Let’s create flourishing families together.
The Flourishing Families initiative is a simple, three-phase process designed to equip Christian schools and educators with a roadmap and resources to help families flourish.
We believe this is an indispensable part of a school’s overall spiritual formation plan. Our desire is for every family in your school to develop an intentional family plan that creates conditions for spiritual growth.
Ministry Tool Kit for school leaders.
ACSI has developed an easy-to-use Flourishing Families Tool Kit for Christian School Leaders.
Phase 1: Getting Started
Foundational Work
Phase 1 lays the spiritual and strategic groundwork by equipping leaders to grow personally, assess their school culture, and make a compelling biblical case for family discipleship. This phase helps identify obstacles and prepare hearts and systems for meaningful transformation.
- Laying the Foundation with Personal Leadership and Spiritual Ownership
- Identifying and Navigating Common Obstacles
- Building a Biblical Case for Family Discipleship: The Apologetics
- Evaluating School Culture and Readiness: The Diagnostics
Phase focus:
Head of School, Board of Directors, Leadership Team
Phase 2: Building Culture
Messaging and Training
Phase 2 focuses on embedding the vision for family discipleship into every layer of school life. Through intentional messaging and aligned training across all stakeholder groups, schools create a unified culture that reinforces spiritual formation at every touchpoint.
- Integrating Family Discipleship into the School’s DNA
- Aligning Messaging Across All School Events
- Engaging Every Constituency with Purposeful Communication
- Admissions Messaging and Guidelines
- Staff Training and Professional Development
- Parent Equipping and Engagement
- Student Discipleship and Involvement
Phase focus:
All School Constituents (Staff, Parents, and Students)
Phase 3: Transforming Families
Passing on the Baton of Faith
Phase 3 focuses on empowering parents to take ownership of their children’s discipleship using the Kingdom Family Playbook coming early 2026.
Through the development of a personalized family discipleship plan, parents are equipped to lead their children spiritually and foster a lasting legacy of faith. The Family Institute, success stories, and tailored courses provide the support and tools parents need to actively engage in their children’s spiritual growth.
- Establishing a Family Institute as a Comprehensive Family Discipeship Program
- Celebrating Family by Sharing Stories of Spiritual Growth
- Hosting Family Ministry Training Events to Equip Families
- Offering ACSI’s New Parent Course: Kingdom Family Playbook featuring how to create your own personal family plan COMING EARLY 2026
- Creating a Personalized Family Discipleship Plan
- Developing an Online Family Resource Center
Phase focus:
Parents and Guardians
“There’s nothing that transformed our family more than creating an intentional family plan. I can’t wait to train you on that early next year.”
– Dr. Larry Taylor, ACSI President & CEO
Resources
Running with the Horses by Dr. Larry Taylor
Helpful Family Resources
Conversation Kits
Faith Teaches Website
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can I contact if I have questions?
Please contact the ACSI Care Team Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (MT, excluding holidays) at (800)367-0798 or careteam@acsi.org.
What’s the difference between the Free Checklist and the Comprehensive School Leader Tool Kit?
Both resources are designed to help you build your school’s Family Institute.
- The Free Checklist is a simple, step-by-step guide for school leaders to begin developing a family ministry framework.
- The Comprehensive School Leader Tool Kit—free for all ACSI member schools—is an expanded version packed with tools, including training videos for each phase, sample documents, PowerPoint templates, and additional content to support implementation.
Everything is organized in one place for your convenience so you can get started with confidence.
What is the Kingdom Family Playbook, and how can I access it?
The Kingdom Family Playbook is an 8-week discipleship course designed to help parents raise their children in faith and build a legacy that lasts for generations. It’s more than training; it’s a vision-casting tool for intentional family discipleship.
Schools, churches, and families can use this resource to create meaningful weekly, monthly, and annual rhythms for faith formation.
Coming in early 2026!
Is individual or group networking available?
Yes! As part of your ACSI school membership, you’ll have access to quarterly group networking sessions designed to provide additional training and shared learning with other school leaders. Contact the ACSI Care Team at careteam@acsi.org to learn more.
How can I join the Spiritual Life Director Network?
The Spiritual Life Director (SLD) Network is for school leaders charged with nurturing spiritual formation across their school community. This Convene Network gathers regularly for meaningful connections, collaboration, and shared learning.
If you’re interested in joining, simply click the “Join the Network” button on our site. We welcome all schools looking to grow in this vital area.
How can Flourishing Families be used in an open-enrollment school with non-Christian families?
Flourishing Families provides a framework to engage all families meaningfully while remaining faithful to your mission. Even in diverse school communities, most families share core values like character development, a love for learning, and a desire for their children to grow in truth and purpose. What a great way to plant gospel seeds as you care deeply for their children’s growth—head, heart, and hands!
What's my next step as a school leader?
You play a vital role in the spiritual formation of your students. Here’s how to get started:
- Visit the “School Leader” tab at the top of the page.
- Take the free Readiness Assessment and download the Free Checklist.
- Access the Comprehensive School Leader Tool Kit—available at no cost to ACSI member schools—which includes:
- Video training for each phase
- Sample templates and PowerPoint slides
- Practical tools for building your Family Institute
- Use the Kingdom Family Playbook for parent training across your school community.
- Join the Spiritual Life Director Network to connect with other leaders and learn best practices.
All these resources are gathered in one place to make it simple for you to get started.
What kind of time commitment should our Leadership Team and staff expect when implementing this program?
Supporting your school community families is likely already happening. Our prayer would be that this is part of your natural rhythm of operation. Think through how you wish to be intentional and who is needed to make that happen. Remember, you can begin small and scale up!
What should I budget annually to fully implement this program?
The biggest cost of intentionality is time. Whether you have a shoestring budget or you are well-resourced, any school can invest in supporting Flourishing Families. Start by creating a plan of action and then budget to meet those goals.
Would I be able to engage volunteers in some way to help with the program?
Absolutely! Engaging volunteers—such as parents, grandparents, or church partners—is a great way to strengthen the impact of Flourishing Families. Many schools find that volunteers can assist with family events, mentoring opportunities, prayer teams, and more. This is a wonderful opportunity to employ the Titus 2 model of mentorship, where seasoned parents can come alongside parents new in their faith or parenting younger children. Local churches can support your efforts and provide additional faith-building moments for families to enjoy.