The Christian
School
Distinctive
by Brian S. Simmons
O
ne of my friends often says, “The main thing is
to keep the main One the main thing.” What is
the main thing in Christian education? I believe
the main thing is that we need to keep Christ in Christian
education!
In other words, as leaders, parents, and students committed to the cause we call Christian education, we recognize
that our distinctive in the universe of private schools is that
ours are private Christian schools. But what, exactly, does
this distinctive mean?
Simply put, a Christian school is an academic institution
founded on the Word of God, focused on Jesus Christ, and
led, supported, and staffed by Christians dedicated to the
development of individuals into fully prepared Christ followers who desire to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.
Allow me to reminisce about how God used the Christian school distinctive in my life. The year was 1977. In
August of that summer, I attended band camp in northern
Indiana in preparation for another marching-band season
at the public high school I had attended the past two years.
I played the trombone, and I was looking forward to band
that particular year with great excitement because the next
summer our band was planning a trip to Europe.
My dad, Russell Eugene Simmons, “Gene” to those
who knew him, was a terrific father. We spent a lot of time
together, and in the context of this quantity of time we had
special moments of quality time together. I can still remember his special prayer for me. He would pray almost every
evening at suppertime, “Lord, please keep Brian from the
traps and snares and pitfalls that Satan has set for him.” I
can hear my dad as he often said to me, “Son, …” I treasure
a Bible he gave to me on my 16th birthday. Inside he wrote,
“Son, … this book will keep you from sin. Sin will keep you
from this book.” Then my dad wrote out the words to Joshua
1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth;
but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou
mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein:
for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou
shalt have good success” (KJV).
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2009/2010 | CSE Volume 13 Number 1 | The Christian School Distinctive
The Saturday I returned from band camp, I remember the
first words my dad spoke to me as I entered our small kitchen in
the home where I grew up. He said, “Son, … Pastor Gelatt was
here this week. He said you are heading in the wrong direction.
You’re not heading in the wrong direction, are you?” I said,
“No, Dad.” But I was heading in the wrong direction.
My mom pulled me into the living room, where she
explained to me that the pastor was concerned about me and
that he thought I needed to enroll in the Christian school.
She continued, “Dad and I will pay the tuition if you want to
go.” My response was, “There is no way I will ever go to that
school!” My mom remained calm, and she said, “Brian, you
don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but you do need to go
talk to the pastor about it.” I agreed.
That week, I made an appointment to go see Pastor
Daniel Gelatt, and he talked me into attending Elkhart
Christian Academy (ECA). I praise the Lord for a pastor who
cared enough about me to meddle in my personal life!
While at ECA, I had a special principal, Jack Knapp; a
great youth pastor, Darrell Kauffman; and many wonderful
teachers—including a special coach and Bible teacher, Mike
Reece—who poured their lives into my life. In fact, I later
learned that my parents had sought and received a special
promise from Pastor Gelatt the day he visited our home. My
mom told Pastor Gelatt that I was gifted in math and science, and she wanted to make sure I received instruction in
calculus while still in high school. He promised. I can only
imagine the conversation he and Principal Jack Knapp had
the following week at the school. The conversation probably
went something like this …
“You promised her what!”
“Calculus. I thought Dave Rotman could teach the class.”
This was the beginning of my
calling in life—to make disciples
through Christian education.
“We have never offered calculus before!”
“Well, we are going to now.”
I can remember that first calculus course. Keith
Rheinheimer and I sat at a little table in the back of a high
school typing class. Remember that this was back in the day
when typing was typing, not keyboarding. Imagine doing
derivatives or integration to the sound of “click, click, click,
ring” as keys were pressed and the signal to hit the return
lever was made by every typewriter in the room at the end
of each completed row of type.
Physics and chemistry were similar stories. My high
school science teacher was a man named Barry Smith. Both
Mr. Smith and Mr. Rotman were terrific teachers. However, I
learned much more than science and math from these men.
I learned and observed how to live the Christian life day in
and day out. I learned what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus
Christ. This was the beginning of my calling in life—to
make disciples through Christian education.
After two years at ECA, the Lord got hold of my heart,
and when I graduated from ECA, I was heading in the right
direction. Praise the Lord. And by His grace, I have never
turned back.
As is so often the case in life, God uses the experiences
of Christ followers to direct their lives to fulfill His great
master plan for the universe. Christians find meaning in
their lives as they align their purposes with God’s plan.
This is my testimony. God used my Christian high
school teachers and university professors to make an
impact on my life, and from that experience I found my
life’s calling. I vividly remember the night when I came to
this decision. Bonnie, then my fiancée, and I were eating a
big bodacious cookie (BBC) in the snack bar of the student
center at Cornerstone University. We were contemplating the
future, and I said to Bonnie, “Bon, I am good at math and
science. How can I use this ability to serve the Lord?” Her
answer was clear. She said, “Why don’t you become a math
teacher in a Christian school and impact students for the
Lord like your teachers impacted you?”
I did. And she did too. I returned to Elkhart Christian
Academy in 1982 as a math and science teacher, and Bonnie
taught music and PE. In fact, I can remember watching Bonnie out on the athletic field with her class from the window
in my classroom, thinking and sometimes even exclaiming
out loud, “Wow, there is my wife! Isn’t she beautiful!” My
students would laugh, and we would continue with the lesson for the hour. Those were good days.
When our children were young, Bonnie and I had a
dream for them. Our dream was that every one of them
would experience Christian education from kindergarten
through college. God has been so good to us, and we are living
our dream! Jared graduated last spring from Indiana Wesleyan
University with a major in business. Drew graduated last
We must be the best schools
anywhere, and we must keep
Christ in Christian education.
spring from Indiana Wesleyan University, where he majored
in mathematics and computer science. Lindi just completed
her junior year at Indiana Wesleyan University, where she
is majoring in elementary education, and Aubrey will be a
freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University this fall.
Why is this goal so important to Bonnie and me? Mainly
because John’s words in 3 John 4 resonate with me: “I have
no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in
the truth” (NIV). You see, my main desire for my children
and future grandchildren is that each one of them will
choose to become a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. I believe
a Christian education is the best means available to me to
experience the realization of this dream. My children have
spent many more hours learning from their schoolteachers
than from me.
Yes, the world needs what we as Christian schools have
to offer. And what is that, you ask? We must be the best
schools anywhere, and we must keep Christ in Christian
education, for in Him alone we find life and meaning! Jesus
Christ is our distinctive! We are not merely excellent private
schools; we are private Christian schools that exist for a very
specific life-saving purpose. In times of crisis we must return
as a movement to our mission, our reason for existence. We
exist as an international association of Christian schools to
bring glory to God as we make thoroughly prepared disciples
of Jesus Christ, building all we do on the firm foundation of
the Word of God and focusing on God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
Brian S. Simmons, EdD, and his wife, Bonnie, met at
Cornerstone University and married in 1981. They have
four children, all graduates of Heritage Christian School
in Indiana. Their sons, Jared and Andrew, graduated from
Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU); and their daughters,
Lindi and Aubrey, currently attend IWU. On August 1,
Dr. Simmons began serving as the president of ACSI.
The Christian School Distinctive | CSE Volume 13 Number 1 | 2009/2010
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