New London (Ohio) Faith Group Drops Lifewise Academy, Joins School Ministries Ohio

Local groups disassociate from Lifewise Academy. Does Lifewise have an image problem?

The New London Faith Group, New London, Ohio, has decided to cut ties with Lifewise Academy. The Group is a collaboration of eight local churches in the New London area that came together to finance the construction of a place of worship across the street from the New London Public School’s K-12 building.

Lifewise New London started operating in September 2021. It was one of the very first Lifewise Academy programs in the nation. It was also the first program to have classes for grades K-12, along with for-credit classes in the high school. Initially, students were transported off school property using buses. They used the school district buses when it initially started in defiance of Ohio State laws.

Video from November 2021 showing students getting off a New London Public School bus to attend Lifewise.

Lifewise responded that the school district buses may be used to transport students. They were.

The New London Faith Group was formed in 2022 as a nonprofit to oversee and own the project to build a permanent classroom across from the school. Land was donated, and fundraising began. Construction began in August of 2023. The building was completed in August 2024, and classes began in the new building shortly after.

Two years after the building opened for Lifewise Academy classes, the faith group chose to drop Lifewise and partner with School Ministries Ohio, a local chapter of the national School Ministries organization. School Ministries shares Lifewise Academy's mission to put the Bible into public schools.

School Ministries has a different method for starting local programs. They provide guidance on the requirements a local program must meet, but they let the local program choose how each item will be implemented. For example, Lifewise Academy charges per-student fees to cover costs such as curriculum, worksheets, insurance, payroll, and signage. School Ministries allows local programs to choose the curriculum, insurance companies, and any other vendor’s services they wish. This keeps more money with local companies and gives the local program more control. In New London, ff the total budget for the local Lifewise program, nearly 50% went back to the corporate office through franchise fees, goods, and services. This is a steep tax imposed on local communities.

Several people connected with the New London Faith Group said the main reasons for dropping Lifewise Academy were a desire for more control and to retain more funds locally. Some individuals served on both the New London Faith Group and Lifewise Academy boards. Local stakeholders felt that Lifewise's corporate leadership did not always prioritize their best interests.

Allen East Lifewise Academy

A building constructed for Allen East Lifewise Academy under the local nonprofit ACTS Character Academy has installed a new sign along the highway the building sits on, and it does not mention Lifewise Academy. When construction started, a temporary sign read “Future Home of Lifewise Allen East.” The newly installed sign reads “Impact Center.” These two events, at some of Lifewise Academy’s earliest programs, might be a sign of the struggles Lifewise Academy corporate puts on local groups.

Who is School Ministries Ohio?

School Ministries Ohio is not new to released time religious instruction programs. The original program in Van Wert, Ohio, that inspired Lifewise Academy was launched in cooperation with School Ministries Ohio. After Lifewise was formed, the Van Wert program dropped ties with School Ministries Ohio in 2019.

School Ministries Ohio was instrumental in the passing of the initial released time law in Ohio. Representative Jeff McClain (R-Upper Sandusky), who is also on the board for School Ministries Ohio, sponsored and pushed for the legislation to create a legal framework for released time in Ohio in 2013. The legislation also allowed students to receive high school credit for bible classes.

School Ministries has over 50,000 students enrolled nationally, compared with Lifewise’s 60,000. School Ministries aims to reach 250,000 students by 2030. Poaching programs from Lifewise would be the easiest path to that goal. School Ministries recently moved its headquarters from South Carolina to Ohio. Similar to churches “planting” new buildings in thriving areas, School Ministries may be positioning itself in this area to attract programs that want the same things as New London. Separating from Lifewise Academy offers more control and reduces the drain on the local organization’s resources.

Ohio Connections to Released Time

How did the two largest released time organizations in the country become headquartered in Ohio? It was not dumb luck. School Ministries Ohio (SMO) has been working with ultraconservative right-wing organizations to lobby for legislation and create legal challenges to the idea that religion and public schools should be kept separate for over a decade. The Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) has also championed this fight to mix religion and public schools. When Lifewise Academy began to receive pushback from the school administration, CCV was there to lead lobbying efforts to change Ohio law and require districts to coordinate with Lifewise.

The new National Executive Director for School Ministries is Robert Kilo. Before joining School Ministries, Kilo was the Senior Director of Advancement for CCV. After hiring Kilo, School Ministries moved its headquarters to Ohio. There is a coordinated effort to force religion into public schools. School Ministries has received legal opinions from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) supporting the inclusion of Bible classes in public schools during the school day. Many school districts have used these legal opinions to validate Bible classes in schools during the school day with assistance from School Ministries.

All of these groups are trying to implement Bible classes IN public schools, not off school property.