History

CHRISTIAN SCHOOL CONSULTING

In the late 1970’s the Rev. Ken Campbell appointed Terry Lewis to serve as the Western Regional Director of Renaissance Canada. This organization focused on confronting the negative influences of secular humanism in public schools. In the course of carrying out this mandate Terry felt led to look at alternatives to the public school with the idea of not cursing the darkness but lighting a candle. After a fruitful ministry, Terry left Renaissance Canada and founded Christian School Consultants (CSC), in October of 1980, a federally incorporated non-profit charity. This organization would not only confront secular humanism in the Public Education System across Canada but would also advocate for the establishment of Christian Schools. Over the next two decades dozens of Christian Schools across western Canada were started through the influence of this ministry. During this time the ministry networked with other organizations and developed a Manitoba Association of Christian Schools. The ministry was a catalyst that brought in the Association of Christian Schools into Western Canada. CSC developed a Christian education newspaper called the Christian Family Advocate which was distributed to over 10,000 homes and churches across Canada and served as an educational voice that actively promoted the need for children to receive an education that was Christian based. It also served as an advocate for Christian principles in the Public System. It was a resource for many Christian educators and addressed theological, philosophical, educational, and ethical issues. Early in the 80’s the ministry discovered that it was very difficult to start Christian Schools in small communities and that most families could not afford the cost of a Christian School. Out of this reality came the additional focus of establishing home schools and provincial home school associations. The Christian Family Advocate publication began providing resources and information to help families. Regional and provincial home school seminars were conducted in central, western, and northern Canada.

CHRISTIANS INFLUENCING EDUCATION

There was a public backlash to this development and the ministry helped birth the Christian Legal Association and the Christian Legal Defense Fund to respond to the challenges. The ministry held the first National Christian Legal Association Conference and the first National Home School Conference. By this time the ministry was functioning under the name Christians Influencing Education, which was incorporated in the 90’s to better reflect the expanded ministry that God had called us into. The ministry also expanded its borders to include the British Isles, Haiti, and the United States in some of its activities. During this entire time the Director was also expanding his credentials which include three Master Degrees and a Doctorate.

CHRISTIANS EMPOWERING ORGANIZATIONS (CEO) MINISTRIES

The ministry began helping churches and international ministries restructure their organizations to increase their effectiveness. We became actively involved in providing training seminars on leadership for churches and schools both nationally and internationally. In addition, throughout the entire development of the ministry and while conducting seminars in different parts of the country Terry would find himself counselling pastors, principals, teachers, and parents who were struggling with personal or family problems. The fact that he was traveling through and seemed gifted in the area of counselling he had the joy and opportunity to come alongside many leaders and help them through some difficult times. Terry also had his own difficulties to deal with and through a series of events and God’s refining fire God is expanding the boundaries of the ministry again to add a focus on the personal lives of Christian Leaders in the Churches, Schools, Businesses and Professionals. With this new call has come increased resources of seasoned personnel. To reflect this new dynamic the name Christians Empowering Organizations Ministries Incorporated has been officially adopted as we move forward into a new decade of ministry.