The Church Is Reclaiming Education
Across America, classrooms are no longer neutral. They’ve become battlegrounds for the hearts and minds of our children.
In place of truth, there’s confusion.
In place of wisdom, there’s ideology.
In too many schools, the name of Jesus—the very source of all knowledge and goodness—is absent.
Families are waking up to a moral crisis in public education. They see their children struggling to make sense of a world that denies objective truth and rejects biblical values. Parents are desperate for something better, something that nurtures both their children’s intellect and faith.
Yet, the Church has begun to take action! Through the work of the Ohio Christian Education Network (OCEN), churches are opening Christ-centered schools to restore both academic excellence and spiritual formation to the classroom.
Education is Discipleship
Students pray at Berean Christian Academy, one of the new schools OCEN and CCV helped launch
As we look back on 2025, we’re in awe of what God has done through churches, educators, and families who share this conviction: Christ must be at the center of our children’s education.
Every one of the following numbers tells a story of answered prayers, renewed purpose, and Ohio communities transformed:
15 new Christian schools have opened their doors since 2022
Nearly 750 new student seats have opened in academically excellent, spiritually vibrant environments!
Revival in Education Is Starting in Ohio
Even as we celebrate those incredible numbers, we know this is just the beginning. Forty-two church and community groups are already exploring new school launches for 2026. Four more are preparing for 2027. That’s 46 new schools in the pipeline, ready to turn this vision into reality!
Behind every school launch is a church with courage, a pastor with vision, and families hungry for hope. Together, they’re proving that the Gospel is not only relevant in the classroom, it’s essential to raise the next generation of believers.
A parent from Berean Christian Academy shared:
“I have three children in the school, one of whom was behind in reading. Within the first month of being at Berean Christian, he is excelling. You can tell the teaching staff are dedicated to the children’s education and push them to do their best. The school has opened up their minds to the Bible. I greatly appreciate seeing them participate in chapel, name the books of the Bible, and tell our family Bible stories.”
At Kingdom Connection Academy in Van Wert, a parent who has benefited from Ohio’s EdChoice program that OCEN lobbied for said:
“I never dreamed my kids would be able to attend a private Christian school at an affordable cost. Without EdChoice and the OCEN Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO), my kids would not be able to attend KCA. God is so good, and we are a blessed family.”
Yet, the most powerful testimony of our Christian school movement is that they are shaping eternities. As a KCA teacher reported:
“We have a student who shared that his family doesn’t go to church or pray. But he told us that now he prays before bed and at every meal—and he wants his parents to learn about Jesus.”
That’s the Gospel in action.
A National Breakthrough
After countless conversations with leaders from across the country who want to replicate Ohio’s success, this year CCV launched the Christian Education Network (CEN), which is a national expansion of the OCEN model.
Our modest hope was to expand into 5 states by year’s end.
But God had other plans.
When Congress passed the One Big, Beautiful Bill, it included a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for Scholarship Granting Organizations beginning in 2027. This means families nationwide will soon be able to redirect their tax dollars directly toward scholarships for Christian education.
With this change, we are standing at the doorstep of the greatest discipleship opportunity in American history.
Other states know it, too. Now, with God’s help, it’s possible that CEN will expand to all 50 states within the next 15 months.
Leaders from across the nation have already visited Columbus to see firsthand how this model can transform their communities as well.
Watch this powerful two-minute video to see how OCEN and CEN are helping churches and families reclaim education for the glory of God, and how you can be part of it:
The Time to Act Is Now
The moral confusion in our culture won’t clear up without Christians who are willing to disciple and educate the next generation in the truth.
Help us grow this movement nationwide!
Your gift will help plant and strengthen Christ-centered schools in every community that needs them.
For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or contact@ccv.org. For media inquiries, email media@ccv.org.
As Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
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