If you are going to start a Christian school, the very first thing you must have is a burden from God. Starting a Christian school cannot simply be a good idea, an exciting opportunity, or something that sounds like a worthwhile ministry. It must be a calling that God has placed upon your heart. I firmly believe that if God has not called you to do this work, the challenges, difficulties, and discouragements that come with Christian education will eventually become overwhelming. There must be something deep within your heart that says, “This is what God wants me to do, and I cannot get away from it.”

For me, that burden began in a hayfield in 2020. I was cutting hay that day when the Lord began dealing with my heart in a way I will never forget. It was almost as if He were speaking to me face-to-face. Now, I don't mean that I heard an audible voice, but His leading was so clear and personal that there was no mistaking what He was placing upon my heart. I sensed the Lord impressing upon me that I had something more important to be doing. He wanted me to begin preparing to start a Christian school.

For years, I had carried a desire for my own children to receive a Christian education, but the opportunity had never been there. Looking back, I can see how God was using that desire to prepare my heart for something much greater than I ever imagined. That day in the hayfield, a desire became a burden, and that burden began to grow into a calling I could not ignore. From that point forward, God began opening doors that only He could open. Our church leadership unanimously voted to bring the vision of a Christian school before the congregation, and our church also voted unanimously to begin this new ministry. What started as a burden in a hayfield became the beginning of Faith Christian Academy.

I have learned that when God places a genuine burden upon your heart, it becomes something you cannot easily walk away from. There will be difficult decisions, long days, financial challenges, unexpected obstacles, and moments when you wonder how everything is going to work out. During those times, enthusiasm will not be enough, and a good idea will not sustain you. You must be able to look back and know that God called you to this work. Sometimes, when everything else seems uncertain, that calling is the very thing that keeps you moving forward. Starting a Christian school is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities a person can ever experience.

I am deeply humbled and thankful that God allowed me to be part of establishing Faith Christian Academy. But if I could offer one piece of advice to anyone considering starting a Christian school, it would simply be this: Before you start making plans, raising money, finding buildings, or enrolling students, make sure you have a burden from God. Because the burden that calls you into the work will often be the very thing that carries you through it.