2026. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 commands: “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” A Christian teacher is not a mere dispenser of information but a disciple-maker who models Christ, corrects sin, and points every learner to the cross. Biblical education trains children to walk in covenant obedience to Yahweh, to love His Word, and to live holy lives before Him.
Ephesians 6:4 reinforces this: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” At its core, education is training in righteousness so that “the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
The world’s system produces cleverness without character. AI may create brilliant technicians who know much yet fear nothing. Only the biblically faithful educator can nurture young people who “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Knowledge puffs up, but biblical education builds up in love and truth.
The world’s system produces cleverness without character
A True Christian Teacher in the Age of AI: A Biblical Portrait- A faithful steward of divine truth. In an era when AI delivers endless facts at lightning speed, the Christian teacher’s role sharpens. Rather than competing in knowledge transfer, the teacher focuses on forming souls in the fear of the Lord. AI can compute; only a regenerate heart can disciple.
- A model of humility and holy living. The teacher walks in humility, aware of the eternal weight of shaping young souls. First and foremost a disciple of Christ, he or she lives what is taught. Titus 2:7-8 urges: “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned.” Hypocrisy destroys; a holy example edifies.
- Prioritising character over credentials. Christ gave teachers to equip the saints for maturity and to build up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13). This requires personal godliness – self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, and “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2). The teacher must display the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Students become like their teachers (Luke 6:40). In a rebellious age, the Christian teacher models submission to God’s authority and teaches obedience as the path to blessing (Ephesians 6:1-4).
- A discerning, sacrificial love for students. Like Jesus, the Master Teacher, the Christian educator shepherds with compassion while boldly speaking truth, correcting error, and calling to repentance. The teacher prays fervently, invests relationally, and disciplines in love rather than anger (Ephesians 6:4). Patience sustains the teacher through slowness or rebellion, mindful of eternal stakes. In South Africa, this involves countering cultural pressures with the unchanging gospel and training children in righteousness amid moral confusion.
- A disciple-maker fulfilling the Great Commission. Ultimately, the true Christian teacher obeys Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This is no ordinary profession but a sacred vocation.
Helping Students Find Their Voice and Use It to Lead
Emily Pigott | ACSI Global VP of Educational Resources & Student Programs
If you’ve been in the classroom longer than five minutes, you’ve lived this moment:
- You ask a question that should spark great discussion…
- Three students start talking at the same time.
- Five students suddenly become experts at avoiding eye contact.
- And one student says something that makes the entire room go silent.
And you’re standing there thinking, “Okay Lord… help.”
This month, I’ve been thinking about something that feels especially urgent right now: student voice. I am not just thinking about helping students talk more but helping them learn how to use their voice with wisdom, confidence, and humility. Because voice isn’t just a communication skill. It’s a leadership competency.
Our students are surrounded by inputs: social media, opinions, group chats, and endless commentary. And yet, many still feel unsure about their own voice. They wonder: Do I matter? Will I be judged? Is it safer to stay quiet or say whatever gets attention?
Scripture reminds us that voice carries weight:
“The tongue has the power of life and death.” (Proverbs 18:21)
Here’s what I’ve learned over time: giving students permission to speak is not enough. Voice without formation doesn’t lead to leadership; it leads to noise. Jesus never silenced questions, but He shaped how people spoke and why. He modelled truth and love together. And that’s exactly what our students need from us.
So what does this look like in the classroom? Sometimes it’s as simple as building in a pause before discussion, giving students time to write first, or teaching them how to disagree with grace and poise. Sometimes it’s intentionally elevating the quiet voices, reminding students that leadership isn’t always loud. When student voice is shaped by Christ, wisdom, and humility, students don’t just speak more. They speak better. They speak with purpose. And their voice becomes a tool for good.
Beyond Bible Knowledge: Forming a Biblical Worldview in Students
BibleProject | ACSI Service Provider
In most Christian schools, students can recall key Bible stories, name important characters, and even explain central concepts of the Christian faith. Yet, despite this growing knowledge, many educators sense a gap – students may understand the Bible academically, but struggle to connect it meaningfully to their everyday lives.
This raises an important issue: Bible education shouldn’t simply be about knowing Scripture – it should be about being shaped by it.
“For you have been born again [that is, reborn from above – spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] not of seed which is perishable but [from that which is] imperishable and immortal, that is, through the living and everlasting word of God” – 1 Peter 1:23 (AMP).
From knowledge to worldview
A biblical worldview is more than a collection of beliefs. It’s a way of seeing and interpreting the world. It shapes how students understand:
- Identity (“Who am I?”)
- Purpose (“Why am I here?”)
- Relationships (“How should I treat others?”)
- Justice, suffering, and hope
Without this deeper formation, Bible knowledge can remain compartmentalised – something students engage with in class, but forget about as they go home or when they spend time with friends.
The challenge in today’s context
Students today are constantly being shaped by powerful cultural narratives through social media, peer influence, entertainment and other secular worldviews. These influences don’t just inform opinions – they subtly shape imagination, values, and identity.
With this in mind, simply teaching Bible content is not enough. Students need help interpreting the world through the lens of Scripture.
What does formation look like in the classroom?
Forming a biblical worldview doesn’t require adding more content – it requires a shift in approach.
It means creating space for students to:
- Reflect, not just respond.
- Ask deeper questions, not just memorise.
- Make connections between Scripture and real life.
This can be woven into everyday teaching through small but intentional practices.
Practical ways to foster a biblical worldview
- Ask worldview-shaping questions
Move beyond “What happened?” to questions like:
- “What does this reveal about what is good or broken in the world?”
- “How does this challenge the way our culture thinks?”
- “What would it look like to live this out today?”
- Connect Scripture to real-life situations
Help students bridge the gap between text and context:
- Discuss current events through a biblical lens.
- Explore ethical dilemmas and ask, “What would faithfulness look like here?”
- Invite students to reflect on their own experiences in light of Scripture (e.g. x has happened, what does the Bible say about how I should/ should have handle/d it?).
- Emphasise identity in Christ
Many students are asking, “Who am I?” – even if they don’t say it out loud.
Regularly highlight what the Bible says about:
- Being made in God’s image.
- Belonging to God’s family.
- Living with purpose and hope.
- Use narrative and themes, not just isolated stories
When students see recurring themes – like justice, covenant, or restoration – they begin to develop a framework for understanding both Scripture and the world.
This is where BibleProject can be especially helpful for educators. Its videos and study resources are designed to trace key biblical themes across the entire story of Scripture – students see how Genesis through to Revelation all points to Jesus, God’s redemptive plan, and our role in this story as His children.
In a classroom setting, teachers can:
- Introduce a theme (such as “justice” or “the kingdom of God”) using a short video.
- Revisit that theme throughout a term as new passages are studied.
- Use visual summaries (downloadable posters) to help students “map” where they are in the bigger story.
- Work systematically though BibleProject’s Guides.
These tools not only support understanding – they help to build a mental framework that students can carry with them.
- Use narrative and themes, not just isolated stories
When students see recurring themes – like justice, covenant, or restoration – they begin to develop a framework for understanding both Scripture and the world.
This is where BibleProject can be especially helpful for educators. Its videos and study resources are designed to trace key biblical themes across the entire story of Scripture – students see how Genesis through to Revelation all points to Jesus, God’s redemptive plan, and our role in this story as His children.
In a classroom setting, teachers can:
- Introduce a theme (such as “justice” or “the kingdom of God”) using a short video.
- Revisit that theme throughout a term as new passages are studied.
- Use visual summaries (downloadable posters) to help students “map” where they are in the bigger story.
- Work systematically though BibleProject’s Guides.
These tools not only support understanding – they help to build a mental framework that students can carry with them.
- Create space for reflection
Formation often happens in moments of pause.
Incorporate:
- Journaling
- Silent reflection
- Small group discussion
Teachers can also use guided questions to help students process what they’ve learned more deeply, rather than simply moving on to the next topic.
- Support different learning styles
Not all students engage Scripture in the same way.
Visual learners, in particular, often benefit from seeing concepts illustrated. The animated videos and narrative explanations from BibleProject can make abstract or complex ideas more accessible, especially for students who may struggle with traditional text-based approaches.
A long-term vision
Forming a biblical worldview is not a quick outcome. It’s a gradual process that unfolds over years, but the impact is lasting.
Students who develop this kind of foundation are more likely to:
- Engage Scripture with confidence.
- Navigate complex cultural issues with wisdom.
- Live out their faith beyond the classroom.
Educators have the opportunity to help shape the lenses through which students will see the world – not just by increasing Bible knowledge, but by nurturing a way of seeing, thinking, and living that is rooted in Scripture.
Resources like BibleProject can serve as a valuable partner in this process, equipping teachers with tools that are both theologically rich and accessible to students.
When this happens, the Bible is no longer just a subject to study. It becomes alive, meaningful and transformational.