This Moment in Time

The Role of Spiritual Formation in a Shifting Culture

We are living in a cultural moment that feels heavy. Christian education feels it as much as you do.  Parents are anxious. Leaders feel the weight of constant change. Schools brace for the next issue that will walk through their doors unannounced. It’s easy to feel reactive, always responding, always adjusting, always trying to keep pace.

There is the problem, and perhaps, the opportunity.  Because Christian education was never meant to be reactionary.

The deeper calling is formation.

This is the topic of a recent episode of the Clearly Christian podcast, where Dr. Cy Smith, Superintendent at Mansfield Christian School, speaks with Jerry Nelson, Chief Ministry Officer at ACSI, about spiritual formation as the defining work of Christian schools. Through many topics and stories, their discussion centers upon one clear truth: schools that invest deeply in spiritual formation are far less shaken by cultural moments because they understand those moments within a much larger story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcUPpL2VKGo

As Dr. Smith put it, “Whatever this cultural moment is, it is just that—a moment. Christians must remember there’s always a bigger story at work.”

That perspective changes everything.

Chalkboard Point #1:  We are living in a moment of time, within a larger story

Spiritual formation is not a program. It is not public education plus Bible class. It is the long, intentional shaping of how students see the world, understand truth, and respond faithfully when challenges arise. When formation is taken seriously, schools stop hitting the panic button every time culture shifts. They recognize that no issue stands outside of God’s sovereignty or beyond the reach of His truth.

Jerry Nelson describes this as learning to see reality from God’s perspective. “Spiritual formation is the process of training the mind and heart to understand what’s real and true,” he explains. That kind of formation creates maturity.  It produces students and adults who can engage difficult topics without fear because they are anchored in a biblical worldview.

This is what makes Christian education distinct. Not safety from the world, but preparation for it.

Spiritual formation must be intentional and mapped, not assumed. Nelson explains that no one “arrives” spiritually this side of eternity. Formation is a journey—from being saved by grace to living lives of sacrificial obedience.

Because of that, schools must ask honest questions. What are our expected outcomes for students? What kind of people are we actually forming? Where are we now, and where do we believe God is calling us to go?

Assessment, training, and alignment are acts of stewardship. It’s a strong move to ask for help and guidance.  As Nelson notes, “The snapshot doesn’t  define who you are; it just tells you where you are.”

Chalkboard Point #2:  Spiritual formation does not happen automatically.

Just as our personal salvation requires intentionality, both our schools and home need an intentional plan for leading our children to a biblical worldview.  Our children are capable of dealing with tough issues, but only after they’ve received the intentional training God has planned for their mind, heart, and soul.

Every child faces hardship and it often happens at school.  There are too many stories of a sudden loss, a cultural controversy, a community tragedy happening when we least expect it, and often too close to home. In those moments, families look to school leaders not just for administrative guidance, but for spiritual leadership. As Dr. Smith reflected, “They’ll look to us and ask, ‘How do we handle this as believers?’”

That moment either exposes a gap or confirms a foundation.

Nelson explains that hardship becomes one of the greatest opportunities for formation when schools have prepared for it. Resilient staff. Resilient students. Clear theological grounding. Crisis is not avoided, but it is also not feared. “We are ready to run toward the problems,” he says, “because we have the answer.”

Spiritual formation also extends beyond students. One of the most overlooked realities in Christian education is the role schools play in shaping parents. Most families today come from public-school backgrounds. Their assumptions about the parent-school relationship, discipline, authority, and responsibility are shaped by a very different worldview.

Nelson says “some deprogramming and some reprogramming” needs to happen, not out of judgment, but out of care. Formation happens best when parents, schools, and churches understand their roles clearly and work together. Nelson suggests that it doesn’t matter whether parents are believers or not; they still need to be involved with their children’s education.  Of course, when they are believers…that’s a recipe for exponential impact for the good.

The key equation for success is that spiritual formation does not happen automatically. It requires intentional plans, patient leadership, and deep trust in God’s larger story. But when it is done well, schools become places of stability in unstable times.  They become communities that shape ambassadors of Christ rather than react to headlines.

As Dr. Smith reminds leaders, “Our lives have been written into God’s story, and He has determined our purpose for this cultural moment.”

The work of Christian education is to help the next generation live that purpose with wisdom, courage, and conviction.

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For more information about Dr. Cy Smith, Mansfield Christian School, and/or the Clearly Christian Education movement, click on ClearlyChristianEducation.com.