Reflections on the 2026 Rooted Educator Worldview Summit

In mid-June, I had the privilege of attending the third annual Rooted Educator Worldview Summit with four of my ECS colleagues. It was hosted by ACSI and the Colson Center in beautiful Colorado Springs and was titled "Created and Called: Biblical Anthropology for Christian Education." This year's conference explored what it means to be human in light of the Christian worldview and how this vision reshapes the aims, practices, and culture of Christian education. Core topics included: 

• identity as image-bearers of God - Genesis 1:26-27
• the biblical understanding of calling - Galatians 1:15
• strategies to address cultural distortions (e.g., secular self-help, cancel culture, materialism, individualism) - Romans 12:2

I'm thankful I serve at a school where I can hear world-class speakers like Dr. Sean McDowell, John Stonestreet, and Elizabeth Urbanowicz. As Christian educators, we all must consider how a deep theological understanding of personhood informs spiritual formation, service, school, and society. By reclaiming a biblical view of humanity, we can empower students to embrace their identity in Christ, cultivate emotionally healthy relationships with their neighbors, and lovingly serve in our community and beyond.

Below are some questions we will be discussing at our in-service in August. I encourage you to reflect on these questions and perhaps discuss them with your family. Also, please be in prayer for us as we seek to partner with you to see individuals and communities transformed for the glory of God.

"To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" Revelation 5:13

Hope

• How does a biblical view of humanity as created in God's image ground a resilient hope for students?

Truth

• How can Christian education help students understand truth as both revealed and lived?

Identity

• How does being an image-bearer shape a student's understanding of personal worth, purpose, and relational belonging?

Calling

• In what ways can schools help students discern their unique gifts and callings within God's purposes?

Praying For Christ-Centered Education

People are sometimes confused about what prayer is, but prayer isn't that complicated. It's the primary way for followers of Christ to... 

• COMMUNICATE to God what we are thankful for,
• CONVEY what we hope for, 
• CONFESS what our sin problems are,
• and CELEBRATE God for who He is. 

Prayer is something we often neglect and take for granted, and we need to remember that prayer is only possible because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. He makes it possible for us to be able to approach God's throne of grace with confidence. Can we say IN-CRED-I-BLE?

A special day dedicated to prayer is the ACSI Day of Prayer. This year, it's on the last day of the month, February 28th. Please join the Association of Christian Schools (an organization I've been a part of for two decades) and Evansville Christian School (where I've worked for the past seven years) in prayer as we pray around the clock. 

What can you pray for? LOTS! Below are just seven things you can lift up. If you're interested in learning more, feel free to contact me. Thanks for being a part of this essential work, and may God be given the glory!

1. Thank God for ECS and for the 3,500+ Global National Schools that ACSI serves.

2. Pray that teachers would empower students to embrace a biblical worldview and that their lives would be transformed.

3. Pray for committed partnerships between educators, parents, churches, and parachurch ministries.

4. Pray that strong Christian men and women would apply to ECS and other Christian schools.

5. Pray that ECS graduates would be salt and light in the Tri-state area, the Midwest, and throughout the world. 

6. Pray that barriers preventing families from receiving a Christ-centered education are torn down. 

7. Pray that lawmakers support and defend our freedom of education. 

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Wick's 2017 Highlights

2017 was our first full year back in the States, and God once again blessed us abundantly. Read below. Here are past Wickersham highlights: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, & 2016.

January - We attend a God-glorifying wedding at Indiana Wesleyan University and have a Chinese mini-reunion.

February - We decide to purchase a brick ranch house in Evansville and like it for numerous reasons.

March - I visit Las Vegas with my dad and brother and watch the Kobalt 400, consume fantastic food, and have crucial conversations. Megan and I provide a little glimpse at FSBC about what the Father has done and is doing in the Middle Kingdom.

April - I attend the Gospel Coalition conference in Indianapolis and hear the gospel of grace proclaimed by men who have taught me much over the years.

May - We now have a high schooler, a middle schooler, and a kindergarten student in the Wickersham household. How did this happen?

June - My dad treats us to a two-night stay at the Peabody Memphis: Bass Pro Shops, BBQ, Graceland, Shelby Farms, and more!

July - We go to the Ark Encounter and hang out with friends we did life with in China. A few days later, we visit family in Richmond, Indiana, and make a presentation at their church. Soon after that, we visit St. Louis and enjoy time at the zoo, Science Center, and World Chess Hall of Fame.

August - We host a Chinese college student for three weeks and are invited by our friends to speak about adoption at a church in Johnson City, Tennessee.

September - I became the Cullen Campus principal at Evansville Christian School - so thankful to have a great job in a great community.

October - It's the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Soli Deo Gloria.

November - We part ways with the Wickmobile, and I spend some time in Bloomington, Indiana, on an ACSI accreditation visit. I also enjoyed catching up with an old buddy from Avon.

December - We celebrate Christmas with our families in Avon and Frankfort, Indiana, and spend time with other family members at various times during the month. God is good.

Reviewing Michael A. Zigarelli's Cultivating Christian Character

I chose to read Cultivating Christian Character: How to Become the Person God Wants You to be and How to Help Others Do the Same for a summer class I will be taking at CIU. Dr. Zigarelli attempts to answer the timeless question, "How do I become more like Jesus Christ?" His approach is driven by his research based on the experiences of more than 5,000 Christians around the world; however, I believe he misses the mark immensely. I do believe that Dr. Zigarelli desires for others to become better people, but his methods for understanding how to achieve a lasting transformation are largely man-centered. You will not find much Scripture in this book, and this is where the key to cultivating Christian character and living a God-glorifying life is found. This is not a secret that needs to be uncovered. If we want to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we need to read and study the Bible so we can understand how to rest in Christ's completed work on the cross. Yes, other spiritual disciplines like fasting, journaling, and serving others can certainly help us become more Christlike, but the renewing of our minds starts in the Good Book. Additionally, there is simply not enough emphasis on the power of the Holy Spirit and on the glorious truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What you do find in Cultivating Christian Character are a lot of charts and graphs that try to dissect how to become what he calls a "high-virtue" Christian. The book concludes with notes, references, and a list of resources Dr. Zigarelli suggests for cultivating Christian character. Unfortunately, some of the resources have questionable theology. I am sure there are portions of this book that can help some people, but there are scores of resources available that can have a greater impact on your heart and mind. Perhaps you want to look into Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer, and The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Although I do not agree with every theological stance these authors hold, these are books that Dr. Zigarelli recommends that I have benefited from.

Reviewing Kenneth O Gangel's Called To Teach

Dr. Gangel was one of the most significant Christian educators in the last century. A leader in Christian education for over forty years, he wrote or edited nearly sixty books. He strongly believed that studying God and His Word are the foundations of Christian education. Dr. Gangel stated, "If there is no integration of faith and learning, there is no Christian education." This was a man who was driven by the gospel and truly lived out his philosophy of education.

In Dr. Gangel's 186-page book, Called To Teach, he provides a compilation of 18 keynote addresses that he delivered from 1978 to 1995 at ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) conventions. Although the book covers some of the practical aspects of teaching, Called To Teach focuses more on the what and why of Christian teaching. The book provides a great deal of Scripture and highlights important events in the history of ACSI. I did not always agree with Dr. Gangel's interpretation of the Bible and felt he could have quoted more theologically sound people, but I still believe Called To Teach can help teachers teach Biblically. It is of the utmost importance that teachers teach Biblically integrated units, but many teachers simply do not understand how to do this. There are many teachers who believe adding a Bible verse to a lesson is Biblical integration. Dr. Gangel shows us that this is not Biblical integration.

Another issue related to improving instruction is that educators often forget that all teachers, not just Bible teachers, are to share the message of Jesus with others. However, Biblical teaching must permeate everything. God has called teachers to be different. Dr. Gangel reminds us that teachers are to be His teachers in His school system in His world in preparation for the coming of His Son.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 

Reviewing Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth

Nancy Pearcey, former scholar for worldview studies at Philadelphia Biblical University's Center for University Studies, wrote Total Truth in 2004. The 512-page Study Guide edition was published the next year and won a Christianity Today Award of Merit and the ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award in the Christian and Society category. Total Truth is one of seven additional books you must choose from to read to complete the ACSI Christian Philosophy of Education requirements. It is a book that helps the reader understand how to develop a Biblical worldview and is a follow-up book dealing with the worldview themes in How Now Shall We Live?. Pearcey shows us that there are many, including Christian educators, who are dividing matters into sacred and secular. This is even happening at Christian universities across the United States. Many Christians fail to see that all truth is God's truth. Christianity is not just religious truth, but total truth. I have met in small groups on a couple of different occasions to discuss the contents of this book, and more meetings are planned for the future. Total Truth is not light reading, and much can be taken from it. I found the last two sections to be more enjoyable than the first two sections, primarily because I had already read a lot of information from the first two sections. Despite that, I benefited greatly from reading Total Truth and would recommend it to others.